Hello AT,
I was wondering whether anyone has had the problems I've been having with my Pablo Gloss floor lamp and with the company that makes it. I bought this lamp on-line from Modern Essentials, on sale, at a price that I thought was a steal; now I'm not so sure. As soon as I plugged it in, the dimmer slide got very hot and began to smell like burning plastic or wire. When I called Pablo to ask them if this was normal, they said it wasn't, and sent me a replacement dimmer, which I was supposed to install myself.... [more below]
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I did; now the lamp didn't smell bad, or seem to be in danger of bursting into flames, but it gave off much less light than before (and not the lovely white light that halogen usually produces, but a sickly yellow incandescent light). When I called Pablo again, I spoke to the designer/owner, who told me they'd send me ANOTHER dimmer switch. That was about two weeks ago; nothing has arrived, and they can't provide me or Modern Essentials with even a UPS tracking number.
Is this lamp a lemon? It's beautiful, but it's starting to seem like a waste of time and money, not to mention a fire hazard.
Thanks, Jonathan
Jonathan,
It certainly sounds like a converter problem in your dimmer, which normally takes the power coming out of the wall and adjusts it to power your bulbs, which are special in this case. Sounds like for all its beauty as a design, Pablo is sourcing cheap dimmers. If this is a big problem, they may be reeling right now. Don't stop bugging them and let's hope that we hear from others here.
Anyone?
I say you should request a new lamp or full refund.
Most big companies do source the cheapest thing they can find within their normal standards. Before you give in completely, there are many lighting stores within Manhattan that can re-wire a light, or get a better patch on the dimmer and most of the time with much more reliable hardware. Not too long ago I had a lamp re-wired for $40. Very much worth it considering what I had paid for it and that it was one of a pair. Just ask for an estimate before you agree to the work.
I had the same issue with the table lamp. DWR sent me a new one and haven't had an issue since. It's a great lamp but the Quality Control was not good. On both lamps, the shades weren't entirely straight. I'm with Kate, I'd demand a new one or return it. Good luck.
Is it a halogen lamp or an incandescent lamp? Are you using the right bulbs? I have worked with lighting and can say that minor hardware problems do happen (because MOST lighting hardware is cheap) but if you like the design of the lamp, you should keep it. It is not the fault of the designer if you got a bad dimmer. Although they should help you fix it. I'm sure they want you to have a safe and happy lamp too.
For what it's worth, I have the Gloss floor lamp and have never had a problem.
I have the same lamp and went through periods of tripping a circuit breaker every time I turned it on. Then suddenly one day it was OK. Haven't had any problems lately but it does make you wonder... Otherwise, great design - great lamp.
I have one and no problems, It was given to me as a gift, I live in Australia and they had Pablo himself change the voltage to 240. Persist with getting a replacement as it a great design.
I have two of his lamps, and I've had the same problem with the 15" Ventana. I've sent it in twice, and they've been very helpful. I spoke with Pablo himself yesterday (yes, he surprisingly answers the main phone line) and he said he'd look into it. He assigned Florencia to investigate and she was very helpful. One issue that may have affected you as it did me was that Paul was working with me and he left recently. Thankfully, he finished my account before he left and my light will be delivered tomorrow. You might want to talk to either Pablo or Florencia but they both figured out the issue and sent me the tracking numbers and information I needed and they did it very quickly. I think the most frustrating aspect of all of this is the time differences and when you can actually get ahold of someone in San Francisco; but they are very receptive.
-Jonathan
Chicago
Thanks to everyone who commented it was very helpful to hear so many suggestions, and to hear that others had had the same experience with this lamp. That this is a common occurence makes me think that Kate is onto something about Pablo (and, likely, many similar companies). Agreed (with Jonathan-in-Chicago), Pablo and Florencia, both of whom I've dealt with, are incredibly nice. But nice and $300 will, apparently, buy you a defective lamp on a regular basis, and I'd just rather have a lamp that works the first time. Shouldn't so many returns be telling them something about how to make their product or source their supplies?
Thanks again,
Jonathan-in-Manhattan
Thank you all. For a long time I looked at the lamp in the SFMOMA store, and later at DWR and Zinc Details. I was in San Francisco today looking at it, and nearly bought it, but I decided to think about it and do a little research first. That's how I found these posts. At least now if I buy it I'll know in advance that there may be an issue, and get some sort of agreement in the beginning about any potential problems. Forewarned is forearmed.