A few months ago I did a search on Pampa, came across this site and read all these comments. I decided it wouldn't be worth the hassle to deal with Pampa given the overwhelmingly negative experiences recounted here.

My wife and I visited the new Living Spaces warehouse in Van Nuys; there were a couple pieces that caught our attention and of course the whole 'Buy today.. Enjoy tonight!!' catchphrase was rather tempting. We put those pieces on our shortlist, and decided to sleep on it..

On our way home we found ourselves in Sherman Oaks and decided to swing past... you guessed it.. Pampa! The 50% "Recession Sale" was like a magnet, and we found ourselves Ooh'ing and Aaah'ing over some designs that seemed EXACTLY our style.

We did the math and figured we'd get exactly the same amount of furniture as at Living Spaces for just a few dollars more. The main difference would be the quality - varnished Living Spaces particleboard vs sturdy handmade Pampa investments. A no brainer... right?

I somehow managed to let a very persuasive sales assistant convince me that any negative feedback was the exception, not the rule, and that HE would be MY GUY to get the furniture delivered in 2 weeks, 3 at the absolute maximum.

In the 2nd week we received two enthusiastic calls from our sales guy, reassuring us he was pressuring 'main office', he was our advocate, the proverbial squeeky wheel who could make things happen.

In the 3rd week he left a voicemail, noticeably less energetic, but still on the case... "..any day soon.." came the slightly strained but upbeat reassurance.

Week 4.... radio silence.

Week 5.... Calls to the Sherman Oaks showroom are met with a pause, muffled conversation with phone pressed against chest and then "....he can't come to the phone right now, but if you'd like to call the main office their number is.."

We are deep into week 6 and not a single piece of furniture has been delivered... The main office did leave a message stating "... order volume has been very heavy. Your furniture will be delivered.....ummmm........probably, almost definitely by next week..."

Ooookaayy... thanks guys.. very reassuring.

I've often wondered what it would have taken for me to be absolute in my resolve to take my business anywhere BUT Pampa. I'm not sure I know the answer, but certainly hope this personal experience is enough for someone smarter than me - someone smart enough to learn from other peoples misfortune. I did the research, made note of the consistently appalling way they treated their customers, and then I decided "I'm the exception! It won't happen to ME"

I have only myself to blame.

Of course the comparison between Living Spaces and Pampa furniture wasn't a valid one - there are plenty of other quality furniture stores in LA I should have compared Pampa against.. Of course I realize that now..... *sob*

I'll report back if/when the furniture arrives. My only remaining hope I cling to is that the furniture will be wonderful and full of all the personality and charm it seemed to hold under those showroom lights. If that is the case, years from now as we enjoy our hand crafted investments, my wife and I won't even remember the 2 weeks that turned into months....

....ummm, maybe the complaints of poor quality ..won't apply to me! I'll be the exception!! Right??!

"pattern of denial"? No idea what you mean!

..stay tuned..

These people are crooks and liars. Save yourself the headaches and go somewhere else. They robbed me for over $500. I ordered a table which never came and when I went to the store they tried to tell me I had ordered something else. It got so ridiculous that I thought I was on hidden camera tv show.

I ended up leaving the store without the table I had ordered and the sneaky sales people and b*tchy manager charged my credit card for the remaining balance of the table I didn't receive.

Long story short. These people are crooks. Do NOT accept a store credit from them. It's worthless each time I went back to try to buy something their computer didnt work or they couldnt bring up my purchase. They illegally charged my credit card 3 times. It was a complete mess. Avoid them at all costs.