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Flik & Company - Have you been "Flick'd" Over?

Over the past few weeks, my partner and I have been dealing with the most frustrating of experiences with a furniture retailer in Leslieville - Flik and Company. Unfortunately, we have been left with no choice but to pursue legal action.

In a nutshell, we made a final payment for a sofa and two arm chairs after notification from the owner of Flik and Co that it was ready and would be delivered in a few days. Now almost four weeks later, there has been nothing but a long string of blatant lies and unfulfilled commitments (e.g. 5 missed deliveries). We have since tracked down the manufacturer who has not even finished the pieces. It has been so ridiculous that last week a fictitious delivery man even texted us multiple times to say that he was on his away with the delivery. He never showed up.

We became most concerned after we came across a Toronto blog this week showing recent postings by other customers who have experienced deception and possible fraud at the hands of Flik & Company at 989 Queen Street East, Toronto.

To see those entries, click here: http://www.blogto.com/design/flik-and-company

We are reaching out this week to local media, trade publications, government, business groups and consumer protection organizations to tell our story.

We would appreciate it if you would help us by sharing this note with your family, friends and contacts – especially those who are buying new homes or in the market for new furniture.

While we simply want what we paid for, or our money back – we also want to ensure that none of our friends or their friends or family have to go through what we’ve been enduring.

For those of you who want some more detail to get a sense for how surreal this experience has been for us, we have a meticulous chronology of events and communications.

While we are sure that Flik & Company has made some customers happy, our experience shows that you should think twice about dealing with them.

If you know anyone who has a similar experience with Flik & Company, please let us know and share your stories.

Thank you.

Tags: Company, Flik, Howard, Stephan

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by cindy on April 12, 2010 at 8:24am

Melissa. I'm glad you researched before you bought. You saved yourself some serious grief by not dealing with Stephan. Judy you can email me at maccoolsreuse@gmail.com and I'll give you the collection agency information. FYI Stephan's having a Spring Warehouse Sale at Queen street east presbyterian church April 17, 2010 from 10am to 4pm if anyone would like to pay him a visit. Have a great day.

Permalink Reply by Matthew Trotter on April 26, 2010 at 4:20pm

Hi everyone, this is my first post as I signed up immediately after having read this thread.

Stephan, I am sure you will read this, as you have the other posts and please feel free to contest anything I say, but please include proof.

I ordered a sofa, wing chair and ottoman from Stephan in early November 2009. The first part of the transaction that threw up some flags was that he would not accept Visa because "there are too many fraudulent transactions" so he requested cash. I paid $1200 cash (50%) as a deposit and was given a generic receipt stating I had paid the deposit. Stephan mentioned to my wife and I that it would take 2 weeks to have the furniture made, delivered to the store and then have the custom trim options we wanted applied to wing chair and ottoman.

By christmas, Stephan stopped responding to emails, voicemail, and his store was closed. A few weeks later we finally got in touch with him and he informed us of some family issues which had taken priority (understandably), and he was expecting our furniture that week. My wife and I are fairly compasionate people and after seeing him in the store that week, he looked like he had been through a rough time. We asked him if everything was ok and went on with our day.

This is when the run around began. In what appeared to be a never-ending cycle, we were told our furniture would be available Monday, and when it wouldn't arrive and we wouldn't hear anything, we would call or email on Wednesday. We would get a response saying he expected it Friday or Saturday and when it wouldn't arrive or we wouldn't hear anything by Sunday, we would call and email and the cycle would continue.

We even got a phone call from Stephan one day asking us how the furniture was, to which we replied "We don't have it yet".

We have also heard the stories about the faulty suppliers, delivery guys not showing up, delivery guys having a pickup truck and it was raining outside. In fact, I know the names of 4 different people who were supposed to deliver my furniture.

It is now April 26th, and this is still going on. I have been waiting over 6 months for my furniture.

On this past weekend, my wife and I had decided that we had been patient enough and we were going to request our money back. In a polite yet direct email, my wife told Stephan that he has been unable to deliver our products, which we had paid him a deposit for and we would like our money back. Stephans response began to give us a sigh of relief stating that he would refund us the money... however two words were included at the end, which made me think otherwise - "on monday".

Since we had seen "on monday" so many times previously, my wife and I got upset and wrote back stating that monday was not good enough, we were fed up with waiting for something that was never going to arrive and demanded that he have the money ready that day for us.

Stephan's response to this was "no, period."

He then began to give excuses about his bank not allowing him to withdraw that much, as well as a multitude of other excuses, all of which pointed to us being unreasonable for requesting our money back. My wife had finally conceded that we had been taken for fools and been taken for $1200 and broke down. Shortly after his intial response, another response followed which was a *form* of apology and gratitude for hanging in as long as we had.

Today which is the Monday I am supposed to receive my refund, I was forwarded a message by Stephan, which was a more sincere apology and a page worth of "excuses" which make this all look like a comedy of errors. However, I have the internet did a quick search and low and behold, I found many other people complaining of the exact same thing. Usually, I do the reasearch first, but seeing as it was a small "mom & pop" type shop, my wife and I put our trust in the proprietor.

Interestingly enough, the email we received today explains in more detail his reasoning behind not refunding the money on the weekend, however states NOTHING about the fact that today is Monday and when and where I can pick up my $1200.

I read through all Stephan's responses on this forum and, like most of you, was fairly appauled with the way he chose to respond.

Stephan, the only problem with you stating that everyone who ordered a couch, has their couch now, is that it doesn't include people who aren't commenting on this forum. Also, I still don't have my couch, or my money - 6 months and counting.

