Nicole Madison's Fine Furniture & Antiques

They stayed a bit after hours when we were selecting the furniture until my son-in-law could get there to see it and give his stamp of approval. They had a very good selection of furniture, especially china cabinets. The furniture was delivered on time as promised and in great condition. The finish was not as shiny as the one they had shown us; however, I rather preferred it with a matte finish as I was afraid the shiny finish would take away from the antique look. My daughter is very pleased with the purchase, and so am I.

They were very knowledgeable and helpful. The furniture was delivered as promised and when promised in good condition.

Great customer service! The prices are reasonable and the furniture is in amazing shape. The restoration to the furniture is wonderfully done.

Every detail was completed very professionally.

The china closet was delivered on 10-3-10. When the driver of the moving van and his helper uncovered it, the three of us noticed extensive water damage to the back and a deep, 5-inch long splintering scratch on the front of the back panel, very visible through the front glass. I initially refused to accept the damaged cabinet. But the driver said he saw situations like this frequently where repairs were needed, and told me the easiest and most-cost-effective remedy was for repairs to be done locally, rather than shipping it well over a thousand miles round trip. So I decided to go that route, believing that with certain repairs the china closet, which had some character, could be ok. (In fact, when I notified Bebe the next day, she asked that I get a local estimate for repairs.) The moving guy wrote in his report: "Water damage is old." On 10-4, when I spoke with Bebe about the damages, she asked that I send photos and get a repair estimate. On 10-12, I emailed her detailed photos of the water damage and the gouge. On 11-4 I sent her the repair estimate done by an expert antique repair man: $200 for the water damage and $230 for delivery damage. He said the water damage was "long standing." He diagnosed the splintering gouge as "a stress compression from transit" plus there were a few other dings as well to address. Bebe did not respond. When I called, I was told that she thought the estimate was too high. She wanted to talk personally to the antiques expert, who then called her and was told the repair cost was outrageous. I then called her and she said she would pay $100 by crediting my credit card. In an effort to get this behind me, I agreed. (This was obviously for the "long standing" water issue on the item she sold me, and not for what occurred beyond her control in transit.) I also contacted the shipper to inform him of the gouge from "transit." The shipper was pleasant and professional, offering to pay $125. I signed a waiver saying that he had met his responsibilities for "damages that occurred to personal property during furniture delivery." The fact that I would pay $105, I chalked up to the cost of doing long distance purchasing, as I did the $100 I was expecting to pay for the water damage repair. Bebe, however, never contacted me again. I emailed her a few times. On 12-7, she finally emailed a liability waiver form saying that $100 would resolve the dispute. I consented. At the end of December, I emailed a couple of times again, trying to resolve this. She wrote back a curt email saying that because the shipper was listed on HER liability waiver, that HIS having paid me absolved her of all responsibility in the matter. What she had asked me to sign said: "Your credit to my credit card of $100 will resolve all disputes between you, us and the shipper." The fact that I additionally indemnified the shipper in no way exempts Nicole Madison from making good on their agreement to contribute toward paying for repairs of long standing damage to the cabinet. Most pertinent, the agreement I signed said that Nicole Madison's credit to my credit card would resolve all disputes. It did not say that the shipper paying for shipping damages would resolve all disputes. In the end, the bottom line is that I have received no credit to my credit card, which the agreement calls for. My releasing the shipper from further liability in no way released her from her responsibility. His stated language, quoted above, supports this. He paid for the delivery damage only. In an effort to bring such practices to light, I took the trouble to go to the Georgia Better Business Bureau. (I learned that the business also operates under the name "The Antique Collector.") Nicole Madison's response was that the china cabinet was in "beautiful condition" when they sold it. They accused me of being "dishonest" and "deceptive" for supposedly behind their backs making a claim with the shipper. Good grief. I had nothing to hide. I had two separate problems, two separate claims, and a life to live... (By the way, I was not the first complaint against this company at the Better Business Bureau.)