“I visited the store with measurements of the area where I required a sofa to fit. The store manager recommended a particular sofa, explaining it was modular and could be delivered with the seats positioned to fit the space.
The delivery company attempted to place the sofa in my home, causing damage to my property. The sofa was too large, I refused delivery. The delivery personnel were unhappy with my decision and attempted to persuade me to accept it, promising DFS would replace the sofa within a week. I remained firm and refused delivery. They removed the sofa without due care and attention, causing further damage to my property.
I contacted customer services immediately as the sofa was not fit for purpose. I was informed a store representative would contact me within 72 hours. I visited the store and spoke with the assistant manager, who stated the manager had made at least five similar errors in recent months due to limited product knowledge.
The assistant manager assured me that he would acknowledge her error by reducing the cost of the reorder. I accepted and waited for his invoice. I was surprised to discover his acknowledgement was free delivery (£129).
I immediately emailed a formal complaint to customer services and cc’d the CEO.
I received an AI-generated response from the store manager informing me there had been an oversight and misunderstanding when placing the order and she would offer a further £200 as a goodwill gesture. I declined this offer as it would not compensate for the damage to my property, inconvenience, cost of a temporary sofa or the stress I experienced. Nor did she provide a written apology for her error.
Initially, I hoped to resolve this matter amicably and made a counteroffer of compensation. However, she refused. We had reached an impasse and her lack of professionalism and accountability forced me to retract my counteroffer.
The matter was referred to her manager, who appeared to understand my perspective. However, refused to increase compensation to include costs of repairs, reimbursement for temporary sofa or recognition for inconvenience / stress inflicted.
This matter is now with the Furniture & Home Improvement Ombudsman and litigation case preparation is in progress.
I strongly advise against dealing with this company if you expect accountability, professionalism, respect or to be regarded as a valued customer”
“Stay clear of dfs, the whole experience is awful.
We ordered our sofa on 26 October after visiting the Bristol store and being advised by 3-4 sales people that delivery was 6 or less weeks, guaranteed Christmas delivery etc, etc. To be honest the experience in the downstairs sales area was uncomfortable.
We were given at date of 7 December yet only days before this was delayed with no apology or explanation. When my husband contacted he was told we could still cancel our order!
We eventually got a delivery date of 18 December. After waiting in for the afternoon, weekend before Christmas the delivery men arrived with the sofa, covered in mould. They said there is something different everyday, so many faults. The sofa had to go back.
We then spent time reporting it on the phone and was told it could be 72 hours before we got a reply. So I went on social media to send the photos of what we received and explained our situation. Later that evening a very patronising man phoned from dfs Bristol and although he apologised for the mould he was not empathetic to our situation. He blamed the mould on manufacturers wrapping it while wet and said we would have to wait 6-8 weeks for another to be made. He felt that was satisfactory. When I asked about how we would be compensated for this situation, he asked what i felt we should be compensated!! His only offer was to refund the delivery fee. So he feels it's ok to order a sofa in October after being told 6 weeks or less, guaranteed Christmas delivery and possibly not receive it until February. He basically told me I was lying about the time frames we were told in store. He said that would only be a lead time! (So tell people that, stop lying to make sales. Put customers first)
Since that time I have posted my experience on social media where dfs have restricted what I can write on my own posts. Again not interested in the true customer experience.”
“⭐ 1 Star Review
I am extremely disappointed with DFS and their delivery service.
I was promised that my sofa would be delivered before Christmas, which was a key reason for my purchase. Trusting this assurance, I got rid of my old sofa to make space for the new one. Weeks later, I am still receiving constant emails with changing delivery dates, none of which are actually honoured.
I have health issues and children, and as a result of DFS’s failure to deliver as promised, my family and I are currently having to sit on the floor in our own home. This situation is completely unacceptable and has caused significant distress.
Every time I contact customer services, I am told that the delivery lorry is “full”. This is not my problem, and it does not justify repeated delays. There is also no transparency whatsoever regarding how deliveries are prioritised — it genuinely feels as though my order is considered less important than others.
This experience has been incredibly frustrating and has completely damaged my trust in DFS. I would not recommend DFS to anyone who expects reliability, honesty and basic customer care.”
“Just want to warn people not to buy the Lawson 3 Seater Power Recliner from DFS. I hope no one has to go through what I've just been through.
The sofa I received is nothing like the one I tested in-store. The back cushions are flat, hard, and offer none of the neck support the showroom model had. It’s genuinely uncomfortable and painful to sit on. I tried the display version several times before buying, and what was delivered feels like a completely different product.
