I bought a lovely quality extending table with 8 stacking chairs from Wessex Teak in June 2007 - delivery came 2 weeks later. I have had no problems or issues with my furniture, which has no protection from the weather ailments, it's not been sanded down or oil treated and is absolutely fine!! I done my research when buying and there was no complaints about the company or product.

I honestly don't understand these forums which turn into slanging match's especially between a couple of posters. How very droll!!

It's like any risk when shopping, you can buy clothes, shoes, food, electricals, furniture, cars - 95% of sales will be fine the odd 5% will have a problem. But in all honesty it's not going to put off any other buyers!

I have seen real grade A teak and fully machine made for as little as £800 so I have no idea where you get £5000 from. It seems to me that you are the one who is getting a bit annoyed as people are getting a bit smarter now and realise it’s well worth spending extra and getting something that will really last a lifetime. I have no idea how you can claim that Grade C is the same as grade A. Grade C is mostly sapwood and contains no natural oils at all. Grade A is made out of the heartwood which is infinitely stronger and contains lots of protective oils which is what teak is famous for. Grade C more often than not tend to sell their teak wet. I.e., in the majority of cases, their teak has not been kiln dried which means your teak will warp and split in a very short time. The information is all out there for those who are interested in learning.

A: I am not annoyed

B: try going to a UK shop and buying a 3.5m grade A stacking set for £800 and hear the mirth

I have been reading this thread on and off for a while and I feel that I have got to post on it because there is far too much rubbish being stated as fact!

Most people want a solid good quality table set at a good price, this constant spouting of drivel about how if you buy a teak table set for less than £1000 then it will fall apart and only last a month is absolute rubbish and you know it!

Grade A/B/C? is only someone's opinion, there are no certificates or guarantees that will state a grade because its a system done by human eye. I know of one teak retailer in the UK who describe all of the furniture that they sell as Grade A but if you look underneath the table / chair/ bench its full of filler/knots etc and is poorly put together with brass screws and bolts.

I think what you (Naomi and your pseudonym's) have posted is correct people are "learning" but not in the way you think 99% realise that its not worth paying £2000 to £4000 for a table and chairs that will stay outside in the garden and weather in the sun and rain. Regardless of what sort of garden table set you buy and what its made from it is only for eating your lunch and dinner from!

Let me liken it to plasma TV's , a lot of people want a new TV most people will spend £400 to £1000 for a 42" to 50" TV and be very happy with it, it does the job they need, its well made and its the size they needed for the house. Every so often there will be one person in 100 (or even one in a 1000) that want to pay more, they will convince themselves (and the salesman will convince them as well) that they have to spend £5000 on the latest Panasonic 3D 50" tv to get a good picture.

This is just like the argument that has been playing out on this thread with teak furniture, is a £5000 Panasonic 3D tv better than a £500 Samsung?

yes it probably is ....

is it worth paying the extra for the slightly better picture and for the specialist Panasonic television delivery van that arrives at your house so all your neighbours can see?

probably not.........




and to the poster "Naomi" I do know who you are!

My first post here folks I have been reading this thread and others with interest. I can not at this stage post the full details as I am still trying to get either my table and chairs delivered or my money back and wouldnt want to prejudice that in any way. However I will post the full and complete saga when this is resolved to my satisfaction or other wise. Needless to say I have been waiting for more than three months and still no table and chairs despite endless telephone calls and emails and I now have a fifth delivery date in August ! I am not holding my breath.

Opinion has nothing to do with it. Are you arguing the fact that grade A teak which is taken from the heartwood of the tree contains the very oils that protect the timber and that grade C which is mostly sapwood does not?

Please explain in that case what the point is in buying teak furniture and why it is the preferred material for boat building to this day as opposed to say Beech?

oh, I really could not care less who you think I am and your veiled threats do not scare me. I have been bitten by cheap and nasty furniture in the past and if I can get people to buy from shops such as Teakita, Indian ocean or Faraway Furniture then I would.

Also, looking at internet forums and seeing how many people have been effected by cheap furniture falling apart really does go against your opinion here. I would much rather spend £2000 on a set that will last 10 years and over then a set for £1400 that is guaranteed for one year. Saying that, I do agree that then stepping up to £5000 is just well over the top but if you have the money to burn then good luck to you.

Before I say anything I better confess to being a carpenter of just over 30 years now. We also own our own bespoke wood furniture making company in Bedfordshire (Shameless plug: Fresh Fields Garden Furniture). I have also read this thread with interest purely of the amount of people we have had telling us about their terrible experiences with Wessex teak and to be fair, other garden furniture retailers. The name green fingers also came up a few times so this is not just Wessex teak that has a bad reputation.

What Naomi is trying to get to is exactly correct and certainly does not deserve the rude rubbishing by "MrTeak" who. In fact some of the Bullying on this thread from people such as Bigboy and now MrTeak are quite indicative of the cheap teak industry today. “MrTeak” might think he knows better but to insinuate that teak is all the same and that it’s not worth paying a bit more for grade A is absolutely ridicules. With teak, you get what you pay for. Also, he is right in saying that the grading of the wood is done mostly by eye but how is that a detraction from the grading system? Aren’t all wooden grading processes done by eye? How else would you propose to do it I wonder? Oh, and before I forget, of course there are certificates... where have you been buying your teak from? As for the analogy with Plasma TV, well that’s wrong on so many levels, I don’t know where to start.

