Neoset Canada reviews and complaints

hwp... sorry, i don't want it to sound bad, but you seem to know a lot about the company's business to be just an installer there

just surprise us, are you greg "i'm-getting-outta-here" pappas, or eleanor "i-give-you-my-word" reynolds?

As another former emplyee (installer from 2002 to 2003), I'd say this is a tragedy all round. The worst part of this is that the product is excellent, but the supply/service side had always been compromised by the difficulty of getting pieces from Greece, and organizing the company financials. Wierd as it may sound, the 'death knell' came in the fall of o 2001 with the 9/11 terrorist attack! All European banks got really paranoid about dealing with any company that had trans-Atlantic dealings, and Neoset was gaut in a major vice. In Jan '02 we all took a major pay cut (25%) just to keep the company afloat. In the spring of '03, when they abolished the automatic payroll deposit ($80/month was apparently too costly!) and the benefit package, I saw the light and got out.

I'm truly sorry for all concerned - employees, customers, creditors alike. Believe me, when it was well run, it was a great place top work, and I'm proud of the job we all did.

Why am I not surprised?

Eleanor & Greg: Aren't you tired of playing over and over the same old tricks on your frustrated customers?

Phone numbers that are disconnected, a head office that is closed down for good, a directive travelling overseas, a warehouse that is empty, and e-mail addresses that doesn't work.

Stop the lies, and face the people with responsibility!
If you were there for us when we gave you our money, why can't you be also to tell us the truth?

gregpappas@rogers.blackberry.net - ADDRESS IS UNKNOWN! Anybody else... How do we contact them? I am missing a piece for a wall unit! HELP!

I went to the head office today its closed.. they are out of business. GONE!

This is becoming more interesting by the minute. the web of lies that Neoset threaded has no shame at all.

Now a "cusotmer service rep" appears all of a sudden to defend the company.

Isn't it strange that this CSR doesn't use caps at all, or has no sense of grammar?

Is it me, or a real CSR would never use a phrase like "you should try to work things out otherwise move on"?

Who are you really?, why are you so afraid to give us your real identity?

My recommendation to all of us, deceived by Greg Pappas and Eleanor Reynolds, is not to trust this user, as it looks like a phony account, same as "gregory pappas", and probably "TRUE CUSTOMER"

If you have time to read this board and post here, dear "csr", then be kind enough to take 5 precious minutes of your time and answer our e-mails... there's still lots of us waiting for answers from Neoset.

i am responding to the many notices i am and have been helping many customers and staff solve issues at the company.
what you are doing is wrong. if you have a greivance with the company deal with it in the right manner. if you are a customer visit the warehouse and present your problems we have been solving many problems. what you are saying here is wrong its lies. ... and does not help the company solve the real problems. i just posted a while ago and now reading many of your words i think you need to visit either your unemployement office or the labour board or contact the warehouse or head office for your product if you are a customer.

i am a cusotmer service rep for neoset and i can assure you that it was impossible for you to speak with eleanor reynolds and that she did not go to europe as you and some body else has indicated. she has not been working for neoset for many months now. she like others was an employee like myself.

if you have any questions about your order you need to speak with greg pappas the owner he is working hard on helping people. there is a sign on the headoffice that you can read yourself it states open saturdays gregpappas@rogers.blackberry.net if you need to contact him. The words expressed here are untrue and if there are mad ex employees you should try to work things out otherwise move on.

It's great to finally find a forum to air my troubles with Neoset.

I was hired by Neoset a number of years ago, with the promise of being one of their first salespeople at the Jarvis and King store. I was also told that the average salesperson made $35, 000 per year. Based on that, I accepted the job, and worked at one of their other locations until the new store opened.

I was then shunted from location to location, and told I would finally be stationed at the Mississauga store. When I was told, I was shocked, based on the assurances I was given, and when I questioned the decision, the person said to me "DO YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT?" I decided to just go along.

I worked very hard for my customers, and gave them thoughtful and cost-effective designs. I would make my commission, but at least half the time, the commission was taken away, because the customer was so unhappy they cancelled the order.

We, as salespeople, were given an inventory, which to my amazement, was done MANUALLY. I did my designs based on this inventory availability, only to find out after the fact that the product was NOT available. Customers would start to complain, and we did everything as salespeople in our power to assure the customer. We were basically told just to "stall" the customer and give them false reassurances. Then, when product finally did arrive, the installation crews often damaged pieces, and pieces were missing. We received no support from management.

