In daily life, custom home furnishings have become a choice for many people when decorating their homes due to their personalized, differentiated nature and the ability to tailor them according to consumer needs. However, some consumers have reported issues with low-price traps, additional charges for extra items, miscalculations and false reporting, and substituting inferior materials for good ones in custom home furnishings, turning what was meant to be a "hassle-free" decoration plan into something "annoying."
Among the complaints on People's Daily Online's "People's Complaints" platform, those regarding the quality of custom home furnishings are not few: some involve substandard board materials, some have poor installation craftsmanship, some have measurement errors in customization, and others even involve substituting inferior materials for good ones or cutting corners.
A reader from Beihai City, Guangxi, Ms. Song, said, "I purchased cabinet bodies from a well-known furniture brand at the time, but after two years, there is still a strong odor, along with issues such as board deformation, mold, insect infestation, and rusting metal fittings." Ms. Song suspects that the merchant used inferior board materials, and the merchant has consistently refused to provide information such as the cabinet board model, production address, and formal qualified inspection reports, further increasing her concerns.
"Choosing custom home furnishings is meant to entrust tasks like wardrobes, kitchen cabinets, and wall cabinets to a single company. This ensures a more unified style and reasonable coordination. It also saves us hassle, as we don't have to frequently visit building material and furniture markets or coordinate with different decoration companies," said Mr. Qin, a reader from Xicheng District, Beijing. "However, the prerequisite is to find a reliable company, as every step in the decoration process can affect the final outcome."
It is understood that custom home furnishings involve multiple steps such as measurement, design, procurement, production, and installation. "Sometimes, issues with custom home furnishings are not intentional on the part of the company but arise from problems at a particular step," said one industry professional. "If strict oversight cannot be maintained at every step, or if any work deviates from the standard, it may lead to unsatisfactory final results."
Beyond quality issues and unsatisfactory results, some custom home furnishings companies engage in fraudulent practices. Mr. Wu from Yibin City, Sichuan, left a message on People's Daily Online's "People's Complaints" platform stating, "Previously, I had tentatively agreed with a furniture company on a total price of 39,800 yuan for whole-house custom furnishings, including wardrobes, kitchen cabinets, and a 21,000-yuan furniture package, with an additional free bed and an automatic clothes rack as gifts." Mr. Wu said that after he paid the balance, the merchant refused to fulfill the furniture and gifts stipulated in the contract, claiming that an additional expenditure of over 10,000 yuan in the store was required to honor the promise. "Isn't this clearly fraud and breach of contract?"
Other consumers have reported, "I initially signed a contract for 30,000 yuan and paid a deposit, but before delivery, the other party sent another contract totaling 56,700 yuan, demanding the difference be paid before shipping." One netizen commented, "I spent over 100,000 yuan on whole-house custom furnishings, only to find out that the company was only responsible for measurement, design, and delivery, and installation required an additional fee." All such incidents leave consumers with headaches.
"Whether the merchant's actions are intentional fraud and breach of contract or stem from a lack of professionalism leading to design and installation issues, they infringe upon consumers' legitimate rights and interests," said Li Yumei, a professor in the Department of Law at China Agricultural University. According to the Civil Code, if one party fails to perform its contractual obligations or performs them inconsistently with the agreement, it shall bear liability for breach of contract, including continuing performance, taking remedial measures, or compensating for losses. "However, which issues constitute breach of contract and which constitute fraud should be determined based on specific circumstances."
How can market behavior be regulated, consumer rights protected, and the custom home furnishings industry develop healthily? Many readers believe that while merchants should improve service quality and product standards and operate with integrity, industry associations and market regulatory departments should also play an active role. Market regulatory departments should strengthen supervision and inspections and promptly handle complaints from consumers of custom home furnishings. Industry associations should also enhance self-regulation, actively participate in inspections and oversight of custom home furnishings services and products conducted by relevant administrative departments, and improve industry standards.
Experts recommend that when purchasing custom home furnishings services, consumers should focus on selecting brands and merchants with strength and high credibility, fully understanding the company's custom home furnishings service products. At the same time, they should carefully review the relevant terms of the contract, detailing aspects such as brand materials, dimensions and styles, production processes, payment agreements, delivery and installation, and after-sales service into the contract terms, and sign with caution.
"Consumers should retain evidence such as contracts, proof of purchase, and communication records with the merchant. In the event of a dispute, consumers should first negotiate with the merchant. If negotiation fails, they can file a complaint with regulatory authorities or request mediation through consumer associations. They may also file a civil lawsuit with the People's Court to resolve the dispute," said Li Yumei.
