Pottery Barn

It seems the UWS Pottery Barn gets either one star or five stars, and that depends on who your sales agent is. My salesperson on two occasions was Zindzi. I purchased large jute carpets that had to be delivered. Zindzi made sure the transaction went smoothly. Both times the estimated window for delivery was a 2 – 4 week period, and 4 weeks was too long. Zindzi advised me to make the purchase and keep track of the delivery date. I could always cancel the purchase. Lo and behold on both occasions the delivery was made within the week. Carpets are beautiful and hypoallergenic. Zindzi is sweet, efficient, and knows her stuff. Thanks, Zindzi!

«Snide» «arrogant» and «incompetent» are some words used by other reviewers about the staff at this particular PB store and I 100% agree with them. I had a negative experience with multiple sales people during my time at this location, but Kevin was by far the worst. Snooty, arrogant, and rude. He acted like he was doing me a favor to order something that wasn’t in stock (although there was a display model of it in the store). It was so uncomfortable and unpleasant that I walked out mid-​order and ordered online that night.
Pottery Barn as a brand is great, but something is going wrong at this location and obviously I’m not the only one who has experienced it.
Go to the Chelsea location instead, where the staff are incredible pleasant.

I was threatened with physical violence by a customer and a staff member agreed with her customer.
I have been a long time and very good customer of pottery barn. I have redone my apartment in mostly pottery barn, Today I was their to pick up a few fabric samples. The staff members were busy, and the fabric samples are in a public area so I began to take a few. One of your staff members was helping a couple. The male in the couple, said the staff member hat she should «ram me with her chair.» to hurt me. And that if he was closer he would do it. And Kathy agreed with him. I am a small female.
I find that reprehensible. One should never be threatened with any sort of physical violence and staff members should not agree with that person and the least they should do is stop serving that person and kick them out of the store.
I spoke to the general manager and he was pleasant. I did not fully tell him of the threat of violence as I was very upset at the time but did inform me of how the client was being very rude and threatening and nothing was done to my knowledge.

I wanted to get some new sheets for my bed and so I went into this Pottery Barn to look at their selection. First of all, I was there for around 15 minutes and no one asked me if I needed any help. (I’ve been to other Pottery Barns in the country and there was usually someone who asked me if I had any questions or told me about special promotions in the store.)
I ended up seeing a set that was extremely comfortable so I wanted to ask if it came in other colors. When I asked about it, the sales person annoying asked me, «what color do you want? If you want to buy it I will take it out.» I asked him what color they have because if I had known about the colors I wouldn’t have asked in the first place. He told me they had it in white and brown and I kindly said thank you and walked away because I did not like the colors. I don’t understand why they didn’t display the different colors they have in store and was only willing to take it out if I was sure that I wanted to purchase it. The reason why I would go to a store is to see the product in person.
Later that day, I went onto Pottery Barn’s website and just purchased from there. They had a better selection online and their return policy is pretty good. I would suggest that you skip this store because it was a waste of time for me.

I cannot believe what poor customer service this store has. I ordered $ 1300 of items on a 25% off $ 1000 sale day. I learned the next day one of the items was out of stock in the color I wanted. I called four times and spoke with four different associates until I got one who told me she would be able to order the items and manually adjust for it the next day. She also said she would add another item to the order so I could get the 25% off since I spent well over $ 1000.
Instead of doing that, I was charged full price for the two additional items on my credit card and spent at least an hour on the phone (including 40 minutes on hold) to try to straighten it out. I ended up cancelling both orders because I had zero confidence the matter would be rectified. All in all a terrible shopping experience.

This is the first time I’ve ever reviewed anything on Unilocal,but I felt the need to warn others: Be careful about ordering things for delivery! My boyfriend and I ordered a couch on June 15 and still haven’t received it two months later. The original delivery window has been pushed back twice and we have no guarantee on when it’s coming. We have had to make alternative arrangements for guests, and now I have to push back my housewarming party. I’m pretty surprised and disappointed. I’d expect this from a small mom and pop, not a major home furnishings chain! It wasn’t even a special couch. It was the cheapest thing they had. Needless to say I will never shop here again.

I bought two lamps today. My shopping experience was nice and our sales associate was wonderful and friendly. We love the product quality at Pottery Barn!
On another shopping day at PB, a sales associate named Kevin went out of his way to help us. He’s awesome!

This is a 4 star brand. The 1 star is for an experience at this westside site. My sales nightmare began with a simply query and concluded with me purchasing much less than I would have because of the unfortunate attitude of a salesperson. No! Not a salesperson. The nightmare is called «Lucy» (who works the floor) AND who is actually an Assistant Store Manager! Being snide, abrupt, and arrogant is her retail mantra. In retrospect, I feel like I fled the store to avoid this misclassified «sales» person.
PB HR: Some people are simply not geared to be around other people. Read this review and the others. Is there is a systemic problem at this store? (A good question is that if Lucy is affecting a customer like me this way, what is she doing to the rest of your staff?)
The Chelsea location is small but the staff are at least helpful. If you have to shop at this Broadway store, avoid Lucy.

