ComplaintsforLauren Waldorf Interiors

• Initial Complaint

  05/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  We cancelled our contract with Lauren Waldorf Interiors on 4/19/24 for not ordering furniture and not providing a service we paid for. On 5/3/2024 Lauren M*********(owner) texted stating she processed our refunds via credit card. The total refund should be $19,034.83. We have not seen a refund posted to date (5/20/24) and she is unable to provide us with the proof of refund transactions.

  Business response

  05/21/2024

  Hi Regina, 

  Thank you so much for your help earlier today. Attached are the three screenshots of our credit card processors refunds. I am told that it sometimes take up to 20 days for these to clear, but at this point, we've processed them all on our end. Please let me know if you need anything else to close out this complaint. This information has also been sent our customer.

  
  

  Thank you! 

  Cheers,
  

  Lauren Waldorf M*********

  Customer response

  05/22/2024

  I am rejecting this response because:  It has been 20 days and I have not received these refunds.  In addition to not having refunds, I am still out of approximately $37,500 worth of items.  Many that you confirmed you received and stated (via email) you were delivering on 4/16. Never received on 4/16 and still do not have.
  
  Sincerely,
  Sherrie F*******

  Customer response

  06/10/2024

  Can you please open up this case? I still do not have the refund check. Lauren has pushed us off every day with an excuse. Still do not have many other items purchased that she says is received by her studio but will not deliver. 
  Thanks,
  Sherrie 

  Business response

  06/14/2024

  The refund check for items wished to be returned upon cancellation of your contract has been delivered as 6/14. This check was issued at your request rather than waiting for credit card refunds to process. The timeline in which credit card refunds are processed is outside of our control and documentation with transaction numbers has been provided to confirm that these were processed when requested. We spent a significant amount of time with our processor to cancel these transactions and issue a check per your request.We'd also like to note that we have comped $8,900 in our billable design fees despite, per contract, the viable billable nature of these fees even upon cancellation and continue to pay delivery fees out of pocket for items delivered. We have not received bed 2 drapes, primary bedroom drapes or guest bath mirror that have been refunded and are still currently your possession. 

  We're not sure where your calculation of  $37,500 of deliverables comes from, but this is not the case. To date, all items requested returned have been refunded and open items to be delivered are a rug, two pillows and two pieces of art which will be scheduled at the soonest availability.

  Business response

  06/17/2024

  The refund check for items wished to be returned upon cancellation of your contract has been delivered as 6/14. This check was issued at your request rather than waiting for credit card refunds to process. The timeline in which credit card refunds are processed is outside of our control and documentation with transaction numbers has been provided to confirm that these were processed when requested. We spent a significant amount of time with our processor to cancel these transactions and issue a check per your request. We'd also like to note that we have comped $8,900 in our billable design fees despite, per contract, the viable billable nature of these fees even upon cancellation and continue to pay delivery fees out of pocket for items delivered. We have not received bed 2 drapes, primary bedroom drapes or guest bath mirror that have been refunded and are still currently your possession. 

  We're not sure where your calculation of  $37,500 of deliverables comes from, but this is not the case. To date, all items requested returned have been refunded and open items to be delivered are a rug, two pillows and two pieces of art which will be scheduled at the soonest availability.

  Customer response

  06/20/2024

  I am rejecting this response because:

  We did receive another refund check on 6/14 after the first one issued on 6/10 would not process.  The refund check is still for the incorrect amount and Lauren has refused to answer me on this and pay me for the additional amount.  We waited the 30 days for the credit card refund to process although the credit card company confirmed it should only take 3-5 days to process refunds.  Clearly something was wrong on LWI end as to why the funds could not process.  We paid LWI $8900 for design fees along with $8900 for procurement of these items.  Lauren failed to procure most items in a timely manner and many items she did not procure at all.  Out of the 130+ items paid in full  that were all supposed to be delivered on our move in date with the exception of 3 items were not delivered nor did we receive communication they were delayed.  Instead, we received lies about them being in a warehouse.  Nothing was ever in a ware house.  We have waited months only to have items slowly come in.  I am still waiting on art, rug and pillows.  Lauren has these items noted as "received" for over a month now but cannot deliver them or give me an update.  I have asked more than 20 times if I can pick these items up myself but I get no response.  I have gone to her studio several times during her "operating hours" and the studio is closed.  These items were supposed to be delivered to me 2.5 months ago. 
  
