Fabulous crib discontinued so on great sale at BRU!!!

[Pipersmamma]

Just thought someone might be interested...
I have the Venetian crib made by Simmons exclusively for Babies R Us for my 14 month old and the case pieces too and it is beautiful and simply a fabulous crib. I'm expecting #2 and searched all brands and stores only to return to the Venetian again, but in a different color for baby #2. When we went to pick it up we were told that Simmons is creating a new line for BRU and has discontinued the Venetian. It's still available for order and is at a discounted price. The crib is $329 down form $400. I also ordered the conversion kit to make it a toddler bed for $29 down from $100. Simmons is top rated by the Fields and we have used ours without any issue at all for 14 mos and love it. It is a sleigh style crib. The changing table/dresser and tall chest of drawers are on discontinued sale too and are wonderful pieces. I have one set in pecan and the new set is white. Just and FYI in case someone is searching for a great crib at a reasonable price.
Edited* The BRU website ony shows the white at the sale price, but my store said all were discontinued and gave me the same price of the conversion kits for both colors

[california_sales_girl]

The reason it's on sale is Simmons was sold to Delta. They are completely closing down the Simmons factory and are laying off all the workers in Wisconsin. Their intent is to take production over to the orient. I think your salesman is either misinformed or was trying to gloss over the truth. It probably will be tough to get replacement parts if you have a problem. You might want to buy from a reputable company who will be around if you need them.

http://www.wisinfo.com/postcrescent/news/archive/local_16936413.shtml

[Play Pen]

Simmons is another case of reponding to the consumers wants. They are closing US production and moving things to the orient as california sales girl said. At one time, even when Thomas Edison owned it, Simmons was recognized as being top of the line baby furniture made in the USA. Now it has gone as other furniture manufacturers, becoming an importer from China and other countries in the orient. Of course the prices will go down, and so will the quality. The only thing that will go up is the unemployment rate.

[helaina]

So is it okay to order this crib and dresser or not? I'm confused.

[shburks]

Me, too. Confused that is. I had the Simmons Cambridge Crib N More picked out, and now I'm wondering if it's OK to order it. ugh--guess I'll go talk to BRU tomorrow and see what they know, what's in the wearhouse, etc.

Susan

[Play Pen]

I understand. Buy what you wish, just be aware of the real reason why there are big price differences. Price is not everything. A good value is undisputable. You must be the judge of whether it is a good value, in other words are you getting your moneys worth.

[california_sales_girl]

I think all of you are missing the point. Would you buy a car from Ford if they were going out of business?? Who is going to service the warrantee on your crib in the event that you have a problem? Wood products do split. Parts can be missing. There is a good reason why the majority of the specialty stores dropped Simmons years ago. And now they are closing up their U.S. factory. And why would you want to invest in furniture that you can't go back and buy "big kid" pieces later on?
BRU puts all their manufacturers phone #'s in plain sight on the sales tags so you, the consumer, can call the manufacturer directly if you have a problem. That likely translates into one thing- BRU does not want to deal with your product problems. Do you know of any other retailer who post Manufacturer's phone #'s on their tags??

[Marisa6826]

Actually, I think YOU may be the one missing the point. The fact of the matter is that even established manufacturers - like Pali, Britax and Peg Perego - have questionable Customer Service records.

It's an absolute shame that this company is being bought out due to overseas production costs, but the cribs are no less substandard, and many people are dealing with limited budgets.

I have this crib for my daughter, and plan on buying a second one for my new child.

And as far as distributors telling you to go to the manufacturer directly, that is completely common in today's economy. Even a place like Best Buy will tell you to go directly to the manufacturer if there's a defect. That is the price you pay for doing business in a "how cheap can I find it" world.

-m

[new_mommy25]

Well said Marisa.

[shburks]

Thank you, Marisa. I was started to feel rather stupid at even considering this crib after reading some of the other messages. We have done lots of research and found this crib to be what we're looking for at a price we can do. I have never read anything bad about Simmons (although I'm sure they have their share, too!) and just want a good sturdy crib that we also like!

As for buying "big kid" pieces later on--well, that hasn't really been an option for us. Actually, we are only looking to purchase the crib from a "baby" store and will purchase the other items from a more local store.


