Bob’s Discount Furniture class action sent to arbitration

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Update: 

• An Illinois federal judge approved Bob’s Discount Furniture’s request to arbitrate class action claims saying it failed to honor “Goof Proof” warranty coverages sold to customers as a way to protect against accidental damage.
• On Aug. 19, U.S. District Judge Gary Feinerman ruled in agreement with the furniture retailer that the plaintiff’s claims fall within the scope of the arbitration clause laid out in the sales agreement he signed when he bought a reclining chair. 
• Bob’s is accused of failing to honor its “Goof Proof” warranty coverage by consumer Robert Potthoff, who argues that the recliner he purchased broke due to an alleged manufacturing defect. 
• The furniture retailer claims the recliner broke on account of normal wear and tear and is therefore not eligible to be repaired or replaced under its “Goof Proof” warranty. 

Bob’s Discount Furniture Goof Proof claims class action lawsuit overview: 

• Who: Robert Potthoff filed a class action lawsuit against Bob’s Discount Furniture, LLC.
• Why: Potthoff claims Bob’s sold a couch with a recliner that was not as high of a quality as what was represented and then declined to accept warranty claims that should have fallen within an acceptable window. 
• Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in Illinois federal court. 

(April 06, 2022)

Bob’s Discount Furniture misled consumers about the quality of a couch with a reclining chair it sold and then failed to honor extended warranty claims when it prematurely broke, a new class action lawsuit alleges. 

Plaintiff Robert Potthoff claims Bob’s “Goof Proof” service contracts don’t actually help protect consumers’ who purchased a WalkerLAF PWRC/ARLS REC/CSL/RAF PW CHS reclining chair since damage that occurs earlier than what was originally represented is considered “normal wear and tear.” 

Potthoff says he purchased a WalkerLAF PWRC/ARLS REC/CSL/RAF PW CHS for $1,999 in March 2020 along with a Goof Proof warranty for $299, which he says is advertised as being able to “protect your investment from a wide variety of accidents for 5 years.”

Despite purchasing Good Proof, Potthoff claims Bob’s declined to honor his warranty claim after he says the recliner broke as he was getting out of it within two years of him purchasing it. 

Potthoff argues the damage to the recliner was not anything that was caused by its “intended use” but rather because the product was poorly manufactured. 

“The springs, which cause the chair to recline and return to its upright position, were defectively designed with bends too close to their edges, causing them to prematurely fail after less than two years,” the class action lawsuit states. 

Bob’s Discount Furniture Recliner Breaking Was ‘Unexpected,’ ‘Unintended’ Event

Further, Potthoff claims that the breakdown of his recliner within two years was a “fortuitous, unexpected and unintended event not consistent with the intended use of the item.”

Potthoff argues consumers rely on companies to be honest about a product’s components, attributes and features and that the value of the recliner was “materially less” than what had been represented. 

“Defendant sold more of the Product and at higher prices than it would have in the absence of this misconduct, resulting in additional profits at the expense of consumers,” the class action lawsuit states. 

Potthoff claims Bob’s is guilty of unjust enrichment, fraud, breach of contract and negligent representation and in violation of multiple state consumer fraud acts, the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act and the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. 

Potthoff wants to represent an Illinois class and multistate subclass of consumers who purchased a WalkerLAF PWRC/ARLS REC/CSL/RAF PW CHS from Bob’s. He is demanding a jury trial and requesting injunctive relief along with monetary, statutory and/or punitive damages for himself and all class members. 

Bob’s faced a similar class action lawsuit last year over allegations it denies Goof Proof warranty claims over “the most basic of goofs.” 

Have you purchased furniture from Bob’s Discount Furniture? Let us know in the comments! 

The plaintiff is represented by Spencer Sheehan of Sheehan & Associates, P.C. 

The Bob’s Discount Furniture Goof Proof Claims Class Action Lawsuit is Potthoff v. Bob’s Discount Furniture, LLC, Case No. 1:22-cv-01722, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

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