written by Rpvb123456 on 06/04/2016
We have experienced a complete nightmare with pine solutions. We have received 3 different sets of Venice While furniture (their premium while furniture collection) and each has been to a terrible standard (not finished, cracked, paint flaking off). We have been in also constant contact with the CS team who have done very little to put the issues right. We have now taken a full refund. I would not normally complete online reviews but felt I should to warn others of the experience - terrible products, appalling delivery experience, negligent attention to detail and an inability to delivery on promises made which lead to considerable impact on our side both in terms of time (assembling and dissembling furniture 3 times, numerous hours on the telephone trying to get things resolved and then waiting in for delivery), frustration and of course comfort issues that come from being without a bed (mattress on the floor etc.) and places to put your belongings.
written by on 01/01/2016
The wood is good can't complain about that. The problem was the instructions they were not clear also none of the wood was numbered as it refers to in the instructions. The instructions says two people required to assemble in one hour , it took us 5 days because no numbers on any of the wood ,we got stuck on one part with the wardrobe of which we had to take photos of what we had done and email it to pine solutions for them to identify the problem which they did , we had two parts of wood in the wrong places,( no numbers so it was going to happened ) such a waste of time . This was a Xmas present we wanted the complete bedroom furniture set up as a surprise but that did not go to plan. I did email customer service to say we finally got the wardrobe together and that we would never use pine solution again , never got a email of apology. When we first called customer service the women emailed instructions for wardrobe with drawer I emailed her saying we only have wardrobe with no drawer she said just look at instructions, I emailed her again twice next day got no reply had to start again with some one else in customer support. We even had to get another drawer handle sent to us as one of them was brokered.so really it was a disappointment in the overall service considering it cost a lot . So it's a big NO from me to never purchased from pine solution!
written by peggy98 on 06/05/2015
we ordered 4 pine wardrobes, on arrival 2 were damaged. We had to wait 8 days for another delivery. The company agreed to erect the 2 wardrobes, but the delivery men were not aware, then spent a whole hour phoning between the 2 companies. Eventually they erected them. I would not use this company again nor recommend them>
Written on: 13/05/2015
Hi,
Thank you for your recent review. I am sorry to hear that you are not happy with the service you have received. I am sorry to hear about the disappointing experience you have had. So as I can look into your account and investigate this situation further, please can you let me know your order number. Once I have this I’ll be able to carry out full investigation and ensure that instances like this don’t occur in the future. I look forward to hearing from you shortly. Kind regards Anny Charles Customer Services Team Leader
written by miriamdavies on 20/10/2014
I placed an order for a chest of drawers from Pine Solutions having read excellent reviews of them and their product. I couldn't be more upset or disappointed with the service I received. I had booked my delivery in for 8th of October and was told I would receive a call telling me during which time slot my order would be delivered. I never received a call so I called the day before to check myself. The person on the phone told me they hadn't yet had their delivery schedule but that she would call me back. This was at 4pm. By 8pm I hadn't heard from her so I called back - still haven't had the schedule but I will definitely call by 9pm. No call. The next morning I called up as soon as the office opened and was told my order would be delivered between 1-3pm. Unfortunately I had to re-arrange delivery as at such short notice I had to work. I was told I had to pay £15 which was not a problem. The delivery was re-booked for Monday 13th. Same issue - no phone call telling my when my order would arrive despite being told I would be called on the Friday before. I took the day off work and was finally told after once again calling myself that the order would be delivered between 1.30 and 3.30. At exactly 3.30, a knock on the door 'I'm sorry we forgot to load the van'. Yes, really. I called Pine Solutions to cancel my order as I had now wasted enough time on this company. I asked for a full refund including the extra £15 delivery - assured not a problem and that it would take 3-5 days. That was a week ago and I still haven't received my refund. I called today and the person on the phone ONCE AGAIN promised to call me back. 5 hours later no call so I called again. The next person had no idea what I was talking about so the process starts again. I am on hold for 5 minutes before she gets through to finance to find out my refund is indeed being processed including the £15 delivery so I asked for email conformation. Email does arrive but the refund amount is missing the £15 delivery charge. Absolute joke. The poor staff on the phone tried to be nice which is the only good thing I can say.
