Argos customer’s fury at £500 ‘frankensofa’ – that turned up in two different colours

A customer was left gobsmacked when Argos sent her a £500 ‘Frankensofa’ with each half in a different colour – because the correct parts were ‘out of stock’. 

Sara Hudgell, 26, from Swansea, ordered the charcoal Harry Right Corner Fabric Sofa from the retail giant last Monday,  and was delighted when it arrived five days later.

But the new mum’s joy was short lived when her 29-year-old electrician husband Greg Hudgell tore off the wrapping and discovered each piece was a different colour.

Unwrapping the entire piece of furniture they soon discovered they’d taken delivery of the correct model, but in two different colours – charcoal and beige.

Sara Hudgell revealed her dismay after Argos sent her a sofa in two separate colours when stock ran out

The £495 charcoal corner sofa that Sara ordered came in two pieces that fit together to make a corner sofa

The £495 charcoal corner sofa that Sara ordered came in two pieces that fit together to make a corner sofa

The sofa the family received came in charcoal and beige, which the delivery driver told her she would have to take up directly with Argos

The sofa the family received came in charcoal and beige, which the delivery driver told her she would have to take up directly with Argos

Believing it to be a simple mix-up, the mum rang the delivery driver in the hope of getting the correct half of her sofa dropped off.

But the mental health support worker’s jaw dropped when the delivery driver said it wasn’t a mistake and she’d have to take it up with Argos.

When Sara flagged the mismatched mistake to Argos, she claims she was told she could keep the sofa, return it or pay to upgrade to another model, but would have to pay the difference.

Sara said she was also offered an ‘insulting’ £30 ‘compensation’ and branded the whole situation ‘a complete shambles’.

The new parents' sofa disappointment came just a couple of weeks after they ordered a £700 range oven from Argos, only for it to arrive damaged and needing to be replaced

The new parents’ sofa disappointment came just a couple of weeks after they ordered a £700 range oven from Argos, only for it to arrive damaged and needing to be replaced

Not only did Sara discover the sofa fabric to be two different colours, but the bases were also different too

Not only did Sara discover the sofa fabric to be two different colours, but the bases were also different too

The mum-of-one says she’s now ‘stuck upstairs’ and forced to nurse and care for three-week-old Arthur Hudgell on her bed, because she doesn’t want to mark the sofa before it’s collected in case she’s denied a refund. 

Sara felt compelled to share the delivery dilemma on social media, posting a photo of the bizarre and partially-dented sofa – prompting some to quip that it was a ‘Frankensofa’.

Argos said Sara’s experience did ‘not meet their usual high standards’ and said it’s provided a full refund for the sofa and arranged for the sofa to be collected.

Sara said: ‘I’m still stuck upstairs because of this, I’m so angry.

The mum-of-one says she's now 'stuck upstairs' and forced to nurse and care for three-week-old Arthur Hudgell on her bed, as she doesn't want to mark the sofa before it's collected

The mum-of-one says she’s now ‘stuck upstairs’ and forced to nurse and care for three-week-old Arthur Hudgell on her bed, as she doesn’t want to mark the sofa before it’s collected

As well as receiving half the sofa in one colour, Sara noticed some damage to the beige part of the sofa after delivery

As well as receiving half the sofa in one colour, Sara noticed some damage to the beige part of the sofa after delivery

‘You couldn’t make it up, it’s just a complete shambles.

‘The last sofa we had was just a small one we got off Facebook Marketplace just to tide us over.

‘We’re doing the house up and we finally got round to ordering the new sofa last Monday for delivery on Saturday.

‘We’ve been looking for a corner sofa and chose the grey one for the colour scheme we are going for and that was in our budget.

‘We ordered it on Monday and it was due to arrive on Saturday, I was looking forward to spending time downstairs.

‘As we don’t have the space to have two sofas in our living room we had already got rid of the other sofa and I’d spent the last couple of days sitting on the bed upstairs.

‘They came about midday to deliver it. It was wrapped in cardboard and polythene so we couldn’t see the colour of the sofa before they brought it into the house.

‘I was upstairs with the baby. Greg unwrapped one part of the sofa and saw it was the wrong colour and shouted up to me, then he unwrapped the other half and saw it was the right colour.

