Table of Contents
The DFS Brand
The DFS brand is one of the largest home furniture brand names in the UK, with Sofas being their main sell. Founded in 1969, the furniture retailer has been at the top of the game for many a decade and caters to a wide audience with their never-ending and ever-changing selection.
Materials and Construction
DFS proudly boast of the fact that many of their sofas are handmade by specialist craftsmen and women, giving their products a quality feel from their highly skilled workforce. This, along with top independent quality control ensures high-quality products.
The fabrics and fillings of a DFS sofa come in a variety of choices. Foam and Fibre are the two main acts when filling your sofa. Foam being the one to choose for supporting your bad back and fibre being the choice to lounge and sink into the abyss. However, DFS has its own Fibre Encore filling which is essentially a hybrid of the two, opting for comfort and support all in one.
The fabric choices go far and wide. Anything from a durable and super soft polyester microfibre, or luxurious velvet to a comfortable and textured chenille, or from natural deluxe cotton to a classic 100% real leather, DFS has you covered.
These sofas are destined to stand the test of time given DFS’s substantial 15-year warranty!
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Design and Style
As time flies on, designs and styles forever change with modern and contemporary leading the charge in recent years. These styles of sofas are often sleek and simplistic while still remaining comfortable and making a statement in your living room.
While being modern, they can also be considered retro, with older styles being pulled through time with a contemporary twist. DFS also stay ahead of the game, focussing on current and expected trends and colour schemes to ensure their brand continues catching our eyes.
Many traditional and vintage-styled sofas can also be found at DFS. These classic sofas can often be found in leather with deep backs, giving them a grand luxury feel, and making them something to grab a blanket and sink into.
Comfort and Durability
Of course, the options are varied and wide and you and I may have different preferences in what is comfortable. So, choosing what’s right for you is a must.
Make sure you do a sit test when looking for a sofa as this alone will determine which sofa style is right for you, in filling and fabric. There will be sofas you sit on that feel like a brick wall (to you), and there will be the comfiest cloud on the planet. Comfort is key. Check, test and choose wisely.
With that, your personal preference has been chosen and you wonder if it will stand up to everyday use, the options available to you will have plenty to choose from when it comes to durability. Every material has different properties and different grades. Some will be suitable for a home full of pets and some will prefer if the dog stays by the fireplace.
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Customer Feedback
Customer feedback can vary with any product, and for a number of reasons. Whether it be a bad product, not to a person’s taste, damaged items – this list goes on. However, Trustpilot has an enormous amount of feedback with almost 300,000 reviews to DFS averaging out at an excellent 4.8 stars.
The positive reviews range from everything such as a quick and simple order/delivery, to nice and helpful customer services.
Whether ordering in-store or online, these reviews are overwhelmingly positive, but of course, every company has its flaws and they are equally called out by those with a bad experience.
Warranty and Customer Service
DFS have a 15-year warranty guarantee. This covers mainly the frame and any springs your sofa may have, ensuring the build quality stands up to the test.
There is a standard 2-year warranty for faults such as accidental staining, this can be extended with an upholstery protection plan for a further 3 years. As with most things, gradual wear and tear over time is natural and not covered by warranty.
A support team is available 365 days a year and can be contacted by online chat, contact forms or by phone.
Pricing
It shouldn’t always come down to cost, but it often does. Luckily with such a range, DFS can accommodate any budget and as we all know, they love a sale! A sale is often the first thing I think of when I think of DFS so it’s always worth a look to see what deals are available.
That doesn’t take away the reality that you do indeed get what you pay for. Do look for the deals though, there are some amazing bargains!
If your budget is tight you may be forced to purchase a sofa of lesser quality. Most of these savings will come from the quality of materials. Solid hardwood may be replaced with an artificial alternative, such as MDF, and fabrics of any kind may be at the lower end of the performance scale.
A fabric’s rub count for example can come in anywhere from a standard performance rating to a high-quality performance rating. The lower the rating, the lower the quality.
If you’re lucky enough to be flush with cash you can get all the bells and whistles when it comes to that beautiful hardwood trim and lush super soft textured sofa you never want to leave. Your options become infinite and you can choose any style, fabric, colour and size to suit your needs.
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Is there any setup?
Most DFS sofas are built to order and in this case, the most you’ll have to do when it comes to self-assembly is to screw on the feet of the sofa and add some cushions. That’s not to say there won’t be the odd sofa where you’ll have to follow some instructions depending on the range.
The main job in any case when ordering a sofa is to ensure it fits. Measure everything from where you want the sofa to fit, whether it fits through each and every door on its journey and if its final destination is up a flight of stairs, be sure there is enough space for your sofa to get up and around any corners.
DFS also use a specialist sofa delivery and installation company. As well as delivering and installing your sofa to the required room, an arrangement can be made for the upheaval and disposal of your current sofa.
Comparison with Competitors
In an ever-competitive market, furniture stores all over the country continue to battle it out over quality, style and pricing. Stores such as SCS and Furniture
Village offer their fair share of products and will no doubt hold their own fight while also both promoting an impressive 20-year frame warranty on their sofas, but DFS are still the biggest in the country. This may also be down to their recent acquisition of Sofology, another large retailer.
Conclusion
It must always be said that there can be good and bad in everything, whether it be in a product or an experience with customer service. But, overall with the options available to you at DFS there is no doubt you could walk into a store or browse online and find your next sofa.
Always do a sit test, choose a fabric and colour that will last and make sure it fits through every door and around every corner!
And remember, DFS almost always have a sale on…
