A furniture warranty is the maker's written promise to repair or replace a part that fails through a defect in materials or workmanship. It runs for a set time and covers normal home use. At Merit Home Furniture on Vancouver Island, we back the maker's warranty on everything we sell. On furniture, we order the parts and we do the repairs. Accidental stains, rips, tears, cuts and burns fall outside every maker's warranty.
After the first year, the fine print that matters most on a recliner is labour. La-Z-Boy and Decor-Rest both still cover a regular recliner's mechanism as a part in year three, and neither pays for the labour after the first year. Under their terms, a mechanism that gives out in year three is a covered part with a labour bill attached, unless the chair carries an extended plan.
That claim starts with the Island store you bought from. For a piece from Merit's Duncan store, that means Michael and me on Ingram Street. SmartOne, the extended plan we offer from Zucora, adds cover for accidents, and for failures once the maker's warranty ends.
What does a furniture warranty cover, and what isn't covered?
A furniture warranty covers defects in normal home use: a frame that cracks, a spring broken by metal fatigue, a mechanism that stops, a seam that slips. Each maker sets its own periods, part by part. The frame usually gets the longest cover, often a limited lifetime, which Ashley and Decor-Rest both define as "the normal useful life of the product". Moving parts come next, and the maker's labour cover usually ends after year one.
What isn't covered in a furniture warranty is anything that isn't a defect. Accidents are out, and so is wear: Ashley and Decor-Rest both say seat cushion cores "will soften with normal use", and Ashley's fabric cover excludes pilling and fading. The warranty covers home use only, so a sofa in a vacation rental falls outside La-Z-Boy's, Ashley's, Scandi's and Cozzia's terms. And it stays with the person who bought the piece new: La-Z-Boy, Ashley, Decor-Rest and Cozzia all say theirs can't be transferred.
Customers ask Michael and me three things again and again: the warranty, the colours a piece comes in and how long it takes to come in. We're happy to tell you exactly what a piece is covered for before you buy it.
Furniture warranty terms maker by maker: frames, mechanisms and labour
These are the published terms of each furniture maker Merit lists, Sleepchest aside, checked in September and October 2026. Where our pages and the maker's own page disagree, the table gives the shorter figure first and names the longer one. The warranty card that comes with a piece is the one that applies, a point La-Z-Boy and Cozzia both make in their own terms.
| Maker | What the maker covers |
|---|---|
| La-Z-Boy | Frame, springs and reclining mechanism parts: lifetime, less on its Luxury-Lift lift chairs. Power motors and electrical parts: 3 years. Labour: 1 year. Fabric and leather: 1 year. |
| Ashley | 276 of our 648 Ashley pages give 1 year. Ashley's published terms: upholstery frames lifetime, recliner mechanisms 5 years, springs 5, sleeper mechanisms 3, most else 1 year, with labour and shipping paid in year one only. |
| Decor-Rest | Frames and springs: lifetime. Mechanisms: 3 years. Electronic parts: 1 year. Parts only after year one. Foam cushions: 5 years limited. Fabric: 1 year (5 on its Majestic fabrics). Leather: 2 years. |
| Island Living, made to order | Frame, springs and cushion foam: lifetime (25 years), pro-rated. Most fabrics: 1 year. |
| Island Living, in-stock range | Frame and suspension: lifetime (25 years), pro-rated. Reclining mechanisms, motors and electrical parts: 1 year, pro-rated. Foam, fabric and leather: 1 year. |
| Scandi | Frames: lifetime, while the original cover is on. Recliner mechanisms and springs: 5 years (one line under its 2-year heading reads "five (2)"). Power and electrical parts: 2 years. Molded foam: 10 years. |
| UltraComfort lift chairs | Lift frame, wood frame, recline bar and scissor mechanisms: lifetime, by its 2024 warranty sheet. Electrical parts: 3 years, then pro-rated to year 7. Labour: 1 year (its web page says 3). Fabric and foam: 1 year. |
| Cozzia massage chairs | Parts: 2 or 3 years, by model. Labour: 1 to 3 years. |
| Mako | 1 year from purchase on materials, workmanship and structural faults such as joints. Wood movement, humidity damage and finish wear are excluded. |
The Decor-Rest 2003 sofa pictured has that lifetime frame and spring cover.
What happens when a recliner mechanism fails in year three?
Here's how each maker's terms land on a recliner mechanism that fails in year three:
- La-Z-Boy: the part is covered and the labour isn't. On a La-Z-Boy power recliner, the motor is still inside its three-year parts cover. The same grid covers La-Z-Boy's recliners.
- Decor-Rest: year three is the last year of mechanism cover, parts only.
