Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design — Local services in Glendale Heights

Here’s where we are at currently. We came into this location on Monday March 22nd. We’ve never been to Walter E Smithe showroom before, we typically use other furniture stores, but we been on the hunt for a special piece to complete our family room. Our designer was so amazing, she walked us through a ton of pieces, trying to help up find something that fit our style. We finally found the perfect piece and lucky us, it was available and able to be delivered Friday March 26th. We paid for the piece and $99 dollars for what this company calls “white glove service”. We left feeling confident in our purchase. Friday rolls around and we a notification of our delivery driver’s name, number and a window of 1045am to 145pm. We wait, 2pm rolls around and there is no communication about a delay or estimated delivery, so we text the driver. No response. We call the driver about 10 minutes later, we’re informed there’s a delay and it will be another hour and half. We’re understanding people, we know situations occur and things get pushed back. So we wait. 330pm comes, no calls no delivery. We contact the driver, no response. We call customer service and speak to a woman named Cathy who, after some time on hold, says she also cannot contact the driver. She’ll call us back in about 20 minutes. Here’s where we begin to regret our purchase. 445pm we call again, speak to another customer service rep. She also cannot reach the driver, asks to call us back in about 20 minutes after speaking to a manager, and assures us we’ll get this figured out. 530pm and now we’re calling again after no call back, call #3 to customer service if you’re keeping count. The woman explains she is at reception and needs to contact the warehouse for an update. And here we are, 6pm waiting for a piece that had a delivery window of 3 hours, a total of almost 8 hours now. The two stars are for the designer and the buying process. This delivery has taken our entire day. The saddest part is we paid $99 to sit at home and call numerous times, and still have no answer as to when we’ll get our piece. What a terrible first impression.

Update-610pm, got my first call back. Driver is on his way but no one can explain why we’ve had no communication all day. Also can’t refund my delivery cost unless I call back tomorrow. Wish me luck, if it’s anything like today it’ll be another 8...

I recently purchased a Justin King Panel Bed Frame. Bill, our associate, was able to swing us a recently returned item in order to bypass the backorder. This helped us greatly and we received our bed frame in a timely manner and for a steal of a price. The only problem with the bed was a tiny scrape which would be buffed out prior to delivery. However, upon arrival and installation, the bed frame does not feel secure. The headboard and footboard move greatly with little force applied. This presents a huge problem. When I called the service and warranty department I was told there was no warranty due to it being a clearance item. This was something I was not told and never notified of by Bill. It's beginning to feel like I was bait and switched a broken frame. Dora the warranty rep was nice enough to send a courtesy service technician out in the next week, but any repairs will not be covered.

I went to walter e smith because my parents have had great customer service experience in the 20+ years of business with them. I feel betrayed by the sales rep, and hopeless in the sense of not being able to remedy the situation. Shame on you WES.

UPDATE 9/17/2020: Service technician visited the home. Was here for a total of 5 minutes. I was told the bed was not right and it shouldn't have as much movement and squeaking as it did. Offered to tighten bolts but noted that wasn't the issue and left. THE PROBLEM IS THAT IS THE ISSUE. 3/4 brackets screws were stripped and unable to tighten which I had to identify on my own. Ultimately will recommend the bed needs all new hardware but this is a nightmare of a purchase and fix. Still 1/5 stars. Considering disputing the purchase.

Update 10/3/2020: The WES really came through and replaced the frame. When they were taking apart the old one they noted the screws were all different, missing, or stripped. They took extra time to set up the new one correctly and trouble shoot some issues on site. 4/5 with...

My parents have bought various pieces of furniture here over the years, and my most recent experience was with my brother-in-law, who was looking for a new couch. There happened to be a really great labor day sale going on when we came in (which we were informed of soon after walking in), and the sales lady who first approached us remained attentive and helpful without hovering over us throughout our shopping experience. We must've flopped on every single chair and sofa, occasionally changing our minds on the one we wanted, until we finally settled on a leather La-Z-Boy sectional that was a bit above BIL's tentative price point. In swooped helpful sales lady, informing us that a similar model was in clearance for half the price! Woo! Back in the hoped for ballpark price! She was great, wish her name wasn't slipping my mind right now. BTW, they have a fridge with various cold beverages and a machine that makes various hot ones! Good touch. Update: since last time I reviewed WES, my husband and I have bought two couches from here (3ish years later and still happy with them, and of course the service was excellent on that occasion), and most recently we came in for a wool area rug. Fran was very helpful as we looked through samples and rugs on the floor, and eventually pulled a few really nice options online that were in our budget. She gave us three options with prices to think about overnight, without any pressure to buy immediately. Throughout the whole process, Eliza helpfully plied our children with coloring and stickers to keep them out of our hair and in one place (game changing)! The team at Walter E. Smithe always goes above and beyond to help you leave satisfied. If you're attempting to rug shop online—DON'T! Skip that hassle and...