Hundreds of complaints filed against High Point furniture company

HIGH POINT, N.C. — Hundreds of complaints have been filed in recent years against a High Point furniture company for failure to deliver products or issue refunds, records show.

The Better Business Bureau of Central North Carolina reports receiving 393 complaints about N.C. Furniture Buy Direct during the past three years. Only 79 have been resolved.

The N.C. Attorney General’s office has fielded 202 complaints about the company since spring 2012. About 112 of those have been resolved.

“They say they want to provide refunds, but we want to see proof that they’re actually doing that,” said Noelle Talley, spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office.

Rod Enns, outside counsel for N.C. Furniture Buy Direct, said the company’s problems began in late 2012 when it had difficulty with merchant banks that process credit card payments.

“The company didn’t have the operating cash they thought they did,” he said, adding that resolving the problems has “taken longer than we’d like it to take.”

Judit Palotai, of Lorain, Ohio, on Oct. 30, 2012, bought new living room furniture through the N.C. Furniture Buy Direct for $3,952. Palotai has yet to receive her furniture.

Palotai said she’s tried to call the company but gets put on hold so long she decides to hang up. She doesn’t want to pursue legal action against the company, but said she may have to hire a lawyer.

“I’m really angry with them,” she said. “That’s a lot of money for me.”

The company has settled less than six lawsuits, said Enns.

“We understand when some customers feel they don’t have any other option,” he said.