Altra™ Chadwick Collection Lateral File, Virginia Cherry

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We decided to purchase this piece, despite the reviews that it is difficult to assemble. Having put together many furniture kits during my lifetime, I wasn't all that worried about not being able to...Read complete review

We decided to purchase this piece, despite the reviews that it is difficult to assemble. Having put together many furniture kits during my lifetime, I wasn't all that worried about not being able to assemble it, and the file drawers were attractive, designed in a way that met our needs, and the price was right. However, after spending several hours putting the unit together (it is time consuming) only to get stuck on the very last step, we began to regret our decision. We did have one problem earlier on because some of the pre-drilled holes did not line up properly, but that was minor compared to the fact that it was virtually impossible to insert the drawers. So after spending most of the day building the unit, we could not complete the last step and we were left with an unusable piece of furniture. We experienced the same problem every other reviewer posted - the drawer went in only part way and became stuck approximately 3" shy of closing. We went back on line and re-read all of the reviews, hoping to find a hint as to how to solve the problem. I called the 800 number that one reviewer posted, but they told me I had to call the furniture dept, for which he provided a phone number. Unfortunately, being a Sunday night, they were closed. The next morning I called the phone number I was given, which is actually a recording that tells you how to contact a furniture assembly service that is available for hire. There is no option to speak to a live person and no customer service available. I then called the customer service number posted on the Staples website and after explaining the entire problem, the woman I spoke with suggested that I call the manufacturer directly (Ameriwood)at 1-800-489-3351 and tell them that I purchased model #9520196 (this is not the staples item # but the manufacturers model #). I did as she suggested and the woman I spoke with immediately understood what I was talking about (apparently everyone has this problem). These were her instructions..."you will need two people - one to hold the drawer and one to pull out the drawer slides while you insert the drawer. Once it is in the track, push on the drawer. When it feels stuck, push really hard." I explained that we had already tried that numerous times, always stopping short of breaking the drawer. Her response..."I know it feels like it is going to break, but it isn't. And if it does, we will replace it." So, we did as she said. We inserted the drawer as we had done a million times before, and when it felt stuck, we each put one hand on the back of the unit and pushed forward at the same time that we pushed the drawer in,using both our hands and our feet (that is how hard you will have to push). I am happy to report that the drawers went in and did not break!