Receiving your patio furniture can be exciting. However, mishaps do occur. How can you protect yourself against theft? Damage? Rude delivery drivers? Believe it or not, there are things you can do before your patio furniture even arrives.
Non-Signature Patio Furniture Orders
Many patio furniture products do not require a signature to be delivered. One example of this is anything shipped UPS Ground. Generally, those patio furniture orders are left at your door, and you will find it waiting for you when you arrive home.
If you are concerned about your patio furniture being stolen, and you cannot be home to accept it, go ahead and call the shipping company with instructions on where to leave it. (You actually can provide these instructions to the retailer at the time you place your patio furniture order, but sometimes people forget.) When you call the shipping company, make sure to have your tracking number available. If you do not have it, or you would prefer not talking to the shipping company, then call the retailer you ordered from, and ask if they will do it.
When a Signature is Required for your Patio Furniture
Many delivery companies (particularly freight) require a signature to deliver your patio furniture. This may require you to take time off from work, but they should call you ahead of time to arrange a drop-off date and time. Once you make an appointment, try not to miss it! Companies will generally call you back to make another appointment, but you risk having your entire patio furniture order returned to the retailer or manufacturer… and you may have to pay extra shipping to get it back!
When your patio furniture arrives, remember that you do not have to accept a damaged package… you can refuse to sign, and send the patio furniture back. So, inspect the package on the truck if you can to see if the box is too damaged. It is typical for the package to be a little dented without harming the patio furniture. However, if you aren’t satisfied with the condition, then do not accept the shipment. If the driver insists on leaving it anyway (most are nice, but some of these guys are jerks), then call the shipping company and they will end up eating the cost of picking up and returning the order to the retailer or manufacturer. (If it’s too frustrating, you can call the retailer and ask them to arrange it.)
Getting Replacement Patio Furniture
When you refuse an order, call the patio furniture retailer immediately. They will confirm with the shipping company and arrange a replacement for you. Some companies will wait to receive the return before shipping you replacement patio furniture, but they should be willing to ship one immediately if you mind don’t paying for the product a second time… just make sure they refund your first order when they receive it back!
Note that unless the patio furniture was poorly packaged, shipping damage is not generally the retailer’s fault. They should ship a replacement to you for free (assuming they have insured your order), but you might end up picking up the difference if you need the patio furniture shipment expedited.