Design Stores
EQ3
EQ3's huge two-story showroom on King East has a range of contemporary tables, chairs, sofas, bedroom sets and design accessories. Ask a staff member to show you the discount area in the basement where they often keep a bunch of on sale floor models and discontinued items at negotiable prices.
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Then, after several calls and emails to the company, the contact person claimed she was on vacation and she was surprised that nobody contacted us. She also claimed that the sofa was waiting at the warehouse in Winnipeg for a good week. I was told the sofa would arrive on a Wednesday from 5 to 10pm. The sofa was not delivered as it was supposed to. We waited for 5 hours and had to call the next day to find out that the delivery was never arranged.
So disappointing..
At the end, we got a $40GC about 2 months later and thanked for our patience.
Some of these comments seem out of line. The quality corresponds with the price point which is reasonable all around. You get designer style with not much more thn an IKEA budget--and far better quality.
And the staff were always quite helpful. I'm not saying that EQ3 is totally amazing, just good value. We would definitely buy from them again.
Ordered a custom fabric sectional the first week of January, and was told that it would take 4-6 weeks delivery time. It sounded a little long, but we went ahead with the purchase. Two months later, we hadn't been contacted for delivery, so I called the store.
Was told that the material was on back-order, and that someone should have called to tell us..... They hadn't, so I called head-office, and they said that the material had actually been on backorder when we purchased the couch... They said they had some "computer issues", and appologized, and said the material would be in the following week (second week of March).
Called the following week, and surprise, was told by another rep that the material should arrive the 3rd week of March at the latest (and that this is what the computer has said since last month!).
Called this week, and you know what's coming... The material will arrive next week!
I mentioned what an inconvenience this whole process has been, and we were offered a $25 dollar discount. It was like a slap in the face. I have no idea if we'll ever get our $3000 couch (PAID IN FULL on order), have received terrible service and misleading info by at least 3 people, and they are offering us a discount which represents less than 1/3 of the shipping costs?? Ridiculous.
How are they still in business?
Avoid. Avoid. Avoid.
- Ira
Beware do your homework before spending your hard earned money!
First, let me thank everyone for their comments. We take your feedback very seriously.
At EQ3, we believe in providing affordable home furnishings for everyone who appreciates modern design. Your experience as a customer, from entering the store and encountering the visual presentation, to interacting with our professional and knowledgeable sales team, to then receiving the goods in your home, should consistently meet and exceed your expectations. Any misstep along the way is not acceptable to our organization.
EQ3 works very hard to ensure the products sold have been thoroughly checked at our factories and once again at our central warehouse. We are very proud that consistently, less than 2% of our sales have reported quality issues. Should you experience a problem, we have a well-trained team of customer service people ready to accept your call six days a week, up to twelve hours a day (1-888-988-2014). We have created fair and consumer friendly policies, which are shown on our website and found in the packaging of each of our products. I am confident that when EQ3 is presented with reasonable issues related to quality and service, we will respond to the best of our ability and work hard to exceed your expectations.
Unfortunately, EQ3 is not immune to today’s economic climate. The world economy has created new challenges in our supply chain, resulting in some of the unexpected delays mentioned here. Some of our manufacturers have been forced out of business. Globally, the flow of raw materials has slowed considerably, reducing production runs and resulting in less inventory on hand from our remaining manufacturers. We are actively taking steps to rectify the recent delays and we believe our actions will improve the inventory availability to once again meet the expectations of our customers.
I welcome any of your comments. I would like to earn your trust and help to ensure a positive experience with EQ3.
Please email me directly at jhunt@eq3.ca. Thank you again for your interest in EQ3.
Jim Hunt
Vice President, EQ3
Retail Operations
By contrast, I spent way more at UpCountry and Casalife, had way worse service and lots more run-around, and when I finally got the stuff it had to be replaced because the quality was no good. Don't kid yourselves - more expensive isn't necessarily any better.
And by the way Claudia, here's a newsflash - THIS ISN'T A CONFLICT OF INTEREST when two married people work at the same company. And Structube??? Are you kidding me? Stupid, unhelpful staff selling crap more suited to JYSK - which location do you work at...?
I don't doubt there have been problems for some people but keep in mind that only the people with problems complain - maybe I'm part of the silent majority that LOVE EQ3 and are very happy with their purchases. So forgive me if I sound a bit biased but since everyone else here is slagging it, RUN, DON'T WALK, TO EQ3 AND GET SOME GREAT STUFF!!!
