Not impressed with Babettes.

[NewtoFL]

We just moved in to a new build that came with a new furniture package. I had a few question about whether we could exchange some if it. They said no. Ok. Fine. The person I spoke with was not helpful at all. She did ask when we were going to pay for the furniture. I replied that we would pay for it ($21,000) when we came down for closing. She said the balance must be paid within 72 hours of closing. No problem. We got an email reminding us of that fact.

The day of closing we went to the main store in Leesburg and paid for the furnitue. We looked around at some furniture. I was surprised at how expensive some of the low quality furniture was.

Now my point. We tried to work our electric reclining loveseat and it won’t work. I called for service but they can’t get out here until after we have gone back up north. I asked if they had any suggestions of something to try or ideas what might be wrong. The bored unhelpful relied “not really”. I am just not impressed with Babettes at all. We won’t be buying anything else from them.

[dewilson58]

We love Babettes.

Purchased many thing there.

We always shop around, Babettes always beat other prices.

[retiredguy123]

I'm surprised that you had to pay Babettes for the furniture, if it came with house. Couldn't you send it back?

My recliners have a transformer plugged into the wall and there is a green light on it. If that light is not on, make sure the wall outlet is working or plug it into another outlet. Some recliners use a rechargeable battery so that it doesn't need to be near a wall outlet. If so, you may need to charge the battery.

Babettes is one of the best furniture stores in the area, and they get high reviews for service. If you rule them out, I think it will be downhill from here. Good luck.

[GpaVader]

I'm surprised that you had to pay Babettes for the furniture, if it came with house. Couldn't you send it back?

My recliners have a transformer plugged into the wall and there is a green light on it. If that light is not on, make sure the wall outlet is working or plug it into another outlet. Some recliners use a rechargeable battery so that it doesn't need to be near a wall outlet. If so, you may need to charge the battery.

Babettes is one of the best furniture stores in the area, and they get high reviews for service. If you rule them out, I think it will be downhill from here. Good luck.

Related to the Outlet remark, make sure the outlet it's plugged into isn't the switched outlet, especially if its in the floor.

[davem4616]

well, if it's not the plug that you're using...make the appointment with them now for when you return

[Bogie Shooter]

We love Babettes.

Purchased many thing there.

We always shop around, Babettes always beat other prices.

Us too!

[Bogie Shooter]

I'm surprised that you had to pay Babettes for the furniture, if it came with house. Couldn't you send it back?

My recliners have a transformer plugged into the wall and there is a green light on it. If that light is not on, make sure the wall outlet is working or plug it into another outlet. Some recliners use a rechargeable battery so that it doesn't need to be near a wall outlet. If so, you may need to charge the battery.

Babettes is one of the best furniture stores in the area, and they get high reviews for service. If you rule them out, I think it will be downhill from here. Good luck.

May have been a model home……….

[NewtoFL]

Thanks for your suggestions. We did try to use a different plug and made sure that it wasn’t a switched plug. I guess I just got bad vibes from Babettes. They seemed so disinterested any time I have had contact with them except for hounding us about paying for the furniture before we even closed on the house. I wish I had waited the 72 hours to pay them. I’ll bet they would have sent someone right over to figure out the problem.

The furniture package was an interesting concept. We actually would have liked to buy the house without the furniture package but that wasn’t an option.

I will get them here eventually. The experience just left me with a bad opinion of them.

[Debfrommaine]

Unfortunate to hear, we've had very good service over the years.

[retiredguy123]

Thanks for your suggestions. We did try to use a different plug and made sure that it wasn’t a switched plug. I guess I just got bad vibes from Babettes. They seemed so disinterested any time I have had contact with them except for hounding us about paying for the furniture before we even closed on the house. I wish I had waited the 72 hours to pay them. I’ll bet they would have sent someone right over to figure out the problem.

The furniture package was an interesting concept. We actually would have liked to buy the house without the furniture package but that wasn’t an option.

I will get them here eventually. The experience just left me with a bad opinion of them.
I'm curious. It sounds like you were scammed. If you didn't want the furniture, it seems like you could have told Babettes to come pick it up. Did you sign a bill of sale that obligated you to pay for the furniture? If not, I think I would have told Babettes to take a hike. Apparently, The Villages didn't buy the furniture, and you didn't want it either. Babettes just didn't want to pick up the furniture.

