We are thinking of ordering a sofa from them (Swiss website) as we don't seem to be able to find anything remotely decent in a traditional style anywhere else. The pictures are stunning, prices OK (compared to over-stylised modern monstrosities on offer in CH)... But just read some uniformly horrid reviews from UK customers... Never encountered such an ocean of absolutely dreadful experiences. Has anyone here ordered from them - and what are you views on quality of the items, delivery, customer service, etc? Would appreciate any feedback before spending CHF 1'399... (saw the old thread here, need something more up to date). Thanks!
We've bought quite a few things, mainly small furniture items, mirrors and stuff, from their shop in the Carrefour shopping mall at Mulhouse, and been very happy with it.
Have you been to their store in Dietlikon? Ive no experience with them, but it might be worth a trip to see their products. They're in Dietlikon center, near the Jumbo, Coop and Qualipet.
I have a lot of furniture from them. I bought from the French site before they had the Swiss option and had great customer service.
The only thing is the couches and arm chairs are small (which I needed) and not very heavy, which is good and bad. The quality is reflected in the price. It's much nicer than any of the Swiss options in the price category. Though I can see why the UKians would complain. I'll bet they have better quality furniture at the price.
It seems that the shops that have branches in Switzerland, not just MdM- will not let you order from France or Germany for delivery to Switzerland, as Adrian says.
Not sure about other borders- but here, if you buy from French side, they have recently changed the rules as they were abused, eg people asked for the shop to deduct TVA (VAT) as they were from Switzerland- giving some address or other- and then never go on to pay the Swiss TVA, nor import.
The French tax office cottoned on to this and stopped it. So now they have to charge you French TVA at 20%, then you have to have import forms signed at border and pay Swiss TVA at 8% - and then go back to the shop with the signed forms, or return by post- and then you will get the French TVA back. For people like us who are so close to the border- it's a pain, but doable. For many, it maybe just too complicated and time-consuming.
Thanks a lot! I am thinking of a 4-seater sofa so hope it won't be too small & light . But I can see how a leather armchair I was looking also to buy could be a bit on a tiny side, thank you for pointing that out! And yes, in Cambridge we had no problem furnishing the house quickly and beautifully - the choice of stylish tradtional well-made pieces is endless and the quality far superior to anything one finds here in the same price range. I wish there was a way to get some English furniture here without breaking the bank!
Thank you for this. I am not that bothered about tax etc, I just want to make sure the quality is OK and the customer service is at least adequate - I got spooked by the waves of universal repulsion to MdM from the UK side!
I don't know if it's like Ikea, where I gather the quality ranges from bad to better, but we bought online with Maison and I was really disappointed with the quality. I would never have bought the chest of drawers we received, made out of flimsy materials and drawers that don't sit properly, when you pull them out they drop down by an alarming degree.
I guess if you can go and visit in person, you may end up with something you like.
They do have a return policy, but the idea of trying to return a chest of drawers by mail or something was too much for us to consider. We decided to accept that we'd thrown away 500CHF.
Thanks a lot for this, very helpful. This is excatly what all the reviews were about, that's why I asked. There were a lot of complaints about chairs and chests of drawers in particular...
I guess that's a danger of buying online. In the shop it's clear that much of the furniture is 'rustic' in design and build, which is fine if that's what you want. Like a drinks cabinet we got where the door catch is literally a teardrop shaped bit of wood screwed on to the frame.
I can only imagine that the complaints were from people who'd simply not appreciated this fact.
Would it really be expensive to import somthing from the UK?
Look at it this way - a decent quality sofa will run you upwards of 4-5K here, likely quite a bit upwards if you want something other than 'Swiss Norm'.
What would the sofa you want cost in the UK? If quite a bit less, delivery here might not be that bad when you consider all in costs.
If the style you want is not available here, IMO it might be worthwhile to consider import for that reason alone.
You mentioned a 4 seater - perhaps if you give us an idea of style, material, etc we might come up with some ideas as to where to find something acceptable here at a decent (for Switzerland) price.
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FYI, for wood furniture I recommend going to a local carpenter.
I've had several pieces made here at prices that were the same or not much higher than the mass produced stuff you find in showrooms here. Far better quality and craftsmanship to boot. Perhaps surprisingly, having wood furniture made to order is generally a good value in Switzerland.
We got some things moved from Cambridge to Geneva a couple of years ago. We used one of those sites where you say what you want and then different movers offer a price. If you know what you want dimensions wise and where it is, you can get quotes.
The thing that you have to add to this if you aren't bringing in your own property is customs. I'm guessing it could still be worth it.
If you stick to their proper wood range (e.g. not fiberwood) then the quality is quite good (for Switzerland). The fiberwood range will probably not survive a move.
It's a good suggestion, but perhaps not for those who are linguistically challenged. The idea of asking for a quotation for a custom made piece in German/ Swiss German is one that I would find quite daunting! Never mind giving instructions of what I like and don't like!! I have a couple of items I'd like to get made, but every time I walk past the local Schreinerei, I go weak at the knees
Thank you for your detailed reply and advice, much appreciated. This is an approximation of style/material I am looking for - just a classic comfy sofa in a traditional vein on a bigger side for an Art Nouveau apartment (metal buttons are not a requirement ! http://www.maisonsdumonde.com/CH/de/...zza-133113.htm
Unfortunately, delivery from the UK is not something I would consider, unless this is a company that routinely arranges delivery to Switzerland and customs clearance (with resonable rates) themselves. Our friends spent 4 months, tons of money and even more nerves on their beds delivery from John Lewis, I just can't risk going through the same nightmare! As for having furniture made - most of our stuff is antique, but I draw a line at antique sofas and beds - these need to be new.. That's why we are looking. Thanks again for taking time to reply!
Time to step out of your comfort zone, Maman. Take along some sketches/ ask him to make a sketch, he will show you some materials and finishes. I am sure that the good citizens of EF can provide you with enough stock phrases that it would all fit on a pair of a4 sheets of paper.