Frequently Asked Questions – FAQ’s

What is your warranty policy?       (Q18)

Please visit our webpage, Limited Warranty, for an explanation of our limited warranty.  Our General Warranty Coverage extends up to twelve months from the date of delivery.  Twelve months is the standard within the fine furniture industry.  Please be aware that we have repeat customers who have purchased our chairs for many years with no warranty issues.  You can effectively avoid warranty situations by (1) purchasing truly American-made college chairs, (2)  reