Guardsman Consumer Reviews - Page 3

FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA -- I don't know why I had purchased this warranty a second time. 11 years ago we purchased over $20,000 of furniture from a high-line furniture store. When I made a claim within 6 months because of chipping the corner of an entry table - wasn't covered. When there was a stain that we could not remove from the dining chair - wasn't covered because we didn't report it within 2 weeks of the occurrence.

Fast forward to 4 years ago. We purchased from Bassett Furniture a leather sofa, ottoman and recliner, as well as an accent chair. Over $6,500 dollars. The sales person said that with leather "we really should get the warranty because it will cover a hole if your grandchildren poke a hole in by accident with a toy" and she also listed all kinds of scenarios that we could identify with. Well, the first thing that broke were the clips that held the cushions to the couch, second it was the fabric on the BACK of the upper cushions separating from the leather at the seams, then it was foam collapsing in the cushions, and the sofa squeaks when you sit on it.

We sent pictures and even measured the frame on the sofa was bowing. It actually dipped 1/3 of an inch in the middle. They denied everything but would send a Guardsman representative to look at the sofa frame. The man was really nice, said that the length of the sofa really should have additional support, he would order 2 extra matching feet, it will take about 2 weeks and that will take care of the squeaking. Today (approximately 2 weeks since the man was here) I received an email that the bowed from is not covered either. How can a reputable furniture store even dare to sell this non-existent coverage?! It was $400 for absolutely nothing.

I am wondering why I would think that furniture should last. From now on I am going to buy furniture and think of it as disposable just like our appliances have become. My son had the same problem but in less than 6 months after delivery the seams were coming apart. That was considered normal wear and tear... after 6 months with no children. If you are ever offered a warranty on ANYTHING - decline it. Nothing is ever covered regardless of the product.

RAPIDS, MICHIGAN -- I purchase a kitchen island and 4 barstool in June of 2016. In October right before Christmas my table had this grey spot so I called them for the first time since I have my kitchen items. They sent out a technician to fix the problem which I was not satisfied with it because you could still see the spot where the stain is, even the technician said I have a beautiful house and he can tell that I take care of my furniture that is well kept. He said it looks like if the stain is mildew on it so I called the Guardsman Protection Plan which I thought I had for 5yrs and they said, "We can give you two options. Either some money for the damage or a replacement."

I took the money because I wasn't trying to go thru a hassle to exchange it since I know I can get a contractor outside to fix it to my likings and I am thinking is just a courtesy compensation I was getting from Guardsman Protection Plan for the hassle of the damage. I didn't know it was the end of my contract. They want to lie. Said I was advise of this which is untrue. I ask for the tape to proof. They said this to me but I was rejected by the specialist. Said she can't do it.

Now one of my door won't shut so I called them back to get it fix and I was told my plan is canceled since I took the little money of $300 they gave me which wasn't nothing compare to what I pay close to $1000.00 just for the kitchen island with Haverty's furniture store. They do not own up to their product nor communicate with the customer letting them know up front what is expected if we offer you some funds. For all I know I can return their little funds of $300 and I want my furniture repair. How in the world this furniture is new and very expensive and in less than 2yrs is damage.

What have they given me a piece of junk, I paid a lot of money for it and is no good. I live alone, has no kids. I take care of my furnitures. I do have a beautiful home and thought I had a lifetime furniture that will last for more than 5yrs. I feel taken and sorry that I trusted this furniture store. My 1st and last time purchasing from them.

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN -- A little over a year ago I purchased several items from a reputable Maryland furniture store. On their recommendation I purchased a protection plan for the three couches, chair and two tables. At the time I considered the protection plan as a critical component to preserve my investment in new furniture.

One item was delivered damaged and was immediately repaired by the store; however, a second item wasn't repaired due to the technician bringing the wrong fabric. Due to the elapse in time in scheduling a second visit I was told by the furniture store to utilize my protection plan.

First, the automated request tool is cumbersome and time consuming. It is simply not user friendly. It is also odd that one of the final steps in the process is the requirement to document your proof of purchase. The protection plan is really an agreement between the furniture store, the purchaser, and Guardsman and yet the burden of proof falls solely on you as the purchaser. There isn't an electronic transfer of the purchase agreement from the furniture store to Guardsman and if by chance you have lost your purchase agreement, you run the risk of being denied service.

Second, read every sentence in your agreement. I did not and the company stuck it to me hard. Over a period of 3 months my couch had a separation in a back cushion seam and a spring in a seat cushion came undone. Because neither was particularly troublesome I submitted a consolidated repair request more than a month after the damage occurred. That delay was enough for Guardsman to deny my claim immediately without any recourse or dialogue on options.

The young lady I was dealing with was rude, combative and offered no further assistance beyond the fact that they were refusing me service due to my failure to explicitly follow the guidelines for reporting damages. In my mind the situation wasn't critical and I reported it when I reasonably had spare time in my busy schedule.

Again, I paid for a service that I reasonably expected to have in emergencies to protect and preserve a sizable investment in new furniture. What I got was absolutely nothing except a frustrating electronic claims process followed by an absolutely horrible customer service experience.

In the end a total waste of money and time which is odd, given that in this day and age of intense competition for service-based companies, Guardsman chose to stick it to the customer outright. It was almost as if Guardsman was a one-and-done type company. I will certainly not use or recommend Guardsman to anyone.

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN -- After leather peeling appeared on our couch, I called Guardsman to get it repaired under their 5 year service protection plan. The plan was sold to us as complete coverage protection for any problems that we may have with the leather on our love seat and sectional couch.