Written on: 18/11/2014
Hi,
Thank you for your recent review. I am sorry to hear that you are unhappy with your experience.
From looking at your account I can see that your delivery was with our 4 hour window service, who do provide a 4 hour delivery window the day before delivery. I can see that the contact number we had on file for you was incorrect, which would explain why you didn’t receive any of the delivery company’s calls or ours.
I’ve spoken with our Finance Team and a full refund has been processed, including the £15 charge and this will go back onto the card you originally paid with within 3-5 working days.
If you wish to discuss any of this further then please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Kind regards
Philip Bloomfield
Customer Services Team Leader
written by on 23/08/2014
Despite being a loyal customer for many years and spending thousands, this company decided the only way I could be a genuine customer was if I called them from a landline. Since I don't have a landline (4 personal and home mobiles enough) it was recommended I call them back on a pub phone, public call box or from a friends house- any phone rather than the mobile registered in my name. Offered to run through my history of previous orders however they decided to cancel my order with me having to wait what will be 2 weeks (6 working days, two weekends and a bank holiday) before I receive a refund and go to a competitor. Emailed James Birtwhistle himself who apparently sanctioned this very concerning security policy and still awaiting response. As a Risk Director who specialises in Fraud, perhaps they could do with my team auditing their risk and control policies to ensure they meet consumer conduct and security requirements?
Written on: 29/08/2014
Good Afternoon
Thanks for bringing this to our attention, as discussed with you subsequently the conversation you had with our team that day deviated quite a way from our fraud checking process and the individuals concerned have spent some time retraining in this area. We apologise again for the conversation you were subjected to and we are delighted that we managed to resolve this to your satisfaction and retain you as the valued loyal customer that you are.
Kind regards
Philip Bloomfield
Customer Services Team Leader
written by on 14/02/2014
Website said product would be available in two weeks. Email when order placed promised it in a month. Second email has now promised delivery two months after order. Have cancelled the order and want my money back. Would suggest this supplier gets its supply chain sorted out or gives an honest estimate of delivery dates on its website.
Written on: 14/02/2014
Thank you for your review.
I am sorry to hear of the difficulties you've experienced with your order. It seems as though we have experienced some rare and unfortunate manufacturing delays with the item you had selected. I can see you have since been in touch with one of my colleagues who has been looking in to an alternative item that we could get to you sooner. I do hope that you come to a suitable arrangement; if there is anything I can help with, please let me know.
Kind regards,
Sara Davey
Customer Services Team Leader
Written on: 14/02/2014
Thank you for your review.
I am sorry to hear of the difficulties you've experienced with your order. It seems as though we have experienced some rare and unfortunate manufacturing delays with the item you had selected. I can see you have since been in touch with one of my colleagues who has been looking in to an alternative item that we could get to you sooner. I do hope that you come to a suitable arrangement; if there is anything I can help with, please let me know.
Kind regards,
Sara Davey
Customer Services Team Leader
written by Howmanynamesarethere on 20/11/2013
I was doubtful about ordering a £1000-plus dining set online, so I rang to check the delivery time stated. Yes, the table was in stock and the chairs expected in 4 weeks (2 weeks before Christmas). Even if the chairs were late, the table would be delivered separately and at no extra cost! Very impressed, I placed the order. What a mistake! Within a few days, the delivery date started to drift and is now mid January - despite the website still (20th November) promising 3 weeks delivery. Emails to request the promised table in separate delivery are not answered. I will be very cautious of making a large furniture purchase online in future and certainly not with Pine Solutions (also trading as The Cotswold Company).
Written on: 23/01/2014
Thank you for your review.
I am sorry to hear there was a delay in receiving your order, this is not what we would expect at all. We do hold the majority of our items in stock and ready for immediate depsatch, and always do everything we can to ensure customers are kept updated if an order is indeed out of stock.
