Listen to Lena

Perfecting the Art of Conversuasion

Three Clicks to a New Couch

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Okay, perhaps I’m oversimplifying the process. But truly, that’s how easy it was to get a brand new leather sectional in my basement, and overall, we are thrilled with the results.

A couple of weeks ago, I shared with y’all news that I had the opportunity to receive a brand new sectional from Wholesale Furniture Brokers, with the promise that I’d review their ordering process, in addition to the quality, value and selection of their furniture. Well, I’ve already touched on the incredible selection, value and ease – and today, I’d love to chat about everything that went down behind the scenes to get the couch into our Man Cave.

Now even though I’ve always touted the virtues of online shopping, at the eleventh hour, I chickened out and placed my order by calling their Sales team. And to tell the truth, I’m glad I did! The representative was friendly, knowledgeable and literally held my hand from start to finish, letting me know what to expect (more on that later) and how to reach out if I needed assistance or clarity.

(When I complimented her on her thoroughness, she informed me that had I ordered online, I would’ve been privy to all the information she was sharing, so she was simply doing her part to ensure I had everything I needed.)

Since the sectional we had selected –  the Toronto Tufted Black Leather Corner Sectional Sofa by True Contemporary – was considered a “Quick Ship Canada” item, I knew that it would leave the warehouse in 1 – 3 business days with an estimated delivery of 1 – 17 business days. So, we waited.

During the entire shipping process, I received e-mail updates from Wholesale Furniture Brokers to inform me of the location and status of my shipment. And when it appeared that the sectional was right around the corner, I received a phone call to remind me about the delivery, and that one of their delivery partners would contact me directly to arrange a drop-off. Completely smooth sailing, friends!

However, here’s where we experienced the only hiccup throughout the experience. During my initial phone call, the representative let me know that the delivery driver would not help with bringing the furniture into the home; that it was his responsibility to simply drop off the furniture. And I guess that made sense to me; in order to offer free delivery, there’s no way I could expect furniture set up as well. I cleared my garage and was cool to have it dropped off there until my husband and a friend could bring it down to the basement.

Er – or so I thought. I’m extremely happy that I paid attention to the rep’s advice and ensured that my husband was home on delivery day. Because the driver pulled up across the street, and phoned us to let us know he was there. When my husband went to meet him, he said, and I quote: “Go get your couch.” So, my husband had to walk around to the back of the truck, and figure out how he was going to bring three large pieces of furniture by himself from across the street into our garage. When he asked the driver to back in to our driveway to make it easier, the driver refused. My husband came inside the house and said, “Unless you want me standing with our sectional in the middle of the street, you’d better get your boots on and get out here.”

Thankfully, I think the driver took pity on the sight of me getting ready to climb in the truck, and he ended up helping my husband place the pieces in our garage. All of the boxes were in perfect condition and we were now incredibly excited to see what was inside!

(Disclaimer: The delivery driver is outsourced, and NOT an employee of Wholesale Furniture Brokers. Hence, this is not a typical experience that you’d expect – perhaps my driver just got up on the wrong side of the bed!)

*EDIT* Response from Wholesale Furniture Brokers:

As the president and CEO of Wholesale Furniture Brokers I did want to comment on your delivery experience. I would say that is not a typical experience and that does not make me particularly thrilled and I will look into that with that company and the terminal that delivered your sectional in particular.

Two things to note.

1. We do our best to partner with reliable, courteous and professional shipping companies. Given that we are shipping larger items and furniture in particular which needs to be handled with care that limits us in the companies available to perform deliveries and in particular residential deliveries of items this size. We have partnered with companies that provide the best overall service and value in order to provide our customers with the exceptional value we do try to provide. Most drivers will automatically take the furniture off the truck and technically put it in the first covered area. For most people that is their garage, carport or entryway. I am surprised and unimpressed with your experience and will be looking into this further.

2. The second point I want to make is that Inside Placement is available for an additional $100. That will get your furniture delivered into your room of choice. A third option is to choose the White Glove Delivery option which will get your new furniture delivered to your room of choice, setup and all the debris removed. – Sergei Tashlikowich, President and CEO

(Have to say that I’m duly impressed that Mr. Tashlikowich took the time to address my concerns!)

