Do you think this is acceptable? - FINAL Update at end!

[dr.girlfriend]

I've been so excited for this cabinet I ordered from Anthropologie -- I basically designed my whole bathroom renovation around it.  It came today.  Here's what it should look like:




And here's the one I received.  I understand there can be natural variation in wood, but to me this is way too different -- the one piece seems like a completely different wood with a completely different stain, and it's very dull where the rest is glossy.  WDYT?

[whitemerlot]

I would not be happy with that. I'd return it and get a new one. Is there any chance to buy in store?

[pumpkin]

I wouldn’t be happy with that either.

[dr.girlfriend]

Jul 24, 2021 16:10:37 GMT -5 whitemerlot said:

I would not be happy with that. I'd return it and get a new one. Is there any chance to buy in store?

No, I wish.  It's catalogue only.  They don't even have a model to view in the stores.  I might be able to return to the store though.  Thinking I might get a second and then just return them both if they are all going to be like this (sob).  Thanks for the corroboration, though.  My son said I was being too picky.  

[simpsongal]

I’m sorry. I’d take it back too

[SusanBAnthony]

I'd call customer service and ask them to inspect one before sending a replacement.

My work sells wood things. There is wood variation and some people are just picky. But that is way way way beyond anything they should have sent out. In a case like this if something escaped that was this bad, we would be doing a special inspection for the customer to make sure the re-make had nicely matched wood grain.

[dr.girlfriend]

Jul 24, 2021 18:08:12 GMT -5 SusanBAnthony said:

I'd call customer service and ask them to inspect one before sending a replacement.

My work sells wood things. There is wood variation and some people are just picky. But that is way way way beyond anything they should have sent out. In a case like this if something escaped that was this bad, we would be doing a special inspection for the customer to make sure the re-make had nicely matched wood grain.

Thanks!  I was wondering if something like that was ridiculous to ask -- nice to know it's an actual procedure, at least at some places!  This thing is huge and heavy and I am not looking forward to returning one, let alone two.  On the bright side, I was thinking I'd have to take it back to the Anthropologie store right in the city, which would be impossible to find parking close by, and then I'd have to figure out how to haul this thing from the car to the store.  I didn't realize there are two stores in the suburbs too, so that'll make returns easier assuming I can return to store.

I did do the customer service chat, but they said since it's "furniture" I have to contact their furniture customer service, which is only available on weekdays.  I emailed so I could send the photo.

[aspentosh]

I feel like I can be pretty lax with wood stains and variation, but that is glaring and not something I'd want to live with

[aprilsails]

What type of wood is it? There are certain types that have that level of variability and I wouldn’t order a second if I knew this was likely to happen again.

[dr.girlfriend]

Jul 26, 2021 8:02:14 GMT -5 aprilsails said:

What type of wood is it? There are certain types that have that level of variability and I wouldn’t order a second if I knew this was likely to happen again.

This is the only thing in the description related to the wood:

• Handcarved wood, mother-of-pearl and brass inlay
• Natural Wood Cabinet: Slight variation in natural wood texture will occur

[ellipses84]

It’s too much variation and I’d ask them to send a new one.

[aprilsails]

I was just wondering if it’s mango wood or acacia. They’ve been really popular with a lot of the modern homes furnishings brands and they both have pretty huge variations like that naturally, and it’s part of the look. I don’t like it here with the mother of Pearl inlay at all, so I can see why you would want to exchange it.

I hope the second one is more consistent and pretty!

[dr.girlfriend]

Jul 26, 2021 11:57:47 GMT -5 aprilsails said:

I was just wondering if it’s mango wood or acacia. They’ve been really popular with a lot of the modern homes furnishings brands and they both have pretty huge variations like that naturally, and it’s part of the look. I don’t like it here with the mother of Pearl inlay at all, so I can see why you would want to exchange it.

I hope the second one is more consistent and pretty!

Yeah, all of my endtables in both the bedroom and living room and my hall table are mango wood, and I like the noticeable grain and don't even mind the darker tone.  But it needs to be consistent within the piece!  The catalog picture shows a piece like that on the interior of the cabinet, which honestly I wouldn't care about at all, but having it front and center seems ridiculous to me.  Anyway, they emailed me back asking if I wanted to return for a refund or have a replacement sent, and I asked for a replacement and said I would appreciate a visual inspection prior to shipping.  Fingers crossed!

[dr.girlfriend]

So, here's the second one. I do consider this level of variation to be acceptable, and I'm keeping it, but overall I'm not thrilled -- especially since they agreed to visually inspect it before sending to ensure the wood was consistent.  It's so weird, if they had even flipped the second panel the other way so the darker side of the wood was adjacent to the other panel so it wasn't such a clear line right across the front, that would have been better.

[maudefindlay]

I love variation in wood and that first one was a no go for me. This second one is very pretty and I'd keep it too.

[scm1011]

Aug 7, 2021 12:13:37 GMT -5 maudefindlay said:

I love variation in wood and that first one was a no go for me. This second one is very pretty and I'd keep it too.

Agreed! I think I actually like this one better than the “perfect” version.

