Munire admits to production problems; retailer alleges more snafus



UPDATE 6-22-06: Below is an archive of a blog entry that ran March 23. Since then, we are happy to report Munire has addressed these issues. And the complaints we've received on any production problems have declined.

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Munire, one of the top-rated furniture makers in our book, has acknowledged production problems with one of its top selling collections, Majestic.

In a March 1 statement to its dealers, Munire said that during a production switch on this line from Mexico to Indonesia, “the finish and color which Indonesia shipped on its first production was not to our specifications.” See Munire’s statement here.

A bit of background: in our last book, we complained that Munire’s Mexico-made Majestic furniture lacked the company’s trademark quality finishes (dovetailed drawers, etc). Most of Munire’s other furniture is made in the USA. To improve the Majestic’s quality, Munire moved its production to Indonesia beginning Feb 1 (see statement). Now the line features dove tailed drawers and other quality finishes.

The problem: the first batch of Indonesia Majestic didn’t color match the Mexico Majestic. That’s a problem for folks who need one or two more pieces to fill out their nurseries—their Mexico Majestic crib might not match their Indonesia Majestic dresser, for example. To address this, Munire has said it will swap out pieces so their dealers can correct any problems.

However, that’s not the entire story.

A Canadian dealer of Munire contacted BABY BARGAINS to allege Munire has had other finish and quality problems. Specifically, the retailer points out that the production of the Charleston crib was moved to Italy in December—and this move has created another color-match problem, especially with the pecan finish. Munire told us “the last container from Italy we did receive some complaints on the pecan finish. We immediately contacted our manufacturer in Italy and they have corrected this mistake on the next container coming to us. In the mean time we have produced replacement cribs for anyone experiencing this problem at our factory in N.J.”

The Canadian Munire dealer also alleges the company misleads customers that all its furniture is solid wood. According to a previous posting on Munire’s web site, the company described its furniture as "finely crafted in hardwoods with selected veneer.” In fact, one of Munire’s collections (Newport) is partly made of MDF (medium density fiberboard). Munire said it would correct that statement on its web site.

Finally, the retailer alleged other quality programs, including “case goods with rough edges, drawer tracks not fastened, slats that are very rough and not sanded,” as well as other quality problems. These concerns were not limited to just one collection, but were seen across the line. As a result, the retailer said they had to refund several customers’ orders (most of this due to stain matching issues). See pictures below for examples of quality issues.

A spokesperson for Munire told us that as with any furniture company, they do have some defects----but that rate is less than 1%. They are always willing to work with any dealer who has defective product. The company said it has publicly admitted the stain problems and is taking steps to address any other quality problems. Munire charges the Canadian dealer (which is closing its store) owes the company money and its complaints are without merit.

Yet in a recorded phone conversation with the Canadian dealer, Munire’s national sales director was more apologetic. In referring to the Charleston stain issues, he told the retailer: “I’m amazed we haven’t had more complaints.”

Our take: well, why we would agree that “stuff happens” when it comes to baby furniture, we are a bit disappointed with Munire’s quality control. Cribs and dressers like the ones below should not have been shipped out in the first place, considering the tremendous expense of sending back defective pieces, the hassle for customers, etc. Is anyone inspecting this stuff before it leaves the dock?

And we do know that stain issues can be a problem, as it is common that cribs are made in one plant and case goods in another (this has cropped up with other companies as well). The key issue: does the company FIX the problem? We will chalk this up to Munire’s growing pains, as the company has expanded rapidly in the past year. But we also hold Munire up to a higher standard than other companies, simply because we gave them an “A” rating. For now, we’ll keep the rating the same and monitor the situation. Our quick check with other Munire dealers did not reveal other complaints like this, but we are watching!

Finally, we found Munire's tactics in discussing this problem to be a bit unsettling. Munire's allegations against the dealer who blew the whistle on these complaints sounded more like shoot the messenger than a proactive strategy to address complaints.

If you’ve had any problems with Munire furniture, please let us know by hitting the feedback button at the end of this post.



Posted: Wed - March 22, 2006 at 08:24 PM          

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