Now here’s a very important disclaimer: As you know, I am in the middle of my #ProjectManCave, and want to ensure that I don’t give too much away. Hence, the following photos are of the sectional only, and if you’d like to see the whole room, you’ll just have to tune in tomorrow when I reveal our new entertainment area!

We are absolutely tickled pink with the quality and comfort of this leather sectional. The seating is firm with just the right amount of support while being “cuddle-friendly” and a great place to crash for late night movie marathons.

Official Product Description: “The Toronto Tufted Black Leather Corner Sectional Sofa by True Contemporary offers the perfect combination of comfort and style for your modern home. You’ll sink into this sectional and feel comfortably supported by the deep seating cushions each time you sit back. This sectional is designed to last with its durable hardwood frame, sinuous spring base, and pocket coil cushions. Give your home a fashionable upgrade with the contemporary styling of this sectional.” – Wholesale Furniture Brokers

The photos were taken in our basement, so of course, the lighting is not ideal. However, it’s hard to deny the sectional is absolutely gorgeous; clean and contemporary, just perfect for basements or family rooms alike. The Toronto Tufted Black Leather Corner Sectional is also available in an L-shaped design through Wholesale Furniture Brokers, but since we wanted to optimize space in our Man Cave, we opted for the smaller, more symmetric version (also available in cream leather).

(Oh! I just realized that I didn’t even mention setup. Seriously, it was a breeze. We simply had to hook the pieces together. Done in 60 seconds; one of our easiest DIY’s this year!)

All in all, we are definitely on board for online furniture shopping, and I wanted to thank Wholesale Furniture Brokers for allowing me to experience and review the process from start to finish. Three things you need to know:

1) The selection is fabulous. With thousands of options – including Canadian Made furniture – you’re sure to find something you love.

2) Wholesale Furniture Brokers offers FREE shipping on ALL of their products. And, “Quick Ship Canada” items are delivered even faster; their Canadian stock leaves the warehouse in 1 – 3 business days with an estimated delivery of 1 – 17 business days. So, the low price you see is exactly what you pay, plus provincial taxes. And, since the items ship from Canada, there are no hidden taxes or tariffs, either.

3) Since you’re buying wholesale, you’re saving cash. “We have been importing containers of product directly to our Canadian warehouses to offer lower prices and shorter shipping times. Our prices are becoming more competitive and we’re able to offer shorter lead times so we can give more value to our Canadian customers,” says Sergei Tashlikowich, Wholesale Furniture Brokers’ CEO.

Stay tuned, friends! I’ve got a very special giveaway with Wholesale Furniture Brokers coming up!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I honestly cannot wait to see the final result. I love the sectional (boohoo to the driver not wanting to backup to your garage – what the heck!) Anyway, looking great so far.

    • Thanks Allie! As I mentioned, I think my experience was kind of unique that I got a crabby driver. However, I chose to include it in my review because it is a potential are for improvement for Wholesale Furniture Brokers: since they are outsourcing delivery, they have little control over the quality of the drivers – or in this case, the politeness and willingness to accommodate. So, if you do choose to order through them, be prepared to remove your own goods from the truck in the worst possible scenario.

      • Lena,

        I have to say I am very impressed with the look of your man cave and how the Toronto Tufted Sectional compliments the rest of the space and decor.

        As the president and CEO of Wholesale Furniture Brokers I did want to comment on your delivery experience. I would say that is not a typical experience and that does not make me particularly thrilled and I will look into that with that company and the terminal that delivered your sectional in particular.

        Two things to note.

        1. We do our best to partner with reliable, courteous and professional shipping companies. Given that we are shipping larger items and furniture in particular which needs to be handled with care that limits us in the companies available to perform deliveries and in particular residential deliveries of items this size. We have partnered with companies that provide the best overall service and value in order to provide our customers with the exceptional value we do try to provide. Most drivers will automatically take the furniture off the truck and technically put it in the first covered area. For most people that is their garage, carport or entryway. I am surprised and unimpressed with your experience and will be looking into this further.