The fact of the matter is that grading IS done and is an extremely important process. When we buy our teak, beech or Oak, we do so according to the grade. We will visit the sawmill whether it’s in Brazil, Trinidad or Java and check the grading specified for ourselves before the planks are loaded onto the container. The price difference is massive. The fact of the matter is that a company selling a Grade C teak table is far more likely to have a larger profit margin then a company who is selling the same table but made from Grade A. Also, you are all talking about grading but it’s also how you put the furniture together. The problem with cheap sets of teak furniture is that they are handmade in Indonesia. Handmade furniture from Indonesia and most of the far east is known to be the worst type you can get; And I say this as someone who makes handmade furniture for a living. The difference is the skill levels my team possesses compared to the average Indonesian factory staff. I would go as far as saying that unless you go for a fully machine made set then the discussion of whether its grade A or Grade C is mute. The fact of the matter is that the furniture is much more likely to fall apart then rot. I have seen the cheap resins they use and the Chinese made cheap screws covered by dowel heads many time before. Your other option is to buy hand made from the UK of course. (although you won’t get much change from £7,000 for a set from us so I appreciate its probably not for the majority of people)

From what I have seen on some of the links posted, I would, if it was my money go for a company such as ourselves or, if I am required to put my unbiased hat on, I would choose Barlow Tyrie (whose MD I know very well) or the Faraway Furniture company.

Bullying...ARE YOU FOR REAL!!!

I have bullied no-one on here, nor anywhere else for that matter.

But I will say one thing, when you work the number of hours that I do (I rarely get home on a sensible side of midnight, more likely 2am) and you go to customers and here's a real scenario.

8pm Radstock Somerset deliver a 90x170 extending table, 2x 5 position chairs, 4x folding chairs, pads for chairs and a parasol.
There is a small transit mark on the table and the customer is concerned, they are retired.
I removed that mark in about 10 seconds, assembled the table, allowed them to inspect the furniture before I left, took the rubbish away with me, checked every item with them and gave them any necessary advice...

I also had a nice cup of tea. From being concerned and anxious, (which a lot of customers are having bought from the internet where the items cannot be seen) the customer was happy and I felt I'd done a good job. Personally I think that's important, there are times I hate my job with a passion, but if I cannot give of myself to the customer, then what is the point.

and then I come home after a long day (after day after day) and read this shite.

I haven't bullied anyone, but given what I do, and your accusation, in your case I am sorely tempted to make an exception.

Make what you say about me accurate or STFU!!!

Hi Mike of Fresh Fields Garden Furniture

Could you tell me a little about the teak rocking chair on your website, it looks really nice what sort of money would you normally sell that for? (a ballpark figure is ok ), I do always appreciate a nice piece of teak and it would help to give people an idea of what they should pay for such a fine piece.

its not teak, it is Mahogany and each piece is made to customer spec.

Mike.

I really could not be bothered to go through your previous posts but from memory some comments regarding how big you are considering you can lift a 95kg table and I even seem to remember you insinuating that a table might fly in someone’s direction in one post. Oh yes, here it is:

“I really don’t think it is the most clever idea in the world though to call a bloke who carries weights in excess of 85KG on a regular basis a cowboy and I wonder if you would do that during the delivery. I personally most people would look pretty stupid trying to stop a 98KG 3.5m heavy teak table that was flying in their direction.
You might want to consider that in future.”

Also, the fact that you call your competitors “assholes” and try and silence any criticism of Wessex teak with the old story of what a hard life you have driving around and how dare people complain while you work so hard. Let me say this once. You are not the only one who works hard in this world and working hard does not give a company the right to step all over some peoples savings and dreams of having some nice garden furniture. Maybe if you had to save for a year or two before you could afford a nice teak set and then fell for the lies on the Wessex teak website about the excellent quality only to find yourself without a set you ordered or your money, you would understand. If you had any honour at all you would refuse to work for such company instead of coming here and many other forums and giving everyone your “im a poor driver trying to make an honest buck” sob story. That is what anyone who has any sort of decency would do.

As to your STFU comment to me, feel free to try and make me. You might not be a “9 stone weaking” as you put it in one post but neither am I. Otherwise, stick to being rude and aggressive to people who are scared of you.

To the other posters on this forum I apologise for going down to his level. I have just had enough of his drivel. I should really learn from the old saying “Never argue with an idiot, he will bring you down to his level and beat you with experience.”

1: the comment from a previous post was from a bloke calling me a cowboy
which is an insult, and an undeserved one...according to your mentality I am supposed to say nothing.

and then you do the same, accusing me of bullying...exactly what do you expect.

Keep taking the tablets.

Right Mikestewart I've slept on your comments.

I came onto this thread to be informative to people who had concerns regarding wessexteak. I did not come onto this forum to engage in arguments with trolls looking to promote their own wares with a slanging match, with or without multiple username identitites (and those people know who they are)

Given that everyday I go out and deliver furniture and people are happy, I guess I don't need to engage in arguments anyway.

For those traders involved in slagging wessexteak off, in the hope of 'undercover' sales frankly I don't give a monkeys what you think.

I'm not going to argue with you any more because you are not worth the effort, or the thought required to answer a bigoted and biased viewpoint.

You keep playing soggy biscuit amongst yourselves.


...and mike


You get to eat it!!!

can you give an idea of how much you charged for that chair, it only needs to be approximate £50? £500? or £5000? how long would it take you to make it and put it together?

Your experience is almost identical to mine. All six chairs ordered arrived reaking of damp, with mould...brokern arms where screws had been misfitted. The table itself was fine; but i received 6 seat cushions, three in one style and size and three in another. When i mentioned to i thought this must be 'old stock' i was informed that it had just come off the container on Tuesday. I cannot believe that the driver wasnt confused by the sodden packaging in the back of his van, and i was startled by the fact that no-one had actually checked the order before it was despatched.

I had no assistance with assembly. I only received the delivery yesterday. as yet i have had no response from Sales@.
In some ways i am reassured by their terms and conditions stating that they will replace anything, but given some of the posts i am sceptical about the swift resolution of my grievance.