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By Mitch, July 31, 2010 10:35 pm

I’m aware that some people don’t believe my testimonials.  They tell me so!  I don’t know if they think I make them up (I don’t), or steal them from some other website (Really!), or whatever…they just don’t believe people would go on they way they do over a simple sofa-bed.  Of course, if they ever asked me for proof, all I’d have to do is put them in touch with the original letter-writer…but they never ask.

I say this because on Thursday of this week, Debra John, who bought a full size “Premium” foam LofaBed in Attraction Mocha with Galaxy arms back in May, wrote me the most incredible testimonial letter.  And I just KNOW some of you are not gonna believe what she’s telling me.  Well, boys and girls, here it is…unedited…exactly as I received it:

On Jul 29, 2010, at 10:59 PM, Debra John wrote:

First Name:           Debra
Last Name:            John
City:           Cocoa Beach
State or Province: Florida

Hi Mitch,

Thank you so much for my new full/double Lofa Sofa. This is, by far, the most comfortable piece of furniture in my entire house and I have an interesting story to share on that subject.

My niece and her 11-year-old son, Joey, came to visit me a few weeks ago.  Even though I showed super enthusiasm for this new piece of furniture, she chose to let Joey sleep on it the first night while she took the twin bed in the other guest room. The next day she took a short nap on the Lofa Sofa.  On night number two, Joey was moved into the room with the twin beds and she took the Lofa Sofa for herself. She informed me the next morning that it was more comfortable than the twin bed with a regular mattress!

I was so impressed with how much she liked it that I decided the other night to sleep on it myself for an entire night.  My regular bed has a Select Comfort Sleep Number mattress where you can adjust the firmness. Needless to say, I have been sleeping on it (the LofaBed) every night since then and do not know if I will ever return to my original bed!  Thank you again for having such a wonderful product.

Debra John

Now THAT’S a testimonial if I ever read one.  Not only is she telling me that she’s sleeping on a LofaBed mattress every night…which no other sofabed manufacturer even recommends…she’s comparing her $643* LofaBed to a high end, brand name mattress that retails in the thousands!!! I don’t even make that claim. All I say is that the LofaBed, in any of its 7 sizes and 9 arm designs, offers a better alternative to the traditional pull-out sofa bed than any of our competitors, like Hide-a-Beds or Castro Convertibles.  But to compare our comfort level to that of a brand name mattress, like a Select Comfort Sleep Number…well, that’s something I’d rather leave up to the customer.  Like Debra John.

When Debra John bought her Sleep Number bed,
She never thought she’d be laying her head…..
On a full LofaBed
With a fitted bed spread…
Not Comfort Select for a lot more bread!

*$643 is f.o.b. Montréal

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By Mitch, July 28, 2010 11:39 pm

Back in May, Ken Merrifield, of Port Elgin, Ontario, ordered a “Premium” foam LofaBed loveseat/ottoman in Savoie Saddle with Regular arms for his RV.  One of his main reasons for buying a LofaBed was the fact that it knocked down for easy handling.  When you own an RV, or a boat for that matter, you think of these things.

I always appreciate getting feedback from customers, like Ken, because it reinforces my belief that having this KD feature built into every LofaBed is a very important benefit for an awful lot of people.  Here’s what Ken had to say about his experience:

Mitch,

First we would like to say thanks very much for the great love seat design and how fabulous it looks in our 5th wheel trailer, fitting perfectly in the tight location. It is also very adaptable/comfortable to sleep on as advertised. Also delivery went off without a hitch with the transportation company. I have included two pics showing it set up in the trailer. Feel free to show these pics and our comments as you see fit.

Regarding getting the Lofa Sofa into our trailer…it was quite easy with one other person helping to get the sofa in through the RV door in its unassembled state as all the parts fit through the narrow door.  Once all the parts were inside, it was quite easy (as per your instructions) to assemble and slide it into place where it took up the same wall space as the original sofa bed.

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By Mitch, July 24, 2010 12:04 pm

Debra Jones, of Hornings Mills, Ontario, received her new LofaBed earlier this month. It was a double size with “Premium” foam, in Plush Cypress with Savannah arms.  A perfectly normal order…until yesterday. Yesterday…out of the blue…I’m talking no warning here…she writes me these two incredible poems.

Hi Mitch,

To tell you our story we’ve dropped you a line.
The sofa arrived and received in good time.
From order to shipping took only a week.
The set-up was easy, no need for a geek.
We followed instructions and “voila” it’s done.
We’re ready for guests – now, who’ll be the first one?

We are thrilled with your product and service, it’s true.
And for those who still wonder if they should buy too…
Let our story enchant you, we don’t speak in jest…
We got value for money and room for a guest!

In gratitude,
Deb & Krys Jones

I WAS BLOWN AWAY!  I mean, who writes testimonials like that?  People who appreciate a product that lives up to its promises, I guess.

I love it when customers write me in rhyme.
And I promise to publish them from time to time.
While some are too nerdy,
And others just wordy…
Some are SO good, I wish they were mine!

Mitch Wapen
www.lofasofa.com
lofasofa@videotron.ca
877-424-1431

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By Mitch, July 18, 2010 9:16 pm

About a year ago, Joda Totten of Lawrence, Kansas, wanted to order a couple of LofaBeds in Travel Multi.  I remember advising her to think just how “busy” that might look in the room she was planning to place them.  She recanted and went with a 2-tone complementary look:  Travel Multi on the mattresses and Paris Claret on the bodies and pillows.

