Furniture Deals and Steals complaints flood BBB

Many customers of Furniture Deals & Steals have described their experience with the retailer as more of a steal than a deal since the store abruptly closed earlier this month.

The Wisconsin Better Business Bureau has fielded about 70 complaints from customers of Furniture Deals & Steals locations around the state.

The retailer’s Brookfield location at 16460 W. Bluemound Road closed for Independence Day and never reopened, said Susan Bach, a BBB representative.

Craig Widenski of Pewaukee said he paid $300 for a down payment on a sectional couch in April at the Brookfield location.

Delivery was supposed to take up to eight weeks, but the couch still hasn’t arrived.

“First they said there was an issue with the material,” he said. “Then they said the delivery truck was delayed because of weather.”

For months, Widenski said, his girlfriend’s apartment has remained nearly empty while they waited for the new couch.

“It really sucks to be lied to,” he said. “We just want to have our money back and wash our hands of it.”

Bach said the BBB has fielded complaints from about 14 people in the Milwaukee area.

Other complaints have come from customers of Furniture Deals and Steals locations in Green Bay, Sheboygan, Fort Atkinson, Madison, Salem and Baraboo — with some customers losing as much as $1,500, she said. 

As of Thursday morning, Bach said, the company hadn’t filed for bankruptcy.

“We don’t know what’s going on with them, if they’re under new ownership or in the process of selling,” she said.

Bach encourages anyone with a pending purchase from the company to contact their credit card company and dispute the charges immediately.

Also, individuals are encouraged to report claims against Furniture Deals and Steals to the BBB.

“We share that information with regulatory agencies, and if the owner opens a new furniture store under a new name, those complaints will follow him to a new store,” she said.