I had read lots of negative content about The Essential after I had already ordered two items... but they actually arrived very quickly (within a week from across the country) and were great quality, solid real wood, and easy to assemble. For reference, I purchased the Oak Dining Chair and the Helsa Vanity. Customer service was also quick to assist me before I ordered because I didn't know if the chair would fit under the legs of the table, and they checked the measurements for me and responded within 24 hours. Something odd that I noticed was that immediately after purchasing, the prices of the items went up dramatically about 100% from the original cost online. Not sure why that is, but I got a good price while it lasted! Can I say for sure that it isn't drop shipping like many people claim? Not necessarily, but the quality was great and shipping was fast!
Response from The EssentialJun 4, 2026
Thank you so much for taking the time to share this — it genuinely made our day! We're thrilled the Oak Dining Chair and Helsa Vanity arrived quickly and lived up to expectations: solid, real wood, just as they should be. We're also glad our team could check those measurements for you before you ordered. As for the pricing, it does shift with promotions and demand, so it sounds like you caught a great moment to buy. Thanks for giving us a try despite the noise out there — enjoy your new pieces!
— The Essential
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Alex D.
STAY AWAY
PSA: Stay away from The Essential
Ordering from these guys was a nightmare. Multiple items just never showed up, and the stuff that did arrive was the wrong product. I reached out to fix it and they basically told me to pound sand — no refund, no replacements, nothing.
So I disputed it with Amex. Amex sided with me, found them at fault, and reversed the charge. After the dispute was already settled, they sent the "balance" to a debt collection agency. So now they're trying to collect money that Amex literally ruled I didn't owe.
Absolute clown behavior. Don't waste your money or your time on this place.
Response from The EssentialJun 2, 2026
Hi Alex,
Thank you for taking the time to share this, and I'm sorry to hear about your experience — it's not the standard we hold ourselves to.
From our records, this order involved several made-to-order items along with a glassware set that was unfortunately damaged in transit, and we did try to resolve things with replacements and other options along the way. I realize the outcome still left you frustrated, and I'd genuinely like the chance to make it right.
Could you email me directly at [email protected] so I can look into your account personally and find a fair resolution? I'll keep an eye out for your message.
Best,
The Essential Team
GR
Garrick R.
Ultra slow shipping. Faulty product
Besides their terrible customer service, your order may arrive 6 months later. I had a defect in a chair I purchased and asked for a replacement. First, they suggested I fix it myself. Then, after complaining for weeks, they sent me the part (which also took months to get), and it ended up being the wrong color. I then just gave up. I would recommend spending the extra money and just get the real thing.
Response from The EssentialJun 2, 2026
Hi Garrick,
Thank you for sharing this, and I'm sorry — the delays and the mix-up with the replacement aren't the experience we want anyone to have, and I understand why it was frustrating.
We did work to get a replacement out to you, but I can see it took far too long and still wasn't quite right when it arrived. That's on us to fix. The good news is this is absolutely something we can still sort out — we'd genuinely welcome the chance to find an option that works for you.
Whenever you're ready, just reply to our last email or reach me at [email protected], and I'll personally pick it back up. The door is open on our end.
Best,
The Essential Team
BC
Bill C.
I bought 4 scounces
I bought 4 scounces, all arrived months late and did not function. Requiring an electrician to trouble shoot and fix. In the end, they cost me more than the value and their customer service was dismissive when I requested support and a refund.
Response from The EssentialMay 28, 2026
Hi Bill,
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback, and we are truly sorry that your experience with this order fell short of the standard we hold ourselves to. The concerns you've raised — from the bulbs to the missing components and overall lead time — are being taken seriously and have been flagged with our QC team and the maker for review.
We've reached out to you directly via email to address this further and would welcome the opportunity to make things right.
Warm regards,
The Essential Team
TE
Tess
Charged twice for a membership I couldn't cancel
I've been trying to cancel my membership for over a year. The cancellation option their FAQ references did not exist in my account. Their team later acknowledged this was a bug on their end. Despite this, they refused to refund last year's charge.
They also failed to actually cancel my membership after promising to. In late April 2026 I was charged again for another year. When I complained, they confirmed in writing that my membership was now cancelled and that a refund for the April charge would be issued within 5–7 business days. That refund has still not arrived.
Separately, I ordered an AI Mystery Box (~$105) marketed as a bedroom box valued at $200–$600. I received shower gel and a king-size comforter (unusable since I have a queen bed).
