Scotchguard & Furniture Insurance for $400. Should I?

LRadioGal on 19/12/2015 - 10:40

We bought two beautiful sofa sets (3 and 2 seater) plus ottoman…very happy. BUT the furniture store will charge $399 for having it Scotchguarded and insured for 5 years. It covers one pet scratch in that time and they'll come to the house if anything needs to be fixed.

We want to protect our new purchase but are balking at the $399 cost. A good competing company will do the same for $270. Our furniture company says theirs is different (much better quality Scotchguard) but can't tell me how (basically not willing to budge). They also argue that it's a decent deal compared to a Bunnings DIY (by the time you buy several cans of Scotchguard to cover the sofas and top up every year).

I can't tell if we're being taken for a ride. What makes this decision even more difficult is the fact that we have no kids or pets, so our risk of damage is low (although risk does exist and you only need damage to happen once!). Can anyone with some knowledge of this area advise? We want our sofas delivered before Christmas! Thanks!

RadioGal

General Discussion

Comments

  • try2bhelpful on 19/12/2015 - 10:52

    We have 3 leather lounges. Our answer to the problem is we have a few Mink Blankets for winter and flat sheets for summer that we put over the top of the lounges. (Remove them for guests of course). Provides warmth in winter and stops us sticking in summer and we wash them regularly. We then clean the lounges every few months with leather care. I would be wary about the chemicals in scotch guarding anyway. We have always had pets, and we do have scratches, but it just adds to the patina.

    • airzone on 19/12/2015 - 13:50
      +2

      My old great aunt / uncle used to cover their couches in plastic wrap. My feel is that if you're so worried about it that you have to cover up then you probably spent too much.

      • try2bhelpful on 19/12/2015 - 14:21

        There is a difference between plastic and blankets/sheets. The blankets and sheets actually make it more comfortable than less. I really don't have an issue with scratches and marks I think they work well with leather couches and, believe me, over the years my various cats have added a lot of "character" to the leather getting on and off the couches :)

  • RadioGal on 19/12/2015 - 11:25

    Thanks try2bhelpful but we want to display our lovely sofas as often as possible (we'd like to look at them too). They're in front of a fireplace so keeping warm will be no issue (they're also fabric!). It's apparently guests we need to protect them from. I've been told stories of people leaving sweat stains that don't show till much later! I have to choose the lesser of two evils…Scotchguard chemicals vs protecting furniture. AT the moment, Scotchguarding wins. But I don't know if I should pay $400!!

    • trex on 19/12/2015 - 23:20

      Considering the sofas are fabric, let me introduce you to a new friend. We bought this unit over a year ago to clean our carpet and fabric sofas. We've grown to love it so much!! Read the reviews from the above link, it is as good as the reviews say. Getting this is definitely more worthwhile than Scotchgarding. Like it or not, sofas will get stains, dirty and dusty so better to clean it than to "bubble wrap" it with Scotchgard which can only lasts so long. We bought ours from Masters during a 20% discount promo.

  • Gravy on 19/12/2015 - 13:06

    What is the total cost of the couches??

    Paying for scotchguarding is a bit like paying for paint or rust protection when you buy a new or secondhand car from the dealer, yes it will help protect it but they charge a severely overinflated premium for this service.

    No kids… no pets…. the only concern I would really have is if a friend or one of you were to spill red wine, otherwise grab a few cans and do it yourself. It costs like $12 a can at bunnings, I think perhaps 3 or 4 cans at most would be all that is required to do the surfaces that may get stained (not sure on coverage from 1 can though).

    Regarding sweat stains, are you planning on inviting a football team back straight after a game or putting the couches in a Gym? Probably fairly minor issue otherwise. You'll probably get bored with the style of the couch or it will fail in some other way before that becomes an issue anyway.

    I'd personally be wearing a decent mask whilst applying though, and yes scotchguard has has a bit of a chequered history over the years it seems. Apparantly cleaned up a bit now but who really knows…. http://www.chemicalindustryarchives.org/dirtysecrets/scotchg…

    Edit: by the way, Im also fairly anal about scratches etc, I have 2 kids and an inside dog so a bit less than I used to be otherwise I would basically go crazy or my kids would develop psychological issues. Our 7 year old leather couches still look quite good for age, I have conditioned the leather a few times myself in that time, yours are material covering though so perhaps a different story.

    • try2bhelpful on 19/12/2015 - 14:45

      The more I'm reading online about ScotchGuarding the happier I am with my decision to buy leather furntiture and use blankets/sheets unless we have guests. If you intend to spray the Scotchguard yourself it looks like you need to get fully kitted up and spraying them outdoorswould be better. Personally, if I had a fabric couch I would look for one with covers that can be zipped off and washed.

      Best of luck with your decision.

  • t_c on 19/12/2015 - 13:06

    so is the furniture company offering scotchguard and insurance for 5 years for $399 vs other company offering scotchguard only for $270?

  • RadioGal on 19/12/2015 - 16:28

    t_c… other company also has 5 year warranty for $270. But my furniture company says their $399 version is some superior Italian brand.

    Gravy… cost of couches about $4k. No they weren't cheap but they were very nice couches at a decent discount (got them on sale). You are spot on about the comparison with buying paint or rust protection for new cars. My husband is tempted to think we'll be fine without Scotchguarding it at all (we don't even drink wine, just tea and coffee). I suspect the sales guy may be right in suggesting the cost of doing it DIY over 5 years (with annual top ups) will amount to something close to what they are charging. But I still can't help feeing fleeced if I were to pay that price. I've heard the 5 year insurance comes from Scotchguard not the furniture company anyway. BUT I've also found out the fabric costs $50 per meter which is no small amount either and makes me scared not to buy the fabric protection/insurance! Oh, help.

    • Geewhizz on 20/12/2015 - 07:54

      I wouldn't NOT scotchguard at all, but I'm guessing they have very few claims on their 'insurance' - the chances of damaging it are fairly slim, I'd say. We initially paid something like $200 for a similar set up on a couple of leather recliners.

      I now just buy the identical product in twice the quantity for $30.

  • RadioGal on 19/12/2015 - 20:21
    +1

    Happy to report a decision. Rang the store again and chose to speak to another salesperson who agreed to price match the other store. So I still feel a little fleeced but not by as much. The thought of putting on full covered protective clothing to Scotchguard two sofas plus ottoman outdoors in this stinking heat was something that did deter me from a DIY. But goes to show sometimes if you don't get joy with one salesperson, talk to another… Thanks to everyone for comments and advice :)

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