FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
HOW DOES YOUR PRICING COMPARE IN THE INDUSTRY?
A good way to explain this goes like this: Many of our competitors buy a sofa from a manufacturer for $800 and put a price tag on it at retail for $2,800. In order to make you believe you are getting a deal, they then mark it down 25% to $2,100. Then if that’s not enough, every major holiday sale they discount another 10% or so bringing the price to $1,890. This scheme has led to the quality of furniture diminishing overtime so that these companies can squeeze more profit out. At Austin Ann, we don’t claim to sell the cheapest furniture, but we do make it the best. We pride ourselves on creating superior quality furniture priced competitively to inferior product lines. We don’t have the overhead and inflated budgets that these giant retailers come with so it allows us to give you an extremely well made product at incredible prices.
CAN I TRUST BUYING AUSTIN ANN FURNITURE ONLINE?
Our main goal as a custom oriented brand is to bring just that: Trust. We are putting the power back in the hands of the consumer by opening our window into the manufacturing process and showing you examples as to why our furniture is the best quality for the price in our industry. At the core of the Austin Ann brand our quality, delivery, and customer service are all aimed at exceeding the expectations of our customers. Learn more about how our products are made and the craftsmen who make them on our About Us Page.
FURNITURE MAINTENANCE
To keep your sofa looking beautiful we recommend vacuuming monthly to remove any dust, dirt, or grim that has accumulated from use. This will also help your fabric longevity.
CUSHION MAINTENANCE
When using fabric on your sofa or sectional, both sides of the cushions are covered. This allows for easy maintenance. To preserve the beauty and comfort of your custom crafted furniture, we recommend that the seat cushions be rotated and reversed to achieve uniform wear. Back cushions should also be fluffed to keep a luxurious appearance. This should be done monthly and will add years of life to your custom upholstery.
Leather cushions are one sided in order to allow for venting of air when you first sit down. You don’t want that “balloon feeling” which is a sign of poor quality and design.
HOW DO I CLEAN MY PERFORMANCE FABRIC?
We currently offer 3 performance fabrics and they each have their own characteristics and cleaning instructions.
Performance Basket Weave – Cleaning Instructions
IMPORTANT: DO NOT MACHINE WASH, DRY CLEAN, USE HARSH BRUSH OR IRON. EXPOSURE TO HIGH TEMPERATURE WILL HARM THE FABRIC
- Remove any loose debris and blot the stain
- Use soap and water to remove stain. For tough stains blot or spray bleach solution (10/1 water/bleach) on the stain and continue
- Blotting until the stain is removed.
- Rinse thoroughly
- Let the fabric air dry
Performance Chenille – Cleaning Instructions
Spot cleaning – The spot cleaning method of stain removal can be used for most light to medium stains, such as coffee, red wine, crayon, and ketchup. Be careful to brush lightly since fibers can be broken or matted in the cleaning process.
- Before spot cleaning, blot up liquids on the surface with a clean, soft towel. For thicker substances, use a spoon to remove any excess.
- Mix 1 tsp. of an enzyme detergent such as Tide® laundry detergent or Dawn® dishwashing detergent with 16 oz. of warm water and mix well.
- Apply the cleaning solution using a misting spray bottle.
- Use a soft brush to work the solution into the affected area. Make sure to work from the outside of the stain inward so as not to spread the stain. Rinse your sponge or brush frequently.
- Rinse thoroughly with water to remove all soap residues since soap attracts dirt.
- Blot excess moisture with a clean, soft towel or sponge.
- Repeat steps 3-7 (spray, brush, rinse, blot) as needed.
- Allow fabric to air dry.
Performance Velvet – Cleaning Instructions and Care
Our performance velvet we offer is highly durable, but does require care to keep looking as great as the day it arrived in your home. It has an inherent stain release that will aid in preventing long lasting stains.
Cleaning and Care – Spot clean only with water based shampoo or foam upholstery cleaner. Pretest a small, inconspicuous area before proceeding. Do not over wet. Do not use solvents to spot clean. Pile fabrics may require brushing with a non-metallic, soft bristle brush to restore appearance or reset nap. Cushion covers should not be removed and laundered. To prevent overall soiling, frequent vacuuming or light brushing with a non-metallic, soft bristle brush to remove dust and grime is recommended. When cleaning a spill, blot immediately to remove spilled material. Evenly clean the entire panel in a seam to seam fashion. Do not clean just the spots or stains. When an overall soiled condition has been reached and professional care is required, contact an IICRC Certified Firm who specializes in upholstery cleaning. Contact the IICRC at www.iicrc.org.