Worst store ever!!! Worst customer service!!! Am I disturbing you by wanting to buy something!!! If I want to buy something why should I feel like PB is doing me a favor. I had to leave the store and purchase my items online because I felt like I was unworthy in the store because the associates were so rude and nasty. I wish I could give it 0 stars!!! Is anyone in PB management looking at these horrible reviews? When your customers become unimportant, you become unimportant to the customer, and the for lease sign goes up on Broadway and 67^th Street.

A child’s excitement of opening a gift on Christmas is magic. His eyes brighten while tearing open the present, and his laughter echoes when he plays with the new gift. Unless it’s the wrong delivery.
Dealing with customer service to correct to problem is even more frustrating for the parent. I called the customer service phone number listed on their website. First person transferred me to a second. The second person transferred me to a third. (Apparently, my mom ordered it from the store, so need another dept.). Third person transferred me to a person in a store located in Illinois, who was unsure why I was calling her. Fourth person told me to call the store where mom purchased the present. Called store. Fifth person told me to return it to the Manhattan store, which would be sixth person. After explaining that it would cost $ 20 to place the package in a cab and $ 20 to return in a cab, she told me that she would send another one that I would receive in one week, which would be January 9^th (I called on Dec 31^st). After explaining that Amazon is more customer friendly on returns, she offered to ship it overnight. No idea why.
Interesting experience … for my son to receive his Christmas present from his grandma …

I am really disappointed with the service that I have had to endure during three separate trips to pottery barn. The employees were absent and those that seemed available avoided you like the plague. Those that helped operated at a snails pace and didn’t get the support they needed from the team responsible for the inventory. I cannot believe they are considered to be one of the top furniture stores with this kind of service.

I went to Pottery Barn looking for replacement bowls for a set of dishes that I inherited and are at least 40 years old, and had the good fortune to be helped by Kathy W. who not only suggested bowls that would complement my set, but also told me about several websites where I could try to find the original pattern. I was able to find the original pattern, so I didn’t need to buy a set from Pottery Barn, but although the store didn’t make a sale, I will certainly go back to Pottery Barn and look for Kathy the next time I need to purchase household items.

Absolutely terrible order processing. They may had nice items on display, but their order processing system must be from the stone age. For any order (even if it says available), expect at least a 2 month lead time. For example, I ordered a custom-​upholstery rocking chair, with an indicated lead time of 6 – 8 weeks. They delivered the rocking chair in about 4 – 5 MONTHS (so more like 16 weeks lead time). Recently, I attempted to order a personalization item. I was told I had to call them and after spending a good hour on the phone giving them all the specifications for the personalization order, I was told someone would call to confirm shipment. Well, someone did call to leave a voicemail, asking me to provide all the item order and personalization details again. Of course, whenever anyone only leaves you a phone number to call back, chances are you are never going to reach them. Straight to voicemail, repeatedly. In this day and age, how can a company like Pottery Barn not offer email assistance/​customer service?
On top of this, they charge outrageous processing fees, so be ready to add a 20% premium to any order.
I’m not sure why Restoration Hardware gets a bad rap for customer service. Some of their items have a big lead time, but they’re honest about it on the website and when you place your order.

Biggest selection in manhattan I’ve been to so far… A lot of furniture upstairs and downstairs.
Mary was very helpful and did an amazing job finding me a bed. She took her time even though other customers kept coming up to her, she was able to help them as well as continue helping me. She took out a measuring tape, was looking online, showed me every bed in the store, and took out their catalogue.
I’m very picky and took a long time but finally found the one! She was so nice and patient with me. She even called a couple weeks later to see how I liked it.
So good customer service and also a good selection of items for every part of your house. Still a lot more stuff online, but definitely the best location I’ve been to.

Clean, nicely decorated — public restrooms downstairs, but you’ll need a key from an employee.

HORRIBLE customer service at this location. Not only do the associates have attitude but they’re also incompetent. They pulled incorrect merch after reviewing with me the order, like 5 times — as if I don’t understand English. Honestly, I was astounded by their lack of professionalism. And these associates are all full grown people, not teens workin a cash desk. PB’s merch team does a great job of pulling this store together but the associates tear it apart pretty quickly with their crappy customer service. Avoid.