I do not have your account details to check this is now all resolved, but I do hope it is. If there is anything we can do at this stage to help, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Kind regards
Sara Davey
Customer Services Team Leader
written by on 05/10/2013
I made a first purchase with this company in August 2013. Nearly 1000GBP spent. Nice furniture. Delivered on time. All good. So I decided to go back for me. Nearly another 1000GBP handed over from my debit card (bank showed the debit had been made) and delivery arranged for the one day I would be home for the next two - four weeks (business travel). On the Friday before delivery was due to take place (the following Monday) I received an email asking me to get in touch. No problem. I was on business travel in Ireland at the time. Called the company. They said that they needed to make some more checks before delivering my furniture, and they needed me to call them from a "valid land line." I asked what they meant, and they said that I had to call them from my home landline. "But am in Ireland." They didn't care. I had to call them by 12:00noon that day (30 mins to go) or they could not deliver on Monday. Another factor is that I was expecting visitors, while I was traveling, and I wanted the furniture to be in place for their arrival. I mentioned that the delivery was to the same address that the first order went to. They didn't care. I mentioned that the debit card used was registered to the delivery address. They didn't care. I gave them a non-generic (work) email address. They didn't care. I offered a copy of my driving license and passport. They didn't care. In the emails they sent to me, the thinly veiled message was that I was going to commit fraud, take delivery of the furniture, cancel the transaction, and disappear. But this is the SECOND delivery to my home address for a similar amount to that spent the first time. And the delivery address is the same as the debit card address. AND you already have my money in your bank account. They didn't care. I had to call them from my home landline. I actually only had the landline recently installed as I have just moved back from the United States. What if I didn't have a home landline? No response. After much back and forth, I cancelled the order. And then the stupidity really kicked in. In the email I was sent, confirming cancellation of the order, it was clear that the company was paying me back my money from their bank account. They HAD the money in their account and yet would not deliver my furniture. I tried to contact them to point this out. Why not just deliver my furniture instead of refunding my payment? That seemed to totally confuse them - a basic response saying that they were sorry I was cancelling my order and the refund was being processed. This store has some nice furniture and I am pleased with the two items I already bought. But I am not prepared to deal with them and this company, from the CEO (who I attempted to contact) on down, seems to be full of them.
Written on: 23/01/2014
Thanks for your feedback.
I'm really sorry to hear that you decided to cancel your order with us. As our team hopefully explained to you as an online business we are unfortunately a target for internet fraudsters and therefore have policies in place to protect our genuine customers.
As your order was flagged to us for an additional check we just needed to speak to you to confirm you were indeed the cardholder. This wouldn't take more than a minute but did need to be on a landline as 99% of fraudulent orders we have seen will only list a mobile phone as contact.
It's certainly not in our interests to lose custom in this fashion and I can only apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Kind regards,
Sara Davey
Customer Services Team Leader
written by Swissmsn on 06/04/2013
Ordered a Pine Chest of drawers, 4 months later still waiting for it to arrive. I could have traveled to Mars and back by the time it arrives...how much longer should I wait?
Written on: 23/01/2014
Thank you for leaving us some feedback.
I’m sorry to hear we were unable to deliver your chest of drawers as quickly as we would have liked. We do hold the vast majority of our items in stock ready for immediate despatch and always do our best to keep our customers updated on the progress of out of stock orders. Unfortunately I do not have any details to check your order history to ensure this is now resolved, but if there is anything we can do to help at this stage please get in touch.