For further information contact us at support@austinann.com.
HOW DO I CARE FOR AND CLEAN MY LEATHER SOFA
Real, natural leather will wear in and not wear out.
Change your mindset! Many treat leather furniture pieces with very delicately, but good leather will take on unique character over time, and begin to slowly patina and take on the life of the owner. Think about your favorite pair of denim jeans.
Dust is the enemy! Dust absorbs moisture and will cause your leather to dry out and crack. To counteract, periodically dust with a dry cloth.
Cleaning: Less is more! First, rule is do no harm. Simply, blot the stain immediately with a dry rag to absorb all moisture. Avoid rubbing the leather and spreading the liquid. A dry white cloth will suffice in most cases. If that doesn’t do the trick, add a little mild dish soap.
Scratches: If you get an undesired scratch in your leather, use the heat of your hand or a blow dryer on low heat to smooth it out. The natural waxes and oils in our natural leathers with shift and move to cover the scratch.
Depending on your outlook, pets can be hard on leather. The oils in their skin tend to discolor the leather quickly. Potential scratches that may occur from pet nails. To keep your leather looking as good as new, it is recommended to not allow pets to get on your leather furniture.
WHY DOES MY LEATHER HAVE “MARKINGS” OR IMPERFECTIONS?
Our leathers are from bovine hides. These leathers do have these “markings”, they are not defects, but rather the natural look of the leather hide. Order swatches today.
WHAT FORM OF PAYMENT IS ACCEPTABLE?
Full payment is required at time of checkout. We accept all major credit cards. Financing is not available at this time.
HOW LONG UNTIL MY FURNITURE IS READY TO SHIP?
Our current ‘ready to ship’ timeframe is 4-6 weeks. Once your furniture is complete you will be given a call with shipping details and times. If there is any delay in materials you will be notified as soon as possible.
WHAT ARE THE SHIPPING CHARGES?
We DO NOT charge for shipping. You will receive FREE white glove delivery.
WHAT IS WHITE GLOVE DELIVERY
The furniture will be shipped to your home via a carrier, un-wrapped, and placed in your room of choice. Packaging material is removed and taken away. Once your piece is ready to ship the delivery service will call you to set up a delivery date and time that is agreeable. If unable to find a suitable time that works for both you and the carrier storage fees may apply. It can take from 1-3 weeks depending on your location for the furniture to be delivered to your home once ready. The carrier will need to be informed prior to delivery if the delivery will require use of stairs or an elevator. Please have your area or space prepared for the delivery of your furniture to make the delivery go as smoothly, and quickly as possible.
WHAT HAPPENS IF MY FURNITURE IS DAMAGED UPON DELIVERY?
Our products are inspected at multiple points during the manufacturing process and before packaging. After you receive your furniture we recommend fully inspecting it to check for any damage that may have occurred during shipping. If any damage is noted, document it immediately on the delivery company’s ‘PROOF OF DELIVERY form’ or Bill of Lading before signing to accept the shipment. In other words, inspect your piece thoroughly before the delivery service leaves your home. We recommend taking photos in order to document any damages found so that you have proper verification. By documenting the damage it will allow us to resolve the issue expeditiously. In the rare event that damages have occurred it is Austin Ann’s goal to ensure that we get the piece back to the shape it was in when it left the factory and we will work with local craftsmen in your area to facilitate the repair at our cost.
PLEASE DO NOT REFUSE DELIVERY
Should you refuse delivery you will be charged a 15% return fee. Any damages to the piece upon return will be the customers responsibility to repair. Call our support line directly or send us an email at support@austinann.com so that we may help.
CAN I CHANGE OR CANCEL MY ORDER AFTER I PLACE IT?
You may cancel or change your order within 48 hours of placing your order. Should a cancelation or change be requested after 48 hours, we reserve the right to charge a 10-15% fee depending upon the stage of production.
