Crate & Barrel

Poorly made furniture at exorbitant prices. Buying a couch here was a huge mistake. Stay away.

Actually, I hadn’t finished my review of Crate & Barrel before it posted and I certainly hadn’t given it a 3 star rating.
And, I don’t believe «ZERO» is an option here, which displeases me greatly, and therefore, I reluctantly submit …
ONE STAR
Oh, yes.
The Hounds From Hell
I always reach my opinion about a company following a memorable interaction with staff about product and services and attitudes toward the customer.
I praise both the good and the bad.
That’s fair.
And when you’re in the business of selling products to the public, you better think long and hard about your treatment of customers and your policies (like return policies) about the products that brand your company — product design, type of design (Modern, etc).
Those retailers that do, seldom behave in a manner that would alienate a customer. Nordstrom’s is a pristine example of customer satisfaction guaranteed.
Their goal is to make sure you’re happy!
That’s why I shop there.
A lot.
Whereas Crate & Barrel, both in-​store and Corporate, were perfect models of resistance, insults (Repeating the same policy thrice. And then, thrice again, at the corporate level? Um. I got it the first time, so why are you spinning?) rigidity, and, exemplary of why a loyal customer would never want to set foot on their premises again, or, ever recommend that Retailer again.
CIRCUMSTANCES
In September I fell in love with the 24″ Spin Stool. It seemed ideal for someone like myself — an Artist. Well, they didn’t have it in store, so you had to pay for it, and they’d let you know when it got there.
And they did.
As I had just moved to Baltimore, I was inundated with the tasks of settling in, and would often purchase an item, which I would not pull out of the box until months later. So the stool sat wrapped in its protective bubbled sheathing for a while before I removed that and essentially placed it in a corner of my studio, until further notice.
Last night, as I was sitting on the floor, the stool was ahead of me, and I thought I spotted a dent in the wall of the seat. Was it the light reflecting on it responsible for that impression, or was it in fact a dent?
It was a dent.
I found my receipt and planned to return it today, which I did, but not without an experience I would not wish upon anyone.
They modified their return policy, they said. Reduced it from 90 days to 30 days. They were doing me a favor, they said.
RED FLAG
Somehow that doesn’t inspire consumer confidence about the products you sell. Rather, it makes you wonder why they are not willing to stand behind their products for no more than 30 days.
Something doesn’t smell right about that.
The manager continued to waggle with me about return policies, etc.
So what was the problem?
I had charged the stool on a Bank Debit Card, which is no longer active, so I wanted my cash — that’s what they got, right? — back.
Well, we would never give out that much cash ($ 100. LOL!) out from our registers, she said.
MY OPTIONS
So my options were:
CREDIT CARD SPECIFIC REFUND
Refund the money back on the card which is no longer in active.
Brilliant, huh?
STORE CREDIT
You’re joking, right?
After this?
No, thanks!
A GOOD OLD FASHIONED CHECK
From Corporate …
Whenever Corporate got around to doing it — cause, you know, even Retailers are stacked with shelves on …
The Principles of Bureaucracy …
Delay as Long as Possible.
Keep a tight lid on Liquid Assets.
But you sold me a defective product!
Don’t you get it?
They didn’t.
And they don’t.
CAUTION REQUIRED
EXERCISE IT WHEN SHOPPING THERE

I went to shop off of a wedding registry and I received the best customer service ever. Not only did the sales associate help me find everything, the manager and the sales associated wrapped everything up and boxed it in 6 different boxes for me. I was blown away by their friendliness and courteousness.

Super nice and helpful staff. I wish we would have registered there too, the merchandise is awesome!

