Customers paid big bucks for furniture that never arrived from Chicago-based Interior Define
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Interior Define is a national chain of custom furniture stores headquartered in Chicago.
They have 20 locations across the country – many of them in fashionable districts such as Williamsburg, Brooklyn and SoHo in New York City; La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles and Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica; Walnut Street in Philadelphia; Hayes Valley in San Francisco.
The Chicago location is in a fashionable neighborhood too - at 833 W. Armitage Ave. in Lincoln Park.
The trouble is that Interior Define has taken big bucks from thousands of customers and failed to deliver the orders. CBS 2's Lauren Victory sorted out the mess through the eyes of a suburban couple.
Amanda Bose, and her husband, Apurva, are proud of their new home. But they're a little embarrassed – instead of couches, the only seating available in some spots is pillows, or floor seats.
"This was, you know, a room that we can't furnish," Apurva said as he stood in the middle of a vast, empty expanse of wall-to-wall carpeting.
The space is empty – like the answers the Boses say they have gotten from Interior Define.
The couple talked to CBS 2's Victory while sitting on a couch they bought through Interior Define a few years ago.
"I saw they're based in Chicago, so that really drew me to them," said Amanda.
They trusted the brand, so they handed over another $8,000 for more stuff.
"We found out we were pregnant, and so I wanted a nice chair," said Amanda.
But Baby Bose, who is due in a few weeks, won't have any nursery seating until late May of this year. That is five months longer than expected.
Other furniture they bought in March was supposed to arrive in 22 to 25 weeks – meaning this past September at the latest. They received an email claiming in July claiming the March order was "still on the water" – one of many excuses they said they were given.
"I went on social media and saw that other people were in the same situation – which, you know, didn't give me a good feeling," said Amanda.
A second Chicago customer told us she was infuriated about a recent update to her April 2022 purchase. Delivery got bumped to mid-April of this year – a while year after she made the order.
Hundreds more have complained to the Better Business Bureau – earning Interior Define an F rating.
We were able to get in touch with an Interior Define employee who was recently laid off by phone. Her job was to update customers on thousands of missing orders.
She says she noticed things starting to take a turn in July.
Apparently, she said, "vendors weren't being paid." But the script from higher-ups said to blame "an internal disruption in the supply chain."
"We didn't feel confident in the information we were given," the ex-employee told us. She said that made her feel like she was "lying to customers in some cases."
Her team was "skeptical why things were taking so long."
We went to the Chicago location on a recent weekday afternoon – and it was all locked up. Our insider told us that is because angry customers kept showing up.
Attempts to chat online with Interior Define get you nowhere. Neither do calls.
Finally, the company posted to social media for the first time in weeks. They said their brand has been sold – and the new buyer may not be able to fill previous orders.
"The most annoying part is we're paying for something we don't even have - and we don't know if we're ever going to get," said Apurva.
The Boses have been left emptyhanded at a time when their hands are about to be full with a baby.
Despite Victory's many attempts, Interior Define has not responded to her. Other than the social media post, the company has gone silent.
By the way, our source believes some 6,500 Interior Define orders are still stalled.
As for the Bose family, they financed their furniture for Affirm, a buy now, pay later company – and they have disputed the charges.
Affirm released the following statement:
"Affirm offers consumers a transparent and flexible way to pay over time with no late or hidden fees. Returns and refunds are subject to the merchant's policies. While we typically have a 60-day window for disputes, customers who have issues with an outstanding loan for Interior Define should contact Affirm through our Help Center to initiate a dispute. Once a dispute is initiated, all payments will be paused."
The Boses tell us Affirm informed them they would no longer hold them responsible for further payments and will be refunding them.
