I had been looking for a bench with storage that could sit in a mulched bed under my huge pine trees. I have been using a small wooden one extending it's life by sealing the feet that sat in the mulch but it was time for a newer, more sturdy one. I liked the idea of having storage built into the bench and preferred one I could leave outdoors year round (it will get covered in the winter). The Keter caught my eye as it checked off my wants in the bench. My order arrived exactly on time but there was a good sized hole in the box where obviously something had punctured it during shipping (I am so unimpressed with UPS). However when we opened the box only one piece was damaged that being the right arm/side part. I do not know if it got damaged during shipping or was boxed at the manufacturer that way. I called Great Offer Stock and they were wonderful! The Customer Service person took down the part info and told me to expect an email confirming the ordering of the replacement part including the delivery date for the part. Within 2 days, the replacement part was delivered to my home. Thank you, Overstock!
So this is where the fun began. We followed the instructions and all went very well except for the replacement part. It was the correct part as each piece of the bench is stamped with it's part number however there must have been a redesign as this replacement right arm did not have the same structural features as the original (and the left arm part).
(1) It started with the feet which slide into the bottom of the side part. They are supposed to click into place and the tab which clicks into place is the key to keeping the feet in place. The replacement part did not have slots for the tab on the feet to snap into. Hubby, being a lifetime modeler, cut slots for the feet to snap into. Problem solved... well, that one anyway.
(2) The front of the bench is supposed to click into the arms/sides to stabilize and give support to the bench. The left (original) side clicked perfectly and feels stable; the replacement side didn't click and was a bit unstable. Again, Hubby to the rescue. He added a brace inside to allow the replacement side to provide the stability it is supposed to provide. Our fear was leaving it as it was, if somebody leaned against the replacement arm or put pressure on it while trying to get up from the bench, the side would just give away and break.
(3) The top of the back slides into the top of each arm/side piece. A small third piece locks the back and side together and provides a smooth finish to back. This worked great on the original left arm but horribly on the replacement right arm/side. It appears that the hole where the back slides in is too small or out of alignment. Hubby had to cut a bit for the back to fit in. The wedge that should lock this in place is murder to get in and seems to want to pop out. Also there is almost a 1 inch hole above the wedge where water and perhaps small critters can get inside. This hole is not on the side where hubby cut but on the perpendicular side where the wedge fits in. I will be plugging up the hole with caulking to seat the wedge and plug the hole.
All of the problems we experienced were related to the replacement part. If the original right arm/side was not damaged, I am confident that we would not have experienced any problems and the bench would have been perfect. Now, having griped about this, I really like the bench. We both sat on it (close to 300 lbs) and it is very sturdy. Can't wait for our 2 year and 5 year old neighbors to visit and sit with us on it. We have not put it into it's final resting place outside yet but I know it will look great in our pine grotto. The dark brown color compliments our house and it's outside features. For all of it's problems, I am glad I bought it. I most certainly could not beat the price! Again, thank you, Great Offer Stock.