Alternate title: Why Crate & Barrel has probably blacklisted me from ever making a purchase from them again.
Just kidding.
I want to start this post off with a disclaimer: I LOVE MY TABLE. Crate & Barrel has been nothing but helpful with the process of getting me my table, and I love them for that. This is simply the story of how it took me 4 tries to get the perfect table for our living/dining room.
When we first started thinking about moving (early in 2012), I knew we were going to be in need of a new dining table. The one in our apartment was a glass top table I’d acquired back in 2007 for $100 from my boss at the time. It served me well for 5 years, but it would definitely need to go once we moved into the new house.
Thus, the hunt began. I got Justin involved in the process, and we both decided we liked the look of a farm table. It’s classic, it’s sturdy, it can be dressed up/down. On top of loving the farm table style, we also took a liking to the look of reclaimed wood. We looked into having a custom made table out of reclaimed wood and started pricing out some options.
Then we walked into Crate & Barrel one day when we were at the mall. And my eyes locked on a table that was absolutely perfect. It was the Taverna table, and it was just what I was looking for: reclaimed wood, farm table style, in a beautiful medium brown hue. I fell in love with the fact that it wasn’t perfectly flat – there are variations in the wood that are natural. There are some cracks and knots in the wood too – it is a table with a lot of character. After setting the Lyle chairs with the display table, we were pretty much sold. When it came time to place our order, there was no hesitation.
Delivery day finally arrived, and as I saw the table for the first time my heart filled with joy. The color was perfect…there was just the right amount of knots and imperfection across the top. Gorgeous. Then…the wobble. As soon as the delivery guys set the table down in our dining area, it was noticeable. I’m not talking about a slight wobble that a lot of tables have simply due to the floor. I’m talking about about an inch of lift. That’s a big wobble, folks. The guys making the delivery tried to fix it, but to no avail. So, they had Crate & Barrel call me to schedule a new delivery date for a replacement table.
Two weeks later, my Taverna table arrived. And when I saw it, my heart sank a little. The color was completely different than the first table, and there was a rather large area that had been patched noticeably. I was not happy. Thankfully, when I called Crate & Barrel they were willing to send along another table…this time they would bring two new tables…and I asked that the original table be brought back as well (since I’d loved it) and we could attach a different set of legs to it to make it not wobble.
Well, when that delivery arrived a week or so later, two new Tavernas were on the truck. And neither of them were what I wanted (I know – I am starting to sound difficult here). The color on one of them was more yellowish brown than the dark brown my original table was, and the other had a large crack running almost the entire length of the table, and I thought it looked like the table was about to split in half (it wasn’t of course, but that is what I thought it looked like). But where was my original table?!?! Not on the truck, apparently. I began to panic…imagining that someone else had been sent my table and they were happy with it in their home. After another call to Crate & Barrel, they assured me the table was in their warehouse, and we scheduled another delivery for later that week. Yep – I was pretty sure that Crate & Barrel hated my guts at this point.
Finally…the day arrived when my original table was returned. As soon as I saw the gorgeous top exit the truck, I knew it was the right decision. It was what I wanted. Then came the surprising part: the legs were set up in the dining room first…and they weren’t wobbly. What? Well, it turns out that it wasn’t the legs…it was the top that was uneven. No matter: I agreed to take the table at a discount. Because I loved it. And a little wobble adds character, right? A felt pad or two later attached to the bottom of the legs, and the wobble was fixed. Seriously – can you see where the felt pads are? I think not.
So, that is the story of how I bought an amazing Taverna table from Crate & Barrel…replaced it 3 times…and then ended up with the original yet again. Sheesh. I know it sounds like I was being picky, but when it comes to a large purchase like that table, I wanted to make sure it was perfect. Can you blame me?
Have you picked out a new dining table before? Was it a difficult process?
New furniture in general is a process for us. Our table and chairs were delayed to a trail derailment haha.
My parents bought a leather couch that was a similar process – small tears in the leather in different spots every time it was delivered. I think they had 5 or 6 leather couches delivered before they signed off on one.
Ugh – what a process! I feel the pain for them on that one!
I WISH I had done that with my countertops. I didn’t want to be a Princess about it, and now I’m unhappy. In the long run it’s much better to be a little picky and end up with a result that you love! Good for you 🙂
I’m so sorry to hear about that! I get what you’re saying though; it is sometimes hard to open your mouth and be the picky person…you don’t want to cause waves!
I think you were right to be picky, I would be too! I also cannot wait for the day we can get a new table, my husband thought it would be ok to use cookie cutters on our and now is damaged!
I’m glad I’m not the only one that had issues with this table. We had C&B deliver us tables five times for the same wobble reason. The first top was warped terribly, then one table had a massive new crack and the delivery men didn’t even want to take it off the truck. A couple more warped tops and finally a level one but it seems the legs were possibly uneven. They ended up putting in wedges between the legs and the top and it was the perfect solution. C&B gave us a credit for the troubles and we are so happy with our table and get plenty of compliments on it. Glad you’re a satisfied owner too!