        2. The second point I want to make is that Inside Placement is available for an additional $100. That will get your furniture delivered into your room of choice. A third option is to choose the White Glove Delivery option which will get your new furniture delivered to your room of choice, setup and all the debris removed.

        I do hope that explanation helps and I look forward to reading more of your readers comments.

        Thank you and what an awesome man cave!!

        Sergei Tashlikowich
        President and CEO
        Wholesale Furniture Brokers.

  3. Woohoo! Beautiful choice, however, I’m not real keen on the delivery process & honestly it’s a huge turnoff for me. I understand it, but I think there should be come sort of courtesy to at least help a person get the furniture into their home or garage…. beautiful pieces though!

    • Thanks Darlene! I don’t mind that the furniture was not brought inside or put together, but I agree, it would have been nice to have help getting it into the garage from the start. But, delivery aside, everything in the entire process was great, and we love the couch!

  6. Good thing to know about the delivery – should I ever have the need to order from them I would make sure it was not in the winter and also make sure I had some strong friends and neighbours available to help :o)
    Your sectional looks fabulous and I can’t wait to see the entire “man cave” reveal photos !!

    • Thank you Flora! And I think that’s it – just know that with free delivery, and really great prices, there is a bit of a sacrifice when it comes to getting the furniture to your door. Make sure a few friends are available, and you” be just fine!

    • Hi Flora,

      Appreciate your comments to Lena’s post.

      You as well as a couple other readers have made a comment on the delivery experience. I have commented on another post that Lena’s experience is not typical as that driver is contracted to take it off the back of the truck and place in the first covered area. Like I mentioned in my other reply, I will be looking into it.

      Another scenario is to take advantage of our “Inside Placement” or “White Glove Delivery and Setup” option.

      We look forward to being of service to you in the future. Please feel free to give us a call to discuss any ideas you may have.

      Regards,
      Sergei Tashlikowich
      President and CEO
      Wholesale Furniture Brokers

  8. Love the tufted sofa – we have a similar style in our TV room too! I can’t believe the attitude of the delivery driver – and am so impressed with how the CEO addressed this issue – it’s good to know they care about the standard of service, even when it’s hired out to a third party.

    Too funny that the sight of you ready to climb in the truck convinced the delivery driver to help out LOL!

    • Completely agree, Ella! It’s good to know that he stands behind his product. And we love our sectional!

  9. Great looking sofa! Too bad about the delivery but I am sure it will be addressed by the company. Can’t wait to see the entire finished basement, looks great from what I can see!

  10. That is an awesome sectional! It looks very classy and firm and I’m sure you and your family will enjoy this piece of furniture for years to come…… Anxiously waiting to see the completed man cave.

  14. That is one sexy couch. We are in need of furniture and after 11 years married still have a mish-mash of university junk and borrowed items (long term!) from family. I will check out this site for sure!

    • Hahaha long term borrowed items – I have a few of those too! Take a peek – I’m sure you’ll find something to suit your budget and taste!

  15. Looks great, and comfortable. Were you not concerned ordering a sofa without trying it for comfort first? I’m in need of a sectional, and live 1hr from gta. So missing all the great outlets. This may be an option other than idea for me!

    • The good news Lori? They have a showroom in Toronto, so you can test out the sectional for yourself! And re: whether or not I was concerned – not really. Most leather and bonded leather sectionals have the same firmness and support – you can tell just by looking at it. So nope, totally bit the bullet and don’t regret my selection!

  16. Beautiful sectional! I desperately need a new couch but sadly, 3 cats prevent me from buying a new one. :( I need to look into those little caps for their claws before I even think about bringing something new in here. But when we finally do, I will definitely look at wholesale furniture brokers!

  19. I do love the couch you picked and having reviewed the site a whole bunch of others too. Despite your delivery hiccup, which kinda suggests that maybe the driver wasn’t all that good a driver and possibly couldn’t back up the truck very well…you never know…I was impressed with Sergei’s response to this. It was an extremely professional response, and I bet the next person to have a delivery by that delivery company will be treated a lot nicer. I am also impressed with the prices on the site. They are extremely reasonable.

