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Old August 10th, 2009, 07:08 AM
Milly Milly is offline
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Furniture Protection Plans...do you buy? Should I?

Hi everyone,
My husband and I are looking at buying a new sofa. It's the first "nice" couch we've purchased together and we want something good. We're struggling with the protection plan part of the purchase. The last time I bought a sofa they scotchguard/sprayed it. I guess they don't do that anymore for environmental/health reasons. So they are selling a plan for $150 that is good for 5 years. Basically they will come and remove a stain (or fix a tear) and if the stain doesn't come out they replace it.

It doesn't sound like a bad plan, however, I'm wondering if it would be a hassle to actually take advantage of the plan? Part of me thinks it's a waste of $150 but then again, I have a 1 year old dog who isn't exactly free from the accidental peeing stage (it's rare but...).

What do you think? I'm guessing that fellow pet owners have come across this decision before. Did you buy the protection plan? Would you do it again? Have you ever had to use it?

Thanks so much!
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Old August 10th, 2009, 07:20 AM
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mollywog mollywog is offline
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I just bought a loveseat a couple weeks ago at The Brick, and was offered the protection plan. It sounded like a good idea at the time, but my nearest Brick store is 4 hrs away and I am considered outside of their service area so I said no.
When they were telling me about it, they said that if I got a stain on the couch, I would have to pay to have it professionally cleaned, and then if the stain wouldn't come out, then I would call their store to come and take a look at it. Not sure how the one you are looking at works, but if you have pets, kids etc and live within their service area, I would say go for it!
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Old August 10th, 2009, 07:32 AM
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chico2 chico2 is offline
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Milly,I never buy any"protection-plans"or extended warranties,I honestly think they are a waste of money.
Instead buy a couch with material you can wash,we have a couch made of ultra-suede,have had it for 15 yrs at least,the best material, if you have animals,other than leather,which tends to get scratched.
With the Ultra Suede(not real suede)I only unzip the pillows and throw them in the washer
In case you are wondering what it looks like,here's a pic.mine is in the den..ooops.ignore the first pic,I was just about to stain the table..
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Old August 10th, 2009, 09:03 AM
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TacoGrl TacoGrl is offline
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I am with chico...buy something easy to clean and maybe use a cover to cut down on fur/hair...protection plans are straight commission for the salesperson and a whole lot of small print...not necessary if you have a washing machine and/or steam cleaner with upholstry (sp?) attachments.
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Old August 10th, 2009, 11:31 AM
jazzy jazzy is offline
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I got the protection plan. The couch cost $480 after tax, and if I spent $500 it was free shipping (otherwise shipping would be $50). So, I got the $50 protection plan, am covered just in case, and got free shipping!

I also have an ultra suede couch. It's so easy to clean myself.
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Old August 11th, 2009, 11:07 AM
Milly Milly is offline
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Quick question...is ultra suede also called Micro fibre? That is what we are looking for (and it looks a lot like the pics above). I'll have to take a look and see if the cushions can be taken out and the covers washed.
Thanks for the input and please, if anyone else has opinions on the topic please post!

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Old August 11th, 2009, 11:15 AM
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pbpatti pbpatti is offline
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Hi Milly, I have a leather love seat that I love, Sasha is a Chocolate Lab and has not done any damage to it whatsoever, no scratches or anything, all you need to do to clean it is to use a soft cloth and small amount of dish soap, voila! Nice clean and new looking again. pbp
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Old August 11th, 2009, 01:00 PM
kandy kandy is offline
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When I replaced my living room furniture, I went with leather. Since I have a dog door, the dogs bring in all sorts of dirt (including mud) and I found I was having to shampoo my furniture way too often. When I bought my furniture, they offered me a protection plan that would cover any repairs to the leather. When I started questioning the salesman on the exclusions, he admitted that if one of the dogs did happen to tear the leather, it would not be covered. I elected not to buy the protection plan - and after more than a year with the leather furniture, I love how easily it cleans up and the dogs have not damaged it in any way.
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Old August 11th, 2009, 02:46 PM
ScottieDog ScottieDog is offline
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We did the fabric protection with our first sofa and love seat. I do remember that stains caused from cat urine were not covered, but that was about the only exclusion. If you have cats, check into that before purchasing the protection. For the first few years, stains cleaned very easily. We recently replaced our set (12+ years) and opted for leather. Our old furniture was structurally sound, but the fabric between the cushions and on areas of wear had lost the fibers and were thread-bare in many places. We were told that leather would wear 4 to 5 times longer than fabric. I also like that it won't absorb the "doggie odors" as much and dirty wet paw prints can be wiped off. We did get a guardsman leather protection plan ( http://www.guardsman.com/guardsman/f...tion/index.jsp ). We got this more in case we puncture the leather with scissors, screwdrivers, keys, etc. So far, we aren't seeing scratches from the dogs. Fabric holds the pet hair, but it brushes off leather. And anyone coming to my home to visit has to realize that the dogs are family--they are entitled to the furniture over visitors. (Isn't black terrier hair the perfect accessory for any outfit? )

We got the protection and plan to keep this set for 15 to 20 years. It kills me to get rid of our old set (it is gifted to a family member who thinks she can reupholster). It is comfortable but looks like crap. Furniture is a big expense so we want to keep it as long as possible. Good luck with your new sofa. It really changes the look of your home. If you are even remotely considering leather, you can get an option with leather on the seat and arms, but a matched color and grain in vinyl on the sides and back--much less expensive.
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Old August 11th, 2009, 03:55 PM
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chico2 chico2 is offline
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Milly,yes,it's Micro-Fiber,very easy to keep clean,make sure the seat-cushions have a zipper.

Leather is not bad,we have leather in our living-room,but was I to buy another couch right now,I would buy another micro-fiber.
I've had my den-couch for 15 yrs and it still looks like new.
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Old August 12th, 2009, 11:14 AM
SnowDancer SnowDancer is offline
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Kandy - I was wondering about the exclusions - and figured tears by pets would be excluded. I have an American Eskimo and Eskies have the claws, jaws and teeth of death - there isn't a chance that his claws wouldn't tear leather. We have gone through a few couches - now have zip in the basement - but then at one time we did have 6 dogs and 3 cats - chewers all - and then when we got our Eskie at 13 weeks, he finished everything off. Oh well, you can't hug a couch.
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