Roomful Express Outlines Refund Policy

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Roomful Express customers like William Connors of Baldwin are very frustrated.

"We made a large purchase. We're moving into a house and it seems like everything is going down hill at the moment."

Connors paid $3,600 for furniture he never received.

Gail Armstrong of Irwin canceled her order for a sofa for which she made three payments on layaway.

Roomful Express told her, "No problem. We'll issue you a credit," said Armstrong. "We were given confirmation numbers over the phone, said the credits would show up in our bank account in a couple of days."

She said it didn't happen.

Pam Mroz of Brookline has tried for weeks to get defective furniture replaced.

"They got their money but they left me holding the bag and paying a bill for furniture that I was not completely satisfied," she said.

Trying to resolve these cases has been a nightmare.

Everyone seems to get a different story from Roomful Express. Some of that may be because of the suddenness of the bankruptcy, but it certainly leaves everybody feeling more than a little angry.

In a telephone interview with KDKA's Jon Delano, Roomful Express executive Greg Theobald says everything should be cleared up shortly with new procedures posted on their website.

"We think now, like I said, after we spent the past few days working on these, we should have a more consistency throughout," he said.

Many customers will also get a letter, says Theobald, outlining what they should do, like calling credit card companies.

"I do know for a fact that they are taking care of the customer and giving those credits back," he said.

Theobald also says the company wants to do right.

"We don't want to end our stint in the Pittsburgh market with anything other than the best reputation. Our goal is to try to make as many of our customers whole as we possibly can."

As for warranties, the manufacturer's warranty continues on all products purchased at the stores, but the company warranty with special inducements disappears.

Not every situation will get you a full refund either.

The company has just posted a fact sheet on its website designed to answer all the different scenarios customers may confront.

You can find it here.