The average salesperson made $20, 000 - $25, 000 per year, and that was after busting our ###, and taking all the "heat." I finally got fed up and quit.

I found Neoset to be a pathetically run company. The Director of Marketing at the time spent her time going from store to store delivering paper towels and toilet paper! I would have assumed that she would have had bigger "fish to fry" with all the problems. We went without toilet paper, yet she drove around in an extremely expensive vehicle.

When the product is available and put together properly, I'll admit, it was a good product, which is why I stayed. But there is no true leadership, management does not back its' employees, and they basically lie to their staff and customers.

Ellen Roseman

Vicki Low ordered a computer desk from Neoset Canada last August.

Jenya Zukershtein ordered a desk and shelves from Neoset last June.

Both were told to expect delivery within six to eight weeks.

Months later, they had received neither their products nor their money back.

"I'm at my wit's end, " said Low, who paid in full ($573). "The head office has stopped returning my calls and the store on Jarvis St. has been unhelpful and unapologetic."

Zukershtein is still waiting for the refund and four months' interest on her $593 deposit that she was promised last December.

Neoset Canada has five company-owned stores in Toronto, which import modular furniture from Greece.

The Better Business Bureau gives the company an F rating (unsatisfactory), reflecting the number of complaints filed and lack of response to the complaints.

Owner Greg Pappas responded quickly to our intervention on behalf of the two customers.

He said Neoset's problems started a year ago, when Greek workers held rotating strikes to protest government plans to privatize container handling operations at two major ports.

This resulted in a backlog of containers headed overseas.

"We didn't receive any containers for 14 to 16 weeks and fell significantly behind, " Pappas said.

"We tried to communicate with customers, but the staff was not prepared to deal with it. This was my fault. There was no training plan."

As the strikes continued, Neoset started getting containers with orders only half complete.

"We kept falling farther behind, " Pappas said. "We fulfilled orders for customers who screamed the loudest."

Neoset has 170 stores in Greece, but sold its Toronto stores to Pappas two years ago.

The parent company started to care a bit less with the divesting of Canadian operations, he said. There was no need to ship across the ocean for its other stores.

"We didn't foresee the strikes or danger of having one supplier in a country that's going through some unrest.

"It was bad risk management on our part."

Yesterday, Pappas said he would process Zukershtein's refund within 24 hours.

He said Low could have her choice of getting a refund or her long-awaited desk – which had arrived in Canada, after all.

"It was not prioritized and was sitting in a pile of orders, " he admitted.

People can live with delays if told what's wrong and offered refunds. But if they're ignored, they contact newspapers and write nasty comments online.

I finally received my $1450 refund of my Neoset deposit from TD Visa after their 6 week investigation on this charge to my Visa bill. Credit card seems to be the only way to get money back since Greg Papas did not answer any of the numerous messages I left for him. I made my purchase back in September 2008!

In my first calls to Visa, they told me I was way past the 3 month deadline to file a complaint to have them investigate. It was not until I called back many times and asked to speak with a supervisor and sent her copies of correspondence with Neoset, the bill documents and copies of this forum and articles in the Star, they finally agreed to investigate. Their investigation gives the merchant 6 weeks to answer to the alegations of improper charges. If they don't respond, Visa posts the money back to your account.

I also poasted a complaint with the Consumer Protection Branch of the Government of Ontario. This was a waste of time (as is most things with government organizations) as they only called me to inquire about the incident and said they would get back to me. They are powerless and only attempt to mediate with the merchant, and anly if they get enough complaints.

Good luck everyone, and take heed not to put down large deposits on items unless you do it with your credit card and you ensure you get delivery within the three month valid complaint period!

been also taken advantage of and ripped off

purchased items to complete daughter's bedroom with existing neoset furniture in april 2008 and after many times listening to excuses from store and company staff, been ripped off over 1400 dollars

you can get a refund from your credit card company even if it's past the 30 day mark. just keep on calling and speak to different people, including the supervisor.

