Barker and Stonehouse

Extremely Disappointing Customer Service and a Refusal to Honour Their Own Terms. I’ve been a loyal Barker & Stonehouse customer for years and have spent many thousands of pounds with them, but my recent experience has left me genuinely shocked. I placed an order in October and later realised the furniture wouldn’t fit in the room. I visited the Stockton store to request a cancellation, which their own Terms & Conditions state is allowed at the company’s discretion (with reasonable costs deducted if incurred). Instead of any discussion, the Store Manager repeatedly told me, “We don’t do cancellations,” walked away mid-conversation, and offered no explanation or help whatsoever. When I mentioned the amount we’ve spent with them, the response was, “All our customers do.” I then contacted Customer Services, who initially claimed the item was “in production.” When questioned further, the story changed to the item now “already being shipped from the Far East,” despite the delivery estimate I was given being February 2026. No evidence of production, shipping, or any actual costs has been provided, despite several requests. Every response has felt like a blanket “no,” rather than a genuine case-by-case consideration as their own T&Cs require. There has been no transparency, no accountability, and no willingness to resolve the matter fairly. I have now had to escalate the issue to the Furniture Ombudsman. It’s disappointing to see a company of this size apply terms unfairly and treat long-standing customers in this way. Based on this experience, I won’t be returning to Barker & Stonehouse.

AVOID, AVOID, AVOID. My parents bought a new sofa and chair for their living room. After 9 months the chair arms have collapsed and Barker and Stonehouse say that it is not a warranty issues. Up on independent inspection we have found that the chair arms are built with wood, then have cardboard curved over them, then foam and fabric. OBVIOUSLY is the cardboard that has failed as my dad rests his arms on the arm rests when sitting in in. Something we have now found out you shouldn't do. It was a £600 arm chair, made out of cardboard, that only lasts 9 months. Sorry but I would not accept this poor quality from any furniture store let alone the most expensive. The customer services team are the most obnoxious, ignorant people that you can't meet, as they sit upstairs and won't talk to you face to face. I am very sure that they wouldn't accept this quality of furniture from any other store themselves. I can't afford to shop here, ( I use the store nearby that is 3 letters and starts with a D) they replaced both chair arm pads for us once at 3 years old without any issue. WE CAN NOT WIN against the ignorance of this store but if we can stop 10 customers from going there then I will call it even!!!!!!

From choosing our chairs to delivery Barker and Stonehouse were excellent. The two delivery men Paul Y and Jake were a breath of fresh air. Nothing was to much trouble and all with a smile. 10/10 for wonderful service.

Great selection of furniture plus the bonus of a really nice cafe. Staff were helpful and polite in both.

Our chairs broke within 2 years and B and S could not have cared less, no willingness to assist us and nothing but obstructive and unhelpful response from them. Avoid at all costs, goods are not fit for purpose. Currently now going through the small claims process.