Paris Claret

Travel Multi

Now, normally I wouldn’t know if she liked my recommendation or not, because people just don’t write back and tell me these things…but Joda did…just last week:

From: Joda Totten
Subject: My full & twin (I guess that’s what they are called)
Date: July 12, 2010 7:43:18 PM GMT-04:00
To: lofasofa@videotron.ca

Mitch,

I really love this furniture.  Your advice when I chose the pattern–that using the tapestry exclusively would create a “busy” look–was spot on.  It looks so classy with the solid fabric contrasting with the tapestry cushion.  The sizes are perfect for the room.  I appreciate the great customer service, too.  I was worried the room would not be ready before the furniture was delivered.  When I called the shipper, they were very accommodating.  Also, I do appreciate your phone call walking me through the latching system, though, really, it is very simple.  I’m just sort of slow when it comes to understanding mechanics.  And, of course, I neglected to read the directions.  I had some reservations about ordering online, but am so glad I did.  The furniture is attractive, comfortable, easy to convert, and the storage is great.  A really good value. Thanks so much!

Joda
Lawrence, Kansas

Joda didn’t send me a picture of her 2-tone LofaBeds, so I can’t really show you how nice these two materials look together, but I CAN give you some examples of what other LofaBeds in 1-tone, 2-tone, and way-too-busy-for-my taste look like:

This is a heavily patterned, double size LofaBed which I find WAY too busy. This will definitely dominate a room.

This is a classic 2-tone, double size LofaBed. Notice how the two fabrics complement one another, but don't appear near as "busy" as the one above. Unfortunately, the mill that made these has gone bankrupt.

And the ever-popular, full/double size LofaBed in one solid-color fabric (1-tone)

I often get asked on the phone…
“Can I order in more than one tone?”
To which I reply,
“Of course, but don’t try…
To mix Café Multi with Bone!”

Mitch Wapen
www.lofasofa.com
lofasofa@videotron.ca
877-424-1431

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By Mitch, July 13, 2010 11:40 pm

Dany-el Baker wanted two LofaBeds for her working dogs to relax on.  The fact that she lived in Port Kennedy, Western Australia, didn’t seem to bother her.  It did ME…just not her.  I was worried about freight damage…y’know, salt water and all that stuff.  But she persevered, found her own freight forwarder, and placed an order for two qouble size, “Premium” foam LofaBeds in Savoie Burgundy with Galaxy arms late last year.  Today she wrote me the following email about the experience:

Hi Mitch,

After many fruitless months of searching and speaking with countless custom furniture companies, we stumbled across your website by accident and finally found exactly what we were looking for.

It was a sizable but incredibly reasonable investment for a product that no one here had heard of before, but I am so glad we took the risk of buying our two Qoubles sight unseen.

The video showing your son demonstrating one sold it for us and they worked just as perfectly when they arrived. Although I’m guessing it wasn’t the original intention, the video also showed the Australian Quarantine staff how to access the storage compartment for inspection, thus saving the Lofas from being pulled apart.

They look absolutely beautiful and are so comfortable to sleep on too. My Father-In-Law has a bad shoulder and he said that it was so comfortable he had trouble deciding whether or not to get out of it in the morning! He said it actually made his shoulder feel better. Another visitor laid down on one to try it out and ended up seriously contemplating an unplanned overnight stay!

The “kids” adore it and one Qouble now has pride of place right in the middle of our lounge room. Everyone who sees it says what a good idea it is and how great it looks.

Thank you for an incredible product and stand by for another order!

Dany-el Baker
Dxenion Working Dogs
19 Ellington Terrace
Port Kennedy, Western Australia 6172

Dany-el's three "kids" enjoying their new sofa-bed

Now THAT’S the kind of surprise letter I could get used to.  What I appreciate most about Dany-el’s email is her emphasis on the comfort factor inherent in every LofaBed.  The reason most people are surprised at how comfortable our sofa beds are is because they’re familiar with how UNCOMFORTABLE the competition’s are, and they assume all sleeper sofas feel the same.  While Hide-a-Beds were designed for style and practicality, and futon furniture is basically a less expensive alternative; I developed the LofaBed to be first and foremost…comfortable.  I mean, if you’re spending this kind of money on a sofabed, and it’s the central piece of furniture in your home (as it is with some of my customers), then it simply HAS to be comfortable.  No? Otherwise…what’s the point?

Dany-el Baker wanted two beds for her pets.
But living Down Under is as far as it gets.
So we shipped them by boat,
And she sent me a note…
Saying EVERYONE loves them…she has no regrets.

Mitch Wapen
www.lofasofa.com
lofasofa@videotron.ca
877-424-1431

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By Mitch, July 11, 2010 8:48 pm

Davenports are sofa-beds with a difference.  Unlike Hide-A-Beds and futon furniture, they employ a uniquely designed hinge that Europeans refer to as “click-clacks” and some Americans call “jackknives.”  I prefer to describe our hinges as “spring-loaded, with a self-locking mechanism that offers effortless convertibility.” But, without reading the instructions I include with every LofaBed order, they CAN be tricky to operate.  Case in point:

Joda Totten, of Lawrence, Kansas, bought a full/double and a twin/single LofaBed last August…each with Galaxy arms, a Travel Multi mattress and a Paris Claret body and pillows.  Today, almost a year later, Joda wrote me an email that something was wrong with her twin/single.  Here’s what she said:

From: Joda Totten
Subject: Broken Davenport Hinge
Date: July 11, 2010 2:30:40 PM GMT-04:00
To: lofasofa@videotron.ca

Hi–I bought the double and the twin about 12 months ago.  I really like them very much, but the twin has never really latched properly;  it doesn’t engage when I fold it up to restore it to a sitting position.  I have to actually get behind the thing and push up the back as I am pushing down the front. Needless to say, it is frustrating.  I have only had it down a couple of times and thought maybe I was doing something wrong. But I think there is a problem with the mechanism. How do I get this fixed?  Can you send me the info so I can do it myself?  The double works beautifully, and I’ve been very happy with the furniture with the exception of this one issue.

