Sauder Reviews 22

Pressed fiber board. Garbage... and that is where it went.

IF I COULD GIVE ZERO STARS I WOULD!!!
THIS COMPANY IS SCREWING ME OVER BECAUSE OF AN ERROR THEY MADE WHEN SHIPPING THE DESK PRODUCTS TO RETAILERS!!!

ALL I WANT IS MY REPLACEMENT PARTS BUT THEY KEEP TELLING US THAT THEY CANT HELP US AFTER WE SPENT WELL OVER 800!!!!!

I purchased this wardrobe from Canadian Tire to add storage space to my home, but it arrived missing the most critical components - the SHELVES. Without shelves, this wardrobe is completely useless. You literally cannot store anything in it. I also discovered missing support braces (parts W and AA), but the shelves were the deal-breaker since there’s no workaround for those.
NIGHTMARE CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE
Instead of simply sending replacement parts (as their own instruction booklet directs customers to do), Sauder customer service put me through months of runaround with constantly changing excuses:
1. First excuse: “Can’t replace because it was bought at discount” - This makes no sense. I bought it on SALE at the listed price, not some deep discount.
2. Second excuse: After demanding photos, they claimed “too many parts missing” and refused to send ANY replacements, even though I only requested the essential shelves.
3. Third excuse: Claimed it was “on clearance” (it wasn’t - it’s still available and on sale at Canadian Tire).
4. Final insult: Demanded $125 USD for replacement parts - that’s MORE than I paid for the entire wardrobe ($189 CAD)!
This is clearly a deliberate strategy to avoid honoring their warranty obligations.
SERIOUS HEALTH CONCERNS
The wardrobe has an overwhelming chemical smell that has NOT gone away after 3+ weeks. I left it in my garage for a week before assembly, and it STILL reeks. This is likely formaldehyde and other VOCs off-gassing from the particle board - chemicals that are linked to cancer and respiratory problems. This cannot be healthy, especially in a bedroom.
QUALITY ISSUES
Like many Sauder products, this uses cheap particle board construction that’s prone to off-gassing and structural problems. Based on other reviews I’ve seen, this is a systemic issue with their manufacturing.
RECOMMENDATION
Save your money and buy from a reputable furniture company that:
• Actually includes all parts
• Honors their warranty without ridiculous excuses
• Uses safer materials that don’t emit toxic fumes
• Provides reasonable customer service

Purchased a fish tank stand for $299. A little less than a year later the back legs buckled. They are made of particle board wrapped in faux wood. I called customer service and the said they would send replacement legs but for $30 shipping and handling. For the money you pay they should be replacing them for free. Besides the fact that they are issuing particle board on ac fish tank. My tank is 55 gallons and weighs over 400lbs. This was supposed to be made specifically for fish tanks of this size. Never purchasing anything Sauder again. Customer service is terrible.

Great customer service! I called because I was missing a piece for assembly. I talked to a real person. The call took less than 5 minutes. They shipped the part immediately.

I also love the 5-shelf bookcases I bought from them. Affordable, attractive, and durable.

Basic quality of structure is good, but it’s pretty cheap to have to hide screws with sticky paper instead of the usual plastic caps.

Also, I bought a wardrobe and the hanging section is way too low, all my dressing gowns are hanging on the bottom and I’m only 5’!! Nowhere did it say that this was for kids. They should have left way less space for the top shelf and have the hanging rod higher instead.

Very disappointed, but now that it’s all put together, I can’t be bothered to return it, but I will never buy anything from that brand again.

I have now spoken with Sauder CS so word to your mother, Sauder apparently does not think it necessary to include labeling of parts for assembling item purchased as being very important. I purchased a large file cabinet where there are many pieces that are so similar and only two pieces are labeled, that it is difficult to figure out how to match up physical pieces to assembly instructions display to assemble item. I am so agitated by this as there is no way to return it really because I will need to be some sort of genius to figure out how to get all pieces back in box. Not to mention, it is SUPER HEAVY. I am almost tempted to throw in garbage because no one needs this much of a hassle to put together such a minor something. I purchased a nine-hole shoe box with a pull out drawer back in fall from an out of US manufacturer and ALL THE PIECES IN THAT ENSEMBLE WERE LABELED AND THE NUMBER OF EACH PIECE ENCLOSED WAS STATED CLEARLY IN ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS. That piece took me about an hour, hour and a half perhaps to assemble, that I can compare these two companies/manufacturers and know which one i would/wouldn't purchase from again. As well, Sauder's customer service across the board closes at 5pm EST, M-F, which is so ridiculous considering it's the 21st century and that is NOT how CS is handled now! Unless Sauder actually is able to help with this assembly, where I actually get it assembled, this rating of two remains. If they actually can help and I get this piece assembled, I will raise this rating but as it stands now, I WILL NEVER PURCHASE ANYTHING FROM SAUDER AGAIN!

EDIT AFTER SPEAKING WITH SAUDER: They did nothing to correct. I am lowering rating. 0 future purchases to Sauder

Excellent experience with after sales service.
Very surprised to see the complaints from others.
They sent me spare parts for furniture which was quite old and didn’t charge me.
The lady I spoke with was very pleasant and helpful.

UPDATE: Company finally ended up sending me the two pieces I needed. Should have never had to cone to this. Better quality control reviews are needed in the warehouse. Also if products are still in stores, warranty should not be expired.

Horrible customer service. Purchased a product that failed to have all parts included. When attempting to request additional parts, was told item was out of warranty and discontinued, which was odd since I had just purchased the item from the store not even 4 weeks ago. So now I'm stuck with a broken product that the company won't sending me the missing items for. Companies should NOT be able to sell products that are discontinued or out of warranty while on the floor to be purchased. It's misleading and lying.

Absolutely the worst customer service in history. If you have to choose between buying a product from Sauder or listening to Yoko Oni sing her greatest hits for eternity, we’ll give Yoko a try.

This furniture is really cheap. We bought a computer cabinet and a storage cabinet and both have terrible finishes which deteriorated quickly. The doors did not hang correctly either. This furniture company sells junky items and you should avoid them if you don’t want to waste your money.

Bought a large cabinet, only to realize half way through, it came with the wrong hardware. Contacted customer service only for them to tell me to take a hike. Had to go and purchase my own. Junk company, buying in bulk cheap asian furniture selling it at 400% mark up. I also found a long gross hair that was purposely taped to one of the pieces it was 100% done on purpose I took pictures lol made in Malaysia thanks for the hair.

Purchased a two door storage cabinet. There was a defective piece of hardware that I requested a replacement for. They told me it was not available. Really?? For a brand new unit?
TERRIBLE SERVICE.

Trash. Falls apart IF it can be assembled. I have wasted an entire afternoon trying to repair a file drawer that I ordered replacement parts. I followed the instructions and it still will not go together. The front falls off. I will never purchase Sauder again. This is my third Sauder desk and it is the worst. I am not a novice at furniture assembly but this is ridiculous.

SAUDERS FURNITURE BREAKS IN LESS THEN ONE WEEK IN MY EXPERIENCE. ALSO HAVE VERY UNPROFESSIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE AND RETRACT SOLUTIONS PROVIDED TO CUSTOMERS!!!

Junk, terrible. Awful to put together. Buy elsewhere.

I bought a Sauder sewing table, second-hand. It was missing two plastic trays, so I called the store to buy new ones. The company shipped the trays and dividers free of charge, even though I did not buy it new. I immediately subscribed to their email updates. My next new purchase will be from them.

Sauder is a piece of crap! I will never buy any of their products. Pieces were not labeled, no videos to help you put together the pieces. If you are on pacific time and you need a question answered you have to get up 3 hours earlier because they are on eastern standard time. I will never buy another product from them again

Sauder products are garbage. Cheap presswood and low-quality paper-thin laminates. The result is ridiculously heavy yet flimsy replicas that look great in photos but don't stand up to real use - doors that won't align, finishes that doesn't last, laminates that peel, handles that break off with normal use, etc. etc. You can do far better for the same money buying used off FB or Craigslist.

We recently made the mistake of purchasing Sauder products through Office Depot/Office Max, not knowing that OD/OM has their products manufactured in Vietnam, apparently to save money. When we received our desks, bookcases, and filing cabinets with scratches, gouges, parts installed incorrectly (etc), I tried to contact OD/OM with NO success (DON'T BUY FROM THEM!). I then contacted the Sauder HQ in Ohio, and was rewarded with the nicest people, who replaced any damaged parts as quickly as they could, not requiring me to return any of the original parts from OD/OM. 5 Star Service, Sauder! Many thanks!