LITTLEBRANCH FARM — Local services in Nashville-Davidson

We had ordered a floor lamp several years ago, and quite frankly it was wonderful. So when we decided we wanted another one for the opposite corner of the room we went straight back to Littlebranch. I emailed very specific dimensions and several pictures of the first lamp and asked if I could get something similar. I realize that of course no two could be exactly alike, which is part of the appeal, but in order for this to work it would have to fit within certain dimensions, and I asked for several "branches" to be left on. I was assured that he could do all that I had asked and that we would be able to get it in the next 6 weeks. I received an invoice and paid immediately. 2 months later, I emailed twice before hearing that things were "crazy" and that hopefully the lamp would ship some time that week. After a total of nearly 3 months, Fed Ex called and told me that they had a shipment for me and that I would have to pay the driver $167. Unlike with the first lamp, I had received no updates on the lamp, hadn't seen any pictures of the lamp to approve before shipment, and hadn't been told the cost of shipping.

FedEx arrived with the crate this morning and much to our dismay, the lamp was nothing like the first one. The foot was nowhere near the dimensions that I had sent, which means that it wouldn't fit in the corner we wanted it in, and despite the request that "branches" be left on (like the first one, which was one of the features that we loved so much), there weren't any at all. The "bend" in the lamp is such that the lamp would have to be placed over two feet away from the corner of the room, which is nothing like the given space that I had measured and asked about before paying for the lamp.

My husband called to talk about all of this and was told that they have a disclaimer that they can't fit a lamp into given specs. (I'm not sure where I would have seen that since I found their email address from my other order some years ago and didn't order from their site.) The woman who assured me that he could do this (via email) told me that she showed him the pictures and the measurements that I sent and that he had said he could do it.

But he didn't and so now I'm out several hundred dollars for a lamp that I can't use.

I must add that he then claimed he would "fix it" to our specs (but I thought he couldn't do that??) but we would have to pay for shipping to send this one back to him AND then shipping back to us. When my husband argued that point, he was told that we would have to pay the return shipping - so out another $167.

• I never asked for a match; I asked for similar. I was assured it could be done. When I believed that, I paid in advance. I was never given the opportunity to approve or disapprove the lampfor shipping as I had been in the past. When we got the lamp, it wasn't similar in any way. When we expressed dissatisfaction we were met with immediate defensiveness. We were offered a "fix," the exact word used, if we were willing to pay $167 shipping at least two more times - once for the return and then again for the "fix" to be sent. If we had been told we could get a full refund, we would've taken that!...

After an extensive web search for a unique coffee table, we happened on to Kelly Maxwell's work on the Littlebranch Farm site. End of our search! And, when we called to find out more information about a table that looked about right, Kelly answered, and was able to take care of all our questions. More importantly, his pride in workmanship came through, and he made the transaction easy and pleasant The table arrived via Fedex Freight right on schedule, well crated and protected, absolutely no problem whatsoever. According to surveys from Gallup, customers want accuracy, availability, advice, and partnership from a business. Kelly provides all of those...

Now this place is cool. They've got some amazing tables in their furniture gallery, and some really beautiful antler chandeliers as well. The tables are made from really thick, beautiful slabs of redwood blended with modern bases which brings the warmth of the rustic look into the style of the modern day. The location is across from 3rd and Lindsley. You can't miss it as it's right off the exit when you're going downtown. Everything at Littlebranch looks like it would last for generations. Just wish I could afford it...