My first thought was that she’d broken a hinge and, since it’s still under warranty, I’d better send her a new one before the factory closes for summer vacation.  But for some reason I decided to call her first.  I asked her if she remembered reading the Assembly Instructions I include with every shipment.  She didn’t remember.  So on a hunch, I walked her through the hinge-testing procedure.

full/double davenport base including hinges, 4" front and back seat sections, and storage base

First, remove the mattress so that you have better access to the mechanism and the 4″ platform that supports the mattress. Starting from the bed position (flat), lift the seat section until it clicks once…stop.  You are now at what I call the “teenage boy slouching position.”  Continue lifting the seat section until it clicks again…stop. This is the normal, made-for-human-beings, comfortable sitting position.  If you continue to lift the seat section any further, it will automatically revert back to the bed position, making some people think their hinges are broken.  And that’s what Joda had done.  Why she didn’t have this problem with her full/double too, remains a mystery…but as far as the case of the broken twin/single davenport hinges goes…case solved.

Probably the reason Joda thought her hinges were broken was that the addition of the mattress to the 4″ platform makes the whole thing much harder to operate.  The mattress, afterall, is 8″ thick, with four layers of eight pound cotton batting and four layers of one inch, two pound density foam inside…a very thick, quality stuffing, to be sure.  And this is the reason it’s hard to know if the hinges are working properly.  The best way, in my opinion, is to remove the mattress first…then test the operation of the hinges.  So I guess the best overall advice I can give in this situation is to DON’T THROW AWAY YOUR ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS!

Whenever hinges fail to work,
I know it could be just a quirk.
So tell me the story…
Try not to be gory…
And I’ll help before going berserk.

Mitch Wapen
www.lofasofa.com
lofasofa@videotron.ca
877-424-1431

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By Mitch, July 5, 2010 9:31 pm

If there’s one question I have a hard time answering, it’s “Can you feel the separation between the ottoman and the loveseat when sleeping?”  And since four (chair, twin/single, loveseat, Mary Miller queen) of the seven sizes LofaBeds come in require an ottoman, it’s something I need to know.  I know I’ve sold hundreds of LofaBeds with ottomans over the years, and I know no one’s ever gotten back to me that there was a problem…but I’ve never slept on an ottoman-enhanced LofaBed myself, so I really can’t address this subject with any authority.  But that’s what customers are for, eh?

Carla Cook, of Brooklyn, got delivery of a Mary Miller queen “Premium” foam loveseat/ottoman just last month, and I remembered that she told me she’d be sleeping on it every night.  Who better to ask for some feedback than someone who’s been sleeping on an ottoman nightly?  So I called Carla over this past weekend, and asked her if she’d be so kind as to write me a short note with her impressions of sleeping on a Mary Miller queen WITH OTTOMAN every night.  Here’s what she had to say:

From: carla cook
Subject: sofa-bed
Date: July 4, 2010 12:53:28 PM GMT-04:00
To: lofasofa@videotron.ca

Hi Mitch,

Good talking to you yesterday. I wanted to sleep on the Queen Mary and actively observe the division between the ottoman and sofa.  As you know, I’ve had my Lofa Sofa for about a month now, and I LOVE IT. You asked about the space between the ottoman and the sofa and I must say, I can’t feel the division AT ALL!

The pieces are heavy enough to not move, and they stay securely in place thoughout the night. I might add, that they stay in place even on hardwood flooring! I got a really good mattress pad, so I don’t even feel the buttons.  So, yes, tell anyone who asks that it’s great for every night.  I’m sleeping like a baby!

Carla Cook

Every once in a while some guy wants to know,
“Will the loveseat and ottoman stay together, Bro?”
To which I reply,
“Why not give it a try?
But your question, m’man, is quite apropos.”

Mitch Wapen
www.lofasofa.com
lofasofa@videotron.ca
877-424-1431

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By Mitch, July 2, 2010 5:56 pm

Wendy Yung lives in Edmonton, Alberta, and ordered a Mary Miller queen size “Premium” foam LofaBed in Monet Sand with Galaxy arms back in May.  Like most people, she was a little nervous about buying something online without first being able to see and try it.  And I, like a proud parent, tend to downplay the awesomeness factor for fear of overplaying my hand, but the reality is…people really LOVE this sofa-bed, and they’re not afraid to tell me so.  Here’s what Wendy had to say shortly after she’d received her new LofaBed:

From: wendy yung
Subject: Re: LofaBed Order ETA
Date: June 27, 2010 7:28:31 PM GMT-04:00
To: lofasofa@videotron.ca

Just wanted to let you know that the sofa arrived on time in perfect condition!!  The shipping company did a good job. There was no damage to the furniture.  The sofa looks great and is incredibly comfortable. It is definitely better than any sofa I have seen in the local furniture stores.  It feels like a high quality bed.  In fact it felt better than the bed I normally sleep on. I kid you not!!!

The sofa is close to perfection. All in all this has been a positive experience. I look forward to purchasing some more furniture from you in the future.

Thank you,
Wendy

So there you have it…an unsolicited testimonial from someone who doesn’t mind tooting my horn, so I don’t have to do it myself. That’s the way I like it.

I like it when people write to say,
They just got delivered and “Oh, by-the-way…
I LOVE my new bed,
From my toes to my head…
And I’m glad that you made it in shades of Monet.”

Mitch Wapen
www.lofasofa.com
lofasofa@videotron.ca
877-424-1431

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By Mitch, June 25, 2010 10:11 pm

Last month I wrote a blog about a couple from Prides Crossing, Massachusetts, who wanted to drive all the way up to Montréal to see a LofaBed in person.  Gary and Gillian Benton were thinking of buying one full/double size LofaBed for themselves, and another for their daughter and her family in New York City.  And, because no one had ever been willing to go that far just to see my LofaBed sofa-bed, I wrote the blog.

Well, they did it.  A couple weeks after his email, Gary wrote that he and Gillian were coming up the following week, and that I should be ready for a demo and lots of questions.  But I’m always ready for company of this kind.  I have a large basement that my wife lets me keep messy, and down there I have a double size LofaBed in Monet Everglade fabric with Galaxy arms, as well as all of the 75 fabrics shown on my website. So when Gary and Gillian arrived one sunny afternoon, I was “dressed to impress”…so to speak.

