So you bought that leather sectional or chair you’ve always wanted.
You even sprang for the extra 5-year warranty. Trouble is you didn’t even
bother to read the brochure the sales rep gave you because you trusted them
when they told you it covered EVERYTHING including accidents. Then 6 months before your warranty expires,
maybe even sooner, you notice a small discoloration or even peeling. “No
worries” you think to yourself. “I have coverage.” So you go get your brochure
from its secure location where you put it the day you brought the furniture
home. Truth is you never even thought about it let alone read the damn thing.
Now for the first time, you skim it to find the warranty company’s contact
number so you can file a claim. To your
dismay you learn that peeling/discoloration, among other things, are not
covered. “What?? Are you kidding me?” you ask the rep. That can’t be right because you distinctly remember
the sales rep telling you that it was covered. In fact, that was the main
reason why you paid the extra $400 or so to ensure you were covered. Not only is your furniture not covered but as
you pursue the claim you also learn that it’s not real leather because real
leather don’t peel – bummer. 
The scenario above is all too familiar and is becoming an
epidemic in Atlanta and quite possibly the across the country. Recently a local tv station aired a segment
that featured just such a scenario. The viewer had purchased a leather
sectional five years prior from an upscale furniture store, bought the added
extended warranty which he was told would cover any damages, and just months
before the warranty was to expire he was told the damage to his sectional was
not covered by the warranty because the coverage was for “accidents” not “normal
wear and tear”, which is what they called the peeling. So he contacted the furniture retailer and
was told the brochure was self-explanetary and there was nothing they could do
for him. After months of not getting anywhere with the retailer, he reached out
to the tv station’s mediation department and asked for their help. The
volunteer assigned to the complaint called the retail furniture store and after
some doing, was able to speak with someone in upper management who was willing
to help the viewer resolve the issue. The viewer received a store credit in an amount
that allowed him to replace the sectional. Needless to say he was very happy.
As a result of that aired segment the mediation department
was flooded with calls and online complaints which were similar in nature. The mass majority of the complaints all cited
“peeling” of the leather as the issue. Calls to the warranty companies (there
were several different ones) proved to be futile as they were not willing to
honor the claim requests citing that the warranty policy was for “accidents”
not “wear and tear.” Even if the customer had pictures that showed the “leather”
was cut or punctured, the warranty company still insisted that the damage was
due to normal wear and tear and therefore not covered. Further pressing would
lead to stall tactics and eventually refusal to speak about the claim further -
leaving the customer without any resolution. Not only do they now have a distorted
piece of furniture, they learned that the extra investment in warranty coverage
was a waste of good money.
Another issue the volunteer ran into was attempts to contact
the furniture retailer after the claims were denied to see if they would be willing
to make the customer whole, was that the store was either out of business or
the owner refused to take responsibility to make the customer whole. One retailer referred the volunteer to the
manufacturer only to learn that most furniture are only covered by a 1-year manufacturer’s
warranty. Not surprising is that since most of the peeling did not start until
after the first year, they were not covered under the manufacturer’s warranty.
Unfortunately, unlike the success story mentioned above where the retailer took
responsibility to satisfy the customer, other retailers were not as
forthcoming.
What I’ve discovered is that most leather sectional/chairs
being sold as “real” leather is actually “bonded leather” which is prone to
peeling. According to Wikipedia bonded leather, also called reconstituted
leather or blended leather, is a term used for a manufactured upholstery
material including animal hide. It is made as a layered structure of a fiber or
paper backer, a pulp made from shredded leather and a polyurethane coating
which is embossed with a leather-like texture. Wikipedia goes on to say that bonded
leather is made by shredding leather scraps and leather fiber, then mixing it
with bonding materials. The mixture is next extruded onto a fiber cloth, or
paper backing, and the surface is usually embossed with a leather-like texture
or grain. Color and patterning, if any, are a surface treatment that does not
penetrate like a dyeing process would. The manufacturing process is somewhat
similar to the production of paper [which is why it is prone to peeling]. The level of deterioration and durability depending
on the quality of material used. Lower level quality materials can start
peeling in a few years, while higher quality material can withstand even
commercial uses. 
So how do you know if a chair/sectional is real leather?
Glad you asked. In researching I discovered that the tag is your best bet for
figuring out if the leather is real or not. For instance the tag on real
leather will have words such as genuine leather, pure aniline, semi-aniline or nubuck
listed on it. Likewise the tag on fake leather will have words such as faux
leather, pleather, naugahyde, bonded leather, or leatherette listed on it. You can also google the differences for
yourself which will yield information on how to distinguish both the touch/feel
and appearances of the two. One site I looked at indicated that the price was a
factor in determining its realness, but gave no price index as a guide. Only
that if “it does not seem like much money, chances are the leather is not real.”
Truth is some of those people I mentioned before spend an upward of $3,000 or
more for their sectional/chair and it was still not real leather. While most
upscale furniture stores operate reputable businesses and will openly admit if
the piece is real or fake, there are still a few who are not.
So if you ask me, I say when you decide to invest in leather
furniture it is important that you do your homework before you buy. Look at the
tag, learn how to distinguish the feel between real and fake leather and remember
that the price you pay is not always a reliable indicator that it is real
leather. Oh and most importantly, DO NOT
invest in the extended warranty unless you have money to burn. Chances are by the time you get around to filing
a claim, you will be met with much resistance. Remember warranty companies are
just like insurance companies. They are in the business of getting and keeping your
money. Hopefully these victims of warranty fraud will come together and file a class action suit. I’m Just Saying. I got issues –
what about you?)i(
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