Please don't take offence to people commenting on your poor business practice over the internet. The reason they are is so that others don't get stung with the same "over promise - under deliver" mantra which at this point appears to be your mission statement.

-Matthew Trotter

Permalink Reply by Ana on April 27, 2010 at 3:26am

Matthew..

Oh boy...I am going through the same thing....

So, I showed up at the store this past thursday, and guess what...Stephan told me tomorrow...so I had to work and got my boyfriend to go to my place "just in case" this delivery would show (because he told me for 6 weeks now) my couch would arrive...and guess what........IT WAS A NO SHOW....SURPRISE SURPRISE.....NO COUCH

HE IS A LIAR!!

It will always be something other than your delivery.....

It will be the most utmost stressing, annoying, part of your life because it is unbelievable that people like him exist and do business.....and still stay in business. He will keep telling you this day and that and will NOT DELIVER...and than e-mail you to tell you to stop blogging...

You are doing nothing but telling the truth about somebody's business and the way they conduct it

I spoke to the supplier and like he stated to me "you are not the first or the last" so Matthew, this tells you something.

Permalink Reply by Hewie Ardo on April 27, 2010 at 5:45am

Maybe it is time to kick it up a notch and contact some of the press folks who help customers getting results? Would not hurt and some "good" press, say in the STAR, may get thinks going or your $ back?

Ana said:

Matthew..

Oh boy...I am going through the same thing....

So, I showed up at the store this past thursday, and guess what...Stephan told me tomorrow...so I had to work and got my boyfriend to go to my place "just in case" this delivery would show (because he told me for 6 weeks now) my couch would arrive...and guess what........IT WAS A NO SHOW....SURPRISE SURPRISE.....NO COUCH

HE IS A LIAR!!

It will always be something other than your delivery.....

It will be the most utmost stressing, annoying, part of your life because it is unbelievable that people like him exist and do business.....and still stay in business. He will keep telling you this day and that and will NOT DELIVER...and than e-mail you to tell you to stop blogging...

You are doing nothing but telling the truth about somebody's business and the way they conduct it

I spoke to the supplier and like he stated to me "you are not the first or the last" so Matthew, this tells you something.

Permalink Reply by Matthew Trotter on April 27, 2010 at 9:25am

Ana, Do you have the name of the supplier and some contact information for them?

-M

Permalink Reply by jacqui brady on April 27, 2010 at 1:11pm

Hi Matthew,
So sorry to hear that you too have fallen prey to Flik and Co. The company that Stephan orders from is Statum Design Inc @416 740-4010 and the main person is Angelo. Just so you know, Angelo is very cautious sharing information as he has been threatened by Stephan. When I spoke with Angelo about my furniture he said I can't tell you much, as Stephan will sue me. My husband who was far less upset than me was able to get the information out of him and he did let us know that he was just waiting for $ before releasing the furniture. He also stated that there was more that just our stuff waiting at the warehouse and that all the so called attempted deliveries never really happened.
Stephan is often featured in Canadian House and Home, in fact he is often promoted in this magazine, perhaps the editor should be tipped off to read this blog.
JB

Matthew Trotter said:

Ana, Do you have the name of the supplier and some contact information for them?

-M

Permalink Reply by cindy on April 27, 2010 at 2:30pm

Hi everyone who's been scammed by Stephan.
I've contacted one of the design editors at House & Home, Style at Home, Sarah Richardson (her cousin is a good friend,) and another person on this site has contacted CP24 and the Star. Hopefully something will come of it. I think spreading the word is going to be a better option then trying to get blood from a stone.
Cindy

Permalink Reply by Matthew Trotter on April 27, 2010 at 4:24pm

Does anyone else find it funny that he wrote "Ana will get hers this week" but, she still doesn't have it... 3 weeks later?

FLIK and COMPANY said:

Ana will get hers this week.....
Mr. Egg said:
Hold on...you handed over a grand in cash with no paperwork? Nothing?

Permalink Reply by Greig on April 27, 2010 at 4:28pm

I find it....not funny. Sad.

I hate to see a small, local and independent retailer disappear, but this guy needs to be put out of commission.

Matthew Trotter said:

Does anyone else find it funny that he wrote "Ana will get hers this week" but, she still doesn't have it... 3 weeks later?

FLIK and COMPANY said:
Ana will get hers this week.....
Mr. Egg said:
Hold on...you handed over a grand in cash with no paperwork? Nothing?

Permalink Reply by Matthew Trotter on April 27, 2010 at 4:39pm

I laugh to keep myself from going crazy thinking about it. He does need to stop doing business and hurting honest people.

Permalink Reply by Ana on April 27, 2010 at 4:40pm

Thanks for your support Greig...I will always shop at an independent retailer before a big box and I still will...Just not with Flik anymore! I was suppose to get my couch on Friday and nothing...So just like Matthew, we have empty living rooms!

Greig said:

I find it....not funny. Sad.

I hate to see a small, local and independent retailer disappear, but this guy needs to be put out of commission.

Matthew Trotter said:
Does anyone else find it funny that he wrote "Ana will get hers this week" but, she still doesn't have it... 3 weeks later?

FLIK and COMPANY said:
Ana will get hers this week.....
Mr. Egg said:
Hold on...you handed over a grand in cash with no paperwork? Nothing?

Permalink Reply by jacqui brady on April 27, 2010 at 7:31pm

Cindy,
Did you ever get your money?
jb

cindy said:

Hi everyone who's been scammed by Stephan.
I've contacted one of the design editors at House & Home, Style at Home, Sarah Richardson (her cousin is a good friend,) and another person on this site has contacted CP24 and the Star. Hopefully something will come of it. I think spreading the word is going to be a better option then trying to get blood from a stone.
Cindy