I recently caught a program (on PBS, IIRC) about Amish who have turned to tourists to earn a living. Some have been given special dispensation with regard to modern conveniences (e.g.: credit card equipment) in order to do this. There are Amish who are understandably not happy with those who do this but in most cases it’s the only way they can survive.
It was advertised as cherry and sold as cherry, right? Does your state have anything like the Sale of Goods Act or the Trade Descriptions Act?
Sounds like a clear case of ‘not fit for the purpose’ quite apart from anything else.
The tag simply says “Cherry”, which I guess can be left open to interpritation.
I don’t know. I think the best I can hope for is to get them to extend the warranty or something. I’m going to email the owners in regards to the quality (as the sales manager suggested). Maybe I’ll get a coupon for a future purchase at best. It’s my fault for not being more serious about my purchases though. I never did like impulse buying. I have other battles that need to be fought and the truth is my wife likes it anyway so we’re keeping it.
Lute , I saw This book at the bookstore and it looks interesting, especially now that I’ve just finished reading ‘Walden’. It’s about an MIT grad who goes off to live in Amish country for a wihile.
I used to think the Amish were weird (which in a way they are) but as I’m getting older I’m starting to understand a little bit better.
Are you sure about that?
I’d guess that a solid cherry office like that would take about 150-200 board feet of cherry. My local hardwoods guy has Midwestern cherry for six bucks per board foot; Appalachian cherry runs eight bucks/bd ft. Add in the cheaper wood needed for the parts that don’t show, hardware, stain, etc., etc., and the raw materials would probably run about $2000, maybe more, maybe less.
I’d assume that labor and shop and equipment costs would work out to at least thirty five dollars per hour. Building it overseas on an assembly line might reduce these costs, though the material costs would probably remain constant. Let’s say that everything besides materials costs half as much as what it would cost in the U.S. or Canada. At 12.50/hour, could the office be made in a week of labor-hours? I doubt it.
Also, I’ve left out all markups. At $2500, the factory couldn’t even make that office as an act of charity, much less deliver it overseas.
Wow!, the price of forniture over there sure is outrageous.
Just because you can’t buy the Hope Diamond for $2500 doesn’t mean a lump of coal is reasonably priced at that amount.
Note that I said $2500 was too much to pay for pressed wood furniture, not that a solid cherry desk should cost $2500. For that price, I would have expected cherry stained oak, at least.
If you can find a solid cherry desk for that price, then I want in, too.
Maybe the particle board is made out of cherry sawdust?