After yanking me around for almost two months, Soma finally quoted a cost for changing out the
seat and backrest on my chair, and that was only because the very helpful ergonomic specialist contacted a local dealer on my behalf. I think I would still be going in circles with the owner of Soma if she hadn't done that.
The quote still isn't even for what I actually
wanted, which probably would've cost more, but what they did quote would be $427. The
chair only cost $762 in the first place. The last time I talked to the owner, he
said I "don't need adjustable lumbar," even though that's what I'd
really like to get. He didn't seem too cooperative, so I decided to just
buy a new chair from a different company, since this one is so
ridiculously uncomfortable.
I decided I need to buy
from a company with an actual storefront here, so I went to Relax the
Back. They're always super friendly there. Yelp reviews say that might
not last if you need to return something, but newer reviews say they're
now under improved management, so I guess we'll see. I got a chair with
all the bells and whistles mine has - sliding seat pan, rocker tilt,
360-degree arms with adjustable height/width, and adjustable
height/tilt back. And in addition, it also has adjustable lumbar!
The
only downside is I can't have a contoured seat because I've got such a
wide stance with the steno machine now, and Lifeform charges $150 extra
for the flat seat since it's not standard. The standard arms are only 180-degree rotation, but they were having a special on
the 360-degree pivot ones (which do more than just rotate), which is
good since I was going to get them regardless.
I wound
up paying $1200 for it, which is almost twice what the Soma chair cost,
but I don't think I'd find anything better (Neutral Posture chairs are
at least $1200, too), and there weren't any other places with a
storefront here. Supposedly I can return this one free of charge for up
to 30 days, which is a great deal if it turns out to be true (although
hopefully I won't have to test it).
It's also a lot easier
to make adjustments to the Lifeform chair than the Soma one, so it
seems like a better-quality chair. I'm not sure if it will actually be
any more comfortable in the end; I do like that the backrest is taller,
so I most likely won't have a gap between the seat and the backrest
anymore. The chair also lowers more than the Soma one (probably because the
Soma is a split seat with super high springs), so I can add some kind
of a cushion to it if I need to.
I ordered it in
bright blue. I saw some Neutral Posture ones online in bright blue,
and they looked so cheerful compared to this depressing black chair I
have now. It's supposed to be here in 4-5 weeks, and they don't even
charge for shipping or assembly.
Showing posts with label Soma. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Soma. Show all posts
Soma Problems
The specialist was really sympathetic towards me wanting to work with the chair I have, and she tried to lean more towards that than even adding cushions or things to it. She said I looked tilted back a little instead of straight or forward, and I told her that I did think the chair broke and was doing that, so she suggested I look into having it fixed, which I did. I called the company and their technician was very helpful, and made some suggestions, and I think I fixed it, although it's hard to tell. Unfortunately, the forward tilt made my back hurt a lot, so I wound up just going back to the backward tilt.
She also made me really think about getting a new seat and backrest for the chair. She found a Soma supplier called Keeney's, about 45 minutes away from here. They had a Soma chair, so I went and checked it out. I was also able to sit in a *lot* of other chairs. I figured out that the seat on this Soma chair is ridiculously hard compared to some of the other ones. The Soma chair at Keeney's had an adjustable lumbar, and I think that would be better than the fixed one that I have.
I stopped in at Relax the Back since it was in the same area. They had fewer chairs than the last time I was there, and nothing that really seemed better than what I think I'll be able to do with the Soma. I didn't like the chairs with taller backs much, so I think the height of my backrest is probably where I want it.
I've been working for the past month to try to get Soma to send me out a new backrest and seat. They said they would look into it, but they're moving super slowly on it. The only person you can communicate with is the CEO. He's understandably busy, but it's kind of annoying how unresponsive he is. He's going to be in the area about a month from now, and he said he'll try to work something out then.
My backrest has some kind of a defect where the adhesive is leeching through, so if nothing else I think they should replace that, since it's under warranty, and I might as well get a backrest I'll like better since I'm getting a new one, anyway. I might be able to look into getting some kind of a more comfortable pad to put on the seat if he won't replace it, but it's already taller than I want when it's lowered all the way, so an additional cushion would only make that worse.
I currently have a foam block wedged in the chair between the seat and the backrest; they don't meet, and there's a gap there. I've heard some people are more comfortable in chairs without a gap, and the physical therapist suggested putting a cylinder of foam along my spine to see if that helped with back pain, so it would make sense that the gap wouldn't work for me. My back pain might be getting slightly worse, but in general I think it's staying about the same.
She also made me really think about getting a new seat and backrest for the chair. She found a Soma supplier called Keeney's, about 45 minutes away from here. They had a Soma chair, so I went and checked it out. I was also able to sit in a *lot* of other chairs. I figured out that the seat on this Soma chair is ridiculously hard compared to some of the other ones. The Soma chair at Keeney's had an adjustable lumbar, and I think that would be better than the fixed one that I have.
I stopped in at Relax the Back since it was in the same area. They had fewer chairs than the last time I was there, and nothing that really seemed better than what I think I'll be able to do with the Soma. I didn't like the chairs with taller backs much, so I think the height of my backrest is probably where I want it.
I've been working for the past month to try to get Soma to send me out a new backrest and seat. They said they would look into it, but they're moving super slowly on it. The only person you can communicate with is the CEO. He's understandably busy, but it's kind of annoying how unresponsive he is. He's going to be in the area about a month from now, and he said he'll try to work something out then.
My backrest has some kind of a defect where the adhesive is leeching through, so if nothing else I think they should replace that, since it's under warranty, and I might as well get a backrest I'll like better since I'm getting a new one, anyway. I might be able to look into getting some kind of a more comfortable pad to put on the seat if he won't replace it, but it's already taller than I want when it's lowered all the way, so an additional cushion would only make that worse.
I currently have a foam block wedged in the chair between the seat and the backrest; they don't meet, and there's a gap there. I've heard some people are more comfortable in chairs without a gap, and the physical therapist suggested putting a cylinder of foam along my spine to see if that helped with back pain, so it would make sense that the gap wouldn't work for me. My back pain might be getting slightly worse, but in general I think it's staying about the same.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)