... inevitably, we turned to the Internet. We used Google to find an eight-way, hand-tied sectional—and a vendor, CarolinaChair.com. It advertised its quality construction, free shipping and 30-day-money-back guarantee: They will pay the cost of shipping for a return, excluding items made with custom fabrics, within the first 30 days. And the prices for sectional sofas were about $1,000 to $2,000 cheaper than those in the stores ... On Nov. 12, Chad sent us an e-mail saying the fabric had been received and that we should receive the couch by Dec. 21. On Nov. 25, we noticed that the credit card had been charged, meaning the furniture had been shipped. On Dec. 5, a local delivery company called to set up a delivery time. The delivery guys said they would come between 9 and noon on Dec. 1—they showed up promptly at 9:30 a.m. And the sofa was beautiful. Read the complete article

Julia Angwin - staff reporter for The Wall Street Journal