I wanted to weigh in on the Bo Concepts debate. I also had a fantastic experience with them. I shopped at the Philadelphia store and after browsing a few times was contacted by one of the sales reps to let me know of a free shipping promotion they were running. Upon returning to the store I found a floor model sofa I loved (50% off - what a steal!) and a bed. The bed I had seen in the Chelsea store for a different price and when I inquired was offered the NY price (much lower because of direct competition in the NY market). The sofa (which was on the floor) and the bed (from the warehouse) were shipped free to my apartment in NY only 2 weeks. No tax since it was shipped out of state and assembly of the bed was $23. All in all, a great experience.

Has anyone run into problems in regards to canceling an order within the 7 day time frame that the store allows? Yesterday I put a large deposit on some furniture I ordered. I now wish to cancel after reading numerous accounts of bad customer service. I called the store today and was told that the manager wasn't in but they would contact me tomorrow. I was assured that my account would most likely be credited today. So far, no funds.

I had a good experience with BoConcept. I was very impressed with the sales staff at the Chelsea store (not so much at the SoHo location). The thing that turned me off was the the 12-16 week delivery time. Luckily, they had the exact couch and configuration available in their New Jersey warehouse.

The delivery time was 2 weeks, on a Saturday, and the guys that delivered it were really good. Very cautious and acceptably friendly.

After a month, I am very impressed with the quality of the couch. I would recommend this store.

I agree that customer service at BO is crap. The salesmen at the Madison Ave store were inattentive, unhelpful, and downright snobbish. Even thinking about returning to that store stresses me out. Often, they are just sitting in front of a computer with no interest in assisting you. I haven't gone back in years for this reason, and I don't plan to start now.

And to the poster who calls himself/herself "T" : welcome, BO Concept Marketing Coordinator!

Hi I just had a BoConcept hanging cabinet come crashing down on my floor. Has anyone else had this problem? They claim it never happens. Monica

I've purchased several items from BoConcept: queen platform bed & nightstands, a walnut coffee table, dining chairs & accent tables.

I've been very pleased with the quality, enjoyed working with the staff & received my items very quickly.

As with any store...you must be choosy & ask questions. But I feel like I've made some good choices & I've never been disappointed with my BoConcept experience.

Hello,

I am a manager of a BoConcept store, and would like to introduce myself. My name is Shaan and I run the Jacksonville, Fl location. I am both surprised and dissapointed at the number of unhappy people on this forum. I am dedicated to providing exceptional customer service for my customers and am amazed at some of your experiences. I am more than willing to answer/help any people who feel as though they have been treated poorly by their local stores. I love the product I sell. Dollar for dollar I honestly feel that what BoConcept has to offer is of extremley high value and it's concept is much cooler than every other similar priced furniture manufacturers.
I am not here to protect my company's reputation nor do I hope that this post will get me some extra business. That is not my intention.
I have an honest passion for our furniture and customer satisfaction and feel responsible for taking care of people that have purchased BoConcept furniture. I extend an invitation to anyone who has any questions, concerns or requires information about BoConcept furniture. Nothing is perfect, but with experienced assistance and the right product education purchasing BoConcept furniture can be a wonderful experience.
I can be reached @ sbatten@boconceptjax.com or 904.996.0661.

Cheers,

Shaan Batten
BoConcept Jacksonville

So are you the same Shaan as this:
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/140/ripoff0140573.htm
You don't sound so helpful in this exchange.

Yes. As a matter of fact I am. I am also more than willing to talk with you and explain to you this specific situation if you are of interest. Remember, you have only read one side of the story and although I did not post mine, I am willing to provide it if need be. If there was ever an opportunity for me to be "helpful" in that situation, I can assure you that's what I would of done. My details are above if you'd like to contact me. If you would also like references from past customers who have experienced great service and are in love with their BoConcept furniture, contact me also, I am sure I can provide some for you.