The process for reporting the claim was cumbersome and involved an initial phone call to their customer service department, they then sent me a link to an online claim form. The form required original receipts, copies of the service agreement, personal information and 2 separate photos that had to be uploaded for each location on the couch where there was damage. The photo upload was not user friendly and had to precisely meet their size and format criteria or they were repeatedly rejected. This form then needed to be printed and mailed to their customer service location.

A couple of weeks later I received an e-mail telling me that my service request had been received, and I would be contacted to set up a service appointment. Two weeks after that, I had to call Guardsman Customer Service to see why I hadn't received a call to set up the appointment. I waited on hold to talk to a representative for a half-hour. After they looked up my claim information, they transferred me to another department, that informed me that my claim was denied because the damage I had reported was not covered.

When I purchased this plan, I was told any damage to the leather would be covered, but now they say it was all clearly laid out in the protection plan agreement that was mailed to me on June 30th. However, I purchased the plan on June 7th and was never told that there were exclusions to the coverage. Do not buy this protection plan, because in my opinion, it is not an authentic product that actually delivers the service you are promised at the time of purchase!!! This info was copied from previous complaints that was "IDENTICAL" to our problem and denial!

ILLINOIS -- After a discoloration appeared on our couch, I called Guardsman to get it repaired under their 5 year service protection plan. The plan was sold to us as complete coverage protection for any problems that we may have with the leather on our sectional couch.

The process for reporting the claim was cumbersome and involved an initial phone call to their customer service department, they then sent me a link to an online claim form. The form required original receipts, copies of the service agreement, personal information and 2 separate photos that had to be uploaded for each location on the couch where there was damage. The photo upload was not user friendly and had to precisely meet their size and format criteria or they were repeatedly rejected. This form then needed to be printed and mailed to their customer service location.

A couple of weeks later I received an e-mail telling me that my service request had been received, and I would be contacted to set up a service appointment. Two weeks after that, I had to call Guardsman Customer Service to see why I hadn't received a call to set up the appointment. I waited on hold to talk to a representative for a half-hour. After they looked up my claim information, they transferred me to another department, that informed me that my claim was denied because the damage I had reported was not covered.

When I purchased this plan, I was told any damage to the leather would be covered, but now they say it was all clearly laid out in the protection plan agreement that was mailed to me on June 30th. However, I purchased the plan on June 7th and was never told that there were exclusions to the coverage. Do not buy this protection plan, because in my opinion, it is not an authentic product that actually delivers the service you are promised at the time of purchase!!!

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN -- This company is a fraud and according to my La-Z-Boy dealer who sold me the furniture and the warranty, declines most if not all claims. I purchased a $1300 leather chair from La-Z-Boy and bought the 5-year extended warranty provided by Guardsman. The leather on the chair headrest tore after four and a half years.

I reported it to Guardsman and they acknowledged the warranty. They took over a month to look at the claim and then sent me an email declining the claim without explanation. Also, you cannot reply to their emails and you can only send them an email of a maximum 300 words. This is clearly their business plan and constitutes fraud and misrepresentation in my opinion against consumers. I will be taking legal action and reporting them to the Federal Trade Commission and appropriate consumer affairs offices where I live as well as in their home state of Michigan. I urge all of their other unfortunate customers to do the same.

BAY SHORE, NEW YORK -- I purchased my leather furniture from Guardsman about 4 years ago. I paid $300 for it. Recently the sofa and loveseat began to become worn out from the side a little bit. I called Guardsman regarding the problems. They have a whole lengthy form that you have to fill out and also all the pictures you have to take with a ruler and everything. I did everything they asked for.

I just got an email today saying that my claim was denied. When I called them you get the most rude people on the phone apart from being on hold for more than 15 minutes. They just told me I was denied that the damaged on the couches was not cover. I told them "So what am I cover for then." Then I asked for my money back and they told me that was impossible.

So I just gave this thieves $300 of my hard earn money for nothing at all. What a ripoff and their customer service is trash. They just hang up the phone on you. Since they already have your money they don't need you anymore. What a POS company.

LEESBURG, VIRGINIA -- I first called Guardsman when I got a food stain on my Sofa. They sent someone to clean but months later the stain returned to the surface. At this point it had been 14 day since service and a claim to come out and reclean was denied. Then my 4 year threw up on sofa. They sent someone to clean stain yesterday but it still smells. When I called Guardsman they said they do not cover smell. If you ask me they don't cover ANYTHING. They put a band-aid on the problem instead of solving it! Don't waste your money.

We purchased the 5 year Gold Protection Plan from The Dump Furniture after being told by the salesman that it covered EVERYTHING - his exact words. $329.99 for 5 years so we did it because we had 2 puppies under the age of 1. Well, those puppies chewed the love seat - I called to file a claim and it was denied because it doesn't cover animal damage. Of course you don't get your actual protection plan in the mail until AFTER you've paid for it - so you can't read all the specifics until it's too late. It's a rip-off - the salesmen must get a kick back - shame on the Dump for offering such a plan that is essentially useless.

I have bought eight couches through Gardiner's Furniture, and they offer damage coverage via Guardsman. Never made one claim. Then one of the back pillows tore off the rest of the couch, and we submitted a claim. It took hours to format the pictures correctly, lots of paperwork, time on the phone with them. They rejected it, saying we had waited too long to report it.

We had stated that the damage happened two weeks ago (we were not even sure, none of our kids would admit to it). I called the resolution department and got some idiot empty head who kept repeating that we had filled out the paperwork and signed it and it is too late to change anything. They are horrible thieves and I will never ever use them again!