Consumer watchdog: Opinions split over sofas

Harvey Norman tests their sofas. Photo / Janna Dixon

Shoppers have been warned to check what discount "leather" furniture is really made of, amid concerns of misleading marketing by furniture stores.

Some retailers sell fabrics that weave together leather and synthetics, which can disintegrate within a few years.

"Split leather" looks, feels and even smells like its higher quality counterpart - but is made from skins horizontally split into three or four layers and strengthened with synthetics.

Unlike 100 per cent leather, this material can be bought from wholesalers in China for as little as $1 per metre.

Mother of three Shirley Kane splashed out $3150 on a "100 per cent leather" couch from Redpaths Furniture only to have it show serious wear and tear in 16 months.

"Leather is meant to last four times as long as fabric but in just over a year it was almost worn out. We contacted Redpaths, but they weren't interested because the 12-month warranty had just expired," Kane said.

After nine months of struggling to have Redpaths remedy the problem, Kane took the case to the Disputes Tribunal where it was ruled that the couch had not lived up to the Consumer Guarantees Act. She was awarded a $3098 refund just before Christmas.

Other furniture retailers - including Harvey Norman - also stock furniture with genuine leather on "contact" areas but split leather on the sides, base and back.

Commerce Commission spokesperson Allanah Kalafatelis said labelling needed to be less ambiguous because consumers could be misled by "leather" or "genuine leather" labels if split leather was also used.

"While split-coated and bi-cast leather may meet the technical definition of leather as defined by the International Council of Tanners," Kalafatelis said, "consumers would expect any unqualified reference to 'leather' or the use of the words 'genuine leather' to indicate 100 per cent leather or top grain leather."

A leather repairman, who did not want to be identified because he is commissioned by retailers to repair damaged products, said he would not recommend anyone buy furniture made with split leather.

"The difference in quality is huge. We can buy split leather wholesale from China for $1 a metre compared with $15 a metre for quality leather from China or $75 to $115 a metre from Italy," he said. "The manufacturers use splits to save money."

"Split leather doesn't have a lot of strength ... We have a lot of complaints from customers about it cracking and wearing out, and I've seen a lot of court cases."

Harvey Norman national manager Grant Botting said the chain had all leather and split leather tested by a lab for light and fastness, crack resistance, coat adhesion and tear strength.

"We believe with this independent process in place it overcomes any concerns about lesser quality," he said.

"They also test leather to ensure that it passes the International Council of Tanners definition of leather - this level of scrutiny allows us to label all of our LASRA-approved product as 100 per cent genuine leather."

EXPERT CALLED IN

When Cindy May moved to New Zealand from Perth, she left behind a well-loved leather couch that was still going strong after 20 years' use.

So May splashed out more than $5000 on a pair of Nadine couches from Harvey Norman - which she said was sold to her as "top-of-the-line" leather.

But after only a week, May was feeling uneasy about her purchase. The domes on the back pocket of a visitor's jeans were enough to leave permanent marks and pin-pricks from her two cats' claws were growing into long tears.

"This had never happened with my last couch," May said. "I looked closely at the material and it was very thin. It tore like tissue paper."

Harvey Norman gave May a refund after she called in an expert to help her argue her case.

"If it had been me versus Harvey Norman, I don't think I would have fared so well, they wouldn't have taken me seriously," said May.

After a month of wrangling, May was given a refund. The Nadine couch remains on sale and is still advertised as "leather".

FEEL THE DIFFERENCE

* Full-grain leather: Conventionally known as 100 per cent genuine leather and the most expensive on the market. Ages well.

* Top-grain leather: The better-quality top split of the skin. Soft because no finishes are used. Will age well if looked after but needs maintenance.

* Corrected grain leather: Cheaper top-grain hide with imperfections from insect bites or branding. A synthetic finish is applied and a leather-like pattern embossed on to the surface. Does not age gracefully but is easily repairable.

* Split leather: The animal skin is split horizontally to create sheets of material. It is coated in agent for strength but is usually less durable than leather that has not been split and will not age in the same way as higher-quality leather.

* Bi-cast leather: A laminated product that contains some leather fibres.

* Pellissima: A trademark of Shanghai Leather branded with an Italian flag. Similar to bonded leather.

* Bonded leather: Leather-look material made from scrap fibres of animal skin mixed with polyurethane or vinyl.

Source: Robert Stevens