1. EQ3 is a CANADIAN company based in Winnipeg. Check your facts before you slag.
2. Thank you for your primer on leather - clearly you have no knowledge of the industry. Fortunately I do and a) there is no "Mexican" leather industry to speak of - and b) leather is an international commodity and it's source and ultimate point of use are usually not the same. "European" leather, like leather from many other places, is made in a huge range of qualities and costs and the term is absolutely no guarantee of anything
3. Canada HAD a huge fabric industry but it, like the American industry, is virtually gone. Almost all fabric used in furniture is imported from elsewhere - that includes your cherished "little guys".
4. "GOOD" upholstery frames are made with a whole range of components - the idea that "solid hardwood" is the only way to go is both wrong and outdated. Get into at least the 80s...
5. I'm not "sticking up" for EQ3 - I also could care less. Having been the victim of a few online whiners myself in my business, I simply chose to respond that not everyone has had the issues you MUST have had in order for you to spend the time and effort you did to, in my opinion, inaccurately portray a place that I thought was ok. I'm glad you know the difference between good and bad quality because it appears that that's about all you know.
or is it their well decked out showrooms that impressed you?? If so you are extremely shallow.
For your information there are companies in the city who are still building furniture with kiln dried hardwood frames...
I dont know what planet you are from ...
Don't be fooled by the oldest trick in the book....EQ3 is in the US and I can assure you they didnt migrate south from Canada.
As for your portrayal of "on line whiners" ...any good company (including yours!) who was concerned would not refer to customers like that but would do what the vice president of EQ3 did ....RESPOND!!!
There are some very reputable companies still making furniture in Canada....obviously you are not aware of it or you wouldnt be shopping at The Bay.
I am finished ranting after this.
1) Any company with integrity would not refer to customer concerns as "on line whiners" but would deal head on with them....Even EQ3 did that!! Hey Abdar guess what--without customers you have no business!
2)There are still Canadian companies making very good furniture from hardwood (kiln dried) and some are still using coil springs. If you dont believe this look around...it is expensive but lasts forever.
3) obviously your knowledge of the leather industry is also limited....I do not propose to be an expert on leather (like you do) however I also know there are different qualities.
Obviously you have some direct or indirect connection to EQ3....otherwise it would make no sense to stand up for a company whose product you have never purchased. In fact why would you even be on this blog????
As for EQ3 manufacturing furniture in Winnipeg....You fell for the oldest trick in the book.....they are in the US too and I can assure you they didnt migrate south from Canada!!! Yes their head office is in Winnipeg and perhaps their loading platform and maybe some assembly but that is where it ends.
I will not be responding to any more of your rants.
Stop portraying yourself as a "VICTIM" and do what any good business would do...deal with the so-called "whiners!!
Victim...give me a break!
EQ3 is also in the US!! They didnt start in Canada...do some proper research before commenting on it being a "Canadian company".
As for your portrayal of "on-line whiners"....EQ3 resonded to customer complaints why dont you???
Obviously there is something in this for you....you have a direct or indirect connection to EQ3 or you would not be here!! You claim to have never purchased their furniture and yet you feel free to dissect others comments.
Go away "VICTIM"...
This will be my last comment...perhaps you could find someone else to criticize.
My husband and I bought several items from EQ3 in January 2009. We were told the items would arrive March 21, 2009. Unfortunately, March became August and we wanted to cancel. The salesperson was unreasonable and unhelpful. I contacted Jim Hunt, the VP of Retail Operations and Ken Brown, the Regional Manager. These two gentlemen intervened and resolved our issues quickly, effectively, and efficiently.
Mr. Hunt and Mr. Brown are professionals who understand customer service and they have restored our loyalty and confidence in EQ3.
I am also waiting for a refund since EQ3 charged me for "storage".
Yes people, they made us wait for 7 months but charged me $25 dollars a week for failing to pick up the couch. We picked it up 2 weeks after they called. We were on vacation for Pete's sake!
I can't help but notice, after reading all the posts, that since EQ3 's Jim Hunt's post from May 11, there have been positive feedback - NONE before that. Mmmmh.
I have receipts, phone logs and letters to prove all I have stated above. This fantastic blog exists so that ordinary people can inform each other on the pros and cons of everything in TO and that includes design stores.
How would you know these claims are unsubstantiated???
You don't. I am sure if EQ3 felt someone was trying to bring them down with false claims they would have used the courts by now.
The fact is NONE of these claims have been tried in court-yet.
The funny thing is many of these claims have a familiar ring to them.
- Quality is defined by a standardized well developed process, period. This means materials, manufacturing and delivery. This applies to anything, weather furniture or cars. Location has nothing to do with it.
