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I am super pissed. Bought the carrara marble toppped hotel double sink vanity behemoth at the end of 2008; installed it in 2009 at the end of our high end master bathroom renovation.

The sink looked great (initially) with the marble floor and subway tile and we took good care of it diligently wiping the marble top to prevent etching etc. In reality we should have worried about the *** white paint finish on its base. My husband first noticed some cracking of the paint following a few minor water spills. It was not anything too unsightly, so we let it go.

A couple months ago my 4 year old son obsessed with personal hygiene broke into the bathroom, sloppily brushed his teeth with Arm&Hammer toothpaste and smeared some of it on the vanity base. I wiped it off with a wet wash cloth no more than 20 minutes later only to find out that the toothpaste completely dissolved the paint (as in took it off like paint solvent). I was shocked but blamed it on my rigorous cleaning technique. About a week ago the same kid wiped his toothpaste covered hands on the vanity again.

This time we were super careful at cleanup but the paint came off just the same. Now the vanity has huge blotches of bare mdf and needs to be repainted, which presents a problem. How am I supposed to move a 400+ pound vanity to get it spray painted? Replacing it is not a option because the bathroom layout (as in plumbing, walls, lights) was planned around it and let's not forget about the $2000 investment!!!!!

Frustrated I phoned Pottery Barn to complain about my situation. I am a long-time Pottery barn customer and own a bedroom set, a huge sectional couch, a foldout couch, an entryway bench,a desk and several more things that escape me at the moment; in addition I routinely purchase stuff from sister companies Williams-Sonoma and West Elm; I have been quite happy with all of my purchases. You'd think it would count for something. Not in my case.

The pushback from 2 customer service reps ranged from questions like "Makes you wonder what you put on your teeth, doesn't it?" to " If it were a real problem it would have come up much earlier" and everything in between. I'd refrain from insulting the mental capacity of Pottery Barn reps as I do not want my post to get censored, but I had to explain to a grown human being that the toothpaste does not strip the enamel off my teeth and that I normally do not smear toothpaste all over the vanity. However, if I were to do it, which is not an unlikely scenario for a piece of furniture that is designed to come in contact with tootpaste and water, I would expect the finish to withstand it. The best they were able to offer is a referral to the Furniture Medic who would repaint it at my expense or a 5% discount on my future purchases, which is silly as as I get 10%+ discounts from them as routine promotions.

I am livid and will not give any more of my business to Pottery Barn. The hotel vanity line has been replaced with other similar looking vanities. I suggest you test the paint finish before you buy.

Sophieny_2002@***.com

PS. I forgot to mention that the vanity came with mismatched hardware.

Location: Tallahassee, Florida

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Guest

Thank you so much for writing and saving me a lot of frustration and money. I was considering PB vanity for my 4 year old's new bathroom similar to the one you described.

No way no how anymore.

Same for the rest of their stuff.

Mollie

Guest

There are so many manufacturers making high quality bathroom vanities with the same look as Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware, at much better prices. No need to go the high priced PB route. Check out some better options here:

http://kspoll.hubpages.com/hub/pottery-barn-style-bathroom-vanity

Guest

As part of my job I know a lot about furniture. I do not recommend any of the Pottery Barn products to anyone.

They are very low quality but are marketed very well. All you can really do is boycott their products.

Guest

I bought The same vanity and had no trouble with it, whatsoever.I love Pottery Barn. Maybe you should keep an eye on your kid.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-487216

Kids make messes. Adult DHs are known slobs.

OP could have been in a hurry at some point and unknowingly deposited a smudge of toothpaste on the painted surface, only to wipe it --and the finish-- off later when she noticed it. She could have this problem with or without kids, is what I am saying. The *** product is what's at fault here, not someone's parenting skills.

I for one appreciate the heads-up, as I LOVE the PB "look". Sadly, OPs comments will keep my money out of Pottery Barn's pockets.

Guest

Complain to their Facebook with pics. I've done that before and got to an elevated level of customer support. Fixed my problem right away and minor future problems as well!

Guest

Pottery Barn's stuff is overpriced C_R_A_P anyway so don't go to that place.

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