I agree with you Naomi on this one. When I was in the market two years ago for a teak set, I bought from wessex and it also fell apart after a couple of months. Joints separated and large cracks appeared on the table top and chair legs. I since bought from Indian Ocean in a sale they had for over 4 times the cost. However, the set is still in perfect condition and looks like new. It weathered into a beautiful bright silver colour and not that horrid dirty gray cheap teak turns to. I would guess it will actually last me a lifetime. In the long run, it’s a much better investment. Friends of ours have also bought from an ebay company which I don’t recall the name of. They were happy with the set for over a year but when we visited 2 weeks ago, it looked terrible. The slats were bulging out from the sides of the table, and it just felt really dry and brittle. Ours looks a hundred times better and it was never even covered over winter.

If you can afford it, go for quality like Barlow Tyrie, Indian Ocean or Faraway Furniture. Otherwise, don’t bother with Teak and look for a good quality, fully machine made Iroko instead.