Basically, when people make the trek to St. Lazare, I treat them like royalty.  I go through all the feature/benefits you see on the website video when son, Marcus, was all of ten years old.  First of all I get them to sit down and feel the comfort.  Then I demonstrate how easy it is to turn it from a sofa into a bed…pointing out the elastic webbing, davenport hinges, storage facility, napping arms, knockdown-ability, and standard dimension mattress along the way.  Then I let them try turning it back into the sofa position.  Once they realize how really easy-to-operate and common sense this whole thing is, all they want to do next is see the fabrics.  Which, if there’s a woman involved, could take the rest of the afternoon!  Which it did.

Gary originally wanted to have one LofaBed shipped to him in Massachusetts, and another to his daughter in Brooklyn.  But when I explained to him that the minimum freight rate from DuCamPro Transport included up to almost 100 cubic feet, and that he could actually ship TWO full size LofaBeds (97 cu.ft. total) for the price of one, saving himself some $250, he decided to have both sent to him in Prides Crossing.  He would bring his daughter’s LofaBed with him the next time he visited.

I mention this now because we shipped out his double order this week.

So Gary and Gillian at last placed an order,
Which we’ll bundle together for crossing the border.
Now his wife and his daughter,
Know which one he bought her…
And I’ll ship them out fast so that he might reorder.

Mitch Wapen
www.lofasofa.com
lofasofa@videotron.ca
877-424-1431

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By Mitch, June 9, 2010 11:43 pm

It’s not often I hear from people after they’ve bought and received their LofaBed.  Oh, they tell me about the delivery as well as initial impressions, but rarely does anyone write after a few months have gone by.  So it was with great pleasure and surprise that I received the following email from a woman in New Jersey who had bought her LofaBed some ten years ago from Rockaway Bedding:

This is similar to the LofaBed Rockaway Bedding used to carry.

What’s significant to me about this letter is that Jacqueline is confirming what I’ve been saying all along:  The LofaBed IS designed to last, and IS comfortable over time. How many other sofa bed manufacturers can say that?

Our full/double LofaBed features an 8" thick mattress of standard dimensions (54"x75")

Jacqueline Martin wrote an email today…
Her ten-year-old Lofa is still quite OK.
She gave it away,
And now writes to say…
“I need someplace local where it’s on display.”

Mitch Wapen
www.lofasofa.com
lofasofa@videotron.ca
877-424-1431

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By Mitch, May 26, 2010 8:32 pm

Brampton, Ontario is a mid-size Canadian city with a population of almost half a million people and located in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

Brampton, Ontario

Last month I sold a LofaBed to Mike Stroud, a Brampton resident, who required a sofa-bed that was comfortable enough for every night sleeping. He also wondered if lying on it would help or hinder the conditions of his mother-in-law (bad hip) and wife (arthritis).  To be honest, I didn’t know…I told him we’d just have to find out together.

So when Mike received his new LofaBed (double size “Premium” foam in Kiri Oak with Savannah arms) at the end of April, I was curious to see what he had to say about the experience:

From: mike-stroud
Subject: LofaBed Order ETA
Date: April 25, 2010 12:18:44 PM GMT-04:00
To: lofasofa@videotron.ca

Hi Mitch,  My LofaBed was delivered Friday evening about 6:30.  The condition of the boxes was pristine, and the 2 deliverymen put the 2 LofaBed boxes where I wanted them.

Assembly was relatively easy; if I had a long socket head it would’ve been even easier. With premium foam it is quite comfortable on its own.  I purchased a Novaform 3″ memory foam topper from Costco, partly because it was gently suggested on your website, and partly just to protect the LofaBed when people sleep and sweat.  The combination is outstanding.

My mother-in-law has a bad hip and said she has no pain when lying on it.  My wife has arthritis in her knees, and while on this she can stretch out her legs straight without pain, which she can’t do on our bed, which isn’t all that old.  The mattress topper even fits in the storage underneath; no one else in the house believed it would.

To summarize Mitch, I’m very pleased with the delivery and with the quality of the LofaBed.  Thank you very much for your assistance in getting the delivery to happen so promptly.  I could see myself ordering another LofaBed once I can get around to finishing the basement in the next few years.  Until then, all the best! Mike

We just got your bed through the door…
Which we wouldn’t if bought from a store.
Now that we have it,
I’ll have to admit…
We should have bought one or two more!

Mitch Wapen
www.lofasofa.com
lofasofa@videotron.ca
877-424-1431

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By Mitch, May 11, 2010 10:31 pm

Customers mail me checks all the time.  Some come late, some come early, but they ALL come in envelopes that are basically undamaged.  Not today.  Today I received a check in an envelope that had clearly been damaged…maybe even bitten!

It’s hard to say for sure, mainly because I can’t see any teeth marks…but it sure looks like someone took a chomp outta this sucker.  Luckily the contents were unharmed, and I’ll still be able to deposit the check. But things must really be bad at the post office if workers have been reduced to eating the mail!

Paying by check is only one of the options customers can choose from when ordering a LofaBed.  This is how I answer when people ask how I’d like to be paid:  There are several ways to pay:  INTERAC Email Money Transfer (Canada only), cashier’s check (bank draft), postal money order, bank wire transfer, or PayPal (listed on the website).  I prefer any of the former because they save me 3% and a delay in processing, but if PayPal is your method of choice, just go back to the www.lofasofa.com website, and follow the prompts. Cashier’s checks and money orders should be made out to Lofa Sales International, and mailed to 1700 Gevrey Crescent, St. Lazare, Québec J7T2C1.

I got a check in the mail with a bite.
Was someone eating my funds out of spite?
The post office said,
“If made out of bread…
It would go very well with a Sprite!”