Kind regards,
Sara Davey
Customer Services Team Leader
written by David1468 on 30/10/2012
After browsing the websites of Pinesolutions.co.uk and their sister site oaksolutions.co.uk for an hour or so I bought an oak TV cabinet. As I wanted the cabinet to go to a home in Spain (where we manage numerous properties), I asked for delivery to be made to our freight agents, who in turn would transport it later that week together with a lot of other stuff destined for Spain. To ensure the goods arrived at the freight agents warehouse in time I also paid an additional £9.99 for next day delivery. The next day I received a telephone call from BJS transport services (oaksolutions transport company) saying the goods would be delivered between 6 and 9pm that day. Pointing out that there would be nobody present to receive the delivery as it is a business address, I said this was very clearly stated on the delivery instructions, which showed the name of the freight forwarding agent and their commercial address on an industrial estate. Surely they must have noticed that I asked? The extremely unhelpful woman replied "we only work by postcode - we never bother to look at actual addresses! Obviously not giving a damn, she parted with the comment 'speak to oaksolutions'. I then called oaksolutions and explained my dilemma to them. I said even if it couldn't be delivered before the agents warehouse closed, perhaps they could deliver it the next day, or the day after that? As long it was delivered during a weekday, between the hours of 8am and 5pm that would be fine. "Ah", said the man from oaksolutions "we can't guarantee that the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that, it might also be delivered between 5 - 9pm" i.e. AFTER the agents warehouse had closed! To make matters worse, I was told that each time BJS rolled up to a closed warehouse, they would on each occasion charge a 'non delivery fee' of £15! In disbelieve I asked to speak to his manager, who basically just repeated what he had said. What about if I pay yet another fee of £9.99 to book their "guaranteed by 12:00 delivery option? "Oh, that doesn't apply to your item because its only for small items" she replied. OK what about the fact that you offer an evening delivery service between 5pm - 9pm for £14.99. "Yes, but you didn't pay for that". No, because didn't want it! That's the point I was trying to make! Finally, after conceding I was getting nowhere - I gave up. Oaksolutions promptly refunded my PayPal account with the money I had paid, less £15.00 for cancelling the order and a further £9.99 for the "next DAY delivery". Needless to say, I wouldn't now touch oaksolutions or pinesolutions with a bargepole. The only good thing to come out of it was that I managed to find a better Oak cabinet cheaper from a competitor, who delivered the goods the following DAY for no charge and with no drama.
written by on 17/09/2012
I made an order for three items, One was in stock, and the other two were 6-8 weeks. I asked if they would send the in-stock item now (they say everything has free delivery) and was told I would have to pay additional delivery, so I just cancelled the order and re-ordered the in stock item only, thinking I'd order the other items later. They could have saved me this trouble. The second time the checkout failed with an error message, my card was charged again and they had no trace of my order. After chasing up for some days, I was contacted by a different person confirming the second order was ready. Just waiting to see if I get my £960 back, have to wait 3-5 days for the money back till I can buy from somewhere else. You should have sent the in-stock item when requested instead of trying to waffle me.
written by on 05/09/2012
I recently bought a tv unit from this company. Yes - the ordering and delivery were efficient but unfortunately that is were the good service ended. As soon as I opened the box I saw the top of the unit - I was very shocked and disasppointed. The front strip of wood was a completely different colour and had a Huge big black knot in it. It was completely unacceptable. I was very surprised that the person who had made the unit could have made it like that. I phoned Pine Solutions who at first were sympathetic, I offered to send a photo, it didnt come out very good but I felt showed the problem. I explained that I liked the unit and didnt want to cancel my order just to exchange it for another one. Next day I phoned again and was met with a very different attitude I was told in no uncertain terms that there was nothing wrong with the unit and that is how it was supposed to look!! Now I fully understand that the unit was supposed to have a rustic finish I have other rustic furniture and flooring - but there is a great difference between rustic and shoddy workmanship. I was also told that they wouldnt exchange the unit and that my only options were to either keep the unit or return it for a refund. I tried to explain that I didnt want to cancel my order and that I was going to buy other furniture in the range as well but to no avail. So I relunctantly agreed to return the unit. I was told I would have to pay £30 for the unit to be collected - I asked if I could return the unit to the warehouse myself as per there website (it is only 10 minutes from my house) but yet again they were quite short and patronising and refused. It took another two days for the unit to be collected and over a week for my money to be refunded. I have since bought the same unit from another company - yes a bit more expensive but when it arrived it was of a far superior quality - It made me think that the unit I had previously received was only just a "second", maybe thats how they keep the prices down. So - just beware if you get a problem with quality with this company you will be treated very badly. Incidently I left a similiar review on there website but what a surprise it has never appeared!!
Written on: 07/09/2012
I’m sorry to hear that you were not happy with the quality of the piece that we sent out to you, this particular range is styled to resemble reclaimed wood and as such does contain the level of variation and rustic distressing that you have described. I understand that you did want to exchange for another product in the same range but the reason this was not suggested was that we would not be able to guarantee that any replacement piece would have any less distressed.
We offer a free service on all of our deliveries, but if a non-faulty item is returned to us then I am afraid that we do have to apply a charge for collection. Our warehouse is not insured for visits by the general public, which is why that your husband was not able to return the product himself. You have mentioned that you feel that you may have been sold a ‘second’, but I can assure you that this is not something that we would do under any circumstances as we always try and ensure that our furniture is of the highest quality.