[dr.girlfriend]

Aug 7, 2021 12:47:23 GMT -5 scm1011 said:

Aug 7, 2021 12:13:37 GMT -5 maudefindlay said:

I love variation in wood and that first one was a no go for me. This second one is very pretty and I'd keep it too.

Agreed! I think I actually like this one better than the “perfect” version.

Yeah, I do think the variation is pretty, but combined with the inlay, and how the brass matches the lighter wood so exactly that the inlay basically disappears past that off-center delineation, makes me really wish that they had at least just flipped the second panel so you could see the whole inlaid design instead of it looking like it just cuts off.

[konapoppy]

Aug 7, 2021 13:04:14 GMT -5 dr.girlfriend said:

Aug 7, 2021 12:47:23 GMT -5 scm1011 said:

Agreed! I think I actually like this one better than the “perfect” version.

Yeah, I do think the variation is pretty, but combined with the inlay, and how the brass matches the lighter wood so exactly that the inlay basically disappears past that off-center delineation, makes me really wish that they had at least just flipped the second panel so you could see the whole inlaid design instead of it looking like it just cuts off.

I’m with you. It’s an odd choice.

[jlt19]

I’d be pretty annoyed even with the new one. I’m assuming it was pretty pricey, being from there. It is still a really stark contrast when that is not what the catalog item represented.

I understand variations in wood. But, to me, that means varied from the original picture or throughout a really big piece. This is neither of those instances, IMO.

[wildrice]

Why are you keeping the 2nd one? Honestly if I wasn't happy with the new one (and it sounds like you are not), I don't think I'd want to pay for something that is going to keep bothering me. I assume given that it's from Anthro that it was not cheap.

FWIW I think the 2nd one is pretty, but I can see what you're saying and don't disagree.

[af1212]

I would not keep the second one either.

[nicolewi]

I think I would try again with the second, too. I mean, "some variation" is different from "one board will be an entirely different color!" The second one is a huge improvement but would still bother me.

[dr.girlfriend]

Hmmm...you guys have me thinking that maybe I should try one last time, and then keep cabinet #2 if they don't do better. Honestly, I'm really irritated with their customer service. It was a giant pain to return the first one -- they send a UPS guy with a label so you have to be there but there's no notice when he's coming -- you just have to hope you're available when he shows up. AND, I posted both pictures in a review on their website and it still hasn't shown up even though it's been more than the 72 hours they say it can take to post. That along with the note that "some reviews have been incentivized" makes me feel just icky about ordering anything from them in the future, even if this experience wasn't bad enough.

[origami]

I hate to say it but I wouldn’t keep it either. I also don’t think I’d bother with a 3rd though because I think they photoshopped the example on their site to make the variation in that 3rd board less jarring. If other user photos look good though then I’d maybe give them 1 more chance

[scm1011]

Even though I like the 2nd one I'm annoyed for you. You made it clear what the issue was and if they were going to QC the new cabinet they did a piss poor job of finding one that matches the advertised model. If you have the bandwidth, I might try one more time.

[orval]

I would return and start your search over. I almost think the second is worst than the first.

[deadwing]

I wonder if you could find a local woodworker to make you a custom cabinet with an inlaid design? It would probably be more expensive, but you'd be happy with the final result.

[dr.girlfriend]

Hmmm. So I contacted them with pictures of both cabinets and said I'd like the concern to be escalated to a supervisor. They responded back with what they had said before, "Do you want to return the cabinet for a refund or do you want a replacement?" and I said I want a replacement but I want a guarantee that it will be looked at beforehand. They said "We can do a quality check beforehand" which is what they said last time. I said, "You said that last time, I'm asking again if this can be escalated to a supervisor" and they have not responded yet. I'll keep y'all posted!

[dr.girlfriend]

So, thanks to you guys I thought about it more and I decided that I *was* unhappy enough with cabinet #2 to make a fuss, especially since they specifically said they would be checking the inlay panel for matching woodgrain. So, I asked for a furniture supervisor to call me, and someone did. I wasn't able to call the same person back, but I did speak to someone who assured me they would send out a third cabinet that really, truly had been quality checked, and that I could hold on to cabinet #2 until it got here just in case it ended up being the best of the three. So, #3 arrived today and I'm happy to say it actually DID look like what I expected, and was also clearly quality-checked because there was an extra outer box with a Quality Assurance tag on it, which cabinet #2 didn't have. Overall, I'm happy with the end result, but still upset that:

1. Anthropologie never once apologized for the prior poor quality products and inconvenience of having to return them, let alone offering me a discount or anything

2. Customer service basically "ghosted" me when I asked for the concern to be escalated to a supervisor, until I emailed them back and was like, "Hey, it's been more than a week since I asked for this to be escalated, what's going on?"

3. They never posted my 1-star review, which had pictures of both cabinets that I received, on their website even though reviews are supposed to get posted online within 5 days.

It's sad that they have pretty unique products, because I don't think I'll order from them again. I'm still waiting on the towel ring from the same order I placed back in mid-July.

So, here's the final result.  There is some scuffing like marks from sandpaper around the lower left flower but at this point I will absolutely take it and be happy, and maybe try some wood oil to make that part look a little better:

[tacokick]

What an ordeal! I hate when something that should be simple ends up like to be some rigmarole.

I really like it now! I’m glad you pushed back!