Travis Hayes Furniture

I ordered a media console back in August 2015. Finish date was supposed to be September 2015. It is now March 2016 and still nothing. The guy went ghost. Hasn’t responded to my emails or texts since early January. I’m attaching some screen shots of my texts so you can see some of the false promises I’ve gotten. Maybe he has too much work? Maybe focuses more on customs in home jobs for higher paying clients? But for sure he needs to hire someone to handle clients directly. He over promises and under delivers or in my case does not deliver at all. Looks like I’ll be going through small claims if I don’t hear from him by end of this month to get my deposit back.

Like many others reviewing Travis, I was impressed by Travis’ work, paid a deposit on a piece I wanted commissioned, and never received a thing. He promised delivery by a certain date that came and went with no explanation or apology as to why. Finally, we scheduled a delivery time not once or twice, but 3 times only for Travis to cancel on all of them after the fact. After that, I called my credit card company and opened a claim with them to dispute the charge. The charges were reversed — by my credit card company, not by Travis — and I received a text from Travis apathetically apologizing. If he had been up front with me about the delays in delivery or whatever else was going on, I would feel very differently. He had every opportunity to keep me informed and he chose not to so for that I cannot recommend him to anyone.

I am leaving this review for the simply to warn other people. I gave Travis a $ 1500 deposit mid September 2015. The items were due to be completed by 10/​30/​2015. I received 1 of the items mid November. It was a coffee table that had very poor workmanship.
Travis promised the other items would be done the following week. It is now 12/​24/​2015 and I have not received anything.
Travis offered to let me return the coffee table for a refund of my deposit. I told him to just refund the balance of $ 1050. He promised to show up and refund my money yesterday. I emailed and texted him twice and did not get a response. The entire time since he took my deposit, he has done nothing but make the same exact excuses as all the other bad reviews he has received.
I am left no choice but to file a case in small claims court.
I cannot stress enough. Do not give any money to Travis he will not deliver on any promises he makes. He seems like a nice guy when you meet with him but he is not. DO NOT BE FOOLED.

Update: Travis — you have done so much harm to all independent furniture makers out there. You give each and every one of them a bad name. Travis contacted me on ¹²⁄₁ and told me he would refund my money plus interest on ¹²⁄₄. I have still not seen a penny. He has changed the name of his business to hide from everyone he has stolen money from. Now he is @weareeitheror — do not give this thief any money!!!

New business name: Either Or. In short, see all negative reviews. Giving up after nearly four months past our promised delivery date. Please refund our deposit.

I am sad to write that my experience has been similar to others here.
I found Travis on Craigslist. I like to support smaller artisans working to make unique pieces.
I visited Travis’ shop we talked about his work and it was good to see him doing great work.
We were in contact over a couple of months and I decided to order a media console.
I sent Travis $ 500 as a deposit. I have tried to check in with him many times and I have not heard back.
I really would like to have that piece but I’m not sure it’s coming.
At this point I don’t know what to do.
Seems the next step is to contact BBB.

THIEF! It’s been the most stressful buying experience I’ve ever had. At his point, I can’t call it a buying experience because I have paid Travis $ 1,325 and received NOTHING.
I found him on craigslist in August. I checked out his website and his work looked great. I made the mistake of not checking Unilocal for reviews before contacting him. I sent Travis an email in August 2015 and he responded right away. Over the course of 2 weeks we were in touch over email to go over the specs for two dressers. He sent over a contract and drawings and everything seemed on the up and up. I paid 50% up front or $ 1,325. The delivery estimate was for Sept 25-​Oct. 10. I began reaching out to Travis at the beginning of October to arrange the delivery. I never heard back. Sadly, at this point, that is the end of the story. I have contacted Travis by email, phone, and text MULTIPLE times and have yet to receive a single response. I cannot tell you how disappointed I am. There is no other way to describe what he has done up to this point except to say he stole $ 1,325 from me. I will be filing a report with the Better Business Bureau today. DO NOT HIRE HIM.

Do NOT use this guy. He is terrible. Just a warning he will take money from you and will not be in contact with you!!!

Travis Hayes has caused me an inordinate amount of stress and cost. I am still waiting for a full refund from him which he promised me over and over again. It is now in the hands of American Express and thank God I purchased through them. He told me he was delivering on the Monday after weeks and weeks of excuses and then the following Thursday made an excuse he had to fly out of town. I don’t care waiting if there are timing issues or other but I cannot tolerate lies and deceit. If he had told me from the outset he could not deliver on time then I would have made the decision to go with him or not. But don’t tell me that he can deliver in a month, take my money and then cause me a HUGE amount of stress, time, angst and cost chasing him for delivery, communication or refund. Not acceptable.

