On 09/02/2023, I purchased a "New-Open Box" Steelcase Amia Chair for $270.60 from the eBay seller Madison Seating, auction #*******681. The chair was advertised as being in "New-Open Box Condition" with no signs of wear or defects.

However, on 10/27/2023, the chair's cylinder stopped functioning and seized. Upon inspection, I discovered rusted parts and noticed that the chair's manufacturing tag had been tampered with and removed. This tag is crucial as it indicates the model and the original manufacturing date.

I contacted Madison Seating on eBay on the same day (10/27/2023) and sent pictures of the rusted chair, requesting a return and refund due to what I perceived as false advertising. Their response was dismissive, stating that I had received exactly what I purchased and they would not issue a refund.
I informed them of my intent to file complaints with the FTC, CFPB, IC3, and American Express due to the nature of the issue. Following this, Madison Seating stated they would respond during normal business hours, but I did not receive any further communication.

On 11/01/2023, I received a call from a representative of Madison Seating, who threatened legal action if I did not cancel the complaint filed with my bank. The representative inaccurately recounted the details of our prior communications, including a mix-up where I had confused their package with another order from Wayfair.com, which was resolved in less than 20 minutes on my part with evidence provided to the merchant.

Later on 11/01/2023, after receiving a threatening call, I returned the call to Madison Seating and spoke with the woman who I believe left the original message. I reiterated that I would not be canceling any complaints and requested a return and refund for the chair, which was clearly used. She was dismissive of the auction's description, calling the chair's condition subjective, and justified the misrepresentation due to the discounted price.

After our conversation, she sent an email to eBay, attempting to misrepresent the situation by stating that I refused to return the product simply because I did not want to "bother getting a box to pack up the item."
In response, I informed her that her claim was yet another lie, as I had recorded our call, which I intended to provide to my bank as evidence.

Given these circumstances, I suspect that Madison Seating has previously engaged in similar deceptive practices and appears to be operating on a scripted protocol. Avoid Madison Seating at all cost!