Cheers,
Shaan Batten
BoConcept Jacksonville

Wow, all I can say is, I WISH I read all these comments before buying furniture from Bo Concept! It really has been a nightmare. It's so true how the sales people are nice and give you so much confidence when you are ordering. Ours told us the furniture will be in in 4 weeks, but most likely earlier! Instead it came a month late and that, too, damaged. So, they made a note and one more later, came to redeliver. Then that came imperfect, too! When I complained they said I was being "nit picky" hahaha. I think if you pay for furniture, you kind of expect it to be delivered perfect. haha. If I hit it with something later, then granted its not their problem.
Anyhow, worst experience! No more Bo Concept for me. I really wonder how much longer this company will survive. I feel bad for the franchisers who have to deal with such an incompetent company. Nobody in the store can help you, because really it is out of their hands.

Eating Crow,

I was worried about the products I had ordered from Bo Concept and this column in no way alleviated those fears. I would like to report that the platform bed, entertainment cabinet and wardrobe unit I ordered new and the wardrobe unit I purchased on sale as a floor model all arrived undamaged and were expertly installed exactly when Bo said they would be. Additionally one of the doors was not adjusted properly and when I call Bo they talked me through how to make the proper adjustments. I would purchase products form them again.

I have ordered furniture from the Jacksonville, FL store - a dining table, 4 chairs, and a platform bed. The in-store service was great, from the same Shaan as above, and although our chairs were backordered he told us that from the start and kept us informed of when they were coming in. We did not have delivery so I have no experience with that aspect of the company. We love our Bo furniture and would buy more in a heartbeat whenever we have the need and the funds to do so.

Very interesting to see such a large posting on Bo Concept. My wife and I had have had a miserable time dealing with their customer service (i.e. delivery service company) in New York. We ordered a dining table in early December 2007 from Bo. The sales person informed us that he was not sure when it would be delivered, but thought mid to end of January. We were ok with that considering the holiday season, but when end of February approached, we got worried. There shipping department was the issue. After many weeks of trying to find out when we would get our table, they finally called us to schedule a delivery in early March. Finally! We confirmed for a Monday evening delivery time slot since both of us work. We get a call from from the delivery company late Monday afternoon saying they cannot deliver, and could we reschedule for Tuesday. We agreed, reluctantly, and scheduled it for Tuesday early afternoon. We then get a call from the delivery company stating they are running late, and they need to extend the window from 12-5pm to 3-8pm. 8pm rolls by, and we get a call stating they will be there 9pm. We get a call at 9pm stating they just crossing the Queensboro bridge and should be delivering to us in 45 minutes. We get a call at 10pm stating they are actually still in Manhattan and will be in Brooklyn (where we live) by 11pm. We get a call at 11pm stating that if its not too late, they will definitely deliver to us by midnight. We get a call at 12:30pm from the dispatcher that they are, in fact, not coming and were already back in NJ.

The next day out table is delivered with a promise that our delivery would be refunded. Its now 8 April 2008! After going back and forth between the sales center and the delivery company, we still do not have our refund. The sales center has essentially told us that its out of their hands since its their delivery service that screwed up. I told them "so what?" Bo Concept is responsible for their service providers, which ultimately impacts their overall product to their customers . Let's see.

Total crap.....overpriced crap......
Nothing else to say

Yikes! I guess I'll have to thank all of you for your posts. I was so excited after just checking out their online catalog. I have a small one bedroom garden apartment in San Francisco and when I saw their "Individi 2" units, they looked perfect. I could get a 2 1/2 seater sofa with a "rest" unit (chaise).

I had decided on the Pottery Barn Square sofa with an ottoman but the Bo Concept pieces had a nicer look and I'd get my long awaited "chaise" which seems like it would be more comfortable than an ottoman.

But, I have a wonderful sales person at my local Pottery Barn store so I'm very hesitant to purchase something from a Bo Concepts since I've read countless horrible reviews.

If anyone has any other suggestions, I'm open. I was hoping to spend under or around 2k for the sofa/ottoman. Thanks!

I guess I should have done some research before I purchase anything from Bo Concept. I brought a sofa (Largo) back in May at their Connecticut store in Milford. After 3 months of waiting, they finally delivered the sofa around 11pm one night. But what about the sofa itself? How bad is it? VERY BAD. The sofa is really not comfortable to sit on. Additionally, the cushions cannot retain their original shape. The overall quality is not worth the money at all. I would NOT recommend this product or this company to anyone. Run!!!