I actually started a Unilocal account because I saw several dissatisfied people who were either waiting forever for Travis to finish a piece or were under the impression that he was scamming them. In the end, I am very happy with his work and only deduct a star because his communication and customer service were poor, but when you get him on the phone you can tell that he’s trying to get a lot done and probably should have just given better delivery estimates on the front end because he’s swamped.
So, I ordered a low walnut media console in a custom length and height back in early February and he delivered it last night. It really is beautiful with cleverly matched grain, well-​finished, and sturdy. I’ll post a pic later. After meeting him I actually feel a bit sorry that I harassed him so much. 4.5 months was really not that long to wait for nice custom furniture and had he told me June delivery I would have still ordered it, especially if I knew how nice it would be. So, my advice to those who are waiting is to just stay in touch with him, expect some delay, but know that he’s not stealing money, but rather he’s a one man shop trying to start something that uses his special talents with wood. Note to Travis: work on managing your pipeline and stay in touch with people, given the quality of your work there is no need for you to get bad reviews based on logistics. Thanks.

DO NOT TRY TO BUY FURNITURE FROM THIS PERSON! UNRELIABLE AND DISHONEST! HE TAKES YOU MONEY, STRINGS YOU ALONG, AND NEVER DELIVERS! I ordered a media center from Travis in March, 2015, and paid the 50% deposit. He promised delivery by April 15. Reading the reviews on Unilocal,I did anticipate delays and I would have been surprised if I got it by then, but I was willing to wait. Never did I anticipate that it would drag out for months with endless dishonest text messages and cancelled appointments, only to be forced to dispute the charge with Amex after non delivery and stopped communication. The lies included the piece wasn’t ready, it needed more oil, other jobs took longer. By mid May, I pressed him and he admitted to lying to me and that the piece wasn’t even done yet. By the end of May after promising to honor his word and several more missed deliveries, he had to go away due to a family emergency. I gave him until ⁶⁄₃ which he again promised to have it to me. On ⁶⁄₄ I asked him for the status. No response so I called Amex to dispute the charge and ended up buying something else from Crate & Barrel. Shame on me for not paying attention to all the other reviews. Shame on Travis Hayes for taking my money, blatantly lying and never delivering.

This has been the worst buying experience of my life. I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy. I’m going to give a synopsis of what was the most ridiculous buying situation I’ve ever been in which sounds nearly identical to the other 1 star reviews on this website.
Jan 27, 2015. I saw a post on Instagram that there was a sample of the Line Media Console I’d been eyeing available for only $ 550. I immediately messaged Travis asking if it was available. When he said it was, I nearly died. I was so happy and so excited for this piece. We had a conversation about delivery, to which he said IF he couldn’t get it to me that weekend (due to a kitchen install), he’d get it to me that next week.
After multiple calls, messages and failed delivery promises, I had given up that I was getting the piece I paid for. One time Travis had a cold, one time it was raining, one time he was on the way from Pasadena (15 minutes from me) but never showed, one time he said he was loading it and it broke so he had to build a new one.
Fast forward to Feb 24^th, 2015 when my media console was delivered. Looked good — except the shelves were missing. He promised he’d send them that say when he got back to his shop. Also, Travis had promised me a refund for delivery and more for my inconvenience. He magically forgot this check for my refund.
After he left and a looked closer, the workmanship is shit. You can see the glue where he glued it together. The wood isn’t sanded properly and every time I dust I get a splinter.
Fast forward to May 25, 2015. I still text Travis and ask about my shelves. He’s sent me fake tracking numbers at least 3 times. Whenever he posts on Instgram I ask him about my shelves and ask him to respond to me, but he always deletes my comments. I’m sure he wants to keep scamming and my comments hurt his business of fooling people into thinking he’s an honest and reliable man.
Don’t buy anything from this person. He’s a crook.

