Saturday, September 8, 2018

The Wrong Chair


Almost since we've moved to England, Dave has wanted a La-Z-Boy recliner. He had one in the states that he loved, but it was too worn out to move here, and although we bought a recliner when we first arrived it was a sorry approximation of the real thing.

The need has become particularly acute because the loveseat where Dave sits every night is falling apart. There's basically no support below the cushion. Dave is so tall that it doesn't make a difference for him, but Gary, Dave's brother-in-law, sat in Dave's "spot" during his visit and disappeared into the loveseat like Lily Tomlin playing Edith Ann.

You may remember that Dave's 50th birthday was in June. So I decided to order him a La-Z-Boy, specially made. We got it from a furniture company in Peterborough, and before I ordered it I had Dave choose what he wanted -- the type of chair and the color. I placed the order online at the end of May. And we waited. And waited.

Finally, this week, I was notified that the chair was ready for delivery. Dave joyously anticipated putting his feet up as he had in his old recliner. The van pulled up yesterday morning, the delivery guys hoisted the chair into place in our living room, and Dave sat down -- and he was unable to recline. There was no reclining handle, no mechanism that we could find. The footrest seemed welded to the body of the chair.

I got on the phone to the company and learned with horror that we had ordered a standard armchair, not a reclining armchair. I looked at the information Dave sent me, and yes, that's what he accidentally specified, and I didn't catch the problem. I guess we both thought all La-Z-Boys were recliners. Hence the name, right?

Well, no.

Fortunately, the furniture company is working with us, and we're going to exchange the chair. We have to pay a little more -- the recliners are slightly more expensive -- and we also have to pay another delivery fee, as well as a fee to have the incorrect one collected next week and taken away. Worst of all, we have to wait another 15 weeks for the recliner to be ready.

This is the longest, most drawn-out birthday Dave has ever had -- not in a good way!


Jenny-O asked to see a close-up of our embroidery from Vietnam, which you all saw in a photo of our front hallway a few days ago. We liked it because we saw many scenes like this while traveling through the country -- right down to the pink lotuses in the paddies and the workers with their conical hats. We bought it in a shop where women were gathered working on various pieces of embroidery -- I assume one of them made it, but who knows. Anyway, it's a nice souvenir linked to specific memories we have of the country.

(Top photo: A charity shop in Cricklewood. I showed you a close-up photo of its window in the post linked above.)

16 comments:

crafty cat corner said...

Just love the embroidery, many hours must have gone into making it.
I can imagine your disappointment over the chair, good job the manufacturer was understanding.
Briony
x

Yorkshire Pudding said...

Why not get a Layzboy recliner for his 51st birthday! By the way, we have two Lazyboy reclining sofas and they took five weeks to arrive after placing our order. Now chew on that CrayZboy!
P.S. The Vietnamese embroidered picture is superb! A splendid souvenir.

jenny_o said...

Oh, wow - that embroidery is stunning - thank you so much for the close-up (and Colette was the one who asked first to see it - I hope she's reading today :O))

How frustrating about the La-Z-Boy - I thought they were all recliners, too. I wonder how often your situation happens. Gah.

Ms. Moon said...

I had no idea that La-Z-Boy made anything but recliners. I mean- why would you buy a La-Z-Boy armchair?
Oh dear. Poor Dave. Mr. Moon lives in his chair when he's home and not working at something. And if for some reason he can't sleep at night, he moves to the chair and always manages to fall right into slumber. When he comes home and he's especially tired he'll say, "I'm going to go sit in my chair for a minute," and he does and has a little rest and then he's good again.
Y'all did a wonderful job of picking out that embroidery piece. It is simply gorgeous.

ellen abbott said...

oh man, what a bummer! well, at least they are working with you on it. lovely piece of embroidery.

Red said...

That fine print makes a huge difference. Fortunately not all is lost.

Sharon said...

Well, I wouldn't have known that La-Z-Boy made chairs that didn't recline. What an ordeal to have to go through. I love that embroidery. It's perfect!

Anonymous said...

I learned about La-Z-Boy chairs that aren't recliners from my twin brother who just picked one up the other day. The chair worked for his small living room, where there is not enough room for a recliner. Who knew that such a thing exits? Seriously, none of us. Looking forward to the post that tells us Dave's recliner has arrived! That embroidery is quite beautiful.

Peace Thyme said...

That embroidery panel is just luscious.

Linda Sue said...

Oh dang! I will say , as crumby as our town is , I can go out and get a recliner when I need to and bring it home the same day. Did that when Erik had surgery for deviated septum and needed to be slanted, not flat...it also was a great chair for my neck thing. It has bailed us out. Dave is a patient man!

e said...

I'm so sorry, but like Ms. Moon, I had no idea LZ Boys were anything but recliners. You and Dave have been very patient. I hope the new chair is a dream, and I love the details and colors in the Vietnam embroidery.

Tara said...

as Mr. Bill would say (about the chair), "Oh Nooooooo!" All that anticipation. The let down must be tremendous. Not like getting bombed out in Syria, but almost.

That embroidery is beautiful. I will be in Vietnam in March and look forward to seeing (and purchasing) some local art.

Hope your sweetie is happy when his new chair arrives -- I'm sure he will be!! And you'll always have a great story behind it.

Catalyst said...

I was amazed, too, at the length of time it takes to get a chair. I would assume (being American, living in America) that it would be instantaneous.

Steve Reed said...

Briony: Yes, I'm so glad they agreed to the exchange, since the problem really was our fault.

YP: At this rate, it WILL be for his 51st. I wonder why yours arrived so much faster? Very strange!

Jenny-O: Oh, for some reason I had it stuck in my head that it was you. Sorry, Collette! :)

Ms Moon: Yeah, Dave is the same way. He loved that chair we left in New Jersey and I don't think he's ever gotten over it!

Ellen: Yes, thank god!

Red: If there was fine print I sure didn't see it!

Sharon: Exactly! La-Z-Boys ARE recliners. Argh!

Robin: I must say, it's a VERY nice armchair. If we needed a fixed armchair I'd be more than happy to keep it!

PeaceThyme: Isn't it? I wonder how long the embroiderer worked on it?!

Linda Sue: For some reason, here, a La-Z-Boy is not easy to come by. We went to several furniture stores and found only much lighter facsimiles -- not the heavy-duty real thing. So ours is a special order.

E: I think it will be wonderful when it finally arrives!

Tara: Indeed, this is a first-world problem. I must keep that in mind. We got our embroidery on the road to Halong Bay at a place called Star Gems or Jade Star or something like that. It's a gigantic and quite swanky shop where the embroidering women were all gathered in a circle working in front of us. The finished product wasn't cheap, but we talked them down almost 50 percent from the asking price.

Catalyst: For some reason, it's a special order here. I have no idea why!

Karla said...

Oh boy, Steve, what a bummer indeed, on the LazyBoy. My Hubs and I didn't really know they made non-recliners until we went to their store. LORDY, they make all kinds of things to sit on. And pricey - yikes! However, quality counts in chairs and sofas (you can get away with buying a cheap belt, let's say, but not oft-used furniture) We had 2 leather recliners made, but the kind that still look like chairs - no handle, the push back kind. We were NOT disappointed, as they are THE most comfortable chairs, ever, so the looong wait was well worth it. Dave will be thrilled when it arrives, I promise! :) The embroidery is just lovely. Love reading your blog!!! And hello to sweet Olga!

jenny_o said...

I DID ask to see the embroidery, but Collette asked first; I piggybacked on her request! So I was very happy to see it. The work on it is fantastic. Far beyond anything I've ever done, but it motivates me.