BO concept has the worst customer service of any company I've dealt with in the last 10 years. Delivery date estimates are complete works of fiction. Furniture is set up missing hardware. Delivery crew is unconcerned with damaging your walls and carpet while installing. Attempting to schedule a delivery time is an absolute nightmare.

Example conversation with Nora at the customer service line: Customer Jon "Hi, you called me yesterday to tell me that my couch was ready for delivery and I'd like to schedule a day and time." Nora "I'm not supposed to be scheduling for this area right now, I'll call you back" Jon-"Er, Ok when can we-" click, Nora hangs up.

Jon waits for a call back that never comes... assuming Nora is at a class learning some time management skills.

Follow up calls handled with similar level of professionalism, apparently BO customer service personnel are annoyed that customers actually have the nerve to call the customer service line.

The San Francisco store has been superb so far.
We bought an item from the floor at a discounted price, and when the table didn't fit my car, the sales person offered to drive it to my place himself! We live less than a mile away from the store, but if that's not service I don't know what is.

The sales staff is patient, resourceful, and extremely knowledgeable.

We have just ordered a sofa plus an ottoman it will take 10-12 weeks...we'll see how that goes.

Oh. I am so glad I found this webpage. I am one of those very unhappy customers with very unhappy experience from BOCONCEPT!!!

I was with my designer for my new apt. We were in BoConcept SOHO first and salesperson there was very friendly and helpful. Few days later, we went to Boconcept Chelsea. We talk to a salesperson first, and he was very helpful too. However, when we come back the next day, we had a most terrible experience from their manager (I guess her name is Heidi). First of all, she was not friendly at all, I don't know why we need to get that kind of attitude from her. We might not spend millions there, but we do not need to be treated like we are there for free warm air!!!!! We also asked few questions and she totally showed us that she had no patient on us because we were returning customers and we should know everything and buy them!!!
You know what? My designer and I all kind of like Bo, but we definitely don't need that kind of face and attitude from them, especially a manager. I hope they know what they are doing!

PS, by the way, we didn't even understand what she was talking about most of time, but you can feel her tempt!

I only wish I had found this blog before I ordered from BoConcept in Santa Monica. We ordered 3 rugs, 1 table, and 2 "soon to be named" chairs on November 17, 2008.

It has been 13 weeks and after several phone calls, visits, even pleading to get back to us... nothing. We still haven't received anything. Are we screwed? Are they going out of business? Does anyone know? How can DWELL even affiliate themselves with this awful company?

BoConcepts customer service is terrible... what can we do? They have our money, and they don't care. I can't believe they can stay in business. How is this possible?

STAY AWAY FROM BOCONCEPTS....Stay very far away!!!

It is now 16 weeks and I have yet to even hear from BoConcept Santa Monica. Two weeks ago we got fed up and called New Jersey to find out where our stuff was. Well, the order was now complete (yeah right?) It was going to be put on the truck the following week. Two weeks go by. No call to schedule delivery... no call to say it's coming. So we call today. Our order is in New Jersey still. Why we ask? Well, BoConcept is a franchise... and get this... the Santa Monica store hasn't paid for it yet. So, yes, we have paid in full for our stuff, but NJ hasn't gotten their money. Get this, the order has been ready for delivery "for a while" but they couldn't ship it because the Santa Monica store hasn't paid for it. How can we get our stuff? Nobody returns phone calls. Anyone have any ideas of what we can do now? Help!
Obviously the Santa Monica store is in financial crisis... who do I call? They have had our money for 16 weeks now.

Again Stay very far away.