Buyer beware. Travis took a 50% deposit of $ 415 from me for a custom media console in December, for delivery in January. My experience mirrors those of other unhappy customers — it began with a pattern of non-​communication, and then when pressed, excuse upon excuse for his failure to deliver my order. Additionally, after I cancelled my order, he has failed to refund my deposit, despite repeated promises to pay me back. Each exchange features patronizing, crocodile-​tear messages about how badly he feels for wasting my time. He spends more effort crafting insincere apologies than he does making any furniture. I don’t need you to comfort me while you are screwing me, Travis.
I don’t believe the other reviewers that give five stars for early deliveries, and speak positively of Travis’s character — I’ve been to his shop and shaken his hand too. The place was a mess and there was one old, dusty console on display, one of the earliest examples from his blog — not the abundance of options that another Unilocaler suggested. I assume the happy customers are his friends.
I am reluctant to initiate a small claims case because I don’t believe that he would end up paying me after the judgement anyway. It would be just a bunch of wasted energy for a symbolic victory. I just want my freakin money. Unilocal and BBB complaints are my only reasonable recourse. Really the worst consumer experience I’ve ever had.

Update
After letting Travis Hayes know I have contacted the better business bureau and consumer affairs criminal division, also the bureau of electronic appliance and repair home furnishings and thermal insulation through the attorney generals office he claims he is trying to refund me. I have got no refund.
I suggest you all email them too. At:

Do not order custom furniture from Travis.
He repeatedly lied about the piece being done, ready for delivery, ready to be picked up, and then didn’t show, didn’t call, put things off, and told obvious repeated lies about why.
I ordered a custom media center in early October. Travis said it would be about three weeks. By January, after constantly calling and getting brushed off, he finally said it was complete and he would deliver it.
Weeks later, still no piece. He screened his calls and didn’t respond to texts or emails, except to make excuses, some of which were ludicrous.
For example, one of the many Saturdays he said he would deliver the piece, he never showed or called. Days later he did respond, apologizing that he had to be in Beverly Hills for a custom job that day. I live a quarter mile from Beverly Hills.
After the last aborted delivery (for a piece that I am confident never existed; he never sent a picture or any evidence of its existence) Travis agreed that it had indeed been an inexcusable delay and agreed to refund my 50% deposit.
He agreed to send the refund the next day via Square Cash (he uses Square to process credit cards). It is perhaps the easiest method of sending money on the face of the Earth.
Unsurpsingly, disappointingly, he continued to make excuses over the next week as to why I still had not received my refund.
Only yesterday (after I posted a few passive aggressive comments to his Instagram feed, where he was posting pictures of other completed jobs) did Travis finally send my $ 325 refund. This was nearly 5 months to the day since I ordered the media console and paid the deposit after being promised delivery in 3 weeks time.
This was without a doubt the worst customer service experience I have ever encountered.
If Travis has a completed piece you can just buy on the spot, I will say that his stuff is nice and inexpensive. Before ordering from him, I drove down and checked out his shop. Had my furniture been delivered, assuming it was of the same quality as what I saw in his shop, I would have likely ordered again.
However, if you give Travis money for something he says he will do in the future: you just got scammed.

I have yet to receive my furniture since my last review, however, I have received several misleading emails and messages from Travis claiming that he is dropping off my furniture or refunding my money. Then he disappears again and stops responding to my messages again. I also received a strange response to my review from one of Travis’s friends (who are the only ones that leave positive messages on his profile) and several messages from other disgruntled customers who were also swindled by this guy. Travis is a thief. He will take your deposit and disappear like he did to so many other customers.

