Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design — Local services in Orland Township

A Walter E Smithe Disaster: A Story of Hope, Delays, and Utter Disappointment

It was the Fourth of July. Fireworks filled the sky, but my wife and I had our own little spark of excitement – a baby on the way, due in early September. We wanted to ensure that our nursery was perfect and ready, so we decided to place an order with Walter E Smithe. A beautiful bedroom set and, crucially, a glider.

Despite a minor setback in the delivery date, by August, we were 3/4 of the way there. The glider, we were promised, would follow by the end of the month. But oh, how the plot thickened! That supposedly "in-stock" glider from July? Suddenly out of stock. The new delivery date? Mid-September.

Our sales rep tried to “help”, suggesting alternatives that were a jaw-dropping FOUR TIMES more expensive. Eventually, we settled on a supposedly "in-stock" replacement with the assurance of a September delivery. But, as our anticipation grew, so did the list of disappointments. Once again, our delivery was rescheduled, and then rescheduled again. October became the new deadline. October! Past our baby's due date.

Throughout this ordeal, the cherry on top was the sheer disregard and apathy shown by the Walter E Smithe team. Unanswered emails. Evasive responses. A glaring absence of customer service.

But this isn’t just our story. Just ask Catherine L, who shared her own disastrous experience just a month prior. It's not an exception; it's a trend of negligent business practices by Walter E Smithe.

To anyone considering where to invest their hard-earned money for furniture, I leave you with this: Do you desire prompt delivery, peace of mind, and respect for your needs? Look elsewhere. But if you're in the market for sky-high prices, woeful service, and the added stress of starting from scratch with another company, by all means, Walter E Smithe is the way to go. Choose wisely.

UPDATE: After this review they told us on Thursday they would deliver us a loaner glider this weekend.

The weekend is almost over and we don’t have a glider.

Walter E Smithe is a complete joke.

Also, ‘Walter E Smithe Owner’…this is very obviously the Orland Park store as that’s the GBP which the review...

My experience at Walter E. Smithe in Orland Park with designer, Loreen Stevens, was underwhelming to say the least.

Our experience began on Sunday, March 17th, 2024, at the Orland Park, IL store. Following a full day of furniture shopping the day before, we decided to explore what Walter E. Smithe had to offer on Sunday morning. Upon entering the store, we intended to browse independently but were approached by Loreen Stevens, who initially appeared pleasant. She proceeded to guide us through the showroom. During our visit, another customer arrived to select fabric, prompting the General Manager of Orland Park to assist. After spending approximately an hour and a half, we departed with a few options, feeling somewhat overwhelmed by Loreen's assumption of our furniture expertise. Nonetheless, we believed we had identified some pieces of interest.

Upon returning home and perusing the Walter E. Smithe website, we had additional inquiries about the furniture we had seen and sought further details on other pieces. I attempted to contact the store but encountered difficulties reaching Loreen. Despite multiple attempts via phone and text, communication proved challenging, with no response from Loreen.

Eventually, Loreen returned our call, but the conversation quickly turned sour. Throughout the 17-minute call, her demeanor was distracted and indifferent. Shockingly, she expressed frustration about our inquiries, stating that she operates on commission and implying that our questions were wasting her time. This unwelcomed response left us taken aback. She proceeded to suggest we seek assistance from another sales representative, insinuating that she was not the...

Do not buy furniture from Walter E. Smithe. They have horrible quality furniture and their service is terrible. I bought a bedroom set months ago that came with a broken dresser and night stand along with a mirror without hardware. I had to wait weeks for the mirror hardware because they are apparently hard to get. I also had to wait for someone to come out and try to see if the dresser and night stand could be repaired. After weeks of frustration with customer service and getting the run around they finally said I could get a replacement. I didn’t want a replacement I wanted my money back and the furniture gone. They refused and so I had to pick out a different bedroom set. After many more weeks my furniture finally came on 7/13. IT WAS BROKEN!!!! The dresser drawer doesn’t work properly and one night stand drawers don’t work proper!!! I tried to refuse delivery but they would not let me. The delivery driver also put a HOLE in my wall!! I have yet to hear from them about getting this resolved! They are liars and try to pretend like they are doing me a favor by making me keep it so I had furniture. I DON’T want the terrible furniture! I would rather have my mattress on the ground and put my clothes in suitcases until I found furniture from somewhere else. They are a terrible company and DO NOT buy...