  Sincerely,
  Sherrie F*******

  Customer response

  06/21/2024

  We did receive another refund check on 6/14 after the first one issued on 6/10 would not process. The refund check is still for the incorrect amount and Lauren has refused to answer me on this and pay me for the additional amount.  We waited the 30 days for the credit card refund to process although the credit card company confirmed it should only take 3-5 days to process refunds.  Clearly something was wrong on LWI end as to why the funds could not process.  We paid LWI $8900 for design fees along with $8900 for procurement of these items.  Lauren failed to procure most items in a timely manner and many items she did not procure at all.  Out of the 130+ items paid in full  that were all supposed to be delivered on our move in date with the exception of 3 items were not delivered nor did we receive communication they were delayed.  Instead, we received lies about them being in a warehouse. Nothing was ever in a ware house. We have waited months only to have items slowly come in. I am still waiting on art, rug and pillows. Lauren has these items noted as "received" for over a month now but cannot deliver them or give me an update. I have asked more than 20 times if I can pick these items up myself but I get no response.  I have gone to her studio several times during her "operating hours" and the studio is closed.  These items were supposed to be delivered to me 2.5 months ago. 
  
  Sincerely,
  Sherrie F*******

• Initial Complaint

  02/22/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I contracted with Lauren Waldorf Interiors May 20, 2022 for full service interior design and installation of my home. Items were paid for in advance. The installation was originally to take place in Dec 2022, but it was pushed back the first of many times to the end of Jan 23. No complete installation ever took place. Over the course of about six months, I received a series of partial deliveries (and styling via Crate and Barrel) with items arriving the wrong size or item, not upholstered, etc. Many excuses/promises were made about impending deliveries. With many items outstanding, communications became spaced out by weeks, no response to status inquiries, and phone calls were not answered. When communications were met by silence and no progress, I stated that I would be seeking legal counsel to seek reimbursement for services and goods not delivered(11 pieces of furniture plus curtains, rugs etc). In response, Ms. Waldorf emailed (Sept 15) that she would not be completing the contract and would be preparing final invoice with outstanding items and credits. The final invoice received resulted in a credit (not paid out) and did not include all undelivered items. In October, I agreed with Ms. Waldorf to try to work out the details amicably, including reimbursement ($49k minus items not previously billed, see attached) and the delivery of replacement sofa cushions (custom sofas purchased, received in stock model, wrong color and base in April and were supposed to be either replaced or have new cushions sent), but now it is mid February with no progress and communications have ceased again. Although, the damages of this relationship go far beyond, I am seeking only reimbursement for goods and services paid for but not delivered and either a full refund for my incorrect sofas or the replacement cushions that were agreed upon to mitigate the mistake. (Also, two local ASID designers have told me that industry standard practices were not followed in delivery and sourcing.)

  Business response

  03/08/2024

  This is the response provided by LWI on 3/6:

  We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience Ms. W****** has experienced and can confirm that attempts within the last two weeks were made to finalize her refunds as we coordinate with and confirm the status of the noted sofa cushions for which the desired fabric has been backordered. Two attempts were made to credit the clients account via wire transfer and were both returned. As such, these refunds for undelivered items and spaced unable to be completed have been processed via certified check and mailed directly to client's home address.

  We do wish to clarify the circumstances for the noted complaint as they bare significant relevance. We must clarify that manufacturers delivery timelines are ultimately out of our control, as stated in our Service Agreement, though we do everything we can to orchestrate smooth delivery and installation. Moreover, at this particular time, my mother was in final stages of aggressive and quickly progressing cancer during this part of the project. This required a shift in my availability and schedule as I traveled out of state to care for her. Her death was followed within months by the deaths of two other family members and my daughter also received a diagnosis that required very concentrated care. This was candidly communicated with Ms. W****** and all LWI clients as we managed this challenging time. 

  In good faith efforts, myself and team members did travel multiple times for deliveries, often driving moving trucks ourselves to avoid waiting on movers, and waiving travel and required accommodation fees to mitigate the inconvenience of manufacturers later than expected deliveries. The expense of transportation and hotel accommodation were not and have never been billed to Ms. W******.
  
  Despite our best efforts, changes in my personal capacity at the time, along with manufacturer delays, the fact that this project was occurring out of state and required travel and higher level of already complicated logistics coordination, our contractual provision to cease project work and either deliver or refund in-process at our discretion and accommodation of the manufacturers was invoked along with recommendations for designers local to her home who may be able to better serve her.
  
   I am unable to speak to claims that LWI acted outside of any industry standard as no specific details have been offered, however any implication that LWI acted outside of any such standard at any point of this project, even in it’s conclusion, is objectively unfounded and the specific issues at hand regarding delivery timelines and refunds have been and continue to be addressed and accounted for. 

  Customer response

  03/11/2024

  I am rejecting this response because:
  The description submitted is not an accurate representation of events or communications as they have transpired, and I am still awaiting resolution of my issues.
  
  If attempts to wire funds were made in the past two weeks, it has been without my knowledge as I have received no communications from Ms. Waldorf or anyone on her team since January 26- despite eight attempts on my part (text, email and calls) to make contact, up to the date that I filed my complaint. Regarding the failure of the transfer, back on October 20, Ms. Waldorf texted to confirm that my account was active saying that a transfer was showing as returned. I immediately confirmed the account and the routing number and left a message asking if I needed to do anything to facilitate. I did not hear anything else on the matter from LWI or the bank. Additionally, I have not received or approved a final statement incorporating in the missing items that I emailed to LWI in September (updated version submitted to BBB), so I have no idea if the proposed transfer will make me whole. I have yet to receive a check to assess the same.
  