Mitch Wapen
www.lofasofa.com
lofasofa@videotron.ca
877-424-1431

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By Mitch, April 23, 2010 10:17 pm

Most people write and tell me how much they LOVE the website.  It’s not unusual for someone to tell me they’ve been on it for days…reading the testimonials, watching the videos, and studying the fabric, pricing, and dimension pages.  These people tend to be women.  When men write, they usually only want to know about price…and I can tell they haven’t spent much time on the site, because they ask questions that the website has already answered.  But, at least, they’re usually polite.  Today I received a shocking email from a man in Florida:

“I want top place an order with a company that knows how to build a sales website. What in God’s name do you fools expect me to do with this Gawdawful site…go get a sheet of paper and pen and write down on a piece of paper my fabric, arms selection and everything…just so I can email you and type it back in here? This is the information age and this is a computer and I refuse to interact with such idiotic bullshit as this.  If you want to sell me something, you damn well better respond to this and give me a more sensible alternative than what this crappy ass website offers.”

"I'm shocked!!!"

Shocking as this was, he wasn’t done with me!  Several minutes later, he followed up with this little cutie:

“…..and the fabric swatches suck, I can’t make any selection here…send me a brochure that I can see pictures of all your items and fabrics and all that with an order form and a fone number.  By the way, this website sucks!”

Now I’m a big boy and I can take criticism, but this was RUDE and INSULTING, and totally uncalled for.  So I took a deep breath, and answered.  Eventually I told him how this was not designed to be a SELLING website, but rather a TEACHING one because of the uniqueness of my sofa-beds, and the fact that I want every buyer to go through me to make sure they understand exactly what they’re ordering. Eventually, I said that.  But I couldn’t help throwing in a couple of my own zingers first:

“It’s so refreshing to hear from someone not restrained by the normal code of personal etiquette.  I suppose if my wife were ugly and my kids fat, you’d feel compelled to tell me that too!  I can take it…I’m a grown man.  And since you’re willing to be so forthright and candid with me, let me return the favor: YOU ARE TOTALLY WRONG IN YOUR OPINION!”

Well, I felt much better after that.  I even called him to see what set him off in the first place. Turns out he was in a rush, hadn’t spent much time on the site, and got frustrated because he couldn’t find a “checkout” button like you see on every other commercial site.  And you know what?  By the time I hung up, he was asking for fabric swatches!

A man sent an email to me today…
With nothing but unpleasant things to say.
He hated my site,
But wanted to write…
And place an order anyway!!!

Mitch Wapen
www.lofasofa.com
lofasofa@videotron.ca
877-424-1431

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By Mitch, April 10, 2010 11:59 am

On March 21 Kathleen Rothwell wrote me the following note: “Hi Mitch…Here I am finally – hell, it is easier buying a car or a house than deciding on my lofa/sofa!” So, naturally, I asked her why.

I relate this story because my guess is it’s somewhat typical of what most people go through deciding on such an important purchase.  Especially one that’s sight-unseen. It began in early December when Kathleen called me to inquire about the specifics of the Lofa sofa-bed. Most customers who call in early December have a Christmas deadline, but not Kathleen.  I didn’t hear from her again until February: “You probably don’t remember me, but I spoke with you early in December about a lofa-sofa bed.  I live in Ottawa and wanted to come and see a bed that you had at your place before I put in my order. Sorry I didn’t get back to you before now but things are finally lining up for me and I would like to now take you up on the offer to come and see a sample. Would it be possible to come either on February 16 or 17th around 1:30 p.m.?” Wow, she was using the old either/or sales technique on ME!

See, if you’re lucky enough to live within driving distance of St. Lazare, which Ottawa is, I’ll invite you to my home for a personal LofaBed demonstration and review of all 75 fabric swatches.  I probably average one visitor per week.  Of course, the problem in February is the weather…..it tends to snow here.  So I sent Kathleen a photo of what my house looks like through the snow, so she wouldn’t have to waste time looking for the number:

And she arrived with two of her best friends.  So the four of us spent the better part of the afternoon opening and closing my LofaBed…testing it for napping and full-time sleeping…and futzing over which material was softer, or easier to clean, or was a better complement to some other fabric.  I’ll tell you, to some guys I know, this would have been agony.  To me, it was a blast.  Anytime I get the chance to spend time with three Baby Boomer women, oohing and aahing over my little invention, I’ll take it. Only one thing went wrong; the pingpong table that displays my fabric selection kind of folded prematurely under pressure from one of the “girls,” but we had a lot of laughs over even that:

When Kathleen and friends came to my house,
I tried to have fun so one one would grouse.
We broke the poor table
‘Cause it was unstable…..
And left it that way for my spouse!

Then when Kathleen got home, she discovered she had misplaced the fabric swatches she’d spent all afternoon choosing, and had to sheepishly ask me for more.  Not that that was a problem, mind you, only that she had neglected to advise me of her address, which meant I had to ask her that humiliating question, “Where exactly would you like me to send them?”

I’m always pleased when people write
And ask for swatches real polite.
But without an address,
I have to confess…..
I go from delight to contrite.

And that’s when Kathleen wrote me that email re how hard it was choosing a LofaBed.  This is how she responded when I asked her to elaborate: “Hi Mitch, I got it – what do you think? After all my fussing with the colour and so on, I am delighted. It arrived last evening and I am in love. I have no hesitation in recommending the lofa bed – actually I haven’t had so much fun in buying something in a long time. You realize, of course, I am the person who bought a car in one-half an hour and her house in two weeks! As for the lofa bed, we both know it took me about 6 months to decide to buy it! I have to tell you now that it is all finished, I did have some qualms about buying over the Internet, but fortunately I was able to go to your house to meet you and see the finished product. Not everyone is able to do that, but I would reassure anyone who is contemplating buying one from you to go for it. The product is excellent. In addition, you were very patient and accommodating every step of the way – especially when I asked for extra swatches when I misplaced the first ones you gave me. Good luck and thanks, Kathleen”

This morning Kathleen wrote and said,
“I’m preparing my order with dread.
‘Cause it’s simpler to buy
A house or a Sky…..
Than to order a LofaBed!”

