A sofa I bought, which carries a lifetime warranty, broke.

I purchased a living room set several years ago, but living alone, I literally NEVER sit in the living room. Over the summer, I noticed that one side of the sofa was sloping downward, resting on the floor. A friend helped me check the sofa completely, to find that the wood frame cracked and dowels separated. Since the store went out of business, I contacted the manufacturer; I was instructed to submit a claim, a statement of the problem and photos.

About a month after submitting my claim, I got back my original letter, with a hand-written sentence on the bottom, stating that I caused the damage to the sofa by dropping it. I called customer service and spoke to the person who denied my claim. I told her I never dropped the sofa and that if she had looked at the photos, would have seen that there are no signs of wear or use, even though I've owned the sofa for 4 years. Since I know I did nothing to cause the damage, I insisted on speaking to someone of higher standing. I was referred to a vice president, who I tried to reach no less than two dozen times. Even when I was told he was available, he refused to take my calls.

I paid $1100 for the sofa. To fix it on my own would cost more since as a result of the frame cracking, the upholstery was also damaged. Now, I get to choose between throwing out a sofa I've never sat on or spend another $1500 to make it usable. Since I live in New York and the manufacturer is in Mississippi, I cannot take them to Small Claims Court.