Customer feels 'cheated' by Brick extended warranty Consumers' Association advises against buying extra warranties Mark Harvey - CBC News Laurin Clarke Laurin Clarke shows Go Public's Mark Harvey a ripped seam on a loveseat she purchased from The Brick. (CBC ) Laurin Clarke said she bought The Brick's 5 Year Blanket Warranty because she was told she would be covered if anything went wrong with her new leather furniture. But when she tried to get repair work done, she said the retailer wouldn't fix what she calls obvious flaws. "Don't buy this warranty because they don't honour it," Clarke said. "It's not worth the $300." ADVERTISEMENT The Brick describes the sofa and loveseat Clarke bought in 2009 as being made of "premium, top-grain leather." "I really believe in buying quality," Clarke said. "My parents taught me: 'buy quality so that it lasts a long time.'" She said the salesman persuaded her to pay an extra $300 for the extended warranty because it would buy her peace of mind. "He said this is really good quality leather, but if anything at all happens, 'even if you spill nail polish, food stains, he said anything -- rips, tears, seams, structural damage -- you are covered.' He made it sound so wonderful." However, Clarke said the couch had begun to sag in the spot where her husband generally sits to watch TV. Then she started noticing marks and flakes on the leather surface, and saw that two seams had split. ADVERTISEMENT The Brick sent someone to take pictures of the damage, and Clarke said she expected it would be an easy fix. However, when the retailer called back, Clarke said they agreed only to fix the sagging cushion, saying the marked surface and split seams weren't covered under the warranty. Warranty denial 'not even logical,' customer says Clarke said she pored over the fine print in the warranty and still can't see how the company could refuse to repair the split seams and marks on the furniture. The Brick's 5 Year Blanket Warranty includes failed stitching, as well as cracking and peeling leather finish. "I'm not a lawyer, but I read through it, "Clarke said. "I think everything's valid here." She said talking to The Brick's customer service department felt like an argument in semantics. ADVERTISEMENT "I was calling it 'rips' and 'cuts' and 'peeling leather' and she was calling it 'scratches.' We just seemed to go round in circles. It almost felt like she was reading from a script because she sure wasn't listening to me." Clarke said she was told even the splitting seams couldn't be covered as a sewing defect. "She said, 'We don't cover scratches and the splitting seams -- and the scratches are on the same piece so we won't cover those.' I said 'that's not even logical.'" "I'm starting to feel cheated actually," Clarke said. Marks caused by 'abuse and neglect' company says The Brick's record of the chain of events is very different from Clarke's. Greg Nakonechny, the Vice President, Legal for The Brick, said the company offered to fix the seams and the cushion, but that Clarke insisted the company give her new furniture. ADVERTISEMENT "She only sought a full replacement of the product, which is certainly not in line with the terms of the warranty," Nakonechny said. Clarke denies she insisted on having the furniture replaced, or that she was offered $800, only that she wanted the furniture repaired. Nakonechny said, based on photographs taken of the damage, the marks on Clarke's couch are excessive. "Any use that is in excess of what is reasonably expected, then it's considered abuse and neglect," he said. "I come from a family with four active kids. I look at the sofas we have that are approaching ten years and they are nowhere close to having that level of scratch marks," he said. Although the warranty Clarke bought covers more that 20 mishaps -- including stains from food, drink or bodily fluids, spilled nail polish and cosmetics, as well as burns and cuts -- Nakonechny said it won't cover the marks on her sofa. ADVERTISEMENT "Those are clearly not covered under the warranty as they fall in the category of either reasonable wear and tear, which is expressly excluded under warranty, or use that is outside the ordinary," Nakonechny said. Abuse and neglect, along with wear and tear are two items excluded from the warranty. Clarke says the company's conclusion is unfair. "I could see it if we were abusive people, but I think we take care of our stuff," she said. The Better Business Bureau of Central and Northern Alberta has recorded 700 complaints against furniture companies. More than 90% of those are against The Brick, however that number includes complaints made against any of its stores located across Canada since the company's corporate headquarters are in Edmonton. ADVERTISEMENT One-third of the complaints concern warranties. "We don't look at numbers in terms of number of Better Business Bureau com read more

I purchased from the Brick Collingwood and received the best customer service. Tara-Lee was absolutely AMAZING. She was so helpful and knowledgeable and I walked away with everything I needed at a great price. Tara ensured that my purchase and pick up went smoothly and was so accommodating when my circumstances changed. I will recommend the Brick to everyone and continue to purchase from this store. I am so happy with my purchases. Thank you Tara and the team at Brick Collingwood. read more

I am from Windsor Ontario but only shop through Tara At the Collingwood store. Amazing personality and makes the best of every interaction. When something is good, don't change it. That's why the Collingwood store gets my business. I have purchased several items through Tara and love each one of them. Never an issue. Tara deserves all the success in the world, thus making The Brick An easy choice. read more

Will never buy from Brick Collingwood again. They deliver damaged goods but blame the buyer for the damage. They have you sign for delivery with the disclaimer items were delivered in good condition. However, if the damage isn't visible and you report it the same day of delivery, they tell you you are responsible because you signed the delivery receipt. We are left with a sofa sitting in our garage and the company will do nothing. All I can say is DO NOT SIGN for delivery until you have inspected every last inch of the item. BUYER BEWARE!!!! WE DID NOT DAMAGE THE ITEM. read more