- The vast majority of furniture is made in Asia, whether it’s EQ3 or Natuzzi. Some is made in Mexico and more and more in Brazil. Yes some areas of North America still make furniture, well defined by its price.
- EQ3 is an independent division of Palliser Furniture. This means as a business they live and die on their own. All raw materials are imported from the US, and assembly is done in Mexico and Canada for upholstery, and wood products are made in Asia, and not China.
- Generally, you get what you pay for. Anyone paying $1000.00 for a couch and expect it to last a life time is probably not realistic. Check the warranty.
- The reality of the furniture business today is that it’s a consumable. You buy it cheap use it for 5 years or so and sell it at a garage sale or give it to the college kids, or put it at the cottage, and buy another, not withstanding that it may last a life time.
- The age of disposable furniture is upon us ushered in by none other than IKEA. Besides who wants to sleep in the same bed for the rest of his life or sit on the same couch????? Furniture for life has a whole different price range, and I can guarantee after awhile maybe a long while you won’t be happy with it.
I agree with your post for the most part. Worth noting however is the fact that a well made (and expensive) sofa design can be modified over the years according to your taste. This is in addition to new fabric and foam etc and voila you have a new sofa. Costly yes but landfills are full of discarded junk sofas and in the new age of recycling etc it may be the best way to go. Selling an old used worn out prematurely sofa is difficult at best...in fact they are out at garbage collection time constantly.
Ikea might have invented disposable furniture but their furniture is easy to resell providing it is in decent condition--I know this as fact--place an ad on c/l and advertise Ikea furniture and you are inundated with calls.
I think it might be time to rethink disposable--it is a sign of our times...even people have become disposable!!
Could kindly forward the contact information for both of those gentlemen as I have an issue with a couch I had ordered and has yet to arrive.
Thank you.
- Your comment regarding people being disposable, well I think that’s always been the case throughout history. But that’s another subject not intended for this Blog.
Sadly though, many people cannot afford to buy furniture that was made to last a lifetime. I am purchasing some furniture from Eq3, with hopes that the items last us a good 10-15 years at LEAST. I think that if you take good care of your purchases, and are resourceful, you can make things last a hella lot longer than they are supposed to. That being said, I agree fully that we must get out of this "disposable" head space.
Thank you for raising awareness on this issue.
promised 6-8 wks delivery
I keep getting the same old story "It's on its way"
BUYERS BEWARE...plan on 12-16wks!
Custom made means made for you specifically. Therefore it takes time to make. Make sure you confirm availability of the fabric or leather; if available it should not take more than 8 weeks to get.
I totally get why you are pissed off about service from retail managers. There has been absolutely no communication from the manager of this EQ3 retail. I have called about 10 times inquiring on my order because this guy has no service skills. He was reluctant to give me any discount......so all I asked for is to communicate with me on the progress of my order......NOTHING!! Same old same old. I work in a service oriented industry and I know for a fact that if I treated my clients like this I would be out of a job!! And I thought I was the only person who had a bad experience with this company........
If any development I will keep you guys posted
do not buy anything from this company. toronto has so many other options, there is no reason to be stolen from like this. DO NOT SUPPORT EQ3!!!!!
Just wanted to give a story that could kind of reflect both sides of opinion...
I like the design of the sofa, I found a fabric I like. I like the price tag.. but I dont like the fixed cushions idea, nor do I like the chance of having it take for ever and wearing out quicker that I'd expect.
My only other experience of EQ3 is picking up and assembling a Dune King sized bed for friends.
The bed was late (but I guess you have to expect that) when we got it back to their place, we set everything out to put it together. everything was there, probably twice as much hardware as we needed, but complete non-the-less.
The design of the assembly method was very rudimentary. I don't doubt that a elementary school child could have come up with a better method of attaching the sides to the headboard and foot board of the bed. EQ3 use upside down slotted key ways, but only pins to go into these key ways, so effectively all they do is locate the 4 parts together and offer NO structural benefit.
In order to securely fasten each part together, they provide 4 hardware store style angle brackets with self tapping screws..... ridiculous!
The optional hydraulic lift frame is located into captive nuts in the sides however these are all slightly in the wrong place. The result is that when closing the frame, it rubs on the fabric at the foot of the bed..
The slatted frame also closes down and sits on a beam at the foot board. This beam was clearly not level so we cut open the trim fabric to adjust it for level so the mattress didn't rock and found that the captive nut had been missed and the bolt left loose, however it had been secured by self tapping screws in completely the wrong place. It didn't take long to rectify, but really - that shouldn't need to be done.
