As I write this article please note that American Rattan will always use our specialty delivery companies when shipping large, assembled furniture. This would include sofas, loveseats, dining sets, and in some cases large bedroom furniture. We strive to ship via specialty companies for the main and important reason to avoid damages.

METHODS USED IN DELIVERY OF FURNITURE

When you place an order for your furniture you want it as soon as possible – we completely understand. As your furniture gets completed and ready to ship we will move it to our specialty delivery company’s warehouse for eventual delivery to you. The problem is that they are backed up and can be slow to get your delivery scheduled. Many times in these cases, the customer will contact us and demand that their furniture ship immediately. When this occurs the only option we have to speed up your delivery is to ship via common carrier freight companies (LTL). This means your brand new fully assembled furniture is wrapped and strapped to a pallet or pallets. The pallets are moved around by forklifts in shipping terminals (many times at night) on the way to you.

Here is a helpful look at the two types of furniture delivery and how they differ. When you go with white glove delivery there will be 2 workers on the truck that deliver. They both lift and handle the furniture, unwrap it for inspection, and then carry it into your home for placement. With a standard LTL delivery 1 driver/worker brings a large truck to your home and slides the furniture off the truck by himself either with or without an electric tailgate. For large furniture items this can mean damages are frequent as large furniture can’t be handled carefully in this manner.

CONCLUSIONS IN FURNITURE DELIVERY

Damages are a rampant problem using common carrers. The damage rate for Common Carrier (LTL) shipments of fully assembled furniture are higher than 50%. Delays for the customer in waiting for replacements to ship is much longer over waiting a bit longer for our specialty white glove shippers. Our specialty white glove shippers unwrap the furniture and you inspect it before they carry it into your home. Can white glove take longer? In most cases yes. Is it worth the wait? Absolutely! Using our specialty companies white glove service is the best way to take your delivery by far! ~ Mark Mosher aka “RattanMan(TM)”