Susan

[NYmom2be]

I can speak from experience. We purchased a Simmons crib from BRU 8 months ago. About a 4 weeks later we noticed that one of the end spindles was loose and cracked. We went back to BRU and the told us we would have to call Simmons directly. I waited on hold with Simmons for over 30 minutes until someone was available to help me. Even though I had the receipt, they said I needed to give them the production date which is stamped on the bottom of the crib. I tried to bend down to get it, but being 8 months pregnant, it didn't work. Had to call back. GRRR. DH retrieves the code numbers and I wait on hold again for 40 minutes. Simmons sends a new headboard out to me. Takes 2 months to get it, but it is not the right one. On hold again for only 15 minutes on their phone system- I felt lucky. 2 months later again, the new correct headboard arrives, but the finishing is awful and there is a nail sticking out of the spindle which I cut my hand on.
Wait on hold again- lost track of the amount of time at this point- and Simmons manages to send us an acceptable headboard. DS is now closing in on his 1st birthday. LOL
As for Best Buys unhelpfulness with problems, that is why I don't shop there anymore. Once bitten, twice shy. If you are worried about spending a little extra for some customer service, then what is your time worth trying to deal with the manufacturers when you have a problem? I have over an hour of my life invested on the Simmons phone system. I would rather have the store who sold me the product service the defectives.
After dealing with Simmons, I would never buy a crib from them knowing that they will not be around to send you parts. My friend bought a Legacy crib, lost some parts between kids, and now can't set the crib back up because Childcraft/Legacy is temporarily closed due to flooding.

[Marisa6826]

Susan-

As I mentioned, I have the full suite for the nursery in Pecan, and plan on getting the crib in white for Sophie's "big girl" room, since I don't think she'll be ready for her twin sized bed at 2 years old (nor am I comfortable with the idea of knowing she can get out and run around while I'm dealing with a newborn ;) ).

I was just thinking last night that I might consider picking up the conversion kit for the Pecan bed since this will be Amelia's furniture for the considerable future. My problem is that I just don't know where we can store a twin bed frame for a few years ;).

After looking at several options (including Palis), I am VERY happy with this crib. It is beautiful, certainly looks more expensive than it cost, and have never had any problems with it. Ours is almost two years old at this point and even withstood dis-assembly and re-assembly when we moved to our house.

One more thing - pay the extra $20-30 and have the store put it together for you. They do it in an absolute flash, and you won't have to deal with your husband trying to figure out the directions ;).

-m

[StubbyDog]

> One more thing - pay the extra $20-30 and have the store put it
> together for you.

Just a quick note...an assembled crib won't fit through a lot of doors. A friend assembled her crib in the living room on to find out that it wouldn't fit through the nursery door! :o)

[Marisa6826]

Yeah, forgot to mention that ;) :P

-m

[Pipersmamma]

WOW!
I had no idea I'd start all this. I have the full line of Venetian furniture in Pecan and absolutely love it. I have not even had a minor issue. That's why after months of looking I decided to get the set again in white for my new DD. BB rates Simmons tops, and it's affordable. When I want "big kid" pieces I plan on getting them elsewhere anyway. This set is so easy to match due to the beadboard styling. Ethan Allen Kids has a fabulous bed that is a perfect match. Rumble Tuff has case pieces that are perfect too. Anyway, that's not a concern of mine. Guess it's a gamble on the customer service front and while there are always lemons, the reviews on the BRU website are excellent and my personal experience is flaw free too. I have no regrets about having just purchased a second crib and would do so again. If you like it (the sleigh style is fabulous, easy and quiet drop side, casters) and the price is right then I'd suggest seriously considering it.

Marisa, I ordered the conversion kits. BRU said b/c they are special order it will take 14-16 weeks. You might want to double check- it's my understanding that they only convert the crib to a toddler bed and not to a twin. The kit was only $29 and there is only one type of kit.

DH and I assembled ours in no time. But yes- it will not fit through a doorway once put together.

[Marisa6826]

Kel-

Thanks for the headsup on the conversion kit. Perhaps what I'm thinking of is that Simmons offers a twin headboard separately, and not carried by BRU. I know I've seen pics of it.

I didn't know that they had a toddler bed option. Good to know!

Thanks again

-m

[goosey77]

I'm a fairly thrifty momma but I agree, safety is priceless. I have had no safety issues with our crib (DaVinci/Million Dollar Baby, which by the way was purchased for $325 including s/h -- and it included a conversion kit!) but if I did and I had a difficult time getting a replacement part immediately, I would be LIVID. I purchased an inexpensive wooden toybox from Childesign and it came with a bum safety hinge. The toybox had been sitting around for months before I assembled it and I couldn't find any paperwork on it -- I just looked up the website and called CS to explain my problem -- and I received the replacement piece within a few days, no questions asked. I'd expect no less from CS for my crib regardless of how much I paid for it.

[khakismom]

Gretchen, where ya been? I haven't "seen" you around here in a while. Email me!! We need to catch up! :)

[Fun Fair For Four]

I SECOND that, well said.

[lucyarchie]

We looked at this crib, loved it and then read reviews about the bumper not being able to tie on to 2 sides of the crib. Have yopu had any concerns about this? I agree is it beautiful and a great price. Howver, is it a safety hazard????