- Ashley: still a covered part under Ashley's published five-year term for recliner mechanisms.
- Island Living in-stock: out of cover after its one year.
- Scandi: still inside the five years its mechanism heading gives.
- UltraComfort: on a lift chair such as the UltraComfort Destin, the mechanism is covered for life; labour ended after year one (three by its web page).
- Cozzia: parts are still covered only on the models with three years.
Merit's warranty page doesn't set a labour charge for a claim past the maker's labour year, so it's worth asking about when you call. The recliner collection holds chairs from five of these makers: La-Z-Boy, Ashley, Scandi, Island Living and Decor-Rest. UltraComfort's chairs sit with the lift chairs we list, beside two from Scandi.
Mattress warranties: how deep a sag counts, and the base underneath
A mattress warranty covers faults like loose or broken coils and sagging beyond the maker's depth, but not a mattress that has simply softened. Sealy measures with nobody on the bed and excludes comfort preference. Our Sealy, Tempur-Pedic and Beautyrest mattresses are carried at the Campbell River store, so call there for our best price; Duncan's are Restwell and Restonic.
| Maker | Term and limits |
|---|---|
| Sealy | Set by the warranty code on the law tag: 10 years at no charge on codes C3, P3 and S3, less on others. A sag has to pass 1½ inches on most codes (1¼ on P3, ¾ on S3). Queen and king frames need a centre bar with 5 legs, or 5 slats with a centre leg. |
| Tempur-Pedic | 10 years, no charge to repair or replace, transport excepted. An impression has to be deeper than 0.75 inch. Keep the receipt for at least 10 years. |
| Beautyrest | Our listings give 10 years, non-prorated on several. Beautyrest's own warranty page covers US purchases only, so the Campbell River store is the one to ask for a model's Canadian terms. |
| Restonic | 10 years, non-prorated, on our six Duncan Restonic listings. |
| Restwell | 10 years on seven of our eight Duncan Restwell listings, limited on six and full on the Savannah Plush. Ask us for the terms on any one model. |
Non-prorated means no charge for the whole term, apart from transport. Pro-rated means the owner pays a growing share once the free period ends. Sealy's formula is the dealer's current retail price, divided by the total warranty years, times the years since purchase.
Who handles a furniture warranty claim at Merit, and how to make one
At Merit, a furniture or mattress warranty claim starts with the store you bought from, as La-Z-Boy, Ashley, Island Living, Sealy and UltraComfort all tell owners. In Duncan, our furniture repair technician handles the warranty work and books small repairs at a time that suits you.
Delivery damage is separate: if a piece arrives damaged beyond a quick fix, you usually keep it to use while we order a replacement. Three kinds of claim leave the store. Cozzia books its own in-home technicians "in and around major metropolitan areas". Appliances go to Danby's authorized servicers, and SmartOne claims go straight to Zucora.
- Find the invoice. Tempur-Pedic's terms say "no sales receipt will void your warranty", and La-Z-Boy, Ashley, Sealy and Cozzia also ask for proof of purchase.
- Find the numbers on the piece. Ashley and Cozzia ask for the serial number. Sealy asks for the law label from the mattress, so leave it on.
- Photograph the problem and note the date. A SmartOne claim has to reach Zucora within 14 days of the problem.
- Call the store you bought from. Tell us the maker, the piece and what it's doing.
- Hold off on home fixes. Zucora covers cleaning or repairs only when they're done as it directs, and Cozzia's warranty excludes unauthorized repairs.
- Ask about the bill before the repair is booked. La-Z-Boy's terms put service part shipping, in-home inspection fees and transport to and from the dealer on the owner. Sealy's and Tempur-Pedic's leave transport to the owner too.
Appliance warranties at Merit: Danby's authorized servicers and the 100 km limit
Appliances work differently: Danby, maker of the Silhouette coolers carried at our Campbell River and Port Alberni stores, voids its warranty if anyone but its authorized servicers repairs them. Its in-home service stops 100 kilometres from the nearest service centre, and which Island towns sit inside that limit is worked out town by town.
Is it worth getting a warranty on furniture? What SmartOne from Zucora adds
The maker's warranty is included in the price, and an extended one usually costs extra. Consumer Protection BC's advice is to check whether it includes labour, shipping and home service calls, then weigh its cost against replacing the item. If replacing wins, there are several ways to clear out the old piece on the Island. SmartOne, from Zucora, is Merit's extended option, and it has to be bought on the same sales receipt as the furniture. Our warranty page describes it as cover for up to five years from your purchase date. It sends someone to your home for repairs and covers the electronics in power recliners.
