Chiasso

Full review
Warning: be very wary when ordering from them. Check the BBB web-site. I have shopped Chiasso for years - first, the store in Boston, then online (after they closed all stores) - and have noticed that their customer service has been getting more and more terrible. Most of their CS reps have always been incompetent but now they are simply worthless and, on top of everything, often plain rude. Any time I had a question about a product, they had to 'ask the manufacturer and get back in 24 hours' which NEVER happened in 24 hours - rather in a week or two, if at all. They only see what we see on their web-site and have no additional knowledge about the merchandise. But I was not too concerned as long as I got the ordered products on time and they resembled the picture (at least, remotely). We do most of our shopping on the Internet (except for groceries and clothes). We have shopped many Internet contemporary furniture stores and have never had any serious probems with anyone except for Chiasso. Our last Chiasso order has never been delivered (with the exception of one item) and talking to the CS for 2 weeks now (including their manager) has not helped. The worst part is constant lying. We are told it'd ship today' and we'd be notified but it does not happen - again and again. What's worse is that after almost 2 weeks of the order status "in the warehouse", it was changed to "shipped" (with the shipping date being the same as the date of the order) and there was a tracking number of that one item shipped and delivered which makes it look like the entire order was received. This is my first review of anything - ever - but I feel I have to warn other Internet shoppers because most of the problem resolution is done over the phone, so we always have to rely on their honesty. Yes, they have some 'cool' items and they are 'in stock' when you are ordering but then suddenly some of them are 'out of stock' and you do not get notified - just don't get your order. Browsing their sales items is a nightmare because they keep the sold out items listed for a long time and, sometimes, put them back after they have been long gone and removed from the web-site, so you are wasting time clicking on products that no longer available. Also, the CS would not tell you who the manufacturer is - even if they no longer carry the item. However, if you search the Net for the items using the name, you can find them in other stores and often for less. Unlike ANY other online store I have shopped, their CS reps cannot call the warehouse and can only send a message to someone who'd "get back to you in 24 hours" (i.e., never), so you are better off asking for a manager right away. Only about half of their products looked close to the picture, the rest consistently looked cheaper. I am getting a strong impression that they are trying to 'cut corners' and it is reflecting on the service. What a pity, they used to be a good store. BTW, my sister placed an order with them the same day and never got hers either - what a coincidence!