west elm — Local services in Washington

Although the staff at this location is very friendly and helpful, West Elm as a company is TERRIBLE. After making our purchase, we've had horrible experiences at every turn. For example, the Emerson table we ordered was not at all like the floor model in the store--even though all we changed was the color. After returning the table, we hadn't gotten a refund for almost a month and had to call to complain in order to get reimburse. We're still waiting for our money back.

The delivery experience was also frustrating. West Elm is apparently owned by Williams-Sonoma, which also owns at least one other furniture company (I think Pottery Barn). If you happen to be ordering several pieces of furniture at once, don't expect any help from the company when you get a call or email about delivery. The email simply comes from Williams-Sonoma (regardless of which of their stores you order from) and cryptically just stats that "your furniture" is on its way without identifying what it is. I shouldn't have to conduct internet research just to figure out which pieces of furniture of arriving. If you've recently moved and have numerous things coming at once, this is pretty irritating.

Even when the furniture arrives, it's a bad experience. One of our deliveries was over an hour past the specified delivery window, and the team didn't even bother to call until they were already half an hour late. Do you have the luxury of waiting around all day/evening for furniture?

I can't believe that a store that purports to compete with other "upscale" chains like Room & Board and Crate & Barrel would abuse its customers like this. Again, the in-store clerks are very helpful, but after you swipe your card, West Elm appears to take the attitude that you don't matter.

Contrasting our experiences at West Elm with our experiences at Crate & Barrel (which has been wonderful), we won't be buying from (West Elm or any of Williams-Sonoma's companies) again. Learn from our mistakes, and...

Avoid at all costs. This is a review of the whole company but also for this location. After purchasing a new home I decided to make several purchases online and with this store. So far the only purchases that have gone smoothly are for small things that I didn't need to return like candles or blankets. Other than that it's been a complete nightmare. Examples: Purchased a tripod side table - the quality was terrible since the legs wouldn't screw in all the way, the table was wobbly. Returned in store and instead of providing a refund to the credit card or even in the form of a gift card on the spot we had to wait for a gift card to be mailed to us. (seems like the wanted me to lose it). Ordered a bed frame and the shipment got delayed THEN delivery got delayed, the product was in the local warehouse but the delivery contractor couldn't make room for us even after multiple promises from West Elm corporate that they would "see what they could do". Ordered a coffee table, delivery shipped out ahead of the scheduled time frame (while we were out of town over 4th of July), West Elm refused to help us with rescheduling delivery. Finally got table, it cracked upon assembly, another nightmare to return. Finally ordered a desk set, and then after the coffee table debacle decided to cancel. Only one part of our order was successfully cancelled and refunded, three months later we still have not been refunded for the other half and we've been charged late fees! I've gone in and called the store directly about orders placed with them in-store and they've been terribly rude and unhelpful. The floor salespeople have often had an attitude as well. Please do yourself a favor and avoid this location and entire company altogether, I...

Don't buy a sofa or anything bigger than a coffee mug from here. The customer service is abysmal. If there is any sort of screw-up, they pass the buck to one of their many 3rd party vendors. Nothing is West Elm's fault. Ever. Trash company.

Ordered the Harmony sofa. Not bad. But it came missing a leg. I called the shipping people (FIDELITONE...also horrible), they didn't have it. I called West Elm directly. They didn't have one either. After several calls to customer "service" I get an email 5 days later stating that my missing sofa leg will arrive... in a month. A month?? They sell thousands of these sofas, and you mean to tell me that they can't find a single leg and just overnight it to me? HORRIBLE!

I wanted so badly to return the whole stupid thing, and when I told them I wanted to return their "custom" piece to them rather that sit on some half-built furniture, they basically said "k, cool, when can we pick it up?" I'm not a "may I speak to the manager" type of person at all, so I felt cornered, helpless, and basically valueless.

Anyway if it weren't for my partner's insistence on having something soft under her butt, I would be sitting on the floor right now. Anything is better than this big reminder of the fact that this garbage company ever got a single dime out of me.

I hate West Elm. Never again. Go to Crate & Barrel, Room & Board, JoyBird...do what you gotta do but avoid these people. Don't think it can't happen to you. It can. And they won't even...