[Papa_lecki]

I dont understand, that the house came with a furniture package? Can’t anyone buy the package from Babettes?
Babette's Furniture & Home – House to Home Furnishings & Decor Packages (https://babettespackages.com/)

If you didn’t like the furniture, why did you pay for it?

[Nucky]

Babette's just sold, delivered, and set up some furniture for me a few weeks ago. They are slammed with business. I think you hit the wrong level of personal on the phone. Your situation may need the personal touch that only a face-to-face visit can bring. Go see the manager, your fortune will change unless there is more to the story than you let up know. Good Luck.

We have had good luck on the low end, City Furniture, the middle, Ashley Furniture, and Now the higher end, Babette's. I think it may be the inspiration they receive before we leave, just words but very convincing I suppose.

[retiredguy123]

I dont understand, that the house came with a furniture package? Can’t anyone buy the package from Babettes?
Babette's Furniture & Home – House to Home Furnishings & Decor Packages (https://babettespackages.com/)

If you didn’t like the furniture, why did you pay for it?
I agree. Typically, if a house comes with a furniture package, The Villages buys the furniture and it is included in the price of the house. It is sold as a furnished house. You don't pay the furniture company anything. I think the OP should have declined to pay Babettes for the furniture.

[Garywt]

Many things seem off here. Any furnished home I have seen has had a flyer listing the price of furniture if you wanted it. $21,000 seems real high. We looked at Babettes when they first came to Brownwood but didn’t like much and thought the prices were high. We bought all our furniture from City Furniture and love it, cost us $7000. I think if you buy a set furniture group it cost more than picking your own, especially if you don’t like what is in the package.

[Mrprez]

I dont understand, that the house came with a furniture package? Can’t anyone buy the package from Babettes?
Babette's Furniture & Home – House to Home Furnishings & Decor Packages (https://babettespackages.com/)

If you didn’t like the furniture, why did you pay for it?

If the house is sold with a furniture package, there isn’t an option to delete that package.

[Papa_lecki]

If the house is sold with a furniture package, there isn’t an option to delete that package.

Was the furniture in the price of the house? OP said they paid for the furniture.
It seems you can delete it by not going and paying for it.

[retiredguy123]

I agree. Unless there is a contract between Babettes and the OP, the OP had no obligation to purchase the furniture. New house furniture packages are moved around from house to house all the time.

[Mrprez]

I agree. Unless there is a contract between Babettes and the OP, the OP had no obligation to purchase the furniture. New house furniture packages are moved around from house to house all the time.

That’s not what we were told. If we wanted the house, it came with the furniture.

[spinner1001]

Thanks for your suggestions. We did try to use a different plug and made sure that it wasn’t a switched plug.

If your loveseat has an external power supply, you might check the electrical cable connection from the wall plug into the power supply. My cable connection into the power supply came loose after moving the chair around that prevented the chair from operating. It was a simple fix for me.

Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/Ponkor-Universal-Compatible-Switching-Transformer/dp/B072BVST39/ref=asc_df_B072BVST39/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198073844589&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3429416874483838515&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9052682&hvtargid=pla-349477547979&psc=1)

BTW - I am happy with my experience with Babette’s.

[retiredguy123]

That’s not what we were told. If we wanted the house, it came with the furniture.
Did you have to pay the furniture store directly?

[Mrprez]

Did you have to pay the furniture store directly?
No. It was included in the price of the house.

[NewtoFL]

That’s not what we were told. If we wanted the house, it came with the furniture.

That is exactly how it works. This particular home was buy the house and the furniture or don’t buy the house. I had no problem with that. We could have purchased an empty home but the others we looked at actually cost more either because they had more upgrades or had a bigger yard. After mulling it over we decided that the house was still what we wanted and it actually was less expensive the another right across the street. We planned on keeping some of the furniture. We have already sold a few pieces that we didn’t plan on keeping.

I just was not impressed with every employee that we came in contact with (4) and we did go in to pay the balance in person. It doesn’t matter. I usually get along with most people and everyone else that I have worked with here in The Villages or met have been wonderful. Like I said. We just got weird vibes from Babettes.

