Pregnant woman anxious for delivery – of furniture

Alisa Carter said the wait for her January order from U.S.A. Baby/Child Space in Cary was "exasperating, frustrating and disappointing."

Carter paid nearly $2,375 for a crib, changing table and a six-drawer dresser. She expected to receive them in eight to 12 weeks.

The crib and changing table arrived in March – but not the dresser.

Carter said staff at U.S.A. Baby repeatedly gave her a new delivery date and then, when nothing arrived, promised to look into it.

"Then, I just don't get a call back," Carter said. "There's no courtesy call back. There's just no follow-up."

When called by Five on Your Side, the U.S.A. Baby manager would only give his first name, Kareem. He blamed the manufacturer, Baby's Dream, for saying the dresser is "not in stock" and hadn't been since Carter ordered it.

Kareem called the situation "unacceptable" but said, "It's sort of out of my  hands."

Kelly Kuch, a spokeswoman for Baby's Dream, however, told 5OYS that the dresser is "ready and available." The problem, Kuch said, is that U.S.A. Baby is behind in its payments.

"That's horrible," Carter said, after hearing the word from Baby's Dream. "Oh, that just burns me up right here."

U.S.A. Baby refunded Carter nearly $800 for the dresser, although General Manager Emad Ali disputed Kuch's claims. He said the manufacturer is behind on orders, and "now they're throwing it back on us."

Baby's Dream agreed to ship the dresser directly to Carter, once she had paid them.

"We'll see how long we've got until she decides to join us," Carter said, of her baby. "And then no one will be thinking about furniture. That's for sure."

Good news for Carter – she went into labor on Monday, and the dresser has also been delivered.