I’m really torn on how to rate my experience with Travis. On one hand he delivered a finely-​built custom entertainment console. On the other hand, I have never endured such awful customer relations. It’s really hard to put into words how bad it was. I’ve detailed our interaction below for those interested. Travis originally told me that he would complete my console in two to three weeks. Well, after three months, numerous calls, texts, and emails that went unanswered, and too many broken promises, I finally received my console unit (but not without additional issues). Travis makes quality furniture; it’s just a matter of how much hassle you are willing to put up with. And judging by some of the reviews, it appears I am not the only one. I hope this was all just a function of a new small business going through some growing pains, but you should be wary before you decide to work with him.
Detailed account of our interactions:
I came across Travis’ work on Craigslist while looking for an entertainment console for an oddly shaped space in my new apartment. Most of the major furniture stores did not make a piece with the dimensions I needed so the idea of a custom piece, if the price was right, was appealing. Travis work looked like the style I was going for and offered custom design. I reached out to him to inquire about a piece. Here is the entire chronology of my interactions with Travis:
* Email exchange with Travis beginning in late August — he was highly responsive and very competent in transferring my rough sketches of what I wanted to an impressive design. We went back and forth for a few days and I finally decide to purchase an entertainment console for $ 595 plus $ 150 for shipping. Travis asked for the payment upfront. Given the custom nature of the piece, I understood why he would need some assurance to my seriousness and I made the payment. He said the project would take 2 weeks.
* Emails on ⁹⁄₁₂ and ⁹⁄₁₆ go unanswered.
* I received a text on ⁹⁄₁₇ saying the console will be done in 2 – 3 days.
* Email on ⁹⁄₂₃ goes unanswered.
* Travis texts me on ⁹⁄₂₉ (after a number of calls go unanswered) and informs me he has been in Nevada tending to a sick grandparent.
* We speak on the phone on ⁹⁄₃₀ and Travis informs me that the console should be arriving on ¹⁰⁄₃ or ¹⁰⁄₄.
* A FedEx shipping label is created on ¹⁰⁄₆ and forwarded to me. However, FedEx never receives a package. Travis refuses to answers my calls through ¹⁰⁄₁₄.
* On ¹⁰⁄₁₄ Travis calls and says he will be in the San Francisco area (my home) that weekend and can deliver the console in person and refund me for shipping. We make arrangements for him to drop off the piece on ¹⁰⁄₁₉.
* Travis no-​shows on ¹⁰⁄₁₉ without calling, texting, or emailing. I spent the entire afternoon sitting in my apartment waiting on him.
* He emails on ¹⁰⁄₂₀ and says he lost his phone the night before at a party and that’s why he never called. It’s a funny excuse because based on other Unilocal reviews, he did the same thing a few weeks earlier. He tells me he will be shipping the next day.
* Travis goes radio silent until ¹⁰⁄₃₀. During that time I leave a number of voicemails where I threaten him with legal action unless I am refunded or receive my console in perfect condition.
* Travis emails on ¹⁰⁄₃₀ and says he has no excuse for not shipping yet. He promises me the console will arrive on ¹¹⁄₄. He also offers to reimburse my shipping cost.
* No change in the FedEx package tracking as of ¹¹⁄₄. I call Travis and again threaten legal action a number of times with no response.
* Travis texts on ¹¹⁄₆ and says that if he does not ship that evening, he will refund my money. The question is — why is that even an option? Either he has completed my customer-​built console and would want to recoup the cost by delivering it to me or, he hasn’t built the thing at all and would just refund me? If he has built the piece why is not shipping it an option? So confusing to me…
* I finally receive confirmation that FedEx has taken possession of a package on ¹¹⁄₇.
* The console arrives on ¹¹⁄₁₁. It is missing the entire metal base, the center section of cabinets are 2.5 inches too short (I specifically asked for 13 inches to allow for my modem to stand up), the internal shelves are missing, as is my shipping refund check for $ 150. I immediately call Travis and inform him of my dissatisfaction. He replies the next day via text and says that including the base and shelves and check would have exceeded FedEx Ground’s size limits. He claims the second package (which he never told me about) should arrive by week’s end.
* A number of email and text exchanges follow over the next week and finally on ¹¹⁄₂₁ (two weeks after he mailed the first package) does the second part ship.
* The second package finally arrives on ¹¹⁄₂₈. It included all the promised pieces, including the shipping refund.

I saw Travis’ shop and was very impressed that this small business is run by one person.
My wife and I are having a another daughter and wanted a wall unit built for storage since our girls will be sharing a room.
Travis came over and we started talking about ideas. Between him my wife and I we ended up hashing out an incredible design. This unit has lot of storage with drawers and adjustable shelving, two bars for each girl to hang clothes and we were even able to get my 3 year old daughter a twin size bed!
This unit was completely custom without the price tag. It took Travis a few weeks to get this built and installed, but well worth the wait.
My wife and I highly recommend Travis, his craftsmanship and attention to detail is incredible. I see other negative reviews on here, please remember that this is 1 man, with only two hands…
GOOD
CHEAP
FAST
Choose two.

I’ve been to Travis’s workshop, shaken his hand and seen how hard he works for his clients. He’s a great person, running a small business by himself, and he makes great work at prices that are overly fair for the quality craftsmanship.
I purchased a solid walnut console, and Travis helped me design it to fit my living room. We customized the doors and shelves to a look that I’m really excited about. Travis was easygoing through the whole process.
I highly recommend Travis and am thinking of what I want him to build next.

I purchased a desk for my in home office from Travis about 3 months ago. He was amazing to work with and crafted an amazing desk to my specs at a very reasonable price. I work from home every day and it was important to have everything that I needed in this desk from functionality to having a large work space. He delivered on every single thing promised and more.
He was a pleasure to work with and even delivered the finished product to my home for free. I have seen numerous pieces that he has made and realized that great quality and affordability are hard to come by. I don’t think somebody who is a craftsman should be abolished because of specific time constraints that come up in every day life.