Ashley Store — Local services in Gainesville

Less than a year ago, went to buy a couch at Ashley. Had to deal with the most condescending salesman who had no respect for women. I for sure thought he would have been let go by now. But no. I made the mistake and went back to the store to buy a mattress this past Sunday. He was still there. I thought it would be OK as the manager seemed concerned about my last experience and assured me I would have a better one this time. So I worked with a different salesperson and a manager to buy a mattress. Please note... I HAD to buy a $200 mattress cover in order to get the 120 night in home trial of the mattress.

Yesterday, the mattress was to arrive. The salesperson and manager ordered me the WRONG mattress and DID NOT note that the old mattress was supposed to be removed. I called to speak to a manager and was treated horribly. They didn't want to do anything to make things right. Just told me to refuse the delivery and I would get a refund.

This morning, I get a call from Ashley to see how my delivery went. This person said the order was never cancelled so she would have to initiate the request to cancel. I have to wait 3 days for someone to approve the cancellation and then another 3-7 days to get my refund unless I am willing to go back to the store to process the refund there. NO THANK YOU! I'll dispute with my credit card in a couple of weeks if I don't get my refund.

Then, just an hour ago... another person from Ashley called to see how my delivery went. YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! I spent a half hour with the other person earlier this morning to get the thing cancelled. They didn't even look at my account before calling to see that the order was being in the process to be cancelled. I just hung up on her. I can't deal with this company any longer.

Last night, I went to Mattress Firm on W. Newberry Road. What a difference!!! I worked with Mavity at the store. She gave me free delivery, free removal of the old mattress and over $400 of store credit for pillows or whatever I wanted. Also, I DID NOT have to buy their mattress cover to get the same 120 free in home trial like I did at Ashley. Mavity went above and beyond and was extremely competent and knowledgeable. She was empowered by her manager to give me discounts and deals to make me happy, something Ashley does not do with their employees. She never once had to get a manager to help her do anything. Her goal was to give me a better deal and experience than I had with Ashley furniture.

I get the mattress tomorrow, Friday. I'll update my review if this order also goes sour, but I am pretty confident all will be perfect.

Bottom line... shop anywhere else but Ashley Furniture. They don't empower their employees to make the extra effort to create happy customers. And the managers just don't care about...

Go in store and ask for Walt. He was patient, very attentive, and helped us very well. Delivery was phenomenal, quick, on time, and courteous. In-Store is +5 stars. DO NOT BUY ONLINE. The delivery and experience of my in-store purchase was completely different than my online purchase. First, delivery came earlier than the scheduled time. about 45 minutes early. Dispatch called me to ask where I was... and I was instantly confused. I had talked to customer care and my delivery was scheduled from 930 - 1130am. They arrived around 845am. My items were delivered and left without the plastic being removed. When you sign for a delivery, you are signing stating that you inspected your delivery, it is not defective and what you ordered. After they left... suddenly and without saying they were done... I realized that a piece was missing. I called dispatch and they stated that delivery does not remove the plastic... yet when I ordered in store, they did. I paid nothing extra for that. Dispatch was adamant in repeating that I was "wrong." I called customer service. They put me on hold to talk to dispatch. (?) Customer service agreed with me that they are supposed to remove the plastic and they do not assemble anything. None of my items needed assembly, which is why I didn't pay for it. Customer service did not offer any resolution. They were able to ask dispatch where my 3rd piece was, to be told it would be delivered on the following Saturday. (?) I was not informed of this. I was a real Charlie Foxtrot. Next, I find that I was charged TWICE. Fantastic. DO NOT BUY ONLINE. They charged the Ashley Credit as well as the card I entered. I applied for the credit, but declined it due to the insanely high interest rate. This time, customer service was very rude, interrupting me and saying things like "I can't read your mind." My question was simple. She was not able to understand that I had been charged twice. When she asked for my card number, I told her I didn't have an Ashley card, I didn't choose to use it. She asked me which bank it was from... (?) how would I know? I didn't use the card or have it or have any record of it. That's what I needed to call customer...

I recently visited Ashley Furniture in Gainesville to purchase a sofa, and overall, my experience was a mixed bag.

Positives: The sales staff was knowledgeable, friendly, and approachable without being pushy, which I really appreciated. They gave me plenty of time to browse and try out different options without pressure. The store itself has a large selection with reasonable prices, including some special buy deals that were particularly attractive, that’s actually what I ended up purchasing.

Negatives: Unfortunately, there were a few red flags. I noticed that all the sales associates seemed to be under a lot of pressure from management, which tracks their closing ratios through an automated system counting customers as they enter. Because of this, I saw multiple salespeople asking customers (including me) to use a side door when returning to avoid being tracked as a new visit. This felt manipulative and unnecessary.

Then, when I decided to purchase my sofa, I was informed of a $99 delivery fee, which I wanted to decline since I preferred to pick up the furniture myself. However, I was told the only way to waive the fee was to drive two hours to Tampa to pick it up at the warehouse. This seemed unreasonable, why shouldn’t I be able to pick up my purchase at the store I visited?

Additionally, the fine print in the terms and conditions states that if you pick up from the warehouse, you waive your right to return the product or seek any recourse if it’s damaged. That means you’d need to fully unpack and inspect everything on-site, which is completely impractical. This policy comes across as shady and unfair to customers.

Bottom Line: I love the sofa I picked out, but my experience left me feeling uneasy about the store’s policies. Since my couch won’t be ready for a few weeks, I’ll be keeping my options open, and if I find a better deal with a more customer-friendly business model, I won’t hesitate to cancel my order.

I hope Ashley Furniture reconsiders these questionable practices because their selection and sales team are great, but the unnecessary pressures and restrictive policies make the buying experience...