Jane Kutikov thought it was an easy proposition: buy a sofa, have it delivered, relax.
But instead of a simple transaction, her furniture purchase and delivery has caused seven months of aggravation — and an unexpected bill of almost $7,000.
“It doesn’t seem right, it doesn’t seem logical, it doesn’t seem fair,” Kutikov told Global News in an interview outside her Bathurst Street condominium building on Monday.
On Jan. 19, Kudos Home and Design delivered a $2,000 sofa to Kutikov. She had booked the condominium elevator so the furniture could be delivered to her unit.
But as soon as the delivery truck pulled up, it struck the building sprinkler system on the outside of the structure. The sprinklers discharged water and the fire department was called to the condominium.
To date, the property’s management company has tallied the repair bill at $6,645.12.
But instead of pursuing the furniture company, which initially agreed to take responsibility for the damage, the property management company at the condominium has billed Kutikov.
“On top of the charge, I’m receiving a 15 per cent administration fee. Why? Oh, because they (the condo management company) did some administrative work,” she said.
The original bill was only about $2,000, Kutikov said, but it kept increasing for no apparent reason.
A representative of Online Property Management, Inc., which manages the building, defended its decision to bill Kutikov for the total amount of the damages, citing their ownership agreement. The language in typical purchase agreements often states that property owners can be held liable for damages to common elements in condominium buildings.
But the company did not explain why it hadn’t asked Kudos Home and Design to pay the repair bill, as they had offered, and why the bill for repairs had nearly tripled from the original estimate.
Senior management at Online Property Management, which manages six Toronto-area residential buildings according to its website, did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
After Global News contacted Kudos Home and Design, owner Jeet Bassi agreed his company would make it right, either directly or through its insurance company.
“We’re still here, we’re responsible. I will look after this matter for her,” Bassi said.
Kutikov said she has experienced months of frustration for what should have been a straightforward transaction. She warned other condo owners that they, too, could run into problems over damages, depending on the management company.
“I don’t want to think of this again, the delivery of the sofa.”
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