Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Don't, don't, don't purchase a Bell'O product. On Oct. 30, 2009, I purchased a WAVS 333 and have regretted it, since. Bell'O is advertised as "simply...beautiful", when in actuality Bell'O surely means "just another piece of cheap Chinese junk": Cheap laminated wood products, cheap veneer (Bell'O could learn something from IKEA), and no quality control (something China hasn't had since Emperor Qin). ( Ex.the little wooden dowels slip nearly all the way in the dowel holes, leaving only an 8 mm lip). In addition, I would almost swear I can smell the urea-formaldehyde preservative in the wood product. Incidentally, there is a meaningless inspection sticker on the underside of the base.
After watching Bell'Os' assembly video, I decided to pay more for the "No Tools Assembly" convenience of the WAVS 333. When in actuality, I wound up having to use several tools; a screwdriver, a hand drill and tiny bit to re-drill holes for the hinge screws, a rubber mallet to beat the cabinet sides into position, and a level to find out why the cabinet doesn't sit "square".
Immediately after the two 2 Fed Ex delivers brought the box into my residence (the box weighs 125lbs), I opened the pristine shipping box and spread out the pieces to assemble. Once I started putting parts against the wall, I noticed that the very first part (part 1) had a serious crack in the inner right panel, and that I could not proceed with the assembly. Part 1 is a critical part and was so badly fractured, that the opposite side of the damaged side was bowed out. Immediately, I emailed and called Bell'O support to get a replacement part 1. Initially, I was told "sorry about that, but it must have been damaged in shipping". I explained to the tech that the box is undamaged and the other pieces in the box, including the glass doors are fine. The support tech said the replacement order would be sent to the warehouse and they would ship out the substitute part. I gave the support tech my email address and phone number and to inform me of the tracking number. I kept checking in with Bell'O support, because, I suppose, they were too busy to call customers. The warehouse decided that they were NOT responsible for the damage, after all. They said it was due to Fed Ex. But, because they are magnanimous they would replace just the broken panel. On the seventh day, the replacement part arrived, but the hinge holes in the replacement part are out of alignment with the original panels holes, and I would have to remove the hinges and reset them in another location on the panel. Yes, very confusing, and needless to say, frustrating and infuriated. There is more to this saga, but it is much too tedious.
In all, it took two weeks to assemble this thing, and it still isn't square. Fortunately, the locking mechanisms are holding it all together. Like the "bursting at the seams suitcase" in a Bugs Bunny cartoon, I'm hesitant to unlock the locking mechanism, because I am afraid the cabinet will become unhinged and explode.
If you are shopping around for a cabinet, definitely stay away from Bell'O products. Save up your pennies. Buy one that is pre-assembled. It will cost more, and it will probably be made of Chinese products, but it will be worth it in the end. By not having to deal with the grief of damaged parts and flawed replacement parts, you will have a cabinet you can rely on and enjoy. Even better if you can purchase it from Amazon.com. You can depend on these folks to stand by their service.
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Bell'O WAVS333 NTA AV Cabinet Holds Up To 46-Inch TV (Brown)
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