I purchased a Lachlan bunk bed for my 2 boys on Feb 21st of 2008 and it was delivered on Feb 27th. No problems there. The problem started when the base of the bottom bunk warped and buckled, under only the weight of a 60kg 13 year old boy.
I called the Goulburn store where the bunk was purchased on 12 Feb spoke to Cathy, who was going to contact the supplier and call me back. 2 days later, after hearing nothing further, I again phoned and spoke to Cathy who said the supplier would replace the side rail but they weren't sure when they would next be in the area. It was then that I had to try to explain to Cathy that it was not the side rail that buckled, but the base, "where the mattress goes". She again said she'd contact the supplier and get back to me. Another couple of days later, I have to phone again. Apparently Cathy is still waiting on word from the supplier. Says she will phone them then call me back. Hooray, she actually did. The supplier has stopped making the steel frame bunks, which I have. OK, enough is enough. On Tuesday 24th, I take photos of the damaged base plus a part that was also damaged which would also need replacing. This time I was "graced" with the service of a rather dull and uninterested sales man named Damien. Damien checks with Cathy and also tells me that the supplier no longer makes the steel based beds but offers to contact them to see if they may have any left overs in their warehouse. I also gave him the small piece required to attach the bed head/end to the base and said I'd need another. He tells me that he is sure they have heaps of spare bits in their warehouse. (I have never seen this piece or a replacement again).
I was in Goulburn again Wednesday, so I stopped in to see Damien who looked at me blankly, so I had to retell my story and remind him of the photos. "Oh, the supplier still hasn't called back", he says. I ask if he could chase it up. "Sure", he says. Once again, though, the answer is a very vague, "they haven't found a base yet" and, "they will call me back".
Finally, I went into the store again today armed with my 13 year old and my 8 year old son, who was up crying last night because he wanted to sleep in his bed (he has had to sleep with me since the base collapsed, resulting in restless nights for us both). Damien again dithered and dathered. We gave him an hour to get a definate answer about the bed. Either a replacement base or a new bunk.
The hour passed and we returned to the famous words of, "they haven't phoned back yet". So, we settled in and waited. I explained that we have not had enough sleep for 2 weeks and that it was not satisfactory. Eventually, I convinced him to let me see his manager. Now, this guy, named John, was a real asshole, full of arrogance. He approached with, "what's the problem?" So I told him. The staff are inefficient and we had been waiting for 2 weeks for this issue to be resolved. He claimed to have no knowledge of the case as he has been away for 2 weeks (how convenient), however, on Monday, Cathy said that the manager would be in on Tuesday. ??? Well, despite my desperate pleas to get the bed replaced, he was adamant that it was up to the supplier to decide whether to send a new base or new bunk. I said that another week of our current sleeping conditions was not going to be helpful and that I wasn't happy with that. He then stood there and said, "we can argue about this all day, but it won't make any difference". I decided then that maybe I should mention that he was the retailer and, as such, the onus was on him to rectify the situation as quickly as possible and then he should take it up with the supplier. I also mentioned the Dept Of Fair Trading. Finally he offers his "word" that I would have a replacement base or a new bunk on Thursday of next week and, if not, he would replace the bunk with one from a different supplier. I'm not holding my breath and I have absolutely zero faith in him or his staff. I will never waste my time with Harvey Norman again. No matter what wonderful "deals" or offers they have, you will definately find a better one elsewhere with superior customer service and after sales support. It seems that, once sold, Harvey Norman wipe their hands of all goods. I also have to ask, where is the complaints department? Maybe they wouldn't be able to supply enough staff to take all the calls...
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