So, from my 1 real world experience of EQ3, I have some comments.
Quality control - poor
Apparent care of the construction staff - evidently LOW
Ability of the frame designers to be creative - non existent.
Arrival time - later than expected
Look of the finished piece - very nice
Upholstering - no problems, looks good.
So EQ3 owners, designers and staff, details are important - figure it out and find staff that care about producing quality products.
As for me and my quote status Tavern Sofa...hmmm is Sofasogood likely to be any better?
So, bed looks nice, but it was ma
in Orlando Fl.I saw their line in a trade show loved the concept looks and
Mariti SR she was very kind so I go back and very intreased about there line contacted the sales rep for my area that would be his majisty A.H aka mr above all.wouldn't take the time to have me as a new customer that is going to show promote and sell the line, I and thaks to most of you have made up my mind and will not put a customer through this.and Jim Hunt if I were you I would not even say what you said earlier because a customer is a customer and customers do come first not sales reps maybe you need to take a closer look at your customers I may not contribute to your Morgage payment but I can asure you most of these people did and I could have been one of them but agian karma mr Hunt R.D and A.H they may or may not be your #1 reps but the blogs or I should say customers showed me how you run things.I do believe their stories are true
My husband and I bought a Canyon bed frame in the fall and were excited as we decided to go somewhere rather than IKEA. The sales rep at the Toronto store didn't know where our town was - which is not far from Toronto and wanted to charge us a lot for delivery so we decided to pick it up at the warehouse. It arrived when they said it would. The boxes wouldn't all fit in our vehicle so the warehouse guy offered to drive it to our house on his way home as he lived nearby - SO NICE!
The bed frame was a bit damaged on one rail and we couldn't attach the rails to the headboard as the manufacturing quality was a bit off - nothing would line up and the end result was that the headboard ended up breaking/splitting. So I called into customer care.
I was honest with what had happened and emailed photos of the damage. We were offered a whole new bed frame, free delivery and free assembly. Customer care called us as soon as it was in the T.O warehouse, and gave us a number to call to set up delivery and assembly. It was all very well organized, timely and the bed frame fit together as it should have and looks amazing.
So thank you to Suzanne at Customer care for taking the time and sorting out our problem with no complaints from us at all.
When the bed frame broke I immediately freaked out and started looking for customer complaints online- I was very nervous after reading this blog - I assumed nothing would be resolved, or that it would take ages.
So I was proved wrong by EQ3 and thought I would share.
My husband and I are planning on purchasing again from them.
I truly believe that customers come first and if you approach the situation in a positive manner then you will receive positive results.
So after eight months of Hell, we finally have our table -- for our troubles, we received nothing in compensation, and will not be buying from EQ3 again. I've since spoken to a neighbour and a friend-of-friend, both of which have had similar incidents, so whenever someone comes over I make a point of telling them to avoid EQ3.
However, something is deeply wrong with EQ3's quality control -- if there wasn't, you wouldn't see a blog like this with this high of a defect ratio per response. It's not *normal* for products to be this flawed and/or damaged for this kind of (supposedly) upscale furniture retailer. Couple this with poor customer service and the only ethical response is "buyer beware": I would feel guilty not heeding a warning to an anonymous blog commenter let alone a friend or family member!
I was highly disappointed that it had to come to a return/replacement in the first place considering the price of the furniture, but am happy that it all worked out.
We'd like to buy the matching side tables, so we may try our luck again. We'll see.
Oh and OMG how much packaging do they use - seriously - not very eco friendly!!!
Thanks for the response. ; )
would i have an eq3 sofa at this point? i doubt it. is my sofa quality, yes, am I happy that i paid more for my sofa than i would've at eq3, i'm certainly not upset!
I sent all my emails to Jimmy but he yet to answer to any of them. Like I said we have bought everything from this place and hate it all, and ALWAYS had a problem with it. Always had a problem with the customer service as well. We bought a couch that took three times to get it right and it still wasnt right, so we took 200 bucks off and lived with it.
AVOID EQ3!!
I was told 6-9 weeks made plans to clean the living room ahead a bit to have space and clean up... Now I have a wooden chair in the living room for the last 2 weeks... close to the 11 to 12 weeks now.
The new collection like the staff is amazing.
Easy to assemble the quality is good, prices are good.
I will be shopping there again!
I paid $799 plus tax delivery ($1004.57) for a modern sofa in a wonderful fabric.
The staff was very helpful, provided me with a quote, fabric swatch and colour consultation.