IS YOUR FURNITURE MADE IN THE USA?
All of our furniture is made in North Carolina, USA. North Carolina has a long and distinguished history when it comes to furniture. It is the home of the International Home Furnishings Market held bi-annually in High Point, North Carolina, and is home to thousands of craftsmen and artisans all over the state.
WHY 8-WAY HAND TIED?
An 8-way hand-tied sofa spring system is a tried and true technique that requires skilled craftsmanship. These highly skilled artisans tie springs eight ways, from side to side, front to back and diagonally. This allows them to build upholstered furniture that is soft, supportive, flexible, and comfortable not to mention long lasting! We also use an interlaced webbing to provide additional support of the spring seat construction and by placing heavy steel bands under each row of coils to add extra support. See photo example on our About Us page here.
WHAT TYPE OF CUSHION DO YOU USE?
We have two types of cushions. We use crown plush cushions on the vast majority of our pieces and we use comfort down cushions on a few select pieces.
The Crown Plush Cushion
This is constructed with a polyurethane foam core which provides maximum support and a capped top and bottom with a foam layer that creates initial softness. This foam layer is extremely durable and creates the high crown shape of the cushion. The foam core is wrapped with a layer of polyester fiber to add extra softness and then encased in a durable ticking fabric to add stability and added comfort. The back pillows are filled with blown polyester fiber. The pillow casing is then channeled to prevent fiber migration and to ensure a smooth and even appearance. See a photo example on our About Us page here.
The Comfort Down Cushion
The Comfort Down Cushion is made of a polyurethane foam core which provides lasting support. A layer of polyester fiber is added to enhance the softness and high crown shape of the cushion. The final layer of softness is provided by a 25/75 down blend (check out the next FAQ question for more info) blown into a channeled downproof ticking. The channeling prevents the shifting of the feathers and helps keep the cushion smooth and even in appearance. The corresponding back pillow is filled with a 25/75 down blend blown into a channeled pillow casing made of down proof ticking. This channeling also prevents the shifting of the down and ensures a smooth, even appearance. This type of cushion and back cushions give a luxurious plushness but they do require weekly fluffing to maintain their original shape. See a photo example on our About Us page here.
WHAT DOES DOWN BLEND 25/75 MEAN?
This is the type of filling used in the comfort down cushion and back cushions. It means that these cushions have a blend ratio of 25% down filling and 75% poly fiber filling.
Warranty and Return Policy
We make the finest designer quality upholstery and each of our pieces is handmade to order specifically for you. So if you are not entirely satisfied with the quality of your furniture, we offer a 30 day return policy.
Custom Furniture Return Policy
- Should you want to return your piece of furniture, you have 30 days from the date of delivery to start the return process. Email Support@AustinAnn.com to initiate this process.
- A 10% return fee will be charged on all returned items.
- Only one return per household is allowed.
- Once the furniture is returned we will inspect it thoroughly to insure no damage has occurred during shipping and the piece remains in good condition.
- We cannot accept returns on any items that have been damaged, abused, soiled, or subjected to smoke.
- If exchanging for a new piece of furniture, the new piece will be the final sale and not subject to return.
- Should there be a manufacturing defect or shipping damage (see shipping damage policy above) we will make every effort to repair the piece to its original condition when it left the factory before submitting a refund or replacement order.
- We cannot accept returns on pieces that we are unable to deliver due to size issues. (Example: the sofa will not fit into your home or room.)
- All COM orders are not subject to return.
- No returns on pieces that have been altered in any way after delivery.
- Should the piece be designated as unrepairable by an Austin Ann approved expert, we will issue a full refund or replacement and we will facilitate the product being shipped back to our factory and a replacement order will be entered immediately at your approval.
- Should you refuse Delivery you will be charged a 10% return fee. Any damages to the piece upon return will be the customers responsibility.
- Email support@AustinAnn.com to discuss.
Frame Warranty
A lifetime limited warranty is provided on all frames and spring systems to be free from manufacturing defects for the life of the product and applied for the original purchaser of the furniture. Lifetime refers to the normal use of the furniture.
DO NOT SEE YOUR QUESTION?
Email us at Support@AustinAnn.com and we will be happy to answer your questions.