Crawford Furniture locked out of store

JAMESTOWN, N.Y. (WIVB) - A News 4 viewer tipped us to financial problems for Crawford Furniture of Jamestown. They have been locked out of one of their stores for problems with the landlord and another store may be facing the same dilemma.

Call 4 Action has been fielding Crawford Furniture complaints since early this year, mainly over the delivery of orders. The furniture is delivered late or not at all. Then there was the big "construction sale" to remodel the stores, but now the store in Hamburg is closed, and we are not sure why.

The doors to the Crawford Furniture Direct outlet in Hamburg are locked, with signs telling customers and would-be customers, the store is closed. The closing has stirred up a hornet's nest of complaints from customers, such as Scott Zawierucha, whose wife has paid Crawford $1,500 for furniture but has nothing to show for it.

Zawierucha said, "And they told her it would be about eight weeks on delivery."

That was back in March. After repeated calls to the Hamburg store, and Crawford Furniture's Jamestown headquarters, Zawierucha and his wife want their money back, but the store is closed, and he says he has tried everything.

"I called the shipping department. I called every imagineable phone number and nothing. I get answering machines that are all full and aren't taking any more messages," said Zawierucha.

The closed temporarily sign was taped to the inside of the door by Crawford Furniture. But on the exterior of the door, there is a sign saying the door is sealed, listing a number for Benderson Development, which owns the strip mall where the store is located. When we called the number, they referred us back to Crawford.

John Stading's wife ordered $2,400 worth of furniture at Crawford's store in Amherst, the same store that Senator Charles Schumer used as a backdrop to rail on federal budget cuts that could jeopardize Crawford's supply of hardwood.

Stading said, "We got tired of waiting and we decided we wanted our money back because we wanted some new furniture. If we couldn't get it there, we'd get it somewhere else."

Stading said Crawford did send his wife a refund check back in June, but they couldn't deposit it, so they are still waiting, and Stading says there were others.

"While we were in there asking for a refund back in May, there were three other couples lined up behind us, demanding refunds," said Stading.

An executive for Crawford Furniture left a voicemail message Monday afternoon saying the Hamburg store is closed due to a "misunderstanding with the landlord." Their attorneys are working on it, and the problem should be resolved within a few days.