Before I purchased my sofa I did some research and read ALOT of bad things about EQ3.
I took a risk (mainly because the product is affordable) and am pleasantly surprised.
I will defiantly shop there again.
This store is amazing!
Can't wait to start furnishing my new condo here!
All my friends have EQ3 furniture and its holding up great.
All retail chains have horror stories, DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ ON HERE.
I can't remember my sales person's name, but she answered all of my questions and gave me the phone number to their customer service, I called them a few times to find out where my sofa was in production. The best part is I got my couch even earlier than my sales lady predicted!
While their prices are a little more than I like to spend on furniture, I will definitely be back. I agree with the above poster, don't believe everything you read on here.
One has to wonder about some of the postings
EQ3 was a good alternative for me.
It gave me options: style, fabric, leg.
The fabric I selected was on backorder and I had to wait longer than if the fabric was available but that was fine with me, it beats paying more.
I will be checking this place out again for style on a budget.
I spoke to Mr. Hunt personally and via email several times, after writing several letters. They actually asked there staff not to deal with us which I have a record of in an email!!! To make a very very long story short, we ended up getting a $200 GC. I will not enter the store ever again after we use our credit! WORST COMPANY I HAVE EVER DEAL WITH
I went to the store at the begining of February and saw their new collection which they call CORE. I have been shopping around for a bedroom set since October last year, but nothing really interested me until I saw what EQ3 had to offer.
The entire collection is fabulous, I decide to go with one of the beds which has drawers due to my incredible need of storage.
I was shown the entire collection and the sales person explained every single detail expressing a lot of knowledge.
I brought my husband back on a Sunday to make the final decision. The store was extremely busy, however the sales person that helped me the first time saw me and my husband and gave me the same great service as I received when I came the first time by myself.
We ordered the bed and all the pieces to complete our bedroom.
The sales associate quoted me 2-4weeks and I received everything on the 2 week mark.
My husband and I cannot put a lamp together let alone a whole entire bedroom suite, but we decided to try ourselves before we called the assembly people indicated by EQ3.
The bed was very easy to assemble and all the other pieces, dressers, etc were already assembled.
I never wrote on a blog before, but I felt that after receiving such great service that I should let everybody know how happy we are.
Although there are a lot of negative comments in this blog, people must understand that clients who are happy, seldom take the time to write a positive note.
I hope that going forward, people will start to write positive things about their retail experience more often.
Had I listened to my friend's comments I would probably be still looking for a bedroom set.
My husband and I are very happy with our purchase.
After my purchase I told many of our friends and relatives about EQ3.
My parents bought their dining room set and my neighbours decided to buy their bedroom set there as well.
We all have great things to say about EQ3.
Nice to be treated well!
Thank you EQ3.
Why do people use a service like this to be rude instead of giving the proper information.
I cannot understand as to why?
My mom just moved to a retirement condo up in the Bayview area.
We had to furnish her tiny place with a sofa a bed and a desk.
We were so nicely treated by the staff that my 89 year old mom felt that we should send flowers to the store which we did.
Congratulations EQ3 you made my mom really happy!
We ordered a Canyon bedroom set (bed frame, dresser and bed side tables) in January. At the same time we also saw the Ginger TV unit on sale ($200, down from $700) so we ordered that as well). We were quoted 2-4 weeks for delivery and it ended up coming after exactly 4 weeks. There was no damage to any of the items. My husband assembled the bed by himself with no problem. The only problem was with the TV unit - with the panel that goes on the back of the unit to mount the TV on, the holes did not line up so my husband had to drill new ones. This did involve the use of several profanities but the same thing happens with assembling Ikea furniture.
So count us as happy customers.
I'm looking at a new bedroom set and wouldn't hesitate to go back to EQ3 based on my past experience.
Mr Hunt, please make sure they get the recognition they deserve. They helped turn a sour experience into an EQ3 customer for life.
The truth is,
(1) EQ3 is pricey. With the money that I spent there, I can get some really good quality furniture somewhere else.
(2) After sales service is mediocre.
(3) After I spent all this money, I have to assemble it myself. It's just like IKEA except it more expensive.
(4) Any damage of the delivered product must go through customer service. The store won't even talk to you.
(5) The company quality assurance process needs to be improved.
If I am doing it over again, it is highly likely that I will not go back to them ever again. I bought furnitures from Art of Furniture (Phillip Van Leuween), Deboers, Bricks, IKEA, and Leons, I got much very good service and any issues were taking care of immediately.
This is my experience.
It seems to me other stores are using this blog to srain eq3