Common Office Chair Problems in Tampa And How to Fix Them

05 Feb 2015

Don’t steal an office worker’s chair – just get yours fixed!

We know, dealing with an office chair that is broken, needs to be fixed or needs to be adjusted is a royal pain. Sometimes it is easier to ‘take’ another co-workers chair!

But really, it shouldn’t be that way. Most office chairs can be fixed because most issues are relatively common, relatively simple. For example, the height adjustment feature isn’t working or the arm rest is wobbly – those problems can be fixed.

And there really is a direct correlation between decreasing office efficiency and increasing office safety issues when office chairs don’t work like they are supposed to. Read more about things that kill your productivity at work – from Forbes.com.

Common office chair problems that can be fixed

Here are them most common problems we see in offices throughout Tampa Bay. If you’ve worked in an office setting for any period of time, you’ve probably seen them too!

• Changing gas cylinders – your seat won’t go up and down
• Fixing arm pads – that’s uncomfortable!
• Replacing casters – dang things always break
• Replacing seats – happens over time…
• Replacing office chair bases
• Replacing mechanism components

Are you sitting in a broken chair right now, even as you read this?
Yikes – give us a call! Call Office Movers of Florida or our Office Wingman handyman service. Connect with us at 813-304-2273.

How do we fix office chairs?

Actually, most fixes are done with a little bit experience, a little bit of ‘elbow grease’ and a little bit of time. The reality is, we can generally manage these repairs faster than if someone in your office does them. And more importantly, your employees time is better spent on doing their actual work, not crawling around on the floor looking for missing screws, washers and wrenches.

Depending on the repair needed, we can make the repair using special tools we have. And, we can do it onsite at your office location. Or, we can bring your furniture to our warehouse in Tampa and make the repairs there (a great option when you need multiple chairs fixed).

If parts need to be ordered, we can do that for you. We’ll ensure the correct parts are ordered and all of the component parts needed to make the repair are ordered as well. Once the parts are in, we can make the repair.

We’ve seen thousands of office chair over the years – literally tens of thousands – and we know how to fix them

That being said, if we can’t fix a chair – or, more likely, the chair is going to cost more to repair than it’s worth – then we’ll recommend NOT fixing the chair and taking the money you would have spent on repairs and investing that into a new chair.

Most chairs that (swivel, are padded and are ergonomic…and are of good quality) will cost between $200 and $800. Obviously, there are some very nice, higher quality chairs than can cost much more (like this Herman Miller chair…).

We also know when chairs need to be scrapped, trashed, donated, recycled or up cycled.

*Donating chair might be a tax write-off. Ask the guys over in accounting!

**Up cycling is a cool term for selling the chairs – someone might actually buy the chairs, even if they seem unusable to you.

Should you just call the office furniture dealer you bought the furniture from in the first place – won’t they fix it?

The answer is yes…possibly! A dealer should be able to help if your office furniture is still under warranty. Not sure who your dealer is? We might be able to help you figure that out too so you can make the right call.

Here are some common issues we here about from our customers:

• “I called the dealer and they said it’s out of warranty.”
• “I can’t reach the right person at the dealer – or – no one will call me back.”
• “The dealer is charging me too much to just evaluate the problem.”
• “I have no idea where this furniture came from – whether a dealer, Office Depot or wherever…”
• “You’re the first place I called when I Googled ‘office furniture repair’…”
• “We’ve worked with you before and trust the work you do.”

Note: If your chair is covered under warranty, you should contact your local authorized dealer first. If you need assistance finding a Tampa Bay office furniture dealer near you, we’re happy to try to refer one to you – we have a lot of good connections!

There are thousands of businesses, companies and other organizations across greater Tampa Bay. Some office setting have a few chairs (like 3 or 4) and some have thousands of chairs. The bigger your organization is, the more likely you are to have various brands of chairs, chairs of different ages, chairs in use and chairs in storage.

If you’re even just unsure who to call about an office chair repair, we’ll be happy to spend a few minutes with you on the phone. Also – and this is super helpful – snap a photo of your chair and email it to us at heather@officemoversofflorida.com. A picture is always helpful when doing a quick evaluation of the problem.

Can I fix the office chair myself

Absolutely! Many companies employee some pretty handy guys and gals who can fix office furniture themselves. Also, if it’s a ‘harder fix’ there are some great resources online for ordering parts and watching videos for servicing specific brands of chairs and other furniture.

At Office Movers of Florida, we offer furniture repair services because our clients # 1) need our services frequently, # 2) either don’t have someone on staff to do the repairs and # 3) don’t want to allocate employee time and resources to fixing furniture when they could be doing ‘actual work.’

What brands of office chairs do you repair?

At Office Movers, our Office Wingman teams are pretty experienced with almost all types of brands (whether they’re the major brands or the smaller ones).

Common office chair brands would include:

• Herman Miller office chairs
• Haworth office chairs
• Knoll
• HON office chairs
• Steelcase office chairs
• many others….

Not sure if your brand can be repaired? Connect with us at 813-304-2273 and let us figure it out for you.

More info on office chairs and productivity

Inc.com – 7 Reasons Why Great Office Furniture Increase Productivity.

GearPatrol.com – Best Office Chairs.

LifeHack.com – Ways to Stay Focused at Work.

Spine-Health.com – How to Choose an Ergonomic Office Chair.

Ok, let’s fix that chair!

Don’t hesitate when you have an office chair that does not work anymore. Really, there is no reason to live with the frustration and hassle.

Most repairs can be done quickly and are less costly than the purchase of a new chair.

Did we miss something that could be helpful to you? Let us know!

– The folks at Office Movers of Florida