How they got anything less than a 4 star rating is beyond me! (¹⁄₂₀₁₄) I have been there three times in the last 2 weeks and have had wonderful experiences. I was shopping for a gift and found something on-​line the Woman helping me knew what it was by description & took me right to and then when I wasn’t sure anymore, she took time to listen to what I was thinking and walked me around making other suggestions, she even suggested I take advantage of the free shipping (event) that they had and shipped it from the store. Her suggestions helped my final decision. The second time I went I was greeted right away and asked what I needed. When the quantity I wanted (of napkins) wasn’t on the floor they took time to check with their stock room, found it almost immediately and took only 2 minutes to bring the item to me at the front. The last time I went was for an online return. No issues returning online in the store. I wasn’t thinking about registering here for our Wedding, but the customer service is changing my mind; of course I want my guests who want to check a registry to have a good experience.

I purchased a ton of furniture (desks, tables, dressers) from Crate and Barrel about 3 years ago. I liked their aesthetic, and I had expected that but paying the extra premium for their products I was also paying for customer service and a product that would last several years. I now live in Hawaii, and over the 3 year period the finish has came off most of the furniture and it looks very bad, so it is driving my wife nuts. Also, one of my desks, both of the handles broke off. Of course when you call them, they have no replacement parts and can’t help because they outsource their products to other furniture vendors (Sitcom) so as soon as they discontinue after a couple of years your screwed. If you want to waste several grand on furniture you have to throw out in a fews years, go ahead, but I won’t buy their furniture again.

first of all this place is extremely easy on the eyes very organized and to be in the new wing of Towson Mall it can hold a candle next to the others stores ie Tyson corners. The last collection I can not remember the line but it was colorful and the staff here is awesome

Great place to knock off an hour or four looking around and saying oooh, I like that. Most recent purchase was a sofa and rug. Our salesman, Doug, was great and we also had good help from Ryan, a manager. Delivery of items was on schedule and professionally handled. Otherwise, minus 1 star for service as their store staff needs some serious training in how to handle phone calls. I’ve called on several occasions with questions only to be met with confusion («Is that item in Furniture?» … umm, shouldn’t YOU know that?), ineptness and even downright churlishness. C’mon, C&B, get it together with the phone manners.

I love Crate & Barrel. I love their design aesthetic.
It’s too bad that I was shopping for a friend’s wedding shower. The wedding registry here is really easy to use. As I was wandering through the store, a sales associate helped me find some items. She was really helpful and made recommendations based on my friends’ registry. We finalized the items, the sales associate boxed and wrapped my choices and took everything off the registry. Super easy and I was out of there in half an hour before I started wandering and shopping for myself.
This Crate & Barrel has 2 levels. The top level features mostly furniture. the main level features home goods, kitchen tools, linens, dinnerware, glassware and bathroom accessories. The space is open and easy to navigate. I can’t wait to return to do shopping for me.

Most things are kind of pricey, but if you want quality you have to be willing to shell out more money. Just be aware that some of their pieces are a little more suspect. I got a great little cocktail shaker yesterday for $ 21; there was a bigger one for $ 24 but of a much lower quality.
Anyway, this is a great place to go and fantasize about the kitchen/​dining room/​living room you’ve always wanted. I found a rug there yesterday that was extremely comfortable. Like, footgasms. Sadly, it was selling for $ 1,000, which a poor college student like me could never afford.
Whether or not you can afford it, it’s fun to go here and just play with things. Of course, it gets a bit awkward when a salesperson tries to help you since you may not actually want to buy anything. How you deal with that… I will leave up to you.

While in town visiting family, we stopped at this Crate and Barrel to purchase a Shun 8″ chef knife. After being ignored for upwards of ten minutes in an empty store, I finally wrangled a woman to help me. I told her what I was looking for (the Shun knife) and she informed me I was pronouncing it wrong (which I wasn’t). Thankfully the knife was out of stock because I woudln’t have bought it from her anyway. So here is the correct way to pronounce it lady… straight from the Shun website
«What’s the correct way to pronounce Shun?
Say, „Shoon“ (rhymes with moon). Shun is the Japanese concept of eating fresh, local, and in-​season – when food is at the peak of perfection»
Oh, we ended up getting it from the very helpful folks at William-​Sonoma.