Saturn Sky

Mitch Wapen
www.lofasofa.com
lofasofa@videotron.ca
877-424-1431

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By Mitch, March 8, 2010 12:34 am

Back on January 17 (Muhammad Ali’s birthday), I received an email from Maria in Austin, Texas.  She wanted to know if a particular fabric “is the best for cleaning …(because) we have many cats? If there is a particular fabric you would recommend for messy folk, please let me know.”

She wanted a “qouble” size LofaBed in the California Collection, which features extra large pillows, removable arm and mattress covers, and a unique arm style…and I recommended Monet as a durable, pretty much cat-proof microfiber that ought to meet her requirements.  She never explained what she meant by “messy folk,” but I assumed she meant that cats, kids, adults, and food would probably all be sharing the LofaBed at any one time…and so she needed something extremely practical, as well as comfortable and good-looking.  I must have done her right, ’cause here’s what she emailed me earlier today:

From: Maria Broaddus
Subject: Lofa Sofa
Date: March 6, 2010 3:06:07 PM GMT-05:00
To: lofasofa@videotron.ca

We received our Lofa Sofa yesterday.  It is absolutely AMAZING!!!  We still cannot believe how pretty and comfortable it is….it’s like a real bed!    You will be hearing from me again shortly, as I think we want to purchase another, although it will probably be a smaller version.  Thanks so much for a a great product!!!

California Collection LofaBed (sofa position)

California Collection LofaBed (bed position)

The California Collection
Was designed with much reflection.
Removable covers
Your cat soon discovers…
Are worthy of keen circumspection.

Mitch Wapen
www.lofasofa.com
lofasofa@videotron.ca
877-424-1431

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By Mitch, March 5, 2010 9:14 am

About a month ago I received an inquiry from Jack Bratus of Kingston, Ontario.  I could tell from the tone of his writing that this internet stuff was new to him, and that he was willing to give it a try…but first he was gonna ask a lot of questions.  He asked about the option of picking up at the factory, about the different sizes, and, of course, about the fabrics.  But his most extensive questioning involved the method of payment that I accept. It seems he belonged to a credit union, and that kind of eliminated my favorite form of remittance:  INTERAC Email Money Transfer.  I’ll write about that some other time…today I want to talk about Jack.

Finally, after going back and forth for a few days, Jack placed his order on January 28.  This came at a time when the factory was only recently back from vacation, and had fallen behind on the timely turnaround of its orders.  Instead of taking the normal 1-2 weeks, they were now scheduling shipments in 2-3 weeks.  That’s when I got the following email from Jack:

Old Jack lived alone in the Limestone City.
Found a Lofa while surfing the net.
Deciding to buy, fired a draft in the mail,
Not knowing Canada Post moves like a snail.
So many days he’s out his cash, but old Jacks’ hopes are alive,
Of the day that his Lofa would arrive.

Besides the fact that I’m not used to getting poems from customers, this was the first time that Jack had referred to himself as “Old Jack,” which I found quite interesting. Kingston, BTW, is known as the Limestone City.  Not to be outdone, and wanting to assuage his nervousness about buying something online while having to pay for it before receipt, I penned the following response:

While Jack has high hopes, the weather’s quite bleak…
So I phoned the plant in order to speak.
They told me they’re able
To wrap and to label…..
Your LofaBed WILL be shipped out this week!

This seemed to calm Old Jack down, and I was THRILLED to receive this email from Jack a little while later:

Hello Mitch,  Love the LofaBed!  The company delivered and set it down in my living room, taking away most of the packing. Your e-mail directions for set-up were clear and right on. Took me awhile (due to my own limitations in kneeling), but when the arms got on it was a breeze. It looks nicer than I imagined, classy, and it really is comfortable.  I’m a 6′ 2″ guy around 300 lbs., and can still stretch out on it if I choose. Great!  My teen daughter will be tickled now that she can stay over with a nice bed to sleep on. The storage area is an amazing plus for bedding. Thanks, Mitch,  for all your correspondence and help—and thanks for your LofaBed creations!  ALL the best in future business and your life! Sincerely, Old Jack—-Kingston, ON

Now THAT’S the kind of email I could get used to, y’know?  I didn’t know that Jack was old…or that BIG…or even that he had a teenage daughter.  All I knew for sure was that he was gonna love his LofaBed. Everybody does.

Mitch Wapen
www.lofasofa.com
lofasofa@videotron.ca
877-424-1431

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By Mitch, March 1, 2010 9:58 am

It’s unbelievable, sometimes, the things that people tell me.  They don’t know me, so I guess that allows them to open up without fear of embarrassment.  It happened again a few weeks ago.  I had taken her order in early December, but Christmas was around the corner and she was going away over the holidays…so she asked that I hold off making her order until she returned in mid-January.  I did.  But then when I tried to reach her to ask if she were ready to receive her new LofaBed, I got no answer.  Not a word for two weeks.

Then, on the last day of January, I received this heart-felt email:

Sorry for the late response.  I went back home to Japan and my father got really sick.  Then I lost my job here and my husband left me.  All happened at the same time and I am trying to figure out my financial situation. Please let me find out if I can afford this because I really want your LofaBed, but I have to be careful.  I am very sorry, but I am still interested.

Imagine…this poor woman had just travelled half way around the world to spend her holidays taking care of her sick father…only to come home to NO job and NO husband!!!  And with all that happening in her life, she still wanted her new LofaBed! It blew me away…it really did.  But it’s just one more reminder of how important a well-made, multi-functional sofa-bed is in some people’s lives.

Yesterday she wrote that she had secured a new job and confirmed that she wanted her LofaBed to be made and shipped ASAP.

