apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I tried to order a nice fruit bowl from them a few years ago. Long story short, I never got the bowl and their customer service was terrible. Maybe they have improved, but I won't be trying to find out.

I haven't ordered anything from them but I have also received their catalogs. I have seen the Opus table in the darker finish in the flesh ata local store and it's really nice. Sorry I can't be of more help.

Reef

for what it's worth, i checked out the better business bureau (bbb.org) and get 2 different results-- 1, with the chicago address listed on the Chiasso website, lists it as a BBB member and iwth no complaints. the other, with a michigan address, says there were unresolved complaints, and gives as a forwarding address the Texas address Chiasso also has on its website. so maybe they had problems in an earlier incarnation and are trying to fix them?

I ordered some Adler vases from them. Pricing seemed okay. Delivery was on time. No complaints here. They seem to carry some things that other stores don't. And when I see something I like, that noone else has, I buy it.

Somewhat off on a tangent. But was at a BO store in Cambridge, Mass yesterday. It sometimes makes me cringe little bit to see how much people charge for MDF furnitures. With MDF furnitures the weakest things are dresser drawers that wobble when you slide them in and out. You are paying for that euro looks, but I wonder how many years these last. At the same time I will probably agree that some MDF furnitures I have bought from other import stores seem to feel more solid than others. I guess you need to carefully look at the specific item you are buying.

I have ordered several times from Chiasso - clocks, end table, small items - and had great service and the products were exactly as I expected.

I do know that the company went through some sort of change a few years back. They used to have a store in Chicago's Watertower Place mall, but closed that and went to mail-order only. I'm not sure whether they went through bankrupty or just changed focus, etc.

I haven't ordered anything from their catalog or website, but I used to shop at their store when it existed. Pretty nice products in general. A lot of Alessi and Umbra stuff.

I've seen MDF in many high end store. I've been told they are constructed differently by various manufacturer. The good manufacturers use high tech adhesive that prevent or minimize the wood from corroding or warping like solid wood. In some cases, they are stronger than solid wood. Even home builder are starting to use MDF where appropriate. Is this true?

That site reminds me of the Tse & Tse site:
http://www.tse-tse.com/

Chiasso is by far the worst company I have ever had to deal with. After eight service calls on one order I'm still getting conflicting stories about the availability of a product. Their web site has a product for order with unlimited availability, their catalog has the product as discontinued and their reps all offer varied and conflicting stories. If they want to continue or expand, they'd better get their act together. One way or another, they have lost this customer for good. Be wary.

Guys, I would advise NOT to order from Chiasso. Their customer service has been getting progressively worse and worse. We ordered quite a few things (ten or so) from Chiasso more than 2 weeks ago and got only one item. The order status was "in the warehouse" for 2 weeks and then, after a week of calling their Customer Service, was suddenly changed to "Shipped" with the tracking number of that one item along with that shipment date. We have been talking to their "top" CS manager for days and every day we are promised that the rest of the order would ship "today". I guess we'd be lucky to get our money back - forget all the time spent. The BBB records show that it is no use to file a complaint as they would not respond, but we'd do it anyway, hoping it'd help other folks.

TS

I have ordered from Chiasso before but always through the catalogue. The selection on the internet is far more extensive.

Delivery time was incredible. I have never been disappointed with anything I have received.

I have bought many things from Chiasso, and am always satisfied with the products and the service. When I need a gift, Chiasso is the first place I look.

I ordered two DVD racks several months ago. I wanted two because that is how many DVDs I had to fill it. I receieved one DVD rack after weeks of waiting. I made numerous phone calls to locate the other one. They told me they no longer had it and then all of a sudden they did and then they tried to charge me more money. It still didn't come after they "reshipped" it, I had to have them speak to a DHL representative who insisted it never left their warehouse. After the whole ordeal, they issued me a $50 gift card as an apology. I didn't use the gift card for several months but when I did, it was the same old crap all over again. They never applied any of the charges to the gift card and instead charged the whole portion to my credit card instead of the remaining balance. I noticed this on my statement and called to complain. They said it was no problem and said they would refund it between 5-7 days. 14 days pass and there is no credit so I just called once again and have been told it will credit to my account. I'm sure I will be complaining again but I certainly hope not! And to top it all off, the items I ordered with the gift card are waaay different than pictured and not very nice. I think this company is a scam who makes money off of people who aren't meticulous about checking up on things. DO NOT ORDER FROM THIS COMPANY! GO FOR WEST ELM OR IKEA INSTEAD!