Raleigh Woman Waits Nine Months For Matching Patio Furniture

"I did not get what I paid for," Baitinger says.

The Raleigh resident bought the $960 set last September from Fireplace Specialists and Casual Furniture with one condition: that the blue and black woven "sling" seats be replaced with some that match.

So one of the owners — Detra Commander — ordered matching slings.

"They said it would take six to eight weeks to get them," Baitinger recalls.

But 12 weeks passed and Baitinger did not receive the slings, so she called Commander.

Baitinger says Commander said she would look into it and call back, but never did.

Days later, Baitinger called again and was told her order had been lost and would take another six to eight weeks.

When nothing arrived by late January, Baitinger called Commander again.

"She said she didn't even remember me, and she couldn't find my paperwork," Baitinger says.

Baitinger continued calling for weeks without success. Finally, she called Five On Your Side.

"I thought you guys would make one call for me, and I would have my slings," she says.

But it did not work that way.

WRAL-TV's Five On Your Side unit first called the store in February. Three different times the store asked for Baitinger's invoice number. WRAL was told the order was lost, that the order was in, then that it was not in, then that it was really in, then they could not find it. Then, WRAL was told it came in damaged. By then, it was four months since WRAL first called, nine months since Baitinger bought the chairs.

At that point, the Five On Your Side team felt there was no alternative but to go to the store and find out what was really going on.

In a matter of minutes, nine months of frustration was fixed. So what was the REAL holdup?

"When the original order was written, it was not done correctly so they didn't get ordered," Commander says. "And then they did get ordered, and they came in, and I still don't know where those are."

Whatever the reason, Baitinger is now happy to finally get her slings.