[NewtoFL]

Did you have to pay the furniture store directly?

Yes. When we looked at the house the price was actually the total cost of the house and the furniture. When we signed the contract it was explained that we actually pay the lower cost of the house and the other cost was for the furniture. Our agent said that they didn’t used to handle it that way but now they do. That was all fine with us. The cost of the house was still quite a bit less than the same model in other locations including the same model right across the street. We had no problem with any of that and don’t feel that anything unsavory was happening. Like I said it still seemed like an acceptable deal. I just didn’t like the bored, unhappy people l dealt with at Babettes. I honestly felt like they had already made their sale so they didn’t need to deal with us. Honestly, everyone I spoke with seemed a little arrogant. That was my impression anyway.

[Calisport]

I think it depends who you talk to on the phone. The phone delivery/order lady wasn't very nice. My original salesperson went out of her way to help me. Lady on the phone was very rude and short with me. Saying also my dining room table and chairs weren't coming till after May. I ordered in November. She said my stools are delayed. I said I ordered a dining room table also, and she got rude about it for some reason.

[Mrprez]

I guess we got lucky. Our consultant at Babettes was very helpful throughout the entire ordering process. We haven’t had to use any warranties though.

[merrymini]

I bought a house several years ago and furnished it and and ran about $15,000 for the whole house, a begonia. It was okay furniture, nothing special. I do not know how you can furnish a whole house for half that unless you are shopping at estate sales. You get what you pay for.

[Rwirish]

They are a great store. Never have had one issue with them.

[bowlingal]

Kent furniture in Belleview is the best, I found. Looked everywhere for my furniture....Leesburg, Ocala and every place in between. From pricing, to inventory, to ordering, to delivery to speaking with sales reps....excellent experience all around.

[dewilson58]

I dont understand, that the house came with a furniture package? If you didn’t like the furniture, why did you pay for it?

Models have been furnished and sold furnished for over 25 years.

Back when you were able to pick a lot, pick your floor plan and pick the fixtures......homes were sold based on the models in the neighborhood. When the hood was sold-out, the models were sold as-is. (sold like hotcakes) At that time, a number of model buyers would have an open house and sell all the furniture.

[cindyfeh]

I had a similar experience. I wanted to buy lamps, but they needed to be ordered. I kept having to call and remind the consultant what lamp I was interested in. She finally said it was in. We came in, no lamps. Finally, I was calling every day. When the lamps were at the store, the price had doubled. We had just waited five months for a bedroom set, our first purchase at Babettes. I felt we were treated like second class citizens. I will never purchase anything at Babette’s again. I have always had great customer service at Kents.

[CoachKandSportsguy]

Our house furnishing$ cost about $18K about 3 years ago, a combination of City furniture, Babbettes, and Wayfair. Everyone was helpful, but then again, the huge migration hadn't started yet amid a pandemic and supply chain issues.

Most likely you are one of many phone calls about furniture issues which the phone person has to put up with each day when there is nothing that the store can do for you at the moment. The mobile customer service staff is limited due to the nature of hourly workers in rural central FL with higher wages 45 min S in Orlando

And if furniture doesn't arrive regularly, but irregularly, salaries and floor plan payments must get paid regularly, so there is a large pressure on getting money paid to pay suppliers and workers, while waiting for the next shipment.

just remember, TV people are retired, the working world people outside the bubble, not so much, in fact, they are still on the hamster wheel

have patience and enjoy what is positive.

[Sunflower33]

The best furniture around here is family furniture. Family owned good quality furniture and stands behind there furniture. Good service. Have bought from them for over 10 years. QUOTE=NewtoFL;2080844]We just moved in to a new build that came with a new furniture package. I had a few question about whether we could exchange some if it. They said no. Ok. Fine. The person I spoke with was not helpful at all. She did ask when we were going to pay for the furniture. I replied that we would pay for it ($21,000) when we came down for closing. She said the balance must be paid within 72 hours of closing. No problem. We got an email reminding us of that fact.

The day of closing we went to the main store in Leesburg and paid for the furnitue. We looked around at some furniture. I was surprised at how expensive some of the low quality furniture was.