  24. That sectional looks amazing and so does the man cave!!! Wish i had known about this site when we were upgrading our living room furniture, I would’ve saved a ton of money that way.

  27. Its looks good – I think my husband would like a man cave. I ordered all my leather sofas from wholesalers as well but this was when we lived in Britain, I am glad that we brought them with us as I still have not found any I like better

  30. I love the sectional you chose and it looks great in the room. I can not think of an easier way to shop for furniture and will be looking for a sofa and ottoman in the new year.

  31. That is a really nice couch, and what a great response from the president regarding your delivery!

  32. The couch looks great and I am really impressed that the president was willing to address your concerns about delivery. However, I would be a little concerned about the delivery and I do think that an extra $100 just to bring it to the front door is a bit expensive (although I do know that a lot furniture companies charge high delivery fees). Will you use them again in the future?

    • I believe I will, Lindsay. I love the quality and look of the couch, and the delivery really was the only hiccup, based on the fact that we had a less-than-accommodating driver.

  33. Love the couch but was floored to read that you had to get your furniture off the truck, like come on..reminds me of the delivery I had last week..oh this isn’t my story but yours..lol

    Glad to see that’s not their customary practice of having customers get in a truck and carry huge boxes to their garage,..like what if you had fallen in the truck and hurt yourself..then what?

    • Ha! I guess we all have those times when delivery isn’t perfect :) Yeah, happy to see I had a unique experience!

  39. I really love your new couch. The only problem, this type of shopping is all too easy! But that is also a good thing.

  40. I currently live in a condo, and if I had a delivery truck park across the street, I’d have a hell of a time getting my furniture up to the 7th floor. I will not be shopping at Wholesale Furniture Brokers.

    • It definitely wasn’t the best part of the experience, I’ll give you that. However, I think the CEO has pointed out that it was definitely not their expected level of service, and I believe him!

  42. I’m not sure how comfortable I’d be shopping for furniture online. It’s nice that the president actually commented on the delivery issues.

  44. I have been checking out their website and they have a King platform bed with storage that I am debating about, been looking for one for a bit but they are hard to find.

  45. Looks great! I love that the company offers free shipping for such large pieces. It does make me wonder though – what I would do if the driver refused to put it in my garage for me and my husband wasn’t home…

    • I’m sure you could refuse delivery, and they’d try again with a competent driver. That’s what I was planning to do if I couldn’t lift the couch ;)

  47. Looks amazing, I will definitley be checking these guys out when I finally decide to redo my living room!

  56. Oh man what I would do for that sectional! But I’d have to figure out how to keep my dog off it cuz she would probably love it the most!

  59. The leather looks gorgeous!! That sounds like a terrible delivery experience though — your poor Michael!

  60. That is pretty much exactly the couch that I dream of owning.. and not a bad price at all! I’ll have to keep this in mind for once we’re finished moving and can afford a new couch!

  65. Your room looks great! Modern but comfortable. Nice to hear how responsive the President and CEO was to your delivery concern as well.

    PS: I love your framed Good Fellas poster!!

  67. WOW that is one Sexy sectional! They look like they have a lot of gorgeous furniture that would look amazing in my house! I am on the hunt for a new bedroom set and I found one on their site that I fell in love with instantly. I love how they had such great communication with you as to your order and delivery.

  72. Hmm, lots of people would definitely have problems with the delivery, and I’m sure the reason people have it delivered is somewhat because of problems they would have getting it in their home and to where they want it, not just because they don’t have a truck to get it home! Company really needs to work on this!
    Your sectional sofa is really nice, and absolutely perfect for a man cave!

  73. Great review with total attention to every detail. Thank you for the information about a beautiful quality sofa. Pretty shocking about the delivery quality though. That might be a deal breaker for me since I’d have to hire my own moving crew to sit around and wait for them, then get my own crew to move it in and set it up. Ouch.

    • Yeah, there’s definitely room for improvement, but the good news is that it seems like my experience is not not at the level they expect. So, maybe it’s a one-off!