I now have multiple unresolved refund requests. Customer service seems unable to actually resolve anything. Pay by credit card so you have chargeback protection.
Edit: They refunded this years charge (2026) but not last years charge (2025), the one that happened because their website lacked a cancellation option. They did offer a replacement item for the unusable mystery box item. And a $30 credit as a goodwill gesture. Updating from 1 to 3 stars because they finally did the right thing on 2/3 counts. Overall, I would still recommend you save yourself a headache.
Response from The EssentialMay 18, 2026
Hi Tess,
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience — we truly appreciate your feedback and are sorry to hear things have not gone as smoothly as they should have.
After reviewing your case, we can see that you have two accounts with The Essential, which caused some confusion on our end. We sincerely apologize for this. We want to confirm that the membership on both accounts has now been cancelled and refunded. Please allow the standard processing time for the refund to reflect on your original payment method.
We also want to acknowledge that we recently underwent an upgrade to our customer support communication system, and unfortunately some prior correspondence was not retrievable during this transition. We understand how frustrating this must have been, and we take full responsibility for the inconvenience this caused.
Regarding your AI Mystery Box — we are truly sorry to hear that the items you received were not a good fit for you. This is the first time this concern has been brought to our attention, and we want to make it right. In line with our policy, if an item is the wrong size or unusable, we are happy to send you a prepaid return label and arrange a replacement or alternative items (in the event the queen size is no longer available). We would also like to offer you store credits as a gesture of goodwill for future use, should you be open to accepting them.
This is not the experience we want for our customers, and we genuinely hope to have the opportunity to serve you better. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us directly at [email protected] so we can resolve both matters as quickly as possible.
Warm regards,
The Essential | Customer Care Team
PA
Pacey
Terrible customer service! Believe the bad reviews
I ordered a $150 bookshelf from them and made a typo in the shipping address, so FedEx returned to sender. I contacted the company, but they told me they could not attempt to redeliver the item or issue a refund. Not even store credit. The typo was on me, but I would have expected better customer support or ANY attempt to help resolve. Unfortunately, I had to eat the full cost.
Response from The EssentialMay 18, 2026
Hi Pacey,
Thank you for sharing your experience, and we're sorry to hear about the trouble with your order.
We completely understand how frustrating this situation must have been. We do want to clarify that if a customer reaches out to us before an order has shipped, we are absolutely able to update the shipping address without any issue. However, once an order is already in transit, address changes are unfortunately out of our hands — this is something that falls under the carrier's control, and we are unable to guarantee any modifications at that point. We hope you can understand that there are certain situations beyond what we are able to control.
That said, we always want to do our best for our customers, and we'd love the chance to look into your specific case once more. Could you kindly reach out to us at [email protected] with your order number or the email address associated with your account? We want to make sure everything was handled properly and see if there is anything we can still do for you.
We hope to hear from you soon.
Warm regards,
The Essential | Customer Care Team
QU
Queenie
Exceeded in quality, delivery, and customer service
Did a lot of research on online furniture sales companies. The Essential has good reviews on product and price. Low scores on customer service. I made the purchase keeping my fingers crossed.
My overall experience with Essential exceeded my expectations. The delivery was much faster than estimated. One of two boxes arrived. Thinking about the low reviews for customer service, figured I was in for a battle about the remaining box.
Emailed CS. Received immediate response, they tracked the second box and promised it would be delivered immediately. It was.
The quality of the furniture pieces is excellent high end. The leather and wood was high quality. A really high quality at great price.
Very happy with The Essential from order to delivery
Response from The EssentialMay 18, 2026
Thank you so much for this wonderful review! 🌟 We're truly thrilled to hear that your experience with The Essential exceeded your expectations — from delivery speed to our customer service team's quick response. We completely understand that hesitation going in, and we're so glad we were able to turn that around for you!
It also means the world to us that you're happy with the quality of your furniture. We take great pride in offering high-end pieces at accessible prices, and your kind words confirm we're on the right track.
We hope to have the pleasure of serving you again soon!
Warm regards,
The Essential | Customer Care Team
XO
Xo
Proper Dupe for IKEA Bookshelf
I went for the Enetri bookshelf (IKEA dupe) from this company and it's awesome. Exactly what I was going for. However, it did forever to get here... like 3 weeks past its original estimated arrival date. Annoying, but not a dealbreaker to me. More importantly, assembly was easy, it's sturdy, and it looks CLEAN. Would order again, might put another in my office eventually... but I'd refrain from buying if you need it by a specific date or are on a time crunch.
