BUT IT DOESN’T STOP THERE!
READ ON!

Not the store it was when the Father ran it!

Horrible customer service. Not the store it was when the Father ran it! they actually stuffed my sofa cushion with lose stuffing, over the enclosed cushion. Not a good solution for a 12,000.00 sofa. I was told we had a ten year warranty like our previous furniture. Not the case!! We did a price match because Thomas price had the sofa same sofa for less. When our cushions broke down, we were told we had no warranty. I took the cushion to the Oakbrook showroom and asked the manger if she considered this an appropriate fix she said absolutely not. Next day I received a call from their corporate office telling me their sales manager's don't know furniture. Never again! They don't stand behind the product they sell. The customer service women is very rude. probably why she has that job.

Christine H. Westmont, IL
Apr 21, 2025

I will NEVER buy from you again nor will I recommend you to anyone!

The quality of your furniture!! We spent a lot of money on a custom sofa and loveseat to replace the sofa and loveseat that was purchased from you and lasted for 20 years. The new ones look terrible after less than 2 years!! The fill is almost nonexistent, just based on the quality of the furniture I purchased I will NEVER buy from you again nor will I recommend you to anyone!

Cathy B. River Grove, IL

Purchasing a custom sofa from the Lincoln Park store of Walter E Smithe is one of the worst mistakes I have ever made.

My husband and I are Seniors in our 70's and we thought we were purchasing a quality product and used money from our savings to purchase this $6500 custom leather sofa nightmare. Every time we sit on it, the VCF commercial comes to mind. We have attempted to address these concerns unsuccessfully with the WES Customer Service Manager. We even wrote and sent a letter via Priority Mail to the President, Walter E Smithe, III. (No response, by the way).

We spent (2) hours in the Lincoln Park store with the "designer." We were very specific about measurements and durability. We explained the new sofa was intended to be the primary seating in our family room, and it would be utilized every day by my husband and myself. No children or other persons live in our home. I was very specific about measurements, seating height and durability. We purchased EVERY recommendation/option made by our "designer."

The sofa was delivered in November, 2024 and initially looked to be okay. Within days, however, I noticed several issues and concerns and contacted Customer Service. The stitching on one of the back cushions was defective and you could see where the manufacturer made an error and restitched the seam, however needle holes and thread from the error were visible. Despite ordering the" top of line" cushion stuffing, the seat cushions have compressed over 2.5 inches in 4 months of use, making it difficult for us to get up. The stitching on both sofa arms is suspect and looks to be defective and loose. I was told the stitching was within "variance" and not defective. The sofa back cushions are horrible. I discovered the sofa is only 72" in length instead of the 74" as specified on the order. I spoke with the Customer Service Manager several times and she stated the measurement variance was within their "5% variance" as stated in the "Miscellaneous" section of the agreement. This section references color variances, not size variances. The Customer Service Manager finally agreed the back seat cushion stitching on the right side was defective and WES would send it back to the manufacturer to be replaced. The Customer Service Manager repeatedly assured me the cushion would be replaced and returned within two weeks; it took 8 weeks to receive it. The WES technician stated the cover was replaced, however it looks like the manufacturer only re-stitched the original cushion cover.  So, we are now stuck with an uncomfortable, $6500 poorly manufactured sofa. I wish we had gone to VCF or any other furniture store. Buyer beware.

DG Chicago

Quality is very poor I'd bring my business elsewhere.

We bought a table from their oak Brook location and after being in the house about 6 months the paint started wearing down and becoming sticky/tacky. I reached out and was told it I had to pay a $50 dollar tech fee for someone to come out and look at it so I was like a long as they are going to take care of the issue. The lady assured me this was the case I repeated several time and it is a recorded phone call so I agreed. When the tech came out he agreed the table was messed up he would bout in the service and I'd get a call. They called and told me it was going to cost 2500 dollars to repair! I asked for the manager to listen to the phone call as I was assured if I paid the table was under the warranty. Anyway, they did not honor what I was verbally told even though you could literally run your nail on the table and the paint was peeling off. Quality is very poor I'd bring my business elsewhere.

Siobhan C. Willow Springs, IL

I am just frustrated and unhappy.