I do appreciate your frustration that your order was not as expected and the problems you experienced in arranging the return. Should you wish to discuss this matter further, you can reach me either at this email address or on 0844 248 8184.
Barry Clare
Senior Account Handler
written by danmorehen on 02/02/2012
We ordered the solid oak Vancouver 6 seater kitchen table which for the price of it we though would be good quality and last us for years. It is apparently treated with a resistant lacquer to protect from spillages etc - something that would be important for a kitchen table. However, after finding a small amount of liquid had ben left on the table for half an hour or so, two of the timbers had warped massively where the lacquer didnt seal the joins properly. The warping has now gone down but the timbers have shrunk leaving a gap in between the two timbers. Contacted customer services who basically said it's our problem not theirs. In other words, they've got our money and not bothered about follow up customer service. Maybe they should stick to selling Pine and not Oak. Really poor quality and terrible value for money, walk away and save yourself a lot of money and disapointment
written by HayleyLondon on 22/07/2011
I ordered an oak dresser for my grandmother. The day before delivery I was told my dresser was damaged it was the last one in stock and was offered an alternative. After checking the new measurements I confirmed I’d have the alternative. I lost a days work as the delivery date had been changed at short notice but was promised a two hour delivery time slot. Two hours after the time slot, very late in the day the driver dumped two very heavy boxes at the door leaving myself and my 93 year old grandmother to try and struggle to get them in!! A friend came and helped me unpack them and put the dresser together to find the wrong top had been sent. Pine Solutions politely said it was the correct top and the way dressers were. On sending a picture of how ridicules the tiny top looked I was told they were sorry but the warehouse had made a mistake, they’ll order the correct top which would be with me in several weeks. I finally received a delivery day for the correct top, this time I didn’t get an estimated delivery time until midday so again I lost a whole day of work. The delivery was three hours later than the slot they gave which caused extra issues but this time there were two delivery men who bought the new top in and unpacked it….to find it was far too big! They said they'd have to take it away, leave my grandmother with the small top and sort it out with the office in the morning as they were now closed as it was so late. The office told me it was now a stock control department issue but they’d look into it. I was then told it was now the base that was the problem! I explained this wasn’t possible as the base was the exact measurements I was given when I was recommended the replacement to my original order. I was then told they had been given the wrong measurements by their supplier that they had passed onto me!! I have now been offered a small base unit that the small top will fit onto but this will take between 12-14weeks. Or I can wait in for another whole day while they come and pick up what we currently have and refund me. Hmmmm....either waste 3 days for my money back that they've had since 4th May or wait 12-14 weeks and waste another day for a dresser that’s smaller than what I bought. So many stories, so many different departments to blame and so few miserable choices!
written by on 07/03/2011
Bought a chest of draws from these qaulity was appaling no way was this item worth £250 apprently £100 off in sale so i paid £125 draws bottoms wafer thin and bent chips to the top and bottom of the item scratch also on bottom part complete waste of money avoid this company is my advice and shop elsewhere.
written by on 18/02/2011
PINE SOLUTIONS - DO NOT BUY FROM THEM. "Very dissapointed. On 5th Feb I ordered and paid for 3 items from Pinesolutions, 2 of which were in stock and one of which was on 6-8 week delivery. When i ordered it on 5th February it said that 2 of the items were in stock, however when i have checked my order on 13th February, it says awaiting inbound stock. I phoned and e-mailed Pine solutions and still here on the 18th February i have heard absolutely NOTHING from anyone at the company. Having checked my order status again, althought my items were in stock on 5th February, the status on the site is still saying awaiting in bound stock. Poor services once again."
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Pinesolutions's Comment
Written on: 15/01/2016
Thank you for your recent review. I am sorry to hear that you are not happy with the service you have received. I am sorry to hear about the disappointing experience you have had with regards to the quality of the items received. So that I can look into your account and investigate this situation further, please can you let me know your order number. Once I have this I’ll be able to carry out full investigation and ensure that instances such as this do not occur in the future. I look forward to hearing from you shortly. Kind regards Anny Charles Customer Services Team Leader