ABC Carpet customers are fuming over undelivered goods

ABC Carpet & Household is battling to get better from the pandemic, with buyers declaring they shelled out cash for orders that never arrived and its landlord crying foul as its Manhattan flagship falls deeper guiding on lease, The Put up has learned.

Annette Gallo obtained a $6,000 sectional sofa from the swanky property-furnishings retailer in April and was informed to anticipate the supply in 6 months. A structure guide herself, Gallo did some investigating: She contacted the company of the couch, which instructed her the original purchase was under no circumstances placed.

Gallo said ABC apologized, supplying her a totally free brunch at ABC Kitchen area. She declined simply because she claimed it felt like “a slap in the experience. It’s not great they are relying on customers’ banking establishments to foot the monthly bill.”

Dozens of other customers, in the meantime, say they could only desire of getting any these types of notice from ABC.

“Can anyone you should connect with me!!! I ordered my couch last November and it has been a mess,” one particular indignant consumer posted on Oct. 28 on ABC’s Facebook web page. “Now no just one is answering. Stealing my dollars and not providing me something in return!” 

The 124-calendar year-old retailer – known to generations of New Yorkers for its pricey rugs, trendy household furniture and significantly-out light-weight fixtures – was acquired out of a COVID-driven individual bankruptcy in Oct by a consortium that largely bargains in Persian rugs, sources explained to The Article. 

Yet, ABC is now sitting down on deposits and payments in whole for furniture and carpets – lots of of them value thousands of pounds every single – that have been positioned as much again as a calendar year in the past, consumers claim. Alternatively of delivering the products, ABC has reportedly been ducking angry queries and has even eliminated its telephone quantity from its Website web site.

Meanwhile, the landlord of ABC’s flagship retail store at 888 Broadway in Manhattan’s stylish Flatiron District is placing force on the retailer’s leaseholder, inquiring a decide to power it to either capture up on hire or crystal clear out of the house, in accordance to recently filed court docket files. 

The cavernous storefront seems to be in disarray – with all but the ground ground and basement blocked off to prospects and mainstays like significant-close linens and antique home furnishings largely missing from the store. 

“The restored antiques are mostly absent and there are rarely any lamps in the keep,” noticed Kenneth Rosen, a bankruptcy legal professional who’d procured a chandelier from the retailer a handful of yrs back.

What is more, there is no rationalization for the modifications to the retail store – top some to marvel if the room is becoming prepped for a new tenant completely.

“It seems like the landlord is making an attempt to release the area to anyone else and is asking the court docket to force” ABC out, individual bankruptcy expert Adam Stein-Sapir claimed of Columbia Home Have confidence in, which owns 888 Broadway.

An ABC Carpet spokesperson explained in a assertion to The Write-up that the organization has a long-expression lease at 888 Broadway and “is dedicated to maintaining” the location as its flagship — even introducing back more floors “in the around long term.” ABC reported it was “engaging with the landlord” on the space. A consultant for the landlord didn’t answer to a ask for for remark.

And amid complaints from buyers, ABC’s spokesperson mentioned the retailer’s new house owners are “focused on offering a great browsing expertise to clients.”

“This includes just one-on-just one engagement with valued clientele to satisfactorily tackle open up orders and doing work closely with provider companions to ensure completion of all orders as before long as achievable in mild of continued pandemic-similar source chain delays impacting the entire marketplace,” the spokesperson said, introducing that the retailer’s phone amount “remains” on the company’s Net website.

ABC was burning via $500,000 a week before its holding organization – managed by the Weinrib loved ones that had run the storied retailer for much more than a century – declared personal bankruptcy in September as coronavirus lockdowns walloped retail outlet website traffic and its bulky home furnishings items unsuccessful to shift on the Net. 

Now, ABC’s new proprietors proceed to blame the pandemic and relevant offer-chain problems for the delays in providing orders by now compensated for. The retail outlet has pushed back again supply dates numerous periods, such as for products that consumers claimed have been on the showroom flooring or outlined as in-inventory, according to social media posts and interviews with consumers.

ABC Carpet has responded to some of the issues on Instagram and Facebook, conceding that its “lack of interaction is inexcusable” and that it is “working all around the clock to achieve out to all buyers with unfulfilled orders.”

Some shoppers had been also instructed on its social media accounts: “We’re sincerely sorry for any irritation we have triggered. We assure you this is not our intention and we are fully commited to honoring every acquire. We are performing versus global source chain issues from the pandemic as well as an inner transition of possession.”

For some longtime customers of ABC, its most current mea culpa is way too minimal, too late.

Maryana Grinshpun, who operates a style and design business enterprise, acquired a aspect table and credenza for $5,000 for a shopper two days right before ABC Carpet filed for personal bankruptcy in September. The tables were sitting down on the showroom floor and have been supposed to be sent in Oct, she instructed The Submit. ABC later on instructed her they were being “sold out” of those tables.

Like dozens of shoppers who experimented with to simply call the retailer in October and November, Grinshpun located the cell phone numbers have been “disconnected.” She managed to get a refund from her credit rating card organization – and explained to The Put up that she’d “never” order from ABC Carpet again.

An additional shopper wrote on Fb previous month: “I paid in complete for a couch and ottoman in February.” The shopper was explained to by her credit score card company to contact ABC, but she observed “ABC took their telephone range off their World wide web website.”

The legendary retailer experienced been headed before its personal bankruptcy by Paulette Cole, a good-granddaughter of founder Sam Weinrib, who retains a minority stake in the new ownership construction.

The lease for ABC is held by a individual business owned by Cole that organization, AMMA421, continues to be in individual bankruptcy and has claimed in courtroom filings that it just cannot pay out hire.

Currently shrunk from six to 3 floors and the basement, the keep just lately closed the next and third flooring and the balcony on the initially ground where by it experienced sold lamps and furniture. 

The carpets have been moved from the higher floors to the basement and the ground floor, where by they had been by no means displayed earlier. The elevator bank and staircase by the Broadway entrance have been boarded up and a new, modern-day elevator bank was put in at the again of the shop.

“There’s no signal indicating ‘Watch for the grand reopening of the next and third floors,’” Rosen pointed out. “I experienced the experience that the making was – or has been – renovated in contemplation of it becoming leased to one more retailer.”