Buying a sofa at BO Concept was hands-down the worst furniture-buying experience ever. First, they delivered my sofa with HUGE creases in the upholstery. I called the store when the delivery crew as at the house to ask them what to do and the manager their Stella, told me not to accept the delivery and it would be better to send me a new sofa. OK, I accepted and did what she advised. They came back the next week with a sofa that had upholstery that was so slack and loose on the furniture, it looked like the saggy baggy elephant. There were bubbles in the fabric all over and a huge flap of fabric that jutted out from between the seat and backrest. We sent that one back too, and were then told by Judy in the warehouse in NJ, that the "manager" said he would not redeliver the sofa to us again and we could get a refund, which we did. Stella in the Dumbo store was great and very professional, but the supposed customer service manager "Sakeer" was so obnoxious that he turned us off to the company altogether. He told Judy that he would not redeliver because he thought there would be no sofa that would not have these kind of problems -- and was complaining to me that he spent money on the redelivery of the sofa. Well, that was his fault for having no quality control, not mine. BOConcept does not stand by their product. The people in the store in Dumbo are really great and professional, but as another commented here on Apartment Therapy, after you buy your furniture the lovely feeling and service you get in the beautiful stores is over and you are chasing down some rude manager in a warehouse in New Jersey to get the stuff you paid for with hard earned money.

I have read most of the above comments and agree with both the negative and positive sentiments:

Customer service = terrible

Product design = modern, sleek

Product quality = definitely better than Ikea, however overpriced

We ordered a table from BoConcept and were told it would take 6-12 weeks to be delivered. Of course we were hoping for 6 weeks but delivery didn't occur until week 12 - and only because I continually harassed the store and the salesperson and we ended up getting a table delivered that wasn't even technically ours.

There was never any apology, and there certainly were never any phone calls with updates on the estimated delivery status. Whenever I called, I was made to feel as if I were disturbing them, and that I should be patient.

I'm not quite sure how the company is expanding, but my recommendation is that BoConcept revamp their customer service department and change their priorities. They are great at selling their products to first-time buyers, but they will not create lasting relationships if they continue to SUCK BALLS.

All of these posts come as no surprise to me. Thankfully I have only spent a small amount of money in their store on floor samples and sale items. After hearing some bad word of mouth in the Orlando area about Bo Concept's poor customer service and delivery, I knew to stay away . . . far away and thanks blog only validates the choice.

Personally I look at organizations like this and realize that it is really an opportunity in disguise. If this company was for sale or if there were upper management positions available it would be great to jump into a place like this. From what it sounds like, a few minor changes can really sky rocket this company: Fulfill delivery promises. Be nice to the customer. Make courtesy calls when orders are backed up. All customer service basics! I have worked in customer service based industries for all my life and there are all things I learned by job 1 day 2. . . But hey, after all, they are based out of New Jersey. Did you really expect any better ;)

Bo, if you’re listening . . . Are you hiring!?!?

Wow...I was about to drop $6,000 on a sofa but I won't NOW! It's really too bad this company can't figure out how to handle their customer service issues.

I came across this page after I ordered their Versa sofa and almost canceled my order after reading the bad reviews regarding the wait time and eventual customer service. But I decided against it since I didn’t want to restart my sofa search. Plus the price point can’t be beat. I saw 1 sofa I liked from Ikea, but even that was $1,000. Since when does Ikea have $1,000 furniture (besides their custom cabinets and kitchens)?

Luckily for me, I only waited the 2.5 weeks as specified by the sales person. And the sales people at the Chicago store were nothing but friendly and polite (Alberto was the one who helped me, and he was great!). Helpful when I had questions, and not aggressive when I was just looking around. I’ve also been to the DC store, and the sales people there were a little snooty, but nothing like the reviews I read here.

I am wondering though whether those who ended up with incredibly long waits had to do with their pieces having to be built and then shipped to the US (unless it’s made in the US)? Mine was in stock, and only had to get to Chicago from NJ.

It’s unfortunate that some people’s perception of BoConcept’s been marred by their experience, since mine couldn’t be any more different.

Hello EVERYONE, I agree with many of your comments.

I recommend y'all go to YELP and CitySearch and leave them a review. Maybe enough reviews will get them to realize what a problem their customer service is and how it seems to be an issue across ALL of their stores.

