I have—to the best of my memory—never posted a negative review of a
business. Ever. I am generally a pretty chill and understanding customer.
In the summer of 2016, Brad and I began shopping for a new bed. We went to what seemed like every store in Toronto and finally found one we liked at Pavilion. At the time, the Pavilion website claimed that the Selby bed was designed and manufactured exclusively for Pavilion. However, while doing my due-diligence research, I found exactly the same bed (and exactly the same product shots) on the website of another local store. It was being called the ‘Lennox’ bed and being sold for $1199, approximately $500 less than Pavilion’s Selby bed. We informed Daniel (the salesperson at Pavilion, who was helpful and pleasant) of this and they agreed to price-match the other store & sell us the Selby bed for $1149.99 + tax + $95 for delivery/assembly. We bought the bed in July 2016 from Daniel and had it delivered to our home and assembled on August 25, 2017.
In late November 2016—only 3 months after buying the bed and paying to have it professionally assembled—we lifted the bed frame to move it and the top right-hand side leg fell off. The screw that was inserted/threaded into the leg came detached/unglued and the bed was no longer stable. Brad called Pavilion and spoke to Sarah who told us that the part would have to be ordered from the manufacturer in China. When we asked what we should do in the meantime, Sarah suggested we prop the bed up on books.
Approximately a week later (December 5, 2016) Brad called back to follow
and spoke to Richard (who was helpful and pleasant). Richard told Brad that he had no idea what Brad was talking about. He informed Brad that no notes had been made regarding our issues and the manufacturer had not yet been contacted. On January 4, 2017, over a month after we had initially contacted Pavilion regarding our bed’s leg, Richard called and told us a new leg was available. He came to our home and installed the new leg on January 5, 2017.
From what we had been told we assumed that on January 4, 2017, the leg that had been requested from the manufacturer arrived, but in an email from November 30, 2017, Sarah revealed that in reality Pavilion took between December 5 and January 5 to ‘dismantle a new
box and remove a new leg from it”. Over a month that one side of our bed was precariously perched atop books.
Fast-forward to November 9, 2017. One of the slats on the left side of the
bed cracked in half. Brad called Pavilion and spoke with Sarah. After
explaining what happened, Sarah said that she didn’t know anything about our Selby bed frame, informs Brad that the bed frame is not under warranty (“imported furniture does not (ever) provide a manufacturers warranty”), asks what mattress we are using, and for photos of the broken slat. On November 10, 2017, Brad emailed Sarah photos of the broken slat and information about our Leesa mattress.
On November 10, 2017, Sarah emails back and says Pavilion does “not have additional salts on hand. I would have to enquire into whether that is possible to obtain or even re assemble?” The email goes on for paragraphs about the requirements of our Leesa mattress. At one point in the email Sarah says, “Unfortunately the mattress seems too heavy for the slat structure” and in a later email Sarah says, Pavilion has “gone above and beyond any obligation to you, warranty or otherwise, to help in your situation as a probable result of your mattress.”
I looked into these claims, and on average, standard spring mattresses
weigh approximately 100 pounds. Our Leesa foam mattress weight 71 pounds. It is unlikely that our 71-pound mattress is too heavy for a slat structure that is intended to hold not only a standard spring mattress but also two people. I also contacted Leesa customer service to inquire whether using their mattress on flexible slats could have a negative impact on the slats. Hunter, the customer service representative I spoke to, said that while the flexible slats would have a negative effect on the feel of the mattress, the mattress would, to the best of his knowledge, have no negative effects on the slats.
Seven days later, on November 17, 2017, Richard emailed Rick (Pavilion’s
manufacturing agent) to ask if it is possible to get a replacement slat and
plastic caps from the manufacturer of the Selby bed frame (a Chinese
manufacturer Pavilion no longer uses). Eleven days later, on November 28, 2017, Richard emailed Rick again to follow up. Rick emailed back to say that he could not get in contact with the Chinese manufacturer.
Sarah has made it clear over the course of multiple telephone conversations and emails that Pavilion is under no obligation to offer any assistance with regard to their imported products. Any tiny amount of effort put out on Pavilion’s part (such as emailing their manufacturing agent twice over the course of a week and a half) is seen as going above-and-beyond for their customer. A customer who, in this case, has paid more than $1200 for a product expecting, at the very least, that if that product breaks they will be able to access replacement parts whether there is a warranty on the item or not.
On November 30, 2017, Brad and I both received emails from Sarah
threatening defamation/libel/slander suit(s) over the negative reviews I
have posted online. I have attached screenshots of the emails below.
On December 11, 2017, Brad and I both received emails from a law firm demanding that we: “(1) immediately remove and take down your false and negative reviews/ratings…; (2) publish a full and complete retraction and apology…for publishing the false and defamatory reviews/rating against our clients; and (3) pay our clients their costs of $2,500 for the legal fees that they have incurred in bringing your illegal actions to your attention.”
On December 13, 2017, Brad and I both received emails from Sarah indicating that a replacement bed slat and 1 plastic end cap arrived at Pavilion and is ready for pickup.
On December 18, 2017, Brad and I both received emails from a law firm demanding that we: “(1) immediately remove and take down your false and negative reviews/rating…including [Sarah’s] emails to you and any related reviews/ratings you have posted on any other platforms or websites; (2) publish a full and complete retraction and apology…; and (3) pay our clients their cost of $3,000 for the legal fees that they have incurred in bringing your illegal actions to your attention."
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