Featherlite Offline Buying Experience: A Frustrating Journey

Buying Advice Home Tech & Appliances Buying Help
1

I was looking to replace my Green Soul Crystal Office Chair (a good chair with excellent customer service), which I have been using since February 2022. I shortlisted a few options from Green Soul, The Sleep Company, and Featherlite.

After finalizing a Featherlite model, I decided to try it out in person before purchasing. I called the showroom to check the availability of the models I had in mind and was given the name of a specific person to assist me. I drove to the showroom on December 28th (a 42 km round trip).

Upon arrival, an office boy showed me the chair. He simply read the MRP from the tag and made no actual attempt to sell the product. I asked for the person I was told to meet, but they never showed up. Disappointed, I drove back home, having wasted two hours.

Later, I reconsidered and decided to give them a second chance. I called them on January 3rd to check for a fresh unit and delivery options. They confirmed both. The price was the MRP minus a 10% discount. They sent a formal proforma invoice with the following terms:

  • ₹478 delivery charges (I was not told about this on the call but it was acceptable).
  • 100% advance payment before delivery (this was an issue for me; I wanted to pay after confirming it wasn’t a display unit. A token amount of ₹1k–2k would have been reasonable).
  • 4–5 working days for delivery (also not ideal).

To resolve this, I decided to pick it up myself the next day. However, they informed me that while the showroom is open on Sunday, the warehouse is not, so I could only pick it up on Monday.

On Monday (Jan 5th), I sent a WhatsApp message around 12:00 PM and received a reply: “I will inform you once we receive the chair.” I waited all day but got no response. I began to wonder: If they are this slow during a sale, what will happen if I ever need after-sales service?

On Tuesday, I received another message: “We would like to inform you that we will receive the chair tomorrow at the store. Once we receive it, we will update you.” I didn’t reply.

Today, I finally got a message saying: “We have received the chair at the store.”

What do you guys think—should I still buy this chair? I have lost interest in the brand due to their poor sales effort.

Other Options I’m Considering:

Republic Day Sale is also starting on Amazon from January 13th.

I want a chair with equal or better comfort than the Green Soul Crystal, preferably in a Grey/White color scheme. A multi-lock mechanism and adjustable lumbar support are must-haves.

Also, what is the difference between these two?

  1. Green Soul Cosmos Pro – ₹13K (before bank offers)
  2. ASTRIDE Erizo – ₹6.5K (before bank offers)

The base looks different, but is it worth paying double the price for the Green Soul?

Please give me your suggestions.

PS: Used Gemini to check grammar and typos. :blush:

2

On the other hand, if they were aggressive in their sales and spam called you to convert, would you be happy?

The two are not always co-related, and many times handled by different teams in a company. But yeah, doesn’t bode good for them. I had a decent experience with featherlite, but I also was not in a hurry to get the unit tbh. I wrote a review on one of their units Here in case you’re interested.

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3

Didn’t you just say they had excellent customer service?

You said

That’s a good idea. So why not try it and then decide

Or

Ask them to get these also and then choose one

Any product such as a chair that you can try in person is worth a little premium compared to one you cannot

4

Herman miller : Going to buy a Herman Miller Chair - Done. Bought!

Ignore if not ok with used.

5

You have already paid them100% do you think they are gonna refund you it esp. given their nature and the exp. you had?

6

I think he didn’t. They were asking for full payment for delivery not when you are going to pick it up yourself

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7

I didn’t pay them. Never wanted to pay full amount before confirming that it’s not display unit. That’s why I planned to pick it up myself on Sunday/Monday.

8

Ridiculous. When I bought a fridge I told the seller only after inspection for any damage would I pay. And they brought it to my place.

That puts pressure on them to do their own quality control to make the sale.

Turns out there were no damages and I made the payment after

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