Now my point. We tried to work our electric reclining loveseat and it won’t work. I called for service but they can’t get out here until after we have gone back up north. I asked if they had any suggestions of something to try or ideas what might be wrong. The bored unhelpful relied “not really”. I am just not impressed with Babettes at all. We won’t be buying anything else from them.[/QUOTE]

[Remembergoldenrule]

If you need a brand new power recliner from La-Z-Boy check out this ad on the classifieds section. The phone is 864-907-8981. NEW! La-Z-Boy Power Leather Recliner | Talk of the Villages (https://classifieds.talkofthevillages.com/item/new-la-z-boy-power-leather-recliner/)

To see if your works check to se if plugged into outlet that has wall switch that needs to be turned on and check battery back up.

[Remembergoldenrule]

If you need a brand new power recliner from La-Z-Boy check out this ad on the classifieds section. The phone is 864-907-8981. NEW! La-Z-Boy Power Leather Recliner | Talk of the Villages (https://classifieds.talkofthevillages.com/item/new-la-z-boy-power-leather-recliner/)

To see if your works check to se if plugged into outlet that has wall switch that needs to be turned on and check battery back up.

[Ritagoyer]

Could also be on an outlet that is controlled by a switch like for a lamp

[kidnerkim]

I love Babette’s as did my parents. Bought from them several times & would again! We always went to Leesburg store.

[donnamayo]

Babettes was ok. Had a great sales person but called back 3 weeks later to shop for more and she was no longer with the company. Went to Baer's Furniture, Winter Garden, was worth the trip

[Godfather73]

We just moved in to a new build that came with a new furniture package. I had a few question about whether we could exchange some if it. They said no. Ok. Fine. The person I spoke with was not helpful at all. She did ask when we were going to pay for the furniture. I replied that we would pay for it ($21,000) when we came down for closing. She said the balance must be paid within 72 hours of closing. No problem. We got an email reminding us of that fact.

The day of closing we went to the main store in Leesburg and paid for the furnitue. We looked around at some furniture. I was surprised at how expensive some of the low quality furniture was.

Now my point. We tried to work our electric reclining loveseat and it won’t work. I called for service but they can’t get out here until after we have gone back up north. I asked if they had any suggestions of something to try or ideas what might be wrong. The bored unhelpful relied “not really”. I am just not impressed with Babettes at all. We won’t be buying anything else from them.

Can't say enough great things about Babette's. They went out of their way to locate a dining room set we had seen years ago. Thier customer service is outstanding. Highly recommend them.

[rrtjp]

Wife and did a lot of shopping around looking for a dining room set we both could agree on. Our salesperson told us right up front it would be close to 2 months before we would get the set we both loved. She was extremely friendly and helpful. When our furniture arrived almost 2 months to the date it was delivered with care and set up by two very professional and friendly guys. After they left I noticed some very very small dots On top of the table I hadn’t noticed until after they left. Other than that a more beautiful set than I remembered. I called the store and spoke with our salesperson directly and she apologized and transferred me to someone that would take care of it. Unfortunately it would be almost another month before someone could come out to look at the table. Before they came out we got a call (about a week earlier than promised) for a window of when they would be here. The gentleman that came out was also very professional and friendly. When he was done the table was perfect. No idea what the spots were, Babettes told me not to touch them or try and clean them with anything but a soft cloth and water. Love Babettes. I have had 2 very bad experiences shopping at City Furniture, never again.

[NewtoFL]

Exactly, just bad attitudes. I suppose it’s no fun to be in the furniture business right now.

[BumpaOompa]

I agree with the OP. Terrible experience with Babette’s and will never shop there again. Bought two very expensive (supposedly) high quality power recliners and they have given us problems from day 1. Had them out so many times I though of them as family. The service technician though he was a furniture god. Never fixed the problem. They wear you down. Any other company would have refunded the money under a lemon law but not Babette’s. They break it, you buy it! Get your furniture elsewhere and save yourself the headaches!