I too is the victim of Neoset canada. I purchased a wall unit and was misled to put an almost full deposit of $1200 at the Mississauga store in September 2008. The sale person was Ameet who pretended to be helpful just to get your $$. after when i learned that I was disatisfied with the purchase a week later, I went back and demanded money back. he said it was too late as the order was processed. I waited until December for them to delivered partial pieces. They told me that the porter strike in Greece is causing the delay and they will contact me to deliver the rest at a later date. By the way they took my money in full within 2 weeks. I tried to call the warehouse and the store 4 times without a return call. In March 2009, ammet emailed me and said that someone will contact me. No one did. I tried again 3 weeks ago and found out that all numbers had been disconnected. i went to the store a few days ago and found out it is now closed. I took the advise of some customer and contacted my AmeX and they told me that the dispute is invalid as the purchase was made more than 90 days. I don't know what to do now. I will file a complaint with the BBB. We should not let them get away with stealing $$ from people. I am sure the employees knew it was going under, and still push business. Their trick was you have to purchase it today and put down the deposit as i will give you the 15% off today and only today. I will never be this naive again and never pay for anything until it is fully delivered. any ideas of how to go about getting the refund back?

Why am I not surprised?

Eleanor & Greg: Aren't you tired of playing over and over the same old tricks on your frustrated customers?

Phone numbers that are disconnected, a head office that is closed down for good, a directive travelling overseas, a warehouse that is empty, and e-mail addresses that doesn't work.

Stop the lies, and face the people with responsibility!
If you were there for us when we gave you our money, why can't you be also to tell us the truth?

I went to the head office today its closed.. they are out of business. GONE!

Furious2

Unbelievable! I thought I was the only who went through Neoset hell! Unfortunately, there are a few too many that have been where I have been. I myself purchased quite a few items from Neoset - Jarvis location back in August 2008 and was told 6 - 8 week delivery. As of November 2008 my furniture did not arrive. It did not come in December. I called the Jarvis location in January and was told the furniture was in the country (WTF? I mean what does that really mean?). I made several attempts to reach Eleanor Reynolds and Greg Pappas by both e-mail and phone. As you well know no response to either. I did ask Mia from the Jarvis store for a refund for my deposit of $2500 which she told me she was unauthorized to do she would have to speak to HQ and promised me she would call within the week. She never called. My second attempt by phone was met with a similar answer. Eleanor nor Greg got back to her! Finally, I filed a complaint with the BBB and contacted MC to dispute the charge. I am still waiting as I had to write out all contacts I made with this company and the promises made to me when I would be getting my furniture as the time for the time of deposit and delivery date was over the alloted time frame for disputes I believe 90 days. However the supervisor said they would try and enter a different delivery date to keep within the time frame. I hope I get my money back as it sucks to have pay for something that you don't even have to enjoy. As for Greg, Eleanor and the rest of the Neoset gang I hope that you these complaints and understand the extent of what you have done. In saying that, always remember Karma is a ### and you will get yours.

This is becoming more interesting by the minute. the web of lies that Neoset threaded has no shame at all.

Now a "cusotmer service rep" appears all of a sudden to defend the company.

Isn't it strange that this CSR doesn't use caps at all, or has no sense of grammar?

Is it me, or a real CSR would never use a phrase like "you should try to work things out otherwise move on"?

Who are you really?, why are you so afraid to give us your real identity?

My recommendation to all of us, deceived by Greg Pappas and Eleanor Reynolds, is not to trust this user, as it looks like a phony account, same as "gregory pappas", and probably "TRUE CUSTOMER"

If you have time to read this board and post here, dear "csr", then be kind enough to take 5 precious minutes of your time and answer our e-mails... there's still lots of us waiting for answers from Neoset.

i am responding to the many notices i am and have been helping many customers and staff solve issues at the company.
what you are doing is wrong. if you have a greivance with the company deal with it in the right manner. if you are a customer visit the warehouse and present your problems we have been solving many problems. what you are saying here is wrong its lies. ... and does not help the company solve the real problems. i just posted a while ago and now reading many of your words i think you need to visit either your unemployement office or the labour board or contact the warehouse or head office for your product if you are a customer.

chris schultz i am a cusotmer service rep for neoset and i can assure you that it was impossible for you to speak with eleanor reynolds and that she did not go to europe as you and some body else has indicated. she has not been working for neoset for many months now. she like others was an employee like myself.

if you have any questions about your order you need to speak with greg pappas the owner he is working hard on helping people. there is a sign on the headoffice that you can read yourself it states open saturdays gregpappas@rogers.blackberry.net if you need to contact him. The words expressed here are untrue and if there are mad ex employees you should try to work things out otherwise move on.