Her father got sick and she had to fly home.
No time to pack much more than a comb.
But when she returned,
It was then that she learned…
Her job was gone ‘long with husband Jerome!

distance between Toronto and Tokyo

Mitch Wapen
www.lofasofa.com
lofasofa@videotron.ca
877-424-1431

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By Mitch, February 23, 2010 10:07 pm

I often get asked on the phone, or in an email, if I ship to Texas.  Or Florida.  Or California.  The answer, of course, is YES…we ship all over Canada and the U.S.  But I understand why people would wonder.  I mean, when I first got into the business of online retailing, the most difficult challenge I had was figuring out how to get the LofaBed shipped to all points in North America…and then, how to get it home delivered. Because the big rigs, you see, don’t do home delivery.  I’m talking 53′ tractor/trailers, which basically want to go from warehouse to warehouse – in and out as quickly as possible.

But over the years I’ve learned.  One of the things I’ve learned is that certain companies specialize in being furniture-only carriers, and this is much better for me because then I don’t have to worry about a jet engine or a refrigerator falling over in the truck and smashing my LofaBed.  Believe me, it’s happened.  So I’ve settled on Nesel Fast Freight for Ontario to the Atlantic Ocean, Clarke Transport or Western Logistics for western Canada (we use both), and DuCamPro Transport for U.S. orders. Except for Clarke, they’re all dedicated furniture carriers, and, amazingly, DuCamPro actually covers the entire 48 contiguous states! They usually pick up an order on a Thursday or Friday, then “stage” it over the weekend, and deliver it to New Jersey, Los Angeles, or Montana the following week!  And because they specialize in furniture, I get virtually no damage.

And then there’re the more difficult questions to answer.  Like, “Do you ship to Europe?”  Or, “What’s your price to Hawaii?”  Until recently, I had no answer.  I’d advise customers that I could ship to a port city, like Miami, but that they’d have to make the arrangements to get it home from there.  That didn’t work too well, and I only sold a few people who were willing to go to all that trouble.  But then I heard about Euro Transport.  A customer in Australia was determined to receive two “qoubles” in faux leather for

her working dogs, and found a freight-forwarder right here in Montréal who was willing to ship both of them for only US$940!  Imagine that…under $1000 for two large sofa-beds all the way to Australia…WESTERN Australia at that.  I immediately contacted them and inquired into their program, and it turns out they ship EVERYWHERE…all over the world!  So now I’m ready for the next time someone asks me if I ship to Europe. I think I’ll just casually answer, “Why, doesn’t everybody?”

I often get asked on the phone…
“Do you ship as far as Cologne?”
I answer, “Not really…
But one day, ideally…
We’ll go to Sierra Leone!”

Cologne, Germany

Sierra Leone

Mitch Wapen
www.lofasofa.com
lofasofa@videotron.ca
877-424-1431

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By Mitch, February 20, 2010 12:39 pm

I wanted to write a limerick about the amount of storage space in a double size LofaBed.  The mattress is 8″ thick and measures a true 54″x75″, perfect for tight-fitting fitted sheets…..but how much space is there UNDERNEATH for all the bedding?  I like to tell people there’s enough space for blankets, sheets, and pillows…but is there? Turns out there is.  I just finished getting down on my hands and knees and measuring the one I have at home…and it comes out to be 75″ wide, 27″ deep, and 7″ high! That’s PLENTY of space for all your bedding…and then some.

To write a good limerick you sometimes have to exaggerate a little to make it fun. And after I came up with the first line, “A blanket, two sheets and a pillow…”, I was stuck for a word to rhyme with pillow. “Armadillo” came to mind…and adding the adjective “pink” allowed it to fit the line…but I was afraid pink armadillo was too far-fetched to be believable.  I was wrong.  Because there IS such a thing as a pink armadillo! Who knew?

The Pink Fairy Armadillo (Chlamyphorus truncatus) or Pichiciego is the smallest species of armadillo (mammals of the family Dasypodidae, mostly known for having a bony armor shell). It is found in central Argentina where it inhabits dry grasslands and sandy plains with thorn bushes and cacti.

So now that armadillo worked, I still needed one more word to make sense and rhyme with pillow. There aren’t that many to choose from, so I went with willow.  And to fill in the beat of the line, deciduous worked out perfectly because not only is it an accurate description of a willow tree, but it also provided the missing four syllables I needed.

Deciduous Weeping Willow Tree

And so, Dear Reader, read it and weep:

A blanket, two sheets and a pillow,
Plus an undersized pink armadillo…
Will all fit in your base,
With some leftover space…
For a tiny, deciduous willow!

Mitch Wapen
www.lofasofa.com
lofasofa@videotron.ca
877-424-1431

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By Mitch, February 19, 2010 1:21 pm

In the summer of 2007, I sold a full size LofaBed in Monet Steel Green with Regular arms to Dr. Jim Davidson, of Mentor, Ohio. We shipped it directly to the Mentor Harbor Yachting Club, where Jim planned to place it in his boat. But you have to understand something here…boats don’t have doors like apartments or houses do …they have hatches.  And hatches can be VERY SMALL.  I’ll let Jim tell the story:

From: Dr. Jim Davidson
Subject: LofaBed Order
Date: June 4, 2007 11:49:13 PM GMT-04:00
To: lofasofa@videotron.ca

Hi Mitch –

The LofaBed arrived as predicted, and has been successfully setup in our boat. A huge selling point for us with the LofaBed is the ability to fit the “pieces” through a small opening. In our case, our boat’s main hatch is only 23” wide x 39” high!!! I’ve attached a picture of the LofaBed in its new home, and the hatch through which it made its journey. With a little disassembly, the LofaBed made it through this small opening in fine fashion. Somewhat like a ship-in-a-bottle, we now have a full size LofaBed inside our salon. It is extremely comfortable – and actually much better than represented. We love it!

Jim and Nancy Davidson

Jim Davidson's LofaBed INSIDE his boat!

Jim Davidson was ready to quit…
‘Cause his boat was too small to admit,
Either sofa or chair
Whether rounded or square,
But his LofaBed knocked-down to fit!