I ordered some beautiful chairs and have been disappointed with the poor customer service to help resolve a mistake with the deferred payment billing & in addition the chairs themselves. The cushions are like marshmallows, they sit too high in the chairs. I tried talking to a sales associate about this but was told "jump on them" to improve the appearance. It didn't help. When I applied for the deferred payment option, the sales associate entered my information incorrectly and I was unable to get this resolved with the finance company TD Bank Services after multiple attempts online & with phone calls. Now my credit has been affected because they couldn't get my bank number correct. So frustrated, I know most people are pleased with this store but I am just frustrated and unhappy.

Barbara W. San Francisco, CA

BUYER BEWARE.

I regrettably became a customer of Walter E. Smithe on December 18,2020. I had found a bed that I liked on their online website and decided to go into a showroom to look at it in person. I quickly learned that this particular bed was not on any showroom floor but they had a somewhat similar bed made by the same furniture company at the Geneva store so I decided to go ahead and order the bed and a nightstand that day. I was also in the market for a new couch so I looked around for that but I did not purchase a sectional couch that day. Instead I returned to the Oak Brook store on December 21, because I was well aware of the furniture shortage that has been occurring and I wanted to get furniture for my new home. I ordered a sectional based on the promised timeline of the furniture maker, which was still not going to be until February 2021. Upon delivery of the sectional I noticed several spots on the sectional and mentioned it to the delivery guys. They told me the spots were due to the couch sitting on a cold delivery truck and would go away once the couch warmed up. This did not happen, in fact I noticed more spots on the new sectional the next day. I reached out to correct the problem and was offered replacement cushions and a refabricating of the side piece of the damaged sectional. This was NOT an acceptable solution for me as I had purchased a NEW couch, not a used couch that need to be refurbished. After going back and forth with several employees I was finally able to get them to reorder me a new sectional. Never once was an apology really offered and I felt like the management did not care as they had payment in full. I received my reordered sectional in April but awaited delivery of the bed and nightstand that I had ordered. April 24th comes around and I get a call to schedule delivery for the bed and nightstand. I continue to be told that they only deliver in my area on certain days of the week and the days that work for me are not convenient for them. This was incredibly frustrating since I have a job that takes me away from home for 3-4 days a time; but we scheduled delivery for Saturday May 1st. On the Friday before delivery was set as scheduled I received a phone call from their "Customer Service" department that delivery had to be cancelled because the furniture was not in their warehouse. What???? How does a company schedule delivery for something that is not available? Again, they offered to schedule delivery on days that did not work for my schedule and offered no apology no alternate solutions, but they are glad to charge you the delivery fee when you order furniture and do not disclose that they only deliver on certain days of the week. I wake up on the morning of May 1st to a call from the delivery team to tell me they are 5 minutes away. Again, I am confused because they CANCELLED delivery and did not tell the driver. He tells me he just has the nightstand in the truck and I tell him to not even bother to bring an incomplete order to me. I am beyond frustrated dealing with the incompetence and lack of Customer Service from Walter E. Smithe and their associates. For a company who prides themselves on being "Chicago's Best Furniture" they sure have a lot of nerve. The daughters should focus less on making quirky commercials and start focusing on delivering quality customer service to their customers and developing repeat customers. I will discourage ANYONE from shopping with them in the future as I feel there are much better options for furniture and home décor pieces in the Chicagoland area. C&B I am looking at you!

Roy S.
Cook, IL

I went down the street to Arhaus, and spent my money there, where I received wonderful service.

This review is for the Oakbrook location. I went today to order an ottoman. Upon being greeted by the door, I discussed specifically what I was looking for. I was told to look around. Considering I needed a specific dimension, I expected the salesperson, to pull vendor catalogues, and show me what was available. That did not happen. I wandered around the store, while counting 8/9 employees, all of whom were too busy to ask if I needed help. There was 1 other customer in the entire store beside myself. The lack of customer service was unacceptable. I went down the street to Arhaus, and spent my money there, where I received wonderful service.

Donna Z.
San Francisco, CA

The quality is garbage!! I will NEVER spend another dime with them. BUYER BEWARE!

I purchased a full size bedroom set (headboard, footboard, rails, dresser and nightstand) I spent close to $2k for this set thinking this was quality pieces. After having for a little over a year, the headboard cracked on the side. I called the furniture store only to be told that I would need to spend an additional $300 to have it repaired. They are liars and do not stand by their furniture. The quality is garbage!! I will NEVER spend another dime with them. BUYER BEWARE!

Megan D.
Chicago, IL

Bait and switch.

