apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

We purchased our couch (floor model-Calvin Sofa) and our coffee/dinner table(Mascotti table ), Kara bed and a Tempur-Pedic mattress from Jensen-Lewis in 2004. I liked the store and since delivery was in NJ i did not have to pay the tax!

we purchased our steel bed frame from JL less than 2 years ago and it's already showing signs of wear and tear. the finish is dull and showing signs of rust. we called and they told us "its part of the patina". Rust? I don't think so. we'll NEVER shop there again.

the store is okay, but that's up to one's personal taste. on the several occasions i've looked there, the sales people were consistently the absolute worst. i felt that if i asked them questions, they had to work harder, and they didn't want to be bothered. i would NEVER shop there because of the sales staff --but i'm also not crazy about the stuff they carry.

Does anyone have any experience with this dining table that Jensen-Lewis carries?

http://www.jensen-lewis.com/product.php?pid=00000942

For my needs it is absolutely perfect, in theory. I'm just curious about the construction and such since I'd be ordering from the Boston area and have no way to actually see the table in person (aside from a day trip into NYC).

Rob - I have bought many pieces of furniture at JL, including lvrm, dr, and bdrm furniture. Although not the table you are considering. All of the furniture (wood, some steel/glass) has held up very well. The pieces are delivered very well wrapped for shipping having been opened in a warehouse and wrapped in moving blankets to the home - although I am local to the NJ warehouse, so your delivery experience may be different. If you want, deal with the salesperson Mark, and say Linda sent you. He is excellent.

About two years ago I purchased a Vladimir Kagan sofa from them. I like their style and prices, and the salesperson was helpful. However, the sofa that arrived was badly flawed. Their post-sale service was disgusting and off-putting. A web search indicated that this seems to be their pattern, sell the stuff and shaft the customer rather than provide service, by acting sociopathic. Probably logical, though appalling, in the impersonal NYC market, where there are always new customers to beat down.

Be warned.

Be very careful spending your money here. I bought the Gramercy wall unit 10 years ago. (http://www.jensen-lewis.com/product.php?pid=00000541) I have it in the beech finish and I get compliments to this day, but suddenly the lights just all went out. I called up, knowing this is such a reputable dealer and I paid a small fortune at the time (I was in my late twenties then). Well, customer service has gone way downhill from those days.

If you use the contact page on their site, it does not work. I contacted the store to alert the manager (whose business card says he's the service CLERK????) and he was not the least bit concerned. I asked who the webmaster is and can I contact THAT person to let him know - he didn't know who that would be. He did however send me a letter informing me of the $190 it would cost to send me the piece to fix it, with no information about who will install it once it arrives (and now I live in NJ). I'm in the middle of writing them another letter as I just can't stand poor management - not when I drop a small ton of money like this.

Beware, friends. Beware. You'll love your furniture, but don't you dare have questions afterwards!