Before buying furniture you need to research both the manufacturer and retailer. Google provides a quick and simple way to do this.
Most furniture manufacturers and retailers have accumulated large numbers of customer reviews, complaints and comments over a period of several years.
These can be accessed through Google (or your favorite search engine.)
In your case you would Google “Southern Motion reviews and complaints”.
If you do this you will quickly discover the answer to your question.
One trend that can be determined from a brief review of customer comments is that their furniture is often purchased with “bonded leather” fabric.
“Bonded leather” is a horrendous flimsy material. Use of the word “leather” in the name of this amalgamated fabric (that uses crushed “real” leather scraps as a backing material) enables salespeople and websites to fool uneducated consumers into thinking they are buying “genuine” leather at cheap prices.
For more details about bonded leather there are several articles that can be found in the Simplicity Sofas blog specifically about bonded leather.
Motion furniture has become an important category in the furniture industry. Power mechanisms have overtaken mechanical reclining furniture in popularity.
Before purchasing any motion furniture you should be aware that the larger pieces such as sofas, loveseats and sectionals often have a higher rate of problems and service issues than other types of seating.
These pieces are extremely heavy. If they are dropped or mishandled the delicate mechanisms and motors are easily damaged.
For several reasons motion furniture frame construction is usually weaker than for stationary sofas or sectionals, including those made by the same manufacturer.
Repairs and service on motion furniture can be extremely expensive. Furniture warranties are typically written to minimize the responsibility of the retailer and manufacturer to cover these costs.
For example, the warranty may state that the manufacturer will repair the product free of charge for the warranty period providing that the customer pays shipping to and from the manufacturer’s factory.
The problem with this language is that packaging and shipping a motion sofa from your home to the manufacturer is usually prohibitively expensive.
It can cost many hundreds of dollars to box and ship large bulky furniture items and there is a significant possibility of additional damage caused during the shipping process.
Reclining chairs are less of a problem. They can usually be partially dis-assembled and are far easier to transport if a part needs replacement.