Bait and switch. We placed our order at the Oakbrook, IL store. We paid the required deposit and were told we would get our furniture in 6-7 weeks. Two weeks after the purchase an email informed us it would now take 17 weeks. We read the sales invoice and realized we could not cancel our order, Walter E Smithe had us locked in. Ultimately it took 18 weeks to receive our complete order. We will not be back to Walter E Smithe.

Jim A.
Winfield, IL

Not a single person greeted us

I just spent about 20 minutes walking through the entire store trying to make a dent in furnishing our new home. Not a single person greeted us or offered to assist us. I was hoping to find a home designer who could help us with several rooms where we're starting from scratch but no luck here.

Therese K.
Wheaton, IL

We paid a lot of money, and we were not even considered.

Ek! I would give them -5 stars if I could. I have to say this is the WORST EXPERIENCE EVER. I love high end EVERYTHING. But I love good customer service better. Walter E. Smithe managed to mess up my delivery 5 times. HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN.... Let me begin, my first encounter with Walter E. Smithe was back in July 2015, my husband and I went to the Oak Brook location, we had a sales rep, Mary Jo Peters-Madick, she was terrible. She didn't even let me and my husband talk about finances privately. She kept nosing in on the conversation, note to you Mary Jo - when customers are about to spend $15,000 do not smother them, and then try to make them spend more. NOT COOL. So anyways, I was in love with the bedroom furniture, so elegant. So my husband and I decided to come back at a time when we knew Mary Jo wasn't going to be there so we could work with someone else. And we did, thank goodness! We worked with Colette Ruopp, and OH MAN, she SOLD US! She was super nice, and personable. But after she made her sale, I had emailed her 4 times and she did not have the common decency to reply! But anyhow, we left Walter E. Smithe $15,000 lighter, but happy because we were getting this gorgeous furniture.

THEN the problems started. We ordered a 5 piece bedroom set. My husband, my mother, and I all ordered something. It was agreed upon that the furniture that my husband and I purchased would be delivered and we would pick up my moms one piece at the warehouse (no big deal - we were all okay with this) So, the first time they come the DELIVERY GUYS KNICK OUR WALL WITH THE FURNITURE!!! Our brand new walls, by the way. And didn't apologize, and then they bring us the furniture which we were expecting a night stand, headboard, footboard, mirror, and a big dresser! Guess what we got when they left? ONE NIGHT STAND! All their garbage furniture was nicked and BROKEN!! It happened to be my husbands birthday, and I was livid, because we both took off work because we were so excited for our furniture... thanks for ... nothing Walter E. Smithe.

So then, 3 days go by - and NO ONE gets back to me so finally I email someone and I send them photos of what they delivered and that's when I emailed Colette Ruopp to be like hey, just so you know blah blah blah. She doesn't reply. Okay, cool! So then, I go back and forward with Slyvia (who was the only person who actually was helpful - and not rude) and she finally gets it so all the pieces can be delivered together (so we wouldn't have to go to the warehouse) We were like okay, at least they are making up for it. Sounds good. Well... the time comes and we take ANOTHER DAY OF WORK OFF so this is day #2 --- and guess what? THEY FORGET TO DELIVER THE BIG DRESSER WITH THE MIRROR! Like, no how does this happen? At this point, I am beyond livid, because this was another day we had to take off, and my boss was getting aggravated too and accused me of lying... thanks again Walter E. Smithe!!! SO I was put into contact with Shannon Iozzo, she is the Warranty Department Supervisor, she seemed nice and like she was seriously not going to let this happen again.

So, they come for a third time, and yet again my husband had to take off work because my work was getting fed up with me leaving and actually threatened my position (again, thanks Walter) I SPECIFICALLY told SHANNON IOZZO to not have the movers come until 6:15 - 6:30 because that was the earliest my husband could get there.... OH WAIT --- they arrive at 4:00 PM in their HUGE WALTER E SMITHE TRUCK... we got fined by the association because they sat out there blocking traffic for 2 hours!!! THANKS AGAIN. So, they come in and bring the last big piece, again nicking all my walls... and then they forget the tools to install the mirror on the dresser .... seriously ? Yep!

