Problems such as project delays and poor quality frequently arise
[Focus on consumer worries around you ④] Customized furniture is frequently controversial. How can businesses not be "willful"?
"In the whole process of house decoration, the most annoying thing for me is the customized furniture." Recently, Ms. Li, a consumer in Chengdu, Sichuan, told reporters that in June 2023, she signed a whole-house customized decoration contract with a local decoration studio. Unexpectedly, the renovation process was full of twists and turns.
Customized furniture to meet individual needs and improve room utilization is favored by consumers.
However, the reporter learned that consumers encounter a variety of troubles when choosing customized furniture, with problems such as delays in construction schedules and poor quality appearing frequently.
Some experts said that the advantage of customized furniture is that it is tailor-made according to the house type and consumer needs. It is difficult to achieve absolute uniformity in standards, but the highly personalized industry should not develop "willfully".
Reducing conflicts between consumers and businesses, standardizing market behavior, and achieving the healthy development of the customized furniture industry are issues that require urgent attention.
Problems often occur during the installation process
"The agreed installation time was one week, but it ended up taking two months. There were many problems during the installation." Ms. Li said that during the installation process, the other party often missed furniture accessories, which also caused the cabinets to crack and warp. They had to rework the work and the construction period was repeated. procrastination.
The switches and sockets in the whole house cannot be connected, so Ms. Li's plan to move into a new home can only be postponed.
"It was only when something went wrong that I discovered that the content agreed in the contract was not detailed enough. Later, the merchant had the final say, which made me feel very powerless." Ms. Li said.
Ms. Li's decoration process was full of twists and turns, but Mr. Tian, a consumer in Tianjin, waited for almost a year without waiting for the decoration master to come in.
In March 2023, Mr. Tian reached a verbal agreement with a salesperson from a decoration company and paid 40,000 yuan in advance to customize the whole house furniture.
"We completed the basic decoration in June and notified them to enter the site, but they said that the temperature is high in summer and the wood material is unstable, so installation is not recommended. In September, they told me that the factory was on fire, and by the end of the year not a single board was seen." Tian The husband had no choice but to call the police. With the help of the police, the other party agreed to refund the money.
What are the reasons for frequent controversies?
"The customized furniture contract signed by a consumer and a merchant is essentially an undertaking contract. The consumer places an order and pays the fee to the merchant, and the merchant customizes, delivers, and installs it based on the measurement results and the consumer's individual needs. Customized furniture is not a one-time delivery. In this If there are discrepancies in size, quality or actual needs of consumers during the process, disputes or disputes will arise," said Li Bin, a lawyer at Beijing Zhongwen Law Firm.
Lin Hai, deputy secretary-general of the People's Mediation Committee of the China Interior Decoration Association, pointed out that customized furniture is not independent of overall home consumption and services. It needs to cooperate with other projects, and it is easy for the docking to be incomplete.
At the same time, decoration is a knowledge blind spot for some consumers, which prevents them from making precise risk control.
Mr. Ding, a custom furniture designer in Beijing, told reporters that this industry has certain thresholds and professional requirements, but the quality of employees currently varies. Some people start taking jobs without practical experience, and some businesses use all means to pursue short-term interests.
“There are many chargeable items for whole-house customization, and the types of boards are also diverse. Consumers need to spend some time doing their homework to avoid pitfalls.”
Integrity management is the foundation
How to regulate the custom furniture market?
Li Bin believes that customized furniture as a product has its own quality standards, and businesses should produce according to the standards. At the same time, they must satisfy consumers' right to know, disclose important information to consumers, and reject false propaganda.
"Consumers should be careful when signing a contract. The contract should clearly stipulate the content, who is the subject of the contract, whether it is a store authorized by the brand; price information and discount information of customized furniture; material, quantity, specifications, standards, delivery Information such as time, returns and exchanges, and liability for breach of contract must be detailed and clear. At the same time, consumers should understand their business status and solvency when choosing a merchant," Li Bin suggested.
It is reported that the "Whole House Customized Home Products" industry standard has been implemented in 2016. This standard has standardized requirements for the materials, technical requirements, test methods, inspection rules, on-site acceptance and other content and links of the whole house customized home products.
"The competition in the custom furniture industry is becoming increasingly fierce. The healthy development of the industry cannot be separated from the standardized operations and attentive services of enterprises. Relevant departments must strengthen supervision, enterprises must strengthen self-discipline, and employees should also improve their professional quality." Lin Hai suggested that consumers Before decorating, the buyer should understand the delivery effect of the decoration company on the spot and spend time learning decoration knowledge.
In Mr. Ding’s view, if custom furniture practitioners want to be more stable, they need to respect industry standards and business philosophy.
"Businesses need to pay attention to credit. This industry is not a one-time deal. Only by being honest and trustworthy can we gain a long-term foothold. Relevant departments should also increase the punishment of unscrupulous merchants to encourage them to operate in compliance."
Gao Yazhang Workers Daily