I could have gone on Craigslist if I wanted a USED rug.
Last December we were looking for a good floor lamp. Most places had bargain basement style with high end prices, so on a whim we walked into Pottery Barn, and I saw the one I wanted right when we walked in the door. It was a crystal and blackened brass lamp all the way in the back. We checked it out, and it was only around $ 400. They didn’t have any nice shades, so we’ve been looking online for one every once in awhile. Still have a temporary shade on it, but, the point is, my first ever Pottery Barn purchase was a success. And NOW…
Yesterday, we went to PB to look at wool rugs. The cat started scratching at my hand made New Zealand rug that I’ve had forever, and probably will have a long long time, so I rolled it up and put it in storage until Sophie meets her fate. So anyhow, we were looking for a throw away rug that Sophie can hack up and our six month old can spit up on, etc. Home Depot, might I add, has an surprisingly great assortment of wool rugs, but $ 1599 was a little more than throw away rug prices, so my wife found some at PB for cheap. There were two that were worth deciding on for us, and we walked out $ 810.03 lighter, and with the promise on delivery between 9 – 12 today.
Today, we got the rug at 1pm, which is fine, but after I removed the tape, and unrolled it, I noticed some tape at the other end also, «Oh great, we got a return!». Immediately, Sophie started sniffing it and rolling in it, never seen her do that before, and on closer inspection, it was caked in dog hair. I also found finger nail clippings, potato chip crumbs, and foot marks from where a sofa once sat.
Now I get to tear down the vacuum cleaner and totally detail that so we don’t spread dog hair on the other carpets in the house. Great. I’m uploading some pictures. The lamp, the rug, sofa marks, and our vacuum after ONE pass over this filthy rug. The vacuum was empty when I started. We need this rug, so our girl doesn’t have to play on the hardwood floor, so I’m just gonna clean it a few more times and air the smell out of it.
Oh, did I fail to mention that yesterday we got an estimate on a leather couch from PB? I’ve always been a boycotter. There is a 10 to 1 ratio of unsatisfied customers who don’t complain and just don’t return, to, customers who do complain, get their problem fixed, and return. I’m one of those that complains AND doesn’t return. By sending us a used rug, they lost $ 3800 on a leather sofa we were willing to buy within the next couple of weeks. We’re gonna give Pottery Barn a break… a break from counting our money any time soon.
UPDATE (12-​11-​2012) Several things have happened since I wrote the review you may have just read:
1. We found a nice home for Sophie where she has another cat to play with.
2. We unrolled the rug we replaced, and the one in my review is in storage.
3. Pottery Barn flagged most of the pictures of the nastiness I unrolled the day we got the rug from them. The potato chip crumbs, fingernail clippings, and dog hair…
And 4. I’m writing this from our brand new Chesterfield leather sofa. It’s the same one they had in the store for $ 2799 plus $ 1000 in shipping and taxes. But we went straight to the manufacturer who just happened to be having a 40% off sale, and saved hundreds. And we got it in a worn out looking bomber jacket soft brown leather that Pottery Barn did not offer. Boycotting is SO satisfying.

Absolutely awful customer service at this location and PB’s online registry is totally shady!!!
I called to confirm they had some items on my classmate’s wedding registry. On my second call, I asked Libby to put the items on hold for me and I would pick them up later that afternoon. She asked for my name and phone number, so I believed it was good to go.
A good eight hours later (ample time to put these things on hold, in my opinion), I stand in the crazy long line that is moving as slow as molasses. I finally get to the front of the line and they can not find my items on hold anywhere. I wait for a good ½ hour while they try to hunt down the items since they are nowhere on the floor. FINALLY, they find the items, and guess what? They can not gift wrap it because their gift wrapper person isn’t working. Ummmm, how hard is it to stuff a box and wrap it?
Also, the online registry had items that were last year’s merchandise at regular prices. When I called to check on the candle holders (again, on the registry), I was told they were on major clearance from 2010 for $ 1.83 each. Online they were $ 19.99! So beware online consumers, you may be paying through the nose for something less than one tenth of the price at the store!
I am never shopping here again!

Dear Pottery Barn,
Your throw pillows and scented candles are giving me a headache. Too many pillows!!! They aren’t even comfy! Why would anybody need so many pillows? And your colors this season all look washed out. I would have thought that it was impossible for a story to fail to produce adecent shade of blue, but you’ve managed it!
The quality seems decent, but it just wasn’t my style. There’s too much clutter and too many dust collectors for my taste. And the sofas and chairs are just big for bigness’s sake.
The stars are for the staff, who were courteous and didn’t try to push me to by the towels that I had come in to look at when it turned out that they didn’t match the shade I’d seen online.

Since moving into my new apartment less than a block away I have made quite a few visits to this location of Pottery Barn — thanks in part to a few gift cards I received as house-​warming presents… I got all my kitchen glasses (around 2 dozen — I host a lot of dinner & drinks parties) plus all of my bathroom towels and floor mat and shower curtain here.
I’ve never really been a fan of places like this, but when shopping around all the local available options for home furnishings and kitchen supplies, taking everything into consideration — out of William Sonoma, Gracious Home, Bed Bath and Beyond, West Elm, etc. — this place was definitely the most «Me.»
Everything here is durable and tasteful — in the store the music is never offensive, the employees are never imposing or condescending or impatient, and overall the atmosphere and shopping experience is not just warm and pleasant but also highly enjoyable.