On top of that, the sections were visibly misaligned when assembled. For a high-priced power recliner, this is nowhere near acceptable.
Because it fails to match the showroom sample and isn’t of satisfactory quality, I’m exercising my rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. An inspection was been arranged, and I’ve made it clear the issues were there from the moment of delivery.
DFS refused to take the sofa back despite the misalignment, lack of support, and the fact I have a spinal condition and specifically chose the showroom model for comfort. They suggested “batting the cushions,” even though they’re fixed and can’t be adjusted. I’m now stuck with an unusable, rock-hard sofa, and they showed no empathy whatsoever. Truly awful customer service.”
“Bought corner suite fen 2925 from metro centre…no issues till Oct 25 when usb broke & sofa developed a deep ridge in the foam causing the fabric to crease above it. They sent out an employee who blamed the faulty usb on my use of as he said ‘cheap charging cables from Amazon’ even though he never saw one! Then he smoothed the fabric with his hands hiding the ridge and took photos. He then submitted a report stating NO FAULT! I’ve sought advice and know my rights so will fight for a new foam cushion…. I am old and disabled so SHAME ON THIS DISHONEST COMPANY. How dare they treat customers so disrespectfully. AVOID AVOID AVOID.”
“Shocking experience in furnishing our first house with DFS, we were giving wrong delivery dates , poor contact with the customer service team , reports raised and they never followed up . We ordered 2 power recliner sofas and we asked particularly how they will be brought up the apartment and the sales person in the showroom informed us that the sofas get assembled in the apartment , the sofas turned up today in one piece and could not fit neither in the lift or the stairs given that our apartment is in a relatively new building ,
Very disappointed with the misinformation given , the delivery companies they use who sets a slot for delivery which is often non-amendable or changeable and DFS overall customer service that never follows up any complains even after we visited the store and spoke to the guys there.
At one point DFS told us that the sofa isn’t available while the delivery company assigned us a delivery date , we have a lot bought a bed from DFS which the delivery company informed us that they deliver only 2 days a week at the time suitable to them when they are in the area
In a nutshell the product seemed good, the sales team are doing good job sadly they don’t have enough information about the product and the delivery challenges … and the after sales and customer service is shocking , now we will have to rerun this after waiting for almost a month and restart a sofa shopping again”
“Our experience with DFS has been exhausting and deeply disappointing.
We purchased a San Mateo sofa before Christmas 2024, and it arrived damaged. Despite repeated promises — including a refund offer that was later withdrawn — we were left for months without usable seating. We continued paying finance instalments for a sofa that wasn’t fit for purpose, while DFS stalled, deflected, and refused to escalate the matter, even after explaining that there was a disabled person in the household. It ultimately took the Furniture & Home Improvement Ombudsman and our finance provider (who were excellent and recognised DFS hadn’t upheld their own contract) to bring the ordeal to an end”
“Went to DFS Shrewsbury as we have been a loyal customer for many years
Saw Helen and processed the order for a sofa and footstool and then be told there would be a extra £129 delivery charge and we live one mile away. She said I'll speak with the manager and get it wavered but came back and said he wouldn't do anything
He didn't have the manners to come over and explain. Poor poor service and we left unimpressed and didn't place the order”
“I purchased a sofa from DFS (value £4,572) in April 2025. From the day of delivery, the sofa was faulty and unfit for use. Despite repeated attempts to have the matter resolved, it took almost five months before the repairs were finally carried out.
Being left without the proper use of a major household item for nearly half a year caused significant inconvenience and frustration. Under the Consumer Rights Act, repairs must be completed within a reasonable time and without causing substantial inconvenience — five months is neither reasonable nor acceptable.
When I raised this with DFS, instead of offering fair compensation, they offered just £148.82 as a “goodwill gesture” or to collect the sofa for a refund. Neither option reflects the serious loss of use or the distress caused.
I calculated fair compensation of £2,055 (based on loss of use and inconvenience), which is in line with similar Ombudsman rulings. DFS has refused to consider this and has dismissed my complaint with a “full and final” offer far below what is reasonable.
In short:
Faulty sofa delivered.
Nearly five months delay in getting it repaired.
Poor customer service throughout.
Compensation offer that does not come close to addressing the inconvenience suffered.
I will now be escalating my case to the Furniture & Home Improvement Ombudsman and, if necessary, the Small Claims Court.
I would strongly urge others to think carefully before purchasing from DFS, as my experience has been extremely disappointing.”