[chenault55]

I'm curious. It sounds like you were scammed. If you didn't want the furniture, it seems like you could have told Babettes to come pick it up. Did you sign a bill of sale that obligated you to pay for the furniture? If not, I think I would have told Babettes to take a hike. Apparently, The Villages didn't buy the furniture, and you didn't want it either. Babettes just didn't want to pick up the furniture.
I thought the package of furniture price was added to the price of the house and paid at closing then the furniture company was paid from the proceeds of the sale. I must have totally misunderstood or forgot (more likely) how it was explained, it’s been 12 years.🥴

[NewtoFL]

Kent Furniture. Thanks for the recommendation. I like the looks of their furniture. Going to take a trip over.

[noslices1]

We just moved in to a new build that came with a new furniture package. I had a few question about whether we could exchange some if it. They said no. Ok. Fine. The person I spoke with was not helpful at all. She did ask when we were going to pay for the furniture. I replied that we would pay for it ($21,000) when we came down for closing. She said the balance must be paid within 72 hours of closing. No problem. We got an email reminding us of that fact.

The day of closing we went to the main store in Leesburg and paid for the furnitue. We looked around at some furniture. I was surprised at how expensive some of the low quality furniture was.

Now my point. We tried to work our electric reclining loveseat and it won’t work. I called for service but they can’t get out here until after we have gone back up north. I asked if they had any suggestions of something to try or ideas what might be wrong. The bored unhelpful relied “not really”. I am just not impressed with Babettes at all. We won’t be buying anything else from them.

They don’t care, they already have your $21,000.00

[meme5x]

Always pleased with Babette’s.. sorry you had a bad experience

[charlieo1126@gmail.com]

I’ve had a lot of homes here in villages , always sold furniture with homes, so I’ve done a lot of furniture buying , about a third I’ll say at Babette’s they have always been good both furniture and staff, FYI off post , I’ve never saw a La z boy that didn’t look ugly and out of place in a room

[jrref]

We love Babetts too. Excellent quality and great responsive service BUT i agree go to the store and get a dedicated sales rep to work with and you will be bery satisified.

[mmignosa]

https://youtu.be/8EFbC2l23zk
Here is the link that may help you. I typed “couch recliner not working.” There are other videos to choose if this one does not help. Good luck.

[Fitnusbuf]

Try the switch with the red dot on the wall. It may be plugged in to the switched side of the outlet. If so plug it in. Try the other side of the outlet.next try an extension cord or plug it into another outlet.

[jparsoneau@aol.com]

Walking through babettes seem to have a nicer quality stuff but was expensive. Unfortunately we chose city furniture which is much cheaper and much much less quality.

[Ptmckiou]

I think you may want to count your blessings with Babette’s. We purchased our new build July last year. We ordered (in May) from Babettes all custom furniture for the entire house ($40K). Because of supply chain issues, many pieces took anywhere from 3-months to 10-months to receive. Just last week we finally received our last two pieces. Now, none of the supply chain issues were Babette’s problem. Covid triggered the domino effect. We had nothing but excellent service and excellent quality of furniture. Babette’s is slammed with business, so you do have to wait on their schedule to do things. It is what it is. We have had minor issues with our recliners and their service tech realigned them and fix our issues. Either you delay your departure and it get it fixed, or….since this is not an emergency issue then don’t worry about it, and schedule it for when you return. It would not be fair to bump someone else needing their services (as an example me), just so they can accommodate YOUR schedule. Knowing they are slammed with business means YOU need to be flexible.

[sunnyflorida]

Sorry to hear about your negative experience with Babette's. If you would like to talk further, please give us a call at 352-728-5600 ext 1027. We would love the opportunity to discuss further and look into your account.

[Laker]

We just moved in to a new build that came with a new furniture package. I had a few question about whether we could exchange some if it. They said no. Ok. Fine. The person I spoke with was not helpful at all. She did ask when we were going to pay for the furniture. I replied that we would pay for it ($21,000) when we came down for closing. She said the balance must be paid within 72 hours of closing. No problem. We got an email reminding us of that fact.

The day of closing we went to the main store in Leesburg and paid for the furnitue. We looked around at some furniture. I was surprised at how expensive some of the low quality furniture was.

Now my point. We tried to work our electric reclining loveseat and it won’t work. I called for service but they can’t get out here until after we have gone back up north. I asked if they had any suggestions of something to try or ideas what might be wrong. The bored unhelpful relied “not really”. I am just not impressed with Babettes at all. We won’t be buying anything else from them.