Mitch Wapen
www.lofasofa.com
lofasofa@videotron.ca
877-424-1431

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By Mitch, February 14, 2010 4:26 pm

That’s a pretty provocative way to start a conversation, wouldn’t you say?  But that’s exactly how Dianne Ritchie, of Burnaby, British Columbia, began yesterday’s email! Y’see, Dianne has a sister in Halifax who bought a LofaBed a couple years ago, and Dianne has been agonizing over this decision since at least April of 2009, when she first contacted me.

We sent emails to each other…I mailed fabric swatches…but the room Dianne wanted to decorate wasn’t ready yet, and so the LofaBed purchase was put on hold. Until last week:

From: Dianne Ritchie
Subject: LofaBeds
Date: February 13, 2010 1:59:24 PM GMT-05:00
To: lofasofa@videotron.ca

Yes, that’s right…we are finally doing something with the ‘spare room.’  We would like to order the loveseat and ottoman with 5″ Mini arms in Paris Sand.

Well, as soon as I read that, I wrote her back that if she only had a few more inches of floor space we could substitute an arm style with much more padding (think comfort), like the 9″ Piping/Mag.  But this would require another eight inches along a wall, and I wanted to make sure she had the room.  And then I got this:

From: Dianne Ritchie
Subject: LofaBeds
Date: February 14, 2010 4:56:40 PM GMT-05:00
To: lofasofa@videotron.ca

There are eight arm styles to choose.
Any more and we just might confuse…
All the people who care
About space they can’t spare,
But still want an afternoon snooze!

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By Mitch, February 12, 2010 9:57 pm

I know it sounds counterintuitive, but Susan O’Brien says that people who live in small condos should be furnishing them with large pieces and not lots of little ones. Susan is a LofaBed customer who has a condo in Québec City, but lives most of the time in New Hampshire.  She writes a monthly article, The Condo Column, for a local newspaper, and recently featured her LofaBed experience in her Furnishing Your Condo piece.

While researching the article, Susan told me some things about condos I didn’t know. Here are some interesting excerpts from that email:

From: Susan O’Brien
Subject: Furnishing Your Condo
Date: January 28, 2010 4:26:10 PM GMT-05:00
To: lofasofa@videotron.ca

Mitch:  We purchased three LofaBeds from you several years ago in QC.  I am now writing The Condo Column for newspapers and am doing one on Furnishing Your Condo.  Hope you are doing well.  Ours has held up unbelievably.  I am leading out the column with a discussion of how your furniture worked so well in 560 square feet. By the way, I’ve learned it’s best in small spaces to buy one or two large pieces rather than a bunch of small ones.

I haven’t read your whole web site lately, but here’s a suggestion for you:  have some space on your web site devoted just to condos.  There’s nothing out there in the U.S. for condo owners, and I feel it is a large untapped market.  Your furniture works absolutely perfectly in a small condo space and, in fact, was made for it because of its multi-functionality.

When I sold the column to the newspaper, I told them I had verified a statistic that 27% of the full-time housing (not counting vacation condos) in the Mount Washington Valley of New Hampshire was condominium.  My editor was shocked to learn it was over 1/4 of all the housing stock.  I tried to get this same information from Portland, Maine, where there are a great many new condos, and found out no one in government is even tracking it!  Imagine how many condos there must be in Montreal alone?  And no one is speaking directly to them.  The key point for you, I think, is to educate condo owners that ONE OR TWO LARGE PIECES are far better than jamming in little love seats and extra chairs.  I followed this in buying from you and it really works.  The LofaBeds in QC actually make the room look bigger, large as they are. This info should be on your web site.  Maybe you could do a “Guidelines for buying Condo Furniture.”   People don’t understand this idea.  My neighbors in NH jammed so much into their space identical to ours I could hardly breathe when I was in there. Awful.

Your product deserves wider exposure.  Not only is it quality-for-price, it solves so many small-space problems.  I guess I’m like anyone else who has found a really great product; I want to spread the word.

Martial arts fanatic Fernando,
Bought into a very large condo.
It was airy and bright,
Ablaze with sunlight…
And perfect for doing Taekwondo.

Mitch Wapen
www.lofasofa.com
lofasofa@videotron.ca
877-424-1431

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By Mitch, February 4, 2010 10:26 am

I had a unique “payment” experience shortly before Christmas that I’d like to discuss. The customer lived in the U.S., and paid for her LofaBed by mailing me a certified check.  I know this because she emailed me the proof.  Now the way this is supposed to work is that before we ship, the customer pays.  But I’m trusting enough…some say naïve…to allow people to simply TELL ME they’ve mailed the check, and I’ll release the order.  This has never backfired…..until now.  This time the sofa-bed arrived before the check!  The customer was happy, I was nervous, but everything seemed OK…considering the time of year (pre-Christmas).

Two weeks later, and the check had still not arrived!  So I called the woman and explained the situation.  She responded immediately by paying the invoice via PayPal, and everything was cool.  Except for this check, which was now wandering around somewhere within the American or Canadian postal system.  And y’know what?  I’m STILL waiting for it!

Even though things worked out in the end, this incident reminded me of the reason I ask for the kind of payment that I do.  I deal with the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), which is known to be Canada’s largest bank. They’ve advised me to only accept money orders, bank drafts, or certified checks (in addition to credit cards and wire transfers), because they represent secure methods of payment that can be cleared quickly. Personal checks, on the other hand, cannot.  According to the RBC, personal checks are manually processed, and sometimes take ninety days or more to clear the system!  Pretty good reason not to accept personal checks, eh?

But I still prefer this method of payment over PayPal or wire transfer, because at least this way, there’re no receiving costs.

She told me the check was in the mail,
Weighed it herself on the postal scale.
I believe what she said,
Though I’m still out the bread…
‘Cause this time of year, the mail’s a snail!

Mitch Wapen
www.lofasofa.com
lofasofa@videotron.ca
877-424-1431