Factors in Choosing Office Furniture

Choosing Office Furniture: When you're looking for great ready-to-assemble (RTA) office furniture, you should keep in mind a couple important factors: (1) price, (2) customer service, and (3) overall value of the product. This page describes the experience we at ClickShops have had with three of the most widely-recognized manufacturers of RTA office furniture: Bestar, Office Star, and Studio RTA.

RTA Office Furniture: Whose Price is Best?

In our experience, the award for best price on comparable RTA office furniture clearly has to go to Studio RTA. Studio RTA can be found at Wal-Mart and similar retailers, and it has been able to deliver its office furniture to customers at a price that is noticeably lower than the other RTA manufacturers.

Bestar is a close second on price. These items cost a little bit more (item for item) than Studio RTA. However, as you well know, price should not be your only consideration. And there are some good reasons you may want to go with Bestar, as we'll note below. One of those reasons is the number of options and features available with Bestar.

Office Star sells its products for a little bit more, but again, they build in more value for that cost, and you should definitely look into their product and their different styles if you're in the market for office furniture.

Customer Service: Making You Happy

The second factor we looked at was customer service. Having sold thousands of items of furniture online, we have a significant amount of experience with different manufacturers, and we know how they react to customers' needs. Here's our analysis:

Bestar provides the best customer service for RTA office furniture. They are prompt, and they truly stand behind their products. If a customer calls us, we are able to get action by Bestar almost immediately. In addition, they are a very "green friendly" company. All their woods and packing products are 100% recyclable. The only drawback with Bestar is that they ship from Canada, so any replacement parts or other shipments take an extra two or three days to get through customs. Usually it's well worth the wait.

A close second for customer service is Studio RTA. They are especially good with replacement parts. In fact, we've even had people who got their furniture from a garage sale who called and were able to purchase replacement parts as needed, and with very little hassle. Studio RTA does a good job resolving shipping issues and responding quickly to customer requests.

Office Star brings up the rear for customer service. They are not as responsive as the others, although they do stand behind their products. It usually takes a little bit more work on the customer's part, though. For example, if a customer has a shipping issue with Office Star, they will be required to take a picture of the damage and have the carrier pick up the damaged item, which requires them to be available for the pick-up. Quite often, with our other manufacturers, the process is much more streamlined and easy for the customer.

Overall, Who is Best?

Considering the price, customer service, shipping, and other issues, and combining those considerations with selection and value of the product, our overall pick for best RTA office furniture manufacturer is Bestar. They are a good combination of good customer service, good product, and reasonable price.

We choose Office Star as our second place manufacturer. While Office Star doesn't rank as highly in the price and customer service areas, the quality of their products gives Office Star a real boost for overall rankings. Customers may pay a little bit more, but we're able to help them work through any issues they might have, and in the end, they're very happy with the transaction, because the product is great.

Studio RTA comes in third, but we still recommend them where price is an overriding concern, because they truly do offer the lowest item-for-item price. That low price forces them to provide a little less in the way of customer service, but again, we're able to help our customers through any issues that arise, and they still get a good product for a low price.