Pottery Barn Fort Round Pedestal Extendable Dining Table

TLDR - I had a good experience with delivery and customer service (hence the 2 stars) - however the product design for a 3K+ table was terrible as it's not protected and got stained by my cat sneezing on it - the table also turned out to be broken - the extending mechanism had a chunk of wood fall out - but was replaced for free - the new table had a minor defect where a bolt thread insert was missing but didn't affect function so we didn't make a fuss with it - New table is difficult to open, but functions - product now appears to be discontinued.

**Experience Buying in Store** So we bought the table online after viewing it in the Chadstone store. Trying to buy instore without owning a credit card was unsuccessful - they could not accept bank transfer - we would have had to go to the bank to get cash, but they told us if we bought online we would have to deal with the US customer service. We just decided to buy online. Just take note of that if buying in store. Took several weeks to arrive, that's ok. ANC Delivery people were good and lovely. They came a bit early but that was fine. The table was easy to assemble and we decided to do it ourselves to save $300. That was fine. I enjoyed the assembly.

**Product Design Flaws** However, after assembling the table, I let my cats out, and they sneezed on the table and it stained it! There were little dark specs all over it. I tried blotting it straight away, allowing it to dry for a few days and nope. Stains were still there. Looking further the website says care instructions "dust with a dry cloth, do not use harsh chemicals". I have read other reviews where people have also had issues with furniture staining. So basically it's a kitchen dining table that you can't use as a table or else it will get stained. Pointless and absurd for a 3k table. I was looking for a quality table that was durable and could last a lifetime. This is not so. I got a clear plastic sheet to cover it, but now it hides the wood.

When we first started using the table we noticed that it was difficult to open. After about 3 weeks of normal use we decided to put the leaf in it as we had guests coming over. When we opened it, a small chunk of wood from the extending mechanism fell out. We took the table top off and looked underneath, it was an essential part of the track to open/close the extension. We were then unable to properly re-attach the table top to the base because the holes no longer lined up. The table needed the sliding extension mechanism fully replaced. The sliding mechanism was made out of wood, it should really be made of metal as that would minimise this sort of issue occurring.

**Customer Service Experience** I contacted customer service and sent them photos of the issue. Customer Service was actually pretty good and tried to see if it could be repaired, but ultimately they decided it could not, and they sent us a replacement for free and also with free included assembly/delivery. They took the old table. That was easy and painless, and again ANC did a great job with the installation and were easy to deal with. The new table is also difficult to open the extension, so I'm worried the same thing will happen as the old table.

Looking on their website now the product says "No longer available" so I'm assuming they had too many problems with it and just decided it's not worth it.

**Overall** I like the look of the table, but am disappointed with the quality, poor durability and clunky function of the table. The only way we can use it without staining is to have a plastic sheet over it which hides the wood.

I do not recommend buying anything from pottery barn. it's overpriced for what it is, and is not the quality it once used to be and is not durable. If I were to do it again I would instead commission a carpenter to make something for me out of solid wood and finish it with a durable finish like varnish. They just don't make quality durable furniture anymore.

Pottery barn conveniently does not have any reviews on their website. It's because all the reviews are 1 star. Just don't do it, not worth it.