  Regarding the sofa cushions, I was told by Ms. Waldorf on April 25, 2023, after receiving the wrong sofas (with a significantly lower list price than I had been charged), that she could get me new sofas in 6-8 weeks or in a shorter time get the primary cushions recovered to the correct color at least. Although I would have preferred to get the items as ordered with the correct fabric and base, I agreed to the cushion swap in hopes that I could get my home settled at an earlier date. Nearly a year has passed, and this is the first that I am hearing about a fabric backorder. Each of the many times that I have inquired about the status of my cushions (if I received a response at all- often not), responses were as varied as they “should be enroute to you” or that they were being tracked and a follow up call would be forthcoming (without the follow up call). I was also initially told that the company made the error regarding the incorrect sofas, but this was contradicted by the company. The cushions have not arrived, and I have not gotten a status update even though I have sought one for many months. I have a copious log of communications that will validate this claim.
  
  It is an offense to categorize this situation as an inconvenience.  I was essentially strung along for a year, left without communications or management of my problems for weeks and months at a time, tapering off to complete inactivity. For the better part of a year, I received nothing more than feckless reassurances and stall tactics. If I was dealt with with honesty and integrity, I would willingly have accepted the situation expecting only that a prompt reimbursement for goods and services not delivered would be forthcoming. Instead, unusable furniture and items were left aggregated in my home, and items that I needed could not be obtained independently when I was being told that they were being held my Ms. Waldorf or arriving imminently, all the while not knowing if the money that I had paid out to Ms. Waldorf would be returned. Ultimately, in September with the cancellation of the contract by LWI, I began paying out for a second time to obtain the missing goods. (Notably, all the items ordered independently came with in 4 weeks- evidently not held up by supply chain delays.) Unfortunately, other items selected by Ms. Waldorf, I was unable to purchase because I discovered that items were too large to fit in the space or hardware that would not fit, etc. Thus, much of the work product provided was useless. There are many more details, but I believe that the information I have provided is sufficient for the purposes of this complaint.
  
  This was not merely a case of delayed product and demanding client even if Ms. Waldorf would like to portray it as such. When she took on my account, she assured me that she had a capable team ready and able to manage my project in Charlotte, including installation. Travel to my house for installation was part of the agreement. (Unfortunately, the three times that Ms. Waldorf arrived, she came without numerous promised items that were said to be in her Charleston or local warehouse.) I received so many and varied excuses throughout the process, but it was only in September when she cancelled the contract that Ms. Waldorf alluded to a need to attend to a medical issue with her daughter. This is when I opted to refrain from taking legal action and give LWI the opportunity to close out my account amicably. While I have sympathy for Ms. Waldorf and any personal challenges that she has faced over the course of these months, my trust that she was dealing with me in good faith is broken. And while I am sure that the passing of her mother was a devastating loss for Ms. Waldorf, if predated my business relationship with her. I am aware of this because she documented it on her company website which I reviewed prior to engaging her services. This detail has been used as one more element in her false narrative. I would wish that Ms. Waldorf might consider that her clients whom she so blithely disregards may indeed be facing their own adversities, complicated immensely by her thoughtless indifference. (It should also be noted that during this time, Ms. Waldorf was not so time strapped or strained to prevent her from soliciting mentees to train with her and promoting her active work on other accounts and store opening on social media.)
  
  I would be happy to elaborate on the information provided by the ASID professionals with whom I consulted should the BBB require it; details were not included due to the constraints of the submission form and because the information already provided speaks for itself.
  
  All referenced statements, communication and chronology from my complaint can be backed up with detailed records and documentation.

   Sincerely,
  Alyson W******

  Business response

  07/17/2024

  Hi Regina, 

  
  

  As of 6/9, Aly confirmed receipt of all applicable refunds. In an effort to make sure all open items are accounted for, we discovered that the third party carrier responsible for delivering the replacement sofa cushions has not delivered and is unable to provide any information regarding where these cushions are, if they still have them, or if they were delivered to the wrong address. As such, we have ordered new cushions which we confirmed were received to our studio on 7/12 and are scheduling for delivery to Aly on 7/19 as requested. We sincerely apologize for the delay here and will continue to monitor this delivery to ensure that it is received in good order. 

  
  

  Thank you for your help, Regina. 

  
  

  Cheers,
  

  
  

  Lauren Waldorf Mendenhall

  Owner + Principal 

  Customer response

  07/17/2024

  Ms.  Waldorf has refunded requested money as indicated. I would like to keep the case open until cushions are received however.  Thank you. 

  Customer response

  07/18/2024

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 21326679, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 

  Ms. Waldorf has refunded requested money as indicated. I would like to keep the case open until cushions are received however.  Thank you. 
  
  Sincerely,
  Alyson W******

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