My friend ordered a chaise from BoConcept and was given the same run-around. He was even told by the sales staff that they don't give out delivery dates when his receipt clearly showed a delivery date of July 17th. The same salesperson who was so friendly and helpful before the sale refused to return phone calls or emails after they got his money.

To make matters worst, my friend received a letter from BoConcept corporate office stating they had terminated the Santa Monica store's franchise, that Santa Monica had not paid them for product and all the unpaid orders were sitting in a warehouse in New Jersey. Corporate suggested that he file a lawsuit against the Santa Monica franchise to get his money back! Crazy.

If you go to BoConcepts website and look for the Santa Monica location you can read about it.

Not only that, but it seems the whole company is going bankrupt. I looked up their financials and it looks that they are going to be the next casualty in the furniture world.

Too many problems with too little solutions and ingenuity makes Boconcept = NO CONCEPT.

My friend told me about this website dedicated to, i guess how bad of a company they are:

www.BOCONCEPTSUCKS.com.

Pretty interesting teasers on there now, and if there weren't some real people involved, i would actually find it almost amusing.

I personally can't wait to see what it has to say about the Boconcept company that screwed me over along with most of the people on this blog.

You know you have some crazy problems and issues when you have a whole posting on our awesome site, Apartment Therapy, dedicated to and titled "Bo Concept: How Bad is it?" and a website that is apparently "coming soon".

Below is an e-mail exchange with Bo Concept discussing experience we had with a Dining Room Table - I highly recommend that unless you have money to burn you DO NOT purchase ANY furniture from this company.

ME:
First off I want to thank Stella for assisting us today with regards to looking at the floor model of the expandable table, and I must say it was in far better leveling shape than the one we received and rejected. Also the gentlemen who delivered the items were nice and did a decent job with the delivery.

I need to express my frustration.

We have 2 orders with Bo Concepts one which is our couch and dining table, the other is for a chair and footstool. We waited over a month for this table and were looking forward to finally being able to sit at a table to eat our meals instead of the sofa as we have been.

The dining table and couch arrived today. We are very satisfied with the couch, its wonderful and we are eager to get the chair and footstool in Dec. However, the table was not even, there is a corner on it that dips far below the level of the "H" frame and I was warned OVER and OVER not to accept if I wasn't satisfied. The gentlemen who delivered the table tried to tell me that ALL the tables in the show rooms were like this. I said if that was the case I wouldn't have bought it, I work in design and have a very sharp eye and the table in the show room did not look like this, uneven and one side dipped lower than the other.

He then proceeded to tell me the reason it was like this was because of how the table is designed and the table has this flaw. I asked, Bo Concepts made a poorly designed table and thought it acceptable to sell? That makes NO sense to me. He then said that if I went to the store and looked at it I would find that to be the case.

I had them take the table after taking photos (see attached). My fiance and I then went to the Soho store where we looked at the table and it looked perfect. The table was level, there was no unevenness to it nor was it as low dipped below the frame as the one delivered to us. I spoke with Stella and showed her the pictures and she confirmed the flaw that was on our table.

I'm not sure what the next steps are but I'm very disappointed and in all honesty would like a full refund for the table.

I look forward to hearing from you.

STORE MANAGER RESPONSE:
Thank you for the pictures. Customercare doesn't work during the weekend. They will look at the pictures and get back to you within 48 working hours.

I'll be off monday and tuesday. If you have any questions, I'll talk to you on wednesday.

Thank you!
Have a good weekend!!

ME:
Thank you so much for your help with this.

The customer care center just called me to discuss the table and I expressed to them that I didn't want it fixed and returned nor did I want to order a new one. They said they were going to contact you.

At this point after the experience we had I would prefer to cancel the order for the table. We love the couch, are excited about the chair coming, but with the table arriving as it did and with what the delivery guy said, I don't want to chance it. We really don't want that one fixed and re-sent, and we don't want to wait for another one. I have to express my concern about the quality of it, I really hope you can understand.

Thanks.

STORE MANAGER:
I spoke with customercare department. There are 2 options now.

1. We have a brand new table. We can deliver again with $135 delivery fee charge.

2. You can cancel the order with 40% restocking fee $320 charge.

Please let me know which option you will go for.

