An amicable resolution, faulty car seat covers.

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My wifes car needed some seat covers (the stock seats show watermarks and look like heck)
Costco (Canada) offer via Coverking covers custom made for our car. I had previously bought some for my truck and was very pleased.

An order placed, and about 2 weeks later our seat covers arrived. However in trying to fit the front seat backs somthing seemed amiss. There was a gusset let in to the back flap that appeared to be on the wrong side of the seat. Without the gusset on the correct side, a wire that powers the seat airbag, prevents the flapt to be tucked in, as per the instructions.
in desperation (and back ache) I removed the front seats from the car to better adress the problem.
When I realised there was undoubtedly a manufacturing flaw, pictures were taken and I contacted Coverking via Costco.
Coverking promptly responded to say they have passed the pictures to their tech department.

After a week with no response, my wife suggestes we get the seats covers modified by a seamstress, which we did, and the covers fit perfectly.

I notified Coverking of this, and they responded to say they admit there was a fault and will be sending me replacment seat backs!

My reply was to thank them, but the fitting problem was now resolved and that I would have no use for another set of seat back covers (I have had quite enough of playing with seat covers already, I don't want to fit another)

I suggest that if they wish to make-good for my time and alteration expence, they might send a front set of floor mats for our car in compensation (which is another Coverking product line)

Their response was: NO, but we will offer you 20% off on a set of floor mats!

Now, I don't want to be unreasonable about this, but I do think 20% off is a bit chintzy.

I mean, I have been hearing about these bloody seat covers from my wife for the last week, I have paid $30 to get a faulty product rectified (in a timely fashion) and spent several hours analysing the problems.

What should I expect from them?
 
How does the 20% off compare to the cost of the alteration? Would it make you whole? I think being made whole is reasonable.
 
The 20% would about cover what I paid the seamstress for the alteration that I proposed.
It does not compensate me for my time and hassle.
I would also suspect a 20% discount would also allow them some profit (on what was fundamentally their error)

I could have taken to whole lot back to costco for a refund. But then I would be no further ahead in my quest for seat covers either.

I (and my wife) were a bit ticked-off by a week of silence from CK and the offer of replacment seat backs AFTER the problem was resolved just seemed silly.
 
Just move on. They were faulty, but you should have asked them to replace them with a correct set to begin with rather than alter the faulty set.
 
wow that just sucks as well as waiting a week for a reply back, then it's for 20% off on a set of floor mats.
I guess if I needed a set of floor mats that would be okay, but if I didn't
mad.gif

A prompt reply from them for a defect could have gone a long way.
 
If 20% covers the cost of the alterations, they've done their part, from a legal standpoint. No easy way to assign general damages like that.
 
To put it in perspective, a pair of their basic mats for my car is $90. Which is (to my mind) a bit pricey for a Toyota Matrix. The mats don't even have heal pads.

I do not even 'need' floor mats, but the mats would be more useful to me than anothers pair of seat back covers. Which they wanted to send.

I feel they owe me somthing for my troubles and additional expence, if only out of the principle to 'make good'. And they sure an't offering cash.
 
Coverking have now made a much more reasonable offer, that I am pleased to accept.

I have had their covers on my truck for a couple of months now, and I am very pleased how they are standing up to the dog jumping in and out etc.
The fit is as good as it possibly could be for a cover. I never had a problem with the product as such.

I will be looking to buy a car cover from them in the near future!
 
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Just move on. They were faulty, but you should have asked them to replace them with a correct set to begin with rather than alter the faulty set.


+1

They said they were researching the problem. I would have called or emailed a second time to get an update before altering them.
 
Considering the error was really quite clear, and considering the replacment would be custom made (we were told to expect 20 for the original covers to be made) and shipped to Canada. How long should I be expected to wait for them to realise a gusset was let in on the wrong side of a seat back to accomotate an Air bag wire?

The solution was a No Brainer, it ment my wife would not wait weeks for new backs to arrive, and I could get the job done and move on.

If it came down to it I would have swallowed the cost of the alteration myself just to get the car back together and looking nice in a timely fashion. I was prepared to do this, I but I would not be happy about it!

Them making and shipping new seat backs just just seemed a silly and inefficient solution. The offer of a 20% discount was almost insulting (I could pull-up a discount code for that on line) they would profit by their mistake.

There are legal obligations, and there is Customer service, often there is a big differance betwwen the two. United Airlines has recently learned this :)
 
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