“The in store experience was actually quite good but that’s where it ended. We paid £3k for our sofas, got a delivery date scheduled and the old ones were collected the day before. I took time off work on the day but the delivery was cancelled and rescheduled for 2 days later on a Saturday. I cancelled my weekend plans to again wait in for the delivery. We didn’t receive a text with the delivery window so called up again on the off chance to find delivery is yet again cancelled. No one bothered to call or message us to let us know. By this point we’ve been without anything to sit on for 3 days. No one can give us an answer as to when our sofas will be delivered. I said I would collect them from the depot but they won’t let me do that. We’ve been left with no furniture and no clue of how long we’ll be left like this. Not ideal for a family. Terrible customer service and clueless staff.”
“DFS is an absolute con! Sofa delivered on the 27th June and faulty. Still not fixed, fabric quality is appalling with a random seam and has frayed and bobbled already, no indication of when the mechanism will be fixed and won't provide a refund. You talk to a million different customer service reps, none of whom seem to know what's going on and no one can tell me what happens if my sofa will never function as it's intended - but out of pocket. Absolute joke. They take your money and send products not fit for purpose. They lie and deceive, send faulty goods and don't care about the financial and emotional distress they cause. Strongly advise no one gives this poor excuse of a retailer their hard earned cash.”
“I had a very disappointing experience with DFS. The product description on their website was misleading. After purchasing, we were away for a while, and only later realised the product did not match the specifications advertised and would not fit in our room. When we contacted customer care, they said a refund was possible—but here’s the catch: they would deduct an unbelievable £130 for return transport.
This feels like a trick hidden in the small print. The advertisement was incorrect and misleading, and the so-called return policy comes with hefty hidden costs. My advice: read every detail carefully before buying from DFS, because it’s all too easy to be caught out by their misleading ads and expensive return charges.”
“Spent almost £4,000 on a leather recliner sofa and armchair. The items stank of chemicals for 6 weeks but now, four months after purchase, the seats are sagging at the back as badly as our old one (20 years old) which gives us bad backs. No point complaining as will be all our fault!”
“For 30 years, we had only bought sofas from DFS. We ordered our sixth sofa last year from the Measham store. When it was delivered, the leather was markedly different than the one in the store. It would not let you ‘slide around’. Your clothes were gripped and rode up your back when reclining. Furthermore, it was very uncomfortable creating lower back pain. We raised the issue but after two visits they simply declared it was not faulty (which we never claimed) so they would take no action. Two emails to the CEO meant nothing with no shift in their position. I raised a complaint with the ombudsman who took three months to eventually side with DFS - who I’m sure pay for their existence along with other furniture stores.
We will never buy from DFS again. They have lost all our future business which could be many thousands of pounds. This is simply a bad business result.
On their website it states that the customer is at the heart of their business. Poppycock.”
“The delivery was loud rude inconsiderate and incompetent customer service
Drivers registration BJ19ZFV
As for there furniture it's rubbish
They are very perfidious indeed.
I will never buy any furniture from dfs
The furniture looks really nice on the outside but underneath the outside the interior is of poor quality and doesn't last long you can't even sell the furniture after us because they're in such poor condition they don't last very long on afraid”
“Lie after Lie. Ordered couch back in May, 6-8 weeks, as we were on hold until 31/07 asked not to be delivered until that day. Still no couch, dates stared to change, called and was advised they do not have transport, told them I don't believe they can't arrange this within 10 weeks notice, so they said it was fabrics issue, again extra 4 weeks they had and it turned to be a lie also. date was moved by another 2 weeks, 12 weeks later. CS advised they will get Dublin manager to call me, he stated staff should advise better but they are in contract and he will send me compensation... prosecco and box of chocolates and will call me Friday (week ago to confirm delivery time) didn't happen! now go email with another delay when their transport and as they get their transport on Wednesday they booked delivery on Sunday. CS copying and pasting delivery email, insane and disrespectful. Pay for it and you're on your own.”
“Bought a leather recliner sofa, spent £4K and only realised after a number of weeks that one of the recliners had been patch repaired. A truly dishonest company who are happy to take your money and send you 2nd hand/ damaged goods”
“I payed for 2 man delivery and instalation and was shocked when the delivery team refused to assemble the very heavy ceramic dining table and left the very large box lying on the floor. I made a complaint and after weeks of no contact I asked for an update on my complaint. I then had the salesman ring me to say that I hadn't paid for installation. I think if you check on my invoice you will find that I did.. Yet another unhappy customer.”