Thank you!

I have to say, as much as it seems some people are having legitimate problems with the company, it sounds like most people are impatient and unrealistic. The furniture is custom made in Denmark, If you're not willing to wait a few months then you shouldn't be buying stuff that is CUSTOM MADE IN DENMARK. I've purchased custom furniture before from a very well reputed company in Italy and it took over 6 months to arrive. I was aware I would be waiting and did not have a problem with that going into it. That's just the way it is when you're buying custom furniture from other continents.

My experience with BoConcept was great. I ordered a custom sofa and ottoman, they gave me an estimate of 3 months but told me it would probably be a couple weeks longer, which I completely understood and expected. They called me just 3 months and a day later and my furniture arrived 2 days after that. I was extremely impressed with the quality of the furniture when it arrived, it far exceeded my expectations and that is the truth. It was a bit pricey but I can see and feel exactly why. It's good furniture. I will definitely be shopping there again.

BO Concept as well as their repair service company, Guardsman, do not stand by their product/service. I spent about $7,000 on bedroom furniture and cabinets. The bedroom chest drawer is no longer on its track and I cannnot get either Guardsman or BO Concept (without charging me) to repair it.

A friend warned me that BO Concept furniture is cheap. I wished I had listened.

As it turns out ALL the screws were loose on all the drawer tracks. Someone at BO Concept hastily put the furniture together and obiviously there was no inspection. I paid a repairman to fix the tracks as I could not get Guardsman to uphold their part of the service agreement nor could I get BO Concept to help. I will NEVER buy from them again and should a friend ask me for a recommendation I will certainly advise them against buying any of their furniture.

We are really happy with the barstools we ordered from BoConcept. They arrived on time and customer service was good. Of course we live in Finland so the stools didn't have that far to travel. We also picked up and assembled the stools ourselves. We didn't even consider paying extra for that. It seems to me a lot of the complaints are from impatient people who don't understand that custom furniture takes time to make and ship from Denmark. If you want something right away don't order custom furniture from overseas.

THE NJ PARAMOUS SO CALLED MANAGER/OWNER IS THE BIGGEST LIAR EVER. I ORDERED $15,000 WORTH OF FURNITURE FROM BOTH THE PRINCETON AND PARAMUS STORES. I CANCELED THE WHOLE ORDER AFTER THAT IDIOT KEPT CHANGING DELIVERY COST, DISCONTINUED ITEMS AND SOME RIDICULOUS FURNITURE PROTECTION PLAN. MAURICE VILLENCY EARNED MY $20,000.

Truly the worst, crappiest furniture i have ever purchased. the outside looks nice enough, but the construction inside makes IKEA look golden. I bought two relatively pricey dressers and two nightstands. One by one over the period of a few months every single drawer collapsed. they were not overstuffed, two were even empty, but the particle board they use in the back couldn't support a pin so the weight of the drawers themselves pulled every single one off the cheap glides. I called bo concept to ask for repair or help and it was as if they didn't speak English. what a tremendous waste of money. I had to throw them away. . .couldn't get a dime at a garage sale for them. NEVER go there.

Placed an order for a bed on June 10th.... they said it will take six to eight weeks for delivery....(they told me I had five days to cancel and get a full refund)....I called to cancel the order on June 15th they said they would only give store credit. They said the five days included the day I made the purchase.

NEVER NEVER SHOP THERE.

Wish I had read these reviews first.

One expensive (couple of thousand!) mistake.

After 3 months, one corner of the back of our sofa, (which appears to be made out of stiff cardboard covered in fabric), broke. It just pulled away from the rest of the main frame and collapsed into itself. We are both under 170 pounds and the sofa wasn't even used all that much! Over the next 12 months the entire backrest pulled away from the main frame of the sofa to such an extent that we needed 3 cushions behind our backs to be able to sit. Combine the sloping back with cushions that flattened in the space of 7/8 months and we had a sofa that was really hard work on our backs not to mention damm uncomfortable. Dumped it after 2 years as we couldn't even really give it away.

Stay away from their sofas!