Furniture brand Early Settler under fire for potentially ‘dangerous’ product: “Do NOT buy”
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An Aussie doctor has taken to TikTok to warn fellow shoppers not to buy furniture from Early Settler because of possible safety hazards and “f****** awful” customer service.
Imogen warned her TikTok followers not to buy products from Early Settler. Credit: TikTok/@imi_imogen.
Imogen, a doctor who goes by the username @imi_imogen on TikTok, slammed the furniture company Early Settler online and shared how her mother got injured from one of their faulty products.
“Please don’t buy these dangerous products,” she wrote in the caption, adding that they will be reporting the case to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
Imogen gave context, outlining that she and her partner were in the market for new furniture.
“We saw it in their catalogue, and it was foldable, which is great for a couple that has to move around a lot due to their work,” she said.
Hours after the furniture was set up, the unfortunate incident happened when Imogen’s mum and grandmum tried to sit on it.
“The bench seat broke, and my mum came crashing to the ground,” she said.
“The screws put into the bench were both too narrow and too short to be sufficient or safe to hold this product together.”
“My mum sustained some pretty decent bruises, but we just counted our lucky stars that the person that came crashing to the ground was her and not my 82-year-old grandma,” she said as she showed a photo of her mum’s bruised legs.
Imogen’s mum was left bruised and injured after the bench incident. Credit: TikTok/@imi_imogen.
The next day, Imogen urgently contacted Early Settler and requested to speak to their manager. However, after three failed attempts, they were left ignored and unattended, claiming that the store manager refused to talk to them.
Together with her injured mum, they went to the store directly and asked for a full refund since the product had already led to customer injuries.
“The best they could offer us was store credit if we could put the 2.5-metre-long table in our car and drive it back to the store,” said the doctor, who found the store’s response to be ‘absolutely not appropriate’ under Australian Consumer Law.
“As per Australian Consumer Law, we are entitled to a full refund of the product, and because the item is bulky, we’re entitled to have them come and collect the product,” she said.
When her mum finally reached out to Early Settler’s national management, their response came three weeks later.
“They got back to us, and the best they could offer us was again some store credit and collecting the table themselves,” she said.
Imogen pointed out how ‘disappointing’ Early Settler’s customer service is and how they haven’t really been helpful with the whole incident caused by one of their products.
“We really wanted to give them a chance to rectify this situation. But they have failed on every level, which is why I have made this video,” she said.
“So I just wanted to take the time on TikTok to warn people not to buy furniture from Early Settler because it could be dangerous; it could lead to injuries. And if you do have issues, they’re f***** awful at dealing with it.”
Several comments flooded in with fellow customers sharing their bad experiences with Early Settler products.
One person shared: “I had an Early Settler bench, and it collapsed with three people on it and crushed my sister’s foot… no broken bones but lots of bruising.”
Another person said: “I spent over $6000 on furniture from Early Settler, and the quality is terrible! The buffet unit I bought doesn't even have a latch on one side, but the other side does.”
Given the price of their products, shoppers also expected higher quality furniture from the store, but many were left disappointed. One customer said, “We expected quality for the price too, but the quality of the dining table and TV unit was poor; they cracked and warped after one year. I will not buy there again!”
According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, consumers have the right to ask for a repair, replacement, or refund if a product is deemed unsafe and risky.
“If a supplier finds that a product they supply is unsafe, the ACCC expects the supplier to conduct a voluntary recall to advise consumers of the risk, address the safety issue, or remove the product from the market,” said a spokesperson.
“Consumers can also report products they consider to be unsafe to the ACCC through the Product Safety Australia website.”
Early Settler has not released a statement for the issue yet, but the product has been removed from their website.
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