Provo Queen Mission-style Frame/ Mattress Futon Set

I must have gotten the box with all of the lemon parts on this one. I ordered the futon for an inexpensive spare bed expecting a lot of company for Easter. I started putting it together Friday evening the weekend before Easter weekend. Putting together things like this are usually a joy to me--it's like a 3D puzzle. I like to have all of the parts and have them fit together when I do a puzzle, though. One of the 8 bolts that attached the 2 crossbars to the arms was defective. The seat metal frame and the back metal frame came in 2 parts each, put together with 2 connector bars and 8 short bolts each. I was missing 3 short bolts. One of the holes on the back part of the metal frame didn't line up to the corresponding hole in the connector bar. I ruined 3 bolts trying to force it to fit, even clamping the 2 parts as tightly as possible to make that last hole fit, but they just didn't match. I was afraid to simply leave a bolt off because of the weight bearing function of this part of the futon. After struggling with it for nearly 3 hours, I gave up until Saturday. Things still didn't look bright so I got in touch with Customer Support at Overstock.com, who said that they would leave a note for the parts department, but that parts weren't open until Monday. They said they would try to expedite it. I tried to call the manufacturer--Cottonwood Futons--but they weren't available until Monday either. Thinking I could get the bolts from a hardware store and simply drill new holes in the connector bar and frame for the 8th bolt, I went in search of bolts. Home Depot sent me to a specialty hardware store--they didn't have metric bolts in the right size. THREE hardware stores--one nearly as big as a Home Depot--also did not have the big bolt in the right size that connected the cross bar to the wooden arms. Although they did have the short bolts, I didn't think it was safe to use the thing without the long bolt. In the process of carefully looking the thing over to see if I could do something to simply get the thing together, I checked out the Internet itself on Cottonwood Futons and found out that they have horrible reviews, despite the Overstock.com positive reviews. On Monday, I contacted Overstock.com to find out that I probably wouldn't get the parts I needed--a new back frame and connector bars, 1 long bolt and 6 short bolts--for a week. In discussing the situation, I found out that I could return the product even though I had opened it, so I went for it until my husband pointed out that I would have to get everything back in the boxes. I was sick of the mess, but finally decided to just wait for the parts. Customer Service bent over backwards in working with me--always polite, always understanding, apologizing every time--HOORAY FOR OVERSTOCK.COM CUSTOMER SERVICE! They expedited things and I actually got the parts in time for company on Easter. However, there were 2 springs that came with the product that were not itemized as a part on the instruction or mentioned in the assembly instructions. We figured out where they needed to go (I hope), and it makes it fold better, so I think we got it right. Also, there is a part L "Hooks" that are mentioned in the instructions and it says "For extra strength, attach the two hooks (L) between the seat and back in the pre-punched holes." Unfortunately, the hooks are at least an inch too short to do that. Given that they were optional, I left them off. If I had it to do over again, I would a) Check reviews online in general on the company and the product and b) Not have purchased the product.

• Would you recommend this to a friend? No

I had been looking to replace a smallish couch with a futon but, I was unable to find any locally that were priced fairly. So I hit the net and Overstock.com to the rescue. This futon is great. Large, roomy and with a full 8 inch mattress. Only downside I had with the assembly was two missing parts. But a quick online chat with Overstock had the parts speeding my way. Great customer service! I couldn't be happier! I got the Navy Blue color and it is spot on perfect in color. Be aware that this is a Queen size futon and is therefore large. It came in two large boxes, one with the futon frame and the other with the mattress. Both arrived on the same day, but in two different deliveries. The hinge works smooth and is very easy to convert from futon to bed and back. You will want to get a carpet pad for the base to hold the mattress in place, but this is common with all futons. Bottom line, if you are in the market for a LARGE futon, this one can't be beat!

• Would you recommend this to a friend? Yes

Manufactured quality was poor. Actual assy time was about 2-3 hours. Time going to the store to get alternate / additional fasteners was about 3-4 hours. The tapped holes in the metal components had two defects: 1- They were not tapped properly causing a crossthread and damaging the factory supplied fastener 2- The holes were too big and the factory supplied fastenter stripped the hole out. Make sure you have a tap and die set (metric) and fasteners to replace factory supplied fasteners and fasteners to upsize the factory supplied fasteners in the event of a defect... And odds are there will be defects. The problem is, there is no way to determine which holes or fasteners will be associated with the defects and the odd metric fasteners are not easy to find. Once assembly was completed, the futon is nice. But we will forever refer to this as Satan's Futon due to the problematic assy! BTW, if your color choice is natural, beware, it is not natural - - - It IS WHITE!!

• Would you recommend this to a friend? Yes

I love this futon set. I purchased this for an office that we have out of town and sometimes we stay overnight. Well, we have slept on it 3 times now and it is so comfortable!! It is soft and there is no movement when either my husband or I are tossing and turning at night. Best of all, it is a queen, not a full or double like other futons that I almost purchased before this one. I highly recommend, but expect a couple of hours for putting together. That wasn't fast, I did do it by myself but it was challenging with only 1 person.

• Would you recommend this to a friend? Yes