We bought our new home on January 6th last year. We went to Babette's the next day, where we were told that anything we bought could not be delivered for 3-4 months, I guess due to Covid, and that if any furniture store told us otherwise they would be lying.

We went to City Furniture the next day, spent $15,000, and 90% of it was delivered the day after closing, 31 days later.

[Pommom91]

My new home came with a Babette’s furniture package 2 1/2 years ago. I thought it was over priced but I went ahead with it anyway because it was convenient and I wanted the house. That way I could sell all my furniture up north and just come here with a few pieces and tons of boxes of course.

[Speedie]

Was the furniture in the price of the house? OP said they paid for the furniture.
It seems you can delete it by not going and paying for it.

We shopped around a lot. Found that Babbetts seemed ok for mid quality. City was a step lower.

Take the drive to orlando or tampa. Found better quality and pricing.

All about competition!!

[vintageogauge]

I agree with the OP. Terrible experience with Babette’s and will never shop there again. Bought two very expensive (supposedly) high quality power recliners and they have given us problems from day 1. Had them out so many times I though of them as family. The service technician though he was a furniture god. Never fixed the problem. They wear you down. Any other company would have refunded the money under a lemon law but not Babette’s. They break it, you buy it! Get your furniture elsewhere and save yourself the headaches!

Have to disagree, we furnished our entire home with Babette's and had one or two issues with a couple pieces. They came out and first looked ate the problem as parts were needed, they made a call and told us when they would be back. When they came back they handled the problem with care and all has been good ever since. In today's world all employers have to settle for employees that they may not have wanted a couple years ago and that is, in my opinion, why there are so many complaints now about local businesses.

[DaleDivine]

Sorry to hear about your negative experience with Babette's. If you would like to talk further, please give us a call at 352-728-5600 ext 1027. We would love the opportunity to discuss further and look into your account.

There's your help!!!
:bigbow::bigbow:

[NewtoFL]

Kent Furniture. Thanks for the recommendation. I like the looks of their furniture. Going to take a trip over.

Could also be on an outlet that is controlled by a switch like for a lamp

No we tried that and everything else we could think of.

[Michread]

Kent Furniture was excellent. I highly recommend them. Similar or the same items as Babs but lower prices.

Also the wall unit we ordered had minor damage and they were quick to repair it.

[NewtoFL]

I thought the package of furniture price was added to the price of the house and paid at closing then the furniture company was paid from the proceeds of the sale. I must have totally misunderstood or forgot (more likely) how it was explained, it’s been 12 years.🥴

I believe they do it differently now. The price the house is listed for includes both the house and the furniture but for some reason now you pay for the house and the furniture separately. Villages deducts the furniture cost from what you pay them.

[biker59]

I bought some furniture from Babettes last July. Rather, I ordered some. The loveseat and sofa bed were in stock, arrived within a week, we're quite satisfied. The dining table wasn't in stock, but they had spare chairs, which they also delivered. These did not match the in-store photo (photo looked like a nice finish, actual was stressed wood), so returned them. It took them ~4 months to pick up the chairs and give me a credit for them. We also cancelled the order the the dining table once we saw it was stressed finished. That left us with just a chair with customized fabric cover. They promised delivery in Sep, then Dec, then Feb; it finally arrived in Mar 2022. During this period I would occasionally send an email tot he sale person; she would rarely respond. When I called the store she was rarely available, and I asked to be called back on my landline; she always called my cell number. Once I started daytime work I keep my cell phone off during the day, but my wife is at home to take landline calls, she was never called.
So I am not impressed by delivery schedule or the sales person I had. I will buy from some other store next time.

[Cheryllicari54@gmail.com]

I used City Furniture and Ashley for most of mine. Some pieces were on backorder but Raves to both of these companies.

[Carole clausen]

We bought our house furnished. It was an additional $10,000. After we moved in, we found some furniture had flaws, the mattress on the bed was so hard, like sleeping on rocks. No one told us we had options to get possible credit for the furniture. We have replaced most of it after nine years. We bought lots of our new furniture from Babettes and found them to be a very good company. Never buy a house The Villages furnishes. It’s a scam.