Thomas Payne Leather Seats De-laminating

[Jim Weigand]

Our 2018 Imagine 2670 just turned two years old. During that time period it has had only about 9 months of actual use. We just noticed that the leather on the headrest of the Thomas Payne recliners is de-laminating. I contacted our dealer and was told we would have to contact Thomas Payne (LCI) . I was also told that this de-lamination problem has been an ongoing and they were told the problem has been corrected. By the way, there seating on display in the show room also showed cracking and de-lamination.

I exchanged about 7 emails with Thomas Payne customer support. They did offer to sell me new furniture at 50% off the $1600 full price of the seating. In other words, I would be charged $800 plus shipping. I don't know why I should have to spend that kind of money to fix their manufacturing problem. Since the head rest are removable, I asked them to just send me a new headrest. This would be the least expensive solution for both of us; but I was told they could not part out items. This doesn't make sense. To me it means they have no repair items. I then asked for cash to try to get it fixed locally and was told No, they cannot do that. .This is no way to treat customers for a problem which is a manufacturing defect that all ready cost me $1600.

Since I could not depend on Thomas Payne quality, I just bought a LAZBOY recliner loveseat that fits nicely into the space. I am surprised that Grand Design allows vendors to hold no responsibility for the quality of their product.

[TucsonJim]

Hi Jim - Welcome to the forum. Thanks for bringing this topic up. It's been an ongoing issue for years. We thought that the "Thomas Payne" version of the LCI furniture was going to last longer than their original products, but based on your example, it doesn't look like it.

The problem lies with the type of material that is being used. Some folks call it "bonded leather". Others call it "pleather". And there are those that call it "junk" (or worse). It's supposedly is made by grinding up leather and then making a material out of it. Bottom line, is that it just doesn't last. And the high and low temperatures experienced in an RV don't help it. But the RV manufacturers are in a bind. Bonded leather furniture is much less expensive than real leather furniture. If they equipped the RVs with real leather, the price would jump considerably.

I have changed out a couple of pieces of furniture in my trailer. I went with a company called RecPro. It is also a bonded leather product. So I'm going to keep an eye on it to see how it lasts. I'll bet that Lazboy unit you purchased is going to last much longer. Time will tell.

Jim

[Jim Weigand]

Jim,
I agree with everything you said. However, its interesting that it was the headrest that went bad which gets limited wear compared to the seats that remained in good shape. It sure seems to be a quality control issue on their part and an issue with Grand Design for allowing vendors not to back up their product. By the way we went with cloth furniture for the very reason you stated above. The sales person said go with real leather or cloth and not the bonded.
Jim

[Second Chance]

Jim,
I agree with everything you said. However, its interesting that it was the headrest that went bad which gets limited wear compared to the seats that remained in good shape. It sure seems to be a quality control issue on their part and an issue with Grand Design for allowing vendors not to back up their product. By the way we went with cloth furniture for the very reason you stated above. The sales person said go with real leather or cloth and not the bonded.
Jim

Does the headrest get more sun from the window than the rest of the recliner? UV is a killer on this type of "particle board" leather.

Rob

[Cate&Rob]

LCI has also been known to blame headrest deterioration on hair care products.

(another) Rob

[Canyonlight]

LCI has also been known to blame headrest deterioration on hair care products.

(another) Rob

Well this explains why you shave your head, Rob ! I may have to stop using hair care products and shave my sides and back as well...........all to save the furniture !

My apologies to OP, Jim for this steering the train off track abit.

Dan

[Cate&Rob]

Canyonlight
LOL - I was waiting for this "observation" After the LCI rep at a Rally a couple of years ago explained the hair care product theory to me . . . I then took off my hat .
My apologies also to the OP for continuing this (somewhat related) derailment.

Rob

[SBARLAG]

There is always the option of having your dealer apply a product called ResistAll. It is applied to all non-sleeping materials and the exterior walls,,,has a 5yr warranty. Talk to your dealer.