The Department of Consumer Protection's Product Safety Team Unit enforces laws on the sale and purchase of bedding and upholstered furniture (new and used). Here's what you should know about buying furniture in Connecticut:
Licensed sales
Businesses that manufacture, import, or sell bedding and upholstered furniture in Connecticut must be registered with DCP.
Licensed businesses are required to follow to the state's safety and sanitization regulations in order to sell new or used furniture in Connecticut. DCP's Product Safety team travels to thrift, secondhand, and rent-to-own furniture stores to check if the displayed mattresses, upholstered and wood furniture items were properly sanitized. Verify a furniture store's license in Connecticut
Refund and exchanges
By law, if you purchased used, custom-made, or final sale items, you are not entitled to a refund. Mattresses cannot be resold, therefore consumers are not entitled to a refund.
Can you return furniture that was delivered?
Bedding or article of upholstered furniture cannot be returned to the store after it has been delivered to a consumer’s home, unless there was a determined defect.
If a store wishes to take back the article under a “comfort return” policy, it may not resell that piece unless the store is licensed as a Second Hand Dealer in CT, was sanitized, and tagged the piece as "used."
Warranty claims
Claims of mattresses sagging, or uncomfortable upholstered furniture are warranty issues. Consumers should first pursue the warranty with the retailer or manufacturer. If no resolution can be reached, consumers can file a complaint with the Department of Consumer Protection.
Restocking fee
Stores may charge a "restocking fee" to cover the cost of returning your unwanted purchase, especially large items. Confirm the return policy with the sales associate before you buy.
Look at the labels
White tags: Tell you that the product is new, indicating its origin, material, manufacturer, and registration number which is used for product recalls.
Yellow tags: Tell you that the product is used. Yellow tags must include the date in which the secondhand furniture piece was sanitized, a requirement for licensed secondhand stores, including consignment, thrift and antique dealers. Learn more about furniture tags