They had to come a fourth time, and the last time the guys were the nicest, (IT TOOK 4 TIMES) and when I told SHANNON IOZZO she was not compassionate that we had to take off work, and told me that their was miscommunication like..... this obviously happens all the time. Like, it is your job to make sure your customer is happy, and it is your job to know which orders are going out for delivery... good luck Shan!!!! THEN, I told Shannon, this is ridiculous, we should get SOME kind of compensation off, or something - and she says "OH THERE IS A GIFTCARD IN THE MAIL" Yep... you guessed it just like the furniture that gift card never showed up! So SHANNON, I hope you are reading this, yeah... you must've not sent the giftcard, because it isn't here.

No one at Walter E. Smithe even took the time out to apologize for all of this that's what I think is crazy, the word sorry could of went a long long way with me, if someone would of just taken the time out. We paid a lot of money, and we were not even considered.

In closing, Walter E. Smithe may have some beautiful pieces, but I would never buy from there again... TERRIBLE TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE. Work on that Walter.

Hana S.
Elmwood Park, IL

DO NOT BUY CUSTOM ANYTHING FROM THEM!
You dream it, you'll never get it!

My husband and I purchased a leather sectional. We were told 8-10 weeks, but might be sooner. For 18 weeks, we were given a variety of updates, most of which were purely what ever the person felt like telling us. We finally received the furniture 18 weeks later. One end of the leather sectional had black fabric showing on frame and cushion. After waiting for them to get matching leather, 5 MONTHS!!. They picked up the loveseat and brought it back, one week later with only the frame corrected.

Customer service is a joke! We are 10 months out and it still isn't correct. Those guys should stop making commercials and look into making customers satisfied!

DO NOT BUY CUSTOM ANYTHING FROM THEM! You dream it, you'll never get it!

Gail F.
Downers Grove, IL

Not sure how much money you need to spend at the store, but clearly $10,000 was not enough to actually get some customer service… They are horrible.

I will never shop Walter E. Smithe again.

The designer left us in the store during our first visit and I had to go track her down. Then she was an hour late to our meeting at my home.

I was very decisive and told the sales person upfront I needed furniture for several rooms. I spent over $12,000 in the store and was treated like I was spending $250. I had to send email after email to the sales person and then follow up calls to get answers. I called the manager of the store after hearing nothing and only got one call back. Based on my experience I asked for a discount on a chair I was debating on and I was told no. Then two weeks later the Labor Day sale came out and I "got the $250 discount". What a poor experience. You should have just made it right the first time when you knew the sale was coming up. I also got nickel and dimed on the $250 as it did not apply to the other discount.

Our order took weeks to deliver on pieces that were not even custom and they ordered a wrong pillow. When I told the sales person of the error she made she said, "Let me price out another pillow". I had to inform her again of her error, had to take pictures of which one it was as she could not look on the sales sheet and told her I was not going to spend another dime.

Not sure how much money you need to spend at the store, but clearly $10,000 was not enough to actually get some customer service. I would not recommend Vanette as the sales person or the store. They are horrible.

Andrea K.
Elmhurst, IL

Pumped more than $50,000.00 into this project and there is neither an end in sight

Where do I begin? I will be brief. I am a homeowner of an upscale residence in Willowbrook. I placed my original order in September 2011 for a complete living room set; draperies; carpets; and accessories. I also placed an order for a complete foyer set and for a new bedroom set. I was shown some computerized renditions of what my home would look like once the projects had been completed. I was told all would be done by January, 2012. It is now almost March 1st and I have only received one couch; two living room chairs; a carpet; a bedroom chair; small living room table; and a few small accessories. Every time I make inquiries, I am rebuffed. I keep having the date of delivery for the majority of my purchases pushed back so that now I am looking at somewhere towards the "end of April". The reasoning postulated for these egregious delays are always due some nebulous "problem overseas" with production, or discontinuation of a selected fabric line. When the designated sales associate comes by, she invariably shows me some small swath of cloth stated to represent my pending color scheme. I am then supposed to use my fertile imagination to pretend to comprehend how this swath translates into a full set of draperies or a chair, which, admittedly is far beyond my capabilities.
What is the recourse? I have pumped more than $50,000.00 into this project and there is neither an end in sight, nor a reasonable facsimile of someone in charge making communication with me. I was pleased to see the Smithe Family take out an ad during this Sunday's Academy Awards Ceremony. It warms my heart to know that my hard earned money is being put to some good use. On the other hand, it would warm it a bit more to know that one of these grandiose boobs is paying attention to the henhouse while they are in film production. That's it.
Thanks for listening.
Kenneth D. Candido, M.D.