Under Zucora's published terms, accident cover runs five years from delivery; our warranty page counts from purchase. It takes in food and drink, body fluids, ballpoint pen ink and wax crayon, cosmetics, rips, tears, cigarette burns and heat marks on wood. Failure cover picks up broken frames, joints and mechanisms, and failed motors, for up to four years after a maker's warranty of at least a year. Each piece on the SmartOne Furniture plan is capped at the price paid or $5,000, whichever is less. Wear, pilling, seam separation, foam compression and fading are excluded, and so is anything sold as-is or as a floor model. Pet damage needs the Furniture Plus plan, which covers one pet incident.
Zucora's list of covered furniture includes recliners and bedroom and dining furniture, and its appliance plan lists wine coolers. A separate Sleep Plan covers mattresses. SmartOne works on anything we sell, recliners and mattresses included. The plan's price is one of the things we can sometimes discount, and it's worth asking.
What are the warranty laws in Canada? Your rights in BC
Canada's Office of Consumer Affairs says implied warranties apply to the sale of all consumer goods, and that provincial and territorial sales laws cover them. Generally, it says, those laws require products to be fit for the purposes they're sold for, and enforcing that may mean going to court.
In BC, section 18(c) of the Sale of Goods Act sets an implied condition that goods "will be durable for a reasonable period of time". The test is "having regard to the use to which they would normally be put and to all the surrounding circumstances of the sale or lease". Section 20 adds that in a retail sale of new goods, a term that tries to "negative or in any way diminish" the section 18 conditions is void. How that applies to a particular recliner is a question for a lawyer or a tribunal, and nothing here is legal advice.
Consumer Protection BC says warranties aren't covered under BC's consumer protection laws, and that Sale of Goods Act remedies go through the courts, after raising the problem with the business. BC's Civil Resolution Tribunal handles most small claims up to $5,000 online. Its own worked example is a new couch that broke a few days after delivery.
What voids a furniture warranty, in the makers' own words
These are the makers' rules for when a furniture warranty is void or never applies:
- Tempur-Pedic's terms say "Stains void the warranty", which is the reason for putting a protector on from the first night. Its FAQ adds that plywood or particleboard over a box spring "will void your warranty".
- Ashley says improper or unapproved cleaning "voids all warranties", as do chemical treatments and protective coatings. Scandi says unapproved leather and fabric treatments "will invalidate this warranty".
- Ashley's terms also call its warranty "null and void if furniture has been moved from original point of delivery to consumer". For Ashley furniture on the Island, that's worth raising with us before a move.
- Scandi designs its chairs for a maximum user weight of 120 kg (265 lb), and weight beyond that invalidates the warranty. It also asks owners to tighten bolts every four months, and its warranty is void when routine maintenance isn't done.
- Ashley's terms exclude floor samples, as-is and second-hand pieces. A Cozzia floor model's warranty is pro-rated from the day it went on a store floor and was plugged in.
Where these warranty terms come from
- La-Z-Boy, warranty periods for each part, checked September 2026.
- Ashley Furniture Industries, Warranty Information, checked September 2026.
- Decor-Rest, limited warranties on frames, springs and mechanisms, checked September 2026.
- Mako Wood Furniture, 1-Year Limited Warranty, checked October 2026.
- Scandi Seating, Warranty Policy, checked September 2026.
- Ultra Comfort Canada, Warranty and its 2024 warranty sheet by model, checked September 2026.
- Cozzia Canada, Warranty, with its CZ330, CZ650 and CZ800 model pages, checked September 2026.
- Sealy Canada, Certificate of Limited Warranty and Warranty Schedule, checked September 2026.
- Tempur-Pedic Canada, Warranty Information, its mattress limited warranty and FAQs, checked September 2026.
- Beautyrest, Warranty Information After March 1, 2015, checked September 2026.
- Danby manual for the Silhouette Pro Gen 3 wine cellar, warranty pages, checked September 2026.
- Zucora, SmartOne service plan agreement, current edition, checked September 2026.
- Province of British Columbia, Sale of Goods Act, sections 18 and 20, current to September 15, 2026.
- Consumer Protection BC, on extended warranties and on quality issues, checked September 2026.
- BC Civil Resolution Tribunal, Small Claims, checked September 2026.
- Office of Consumer Affairs, Government of Canada, Warranties, checked September 2026.
- Merit Home Furniture's warranty and returns pages, our live product listings and the owners' answers, read October 16, 2026.
Calling Merit about a furniture warranty on the Island
For a warranty question, the store you bought from is the first call, which is the practical side of buying from a store on the Island. Our Duncan store is on Ingram Street and open Monday to Saturday, 9 to 5.
Call the Duncan store, (250) 746-5527
Merit's other guides to delivery, returns and service are on our service guides page, and the short version of all this is the warranty terms page.