  74. love the couch but holy awful customer service… thanks for the honest review.. I don’t think I would’ve stayed as calm as you did! well done to you!

  76. gorgeous couch!! Glad to see the customer service in the end was great!! Hard to get – we’ve had a few horrible experiences buying furniture

    • Yeah, I think as a whole it’s a finicky industry. So happy the CEO chimed in, that’s pure class.

  78. beautiful couch. we bought our first couch less than a year ago and its already falling apart. we were going to get a leather couch and we let the guy talk us into a vinyl couch that cost less. we will likely be buying a couch elsewhere next time but I would love to get a leather sectional.

  81. That looks amazing! i’m full of envy. We are dying to get a new couch but need to find a way to get rid of the old and and get a new one here first!

  82. Looks like you are on a great start to your man cave, the sofa looks rich and comfy! Thanks for the detailed review, I will check out wholesale furniture stores!

  83. It is nice that they keep you updated on the shipping. Too bad they don’t bring it in the house but nice to know they will put it in the garage. I was looking at one of their dressers and am seriously thinking of getting it. Thanks so much for the review.

  84. I love their website…it is so easy to navigate. They have a huge selection and I really like the ‘Condo’ tab for smaller living spaces.

  87. Oh my be goodness!!!!! this is fricken awesome!!!!!!!!!! I love the color, I totally love that its a sectional, and I love your “Man Cave” teehee

  88. That is a stunning sectional and it looks beautiful set off with a white shag rug.I love the whole look of the room.You are an awesome interior decorator..

  89. Wow, I’ve had a horrible experience with a reputable furniture store delivery process but they at least brought my new couch up the stairs and into my living room. I like how the president of the company responded to your complaint, however I don’t think a customer should have to pay that much
    Money for delivery

  95. You really did an amazing job picking the perfect pieces for the room! It looks so great! :) I have to say, I am really impressed the president of the company took the time to read your review and address your concerns – that REALLY says something about their commitment to customer service and satisfaction – you don’t see that everywhere these days!

  96. Okay, that is an awesome couch and a great man cave. A lot of stores outsource their deliveries so you really never know who you’re going to get and some companies have excellent customer service and others just don’t. Enjoy your new couch and yes I’m a bit jealous!!

  97. I love your couch and so does my husband. I love going furniture shopping but I usually become overwhelmed because I like pieces in the store and then I wonder if I will like it at home. I think too many choices in the store makes me anxious..I am looking for a new bedroom set this year, that should take me into next year..lol. Your man cave looks awesome!

  100. Beautiful. It looks like your mancave could be nice bar or lounge. You made leather look cozy.

  101. The sectional looks great! Sounds like great service and free shipping too, will keep them in mind for next furniture purchase.

  107. To be honest, I’d never heard of Wholesale Furniture Brokers before. Thanks for the information. They appear to have some beautiful quality pieces.

  110. Wow, that couch is gorgeous! I’d love a sectional someday! I’m glad to hear that you had a good experience with your order – I love that they sent you e-mail updates, and that was nice that the CEO responded to your not-so-great delivery experience. I think I would have been hesitant to buy furniture without sitting on it first, but after your review, I think I’d be willing to give it a try!

  111. Awesome looking couch! Man it must be so nice to just click and have your furniture at your place without ever leaving the home. Good to hear that someone in upper management responded to what had happened. I personally like testing out the furniture out first, but this sounds like an awesome experience.

  113. Hi there. Love the sectional and have looked at this particular one 50 times or more. Measurements are a little longer than I expected but I love this couch! My husband won’t let me order it because he would like to see it in person. I would just like to ask you how is the couch today? You purchased it in 2013, so 4 years later is it still as good as you said? Can’t stop looking at this couch. Thank you, Diana

    • Hi Diana! Thanks for inquiring. The couch in our basement has seen light to moderate use (due to its location) and has held up very well. Would it hold up as well in a more highly trafficked place like our living room? That’s hard to say. But overall, after almost four years, the couch still looks almost new and there is no visible wear and tear. I should note that we do not have pets and we do not bring food to the basement. So again, for light to moderate use, we are happy with the outcome. Good luck!