The customer service at this location is crazy poor.

Visited Store, brought home literature of items we were interested in. Our sales rep was Maureen. Called back requesting quotes. Had to email to check on quotes. Maureen had difficulties in getting the proper pricing, said she would call manufacturer and get back to us.....been 3 weeks, never heard back from her. We have a healthy budget for some custom pieces, however, the customer service at this location is crazy poor.
Elle Wood

Please read all contracts that is on a back of receipt!

Please read all contracts that is on a back of receipt! When we buy they told maximum 2 months, we are waiting 6 months not and still don't know when we will get our order! We pay 54% up front and now we can not take money back!!!! Please be careful! Because they will never tell you this when you order !!! Super nice people, but Skatchy ! They just need to sell and get commissions on sale! Then you will be giving there calling and waiting long time !!!! Stay away save your time! Thank you for reading!

Taras Senkovskyy

Our experience was horrible

Our experience was horrible, the designer was very impatient rude and she talked down to us. She was overall very confrontational stating she has 14 years of experience and then just walked away to dismiss us. She walked away using her personal cell phone compaining about how crazy her job is. I was referred to Walter E Smith by my mother in law and was excited to go and now I will never set foot in that store again if that's how they treat customers.

Lauren Cook

Defective furniture & non-existent horrible customer service.

We ordered a house full of furniture with a very nice designer and every piece delivered was defective. Walter E Smithe's NON-EXISTENT customer service department took TWO YEARS from the time I ordered my furniture, until they came and picked up up, During that time while I was trying to get this resolved, Lindsay Soukup England at Walter E Smithe and the rest of their staff would not return e-mails or phone calls for weeks at a time.

I have had to hire an attorney to finish of getting the rest of my or returned.

I ordered furniture 3 years ago and this is still going on. It is a stressful "part time job" working with this horrible company to try to get this resolved.

Give your money to some place else/ proof of purchase upon request

Ready to Curb Anything we have from WES

We had a custom sectional ordered and delivered.

By the time this couch was 2 months old, a cusion and the recliner was wearing badly. Note we were rehabbing our newly purchased home at the time, so barely had any kind of time to sit in custom built sectional. WES, allowed us to return after we were told defects due to normal wear and tear. Ended up purchasing a regular sofa, for an addtional 1500 more, had immediate issues with the seat cushions, was told I needed to upgrade them for durability.

The sectional doesnt clasp together, I am constantly puhshing it back together, 3 years later looks like it is about 15 years old, I guess I should have spent the additonal money for the upgraded cushions. After I paid extra for a couch I had to settle on. We also purchased a chest which is also falling apart. Curbing all of it and going to a place that wont rip their customers off.

Never again will I own anything from WES.

Over Priced crap is what they will sell you. Even with a warranty, its all wear and tear....

Guest-1254724
Oak Brook, Illinois

Garbage furniture and bad business practices

All of my experiences with this store have been very upsetting. First, I ordered an upholstered bed.

Made sure with our salesperson that it would fit our existing king mattresses and mechanical bed frames. Waiting a long time to get the bed in, only to find out it didn't fit (mechanical bed frame rubbed the headboard and footboard.) So then WES made me PAY for them to take it back. For THEIR mistake. And much much worse than this is, at the same time, I ordered a sectional and loveseat.

I told the salesperson I needed a fabric that would withstand daily use with pets. The fabric we received on this very expensive furniture didn't last 6 months! It is all pilled and looks HORRIBLE. But it gets worse!

In less than a year the fabric was literally running (strings pulling out at seams and along the zippers. Down feathers poke you everywhere you sit and release feathers into my room daily! And the icing on the cake, a year and a half later, it is as if whatever supports the seating on the loveseat is gone because you feel as if you are sitting on cardboard! WES should be ashamed of the quality of their furniture, the deceit of their employees and just the way they do business.

I will NEVER be back. I will also be sure to spread the word. I am sick over how much money we lost.

Leela N Zed
Verified Reviewer
Ross, Indiana

If i could give Zero stars i would.

If i could give Zero stars i would. Worst customer service ever!! Had to cancel our order after 2 months because we were lied to about our order taking 2 months, and then told it would take 9 minths. Horrible experience getting a refund, which took weeks or delays and more lies. Sad situation, this business is nothing like the friendly tv commercials!! Buyer beware!!!

Skyline A.
SoMa, San Francisco, CA