After becoming displeased with the sofa and Argos' customer service, Sara swears she would never buy from them again and even cancelled the family's Argos credit cards

After becoming displeased with the sofa and Argos’ customer service, Sara swears she would never buy from them again and even cancelled the family’s Argos credit cards

When the sofa arrived, Sara was upstairs with the baby. Greg unwrapped one part of the sofa and saw it was the wrong colour and shouted up to her, then unwrapped the other half and saw it was the right colour

When the sofa arrived, Sara was upstairs with the baby. Greg unwrapped one part of the sofa and saw it was the wrong colour and shouted up to her, then unwrapped the other half and saw it was the right colour

‘We phoned the delivery guy back and said ‘we think you have made a mistake and the other half of our sofa is in your van’.

‘He said it would have to go through Argos – even though it was just 20 minutes since he left.

‘I felt very frustrated as he had only just left. I’m still stuck upstairs because of this, I’m so angry. You couldn’t make it up, it’s just a complete shambles.’

Sara said after contacting Argos she was told that she had three options – keep the mis-matched sofa, exchange for another more expensive model that they would need to foot the difference for or get a refund.

If they opted to either keep or exchange they would be offered ‘£30 compensation’.

This situation come just a couple of weeks after they ordered a £700 range oven from Argos, only for it to arrive damaged and needing to be replaced.

Sara said: ‘It’s just ridiculous.

‘We were told we had the wrong half because the grey was out of stock and they couldn’t provide the other half of the sofa we wanted.

‘Apparently it was a warehouse error – and someone thought it was a good idea to send out two different-coloured sofas. It’s just ridiculous.

Sara took to Facebook to vent her frustrations after Argos failed to deliver the correct sofa and subsequently offered her £30 compensation

Sara took to Facebook to vent her frustrations after Argos failed to deliver the correct sofa and subsequently offered her £30 compensation

‘They could collect it and we would get a refund, but the refund wouldn’t be issued until five working days after it’s collected.

‘They said they could collect it and exchange [for another sofa] and we pay the difference, and ‘in the meantime here’s £30 for your troubles’.

‘We’re pretty much against the money when we have had such bad service.

‘The woman we spoke to said they wouldn’t issue a refund until after they collect the sofa – and it would take five working days. It’s being collected today [on Tuesday].

‘We’re quite lucky that someone has offered to let us buy different sofa from somewhere else and we can pay them back then once we get a refund.

After the mix up, Argos insisted Sara's experience did 'not meet their usual high standards' and said they have provided a full refund for the sofa and arranged for the sofa to be collected

After the mix up, Argos insisted Sara’s experience did ‘not meet their usual high standards’ and said they have provided a full refund for the sofa and arranged for the sofa to be collected

‘At the minute we’re just back to an empty space with no sofa.

‘I would never buy from Argos again. We both have Argos credit cards but have decided to cancel them, they’re not having any more purchases from us.

‘It’s so appalling it’s laughable. It seems like one big joke, like someone is having a laugh.’

When journalists contacted Argos for comment they offered to speed up the refund for Sara and offered £50 cash.

An Argos spokesperson said: ‘We’re in touch with Sara and Greg to apologise for their experiences, which do not meet our usual high standards.

People reading Sara's post were quick to see the funny side, with some even asking Argos how they could purchase their own 'Frankenstein sofa'

People reading Sara’s post were quick to see the funny side, with some even asking Argos how they could purchase their own ‘Frankenstein sofa’

‘We have provided a full refund for the sofa as well as an additional gesture of goodwill. We’re also arranging for the mismatched sofa, which was delivered in error, to be collected.’

Sara’s Facebook post read: ‘Sara’s Facebook post read: ‘If I don’t laugh…I’ll cry…

‘Thanks Argos for sending our new sofa in two colours because half of it was out of stock.

‘Takes ‘greige’ to a whole new level don’t you think?!

‘Offer of £30 compensation more than makes up for it… NEXT JOKE PLEASE.’

Social media users flooding the post with comments.

Louise Stephanie wrote: ‘Argos where can I buy one of these Frankenstein sofas?’

Sara Hudgell replied: ‘Louise Stephanie its pot luck see, sometimes you get mis-matched and sometimes items come with a dent the size of a small car in them…if you’re lucky then both!!

Louise Stephanie wrote: ‘Ooh Russian roulette of home furnishings! A dented, mis-matched sofa sounds ideal.’

El King commented: ‘Are you serious? I would have definitely cried.’

Erin Paterson wrote: ‘I’m so sorry this happened…but I’m even more sorry for absolutely howling at this.’