Affordable furniture is something many of us look for when shopping—and Wayfair is one of those retailers that regularly offers competitive prices. While you sometimes have to assemble these products yourself (unless you're willing to shell out for a professional), it's often worth it if you find something stylish that you love and don't have to overpay for. But while Wayfair has its fair share of fans, on Reddit, the retailer caught some flak from shoppers citing delivery delays and issues, with one customer going so far as to say its business practices are "unethical." Read on to find out why shoppers are fired up.
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A customer reported ongoing issues with a Wayfair delivery.
iStockSeveral customers reported issues with Wayfair this week, including one shopper who titled their post on the r/wayfair subreddit: "Horrible Customer Service."
"Since the customer service team at Wayfair appears to be inept, I have decided to post this here. I don't expect a resolution, but rather I hope to let people know so they can make educated decisions on which company to purchase from," the Redditor wrote, noting that they made their first purchase from Wayfair on Sept. 2.
The customer said they used a financing option through a service called Katapult, with a payment deducted on Sept. 5. When the item still hadn't shipped as of Sept. 20, they called customer service and were told it would ship the following day. However, according to the Redditor, that didn't happen, and upon calling back, another agent said there was a payment issue. The Redditor called yet again on Sept. 22 and was told the item was "sitting in the warehouse," but was reportedly hung up on when pressing for more information.
"Needless to say, multiple agents flat out lying to a customer (if the chair is back ordered, which it is now listed as, how is it 'sitting' in the warehouse?) as well as hanging up on a customer is completely unacceptable," they wrote. "If I was this bad at my job, I wouldn’t have one."
Best Life reached out to Wayfair for comment on the issue and will update the story with its response.
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Things continued into the following day.
UfaBizPhoto / ShutterstockHowever, the saga didn't end there: The Redditor said that the situation actually got "worse."
"Even later in the evening on September 22nd, I log in and check the status again to now see the chair is back ordered, and it will allegedly be delivered the first week of October," they wrote. "I have asked multiple representatives for free assembly at the minimum and have been denied each time."
The Redditor added that they were asking Wayfair "to make this right," seeing as they'd already paid and their item hadn't shipped after four weeks.
"This is an unethical business practice, and I will never make the mistake of ordering from this company again," they concluded.
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Shoppers reported similar predicaments.
Casimiro PT / Shutterstock.comOther Redditors commiserated in the comments, with one writing, "This legit is happening to me as we speak minus the financing thing."
Another wrote, "Wayfair customer service [agents] lie through their teeth to get you off the phone for a couple more days."
In a separate Reddit post from two days ago, another customer said their delivery date for a couch kept getting pushed back, and they were told by customer service that there was "nothing they can do."
A commenter responded, "Sounds about right, I had to deal with a similar issue with a bed frame. It took them six MONTHS to deliver the single item I paid for."
They continued, "I'm so glad they finally figured it out, I did have to threaten to dispute the charge with my credit card company to get them to ship me the rest of the pieces [of the bed frame]. Never again, Wayfair—never!"
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A delivery driver just cautioned shoppers about Wayfair.
Tada Images / ShutterstockWhile it's definitely concerning if you don't receive an item you paid for—or if you have to wait much longer than expected—it's also inconvenient if you receive a defective product.
According to a FedEx delivery driver, this is another issue you could run into with Wayfair, The Daily Dot first reported. In a since-removed TikTok video, the driver said, "Don't buy furniture from Wayfair because the chances are you are getting something that someone already received and returned."
He explained that when a shopper returns a damaged item, "there's a reason why [Wayfair wants] it in the original box … They resell it." He continued, "Even though they will send you a replacement, you still have to pay shipping on that item."
Customers again chimed in to say this has happened to them, with one writing, "Lesson learned! I had to pay back the shipping for returning it. I will never buy from them again!"
In a statement previously provided to Best Life, a Wayfair representative said the company takes steps to prevent damaged items from being resold.
"Whether through an Open Box deal online or one of our returns outlet stores, any items that are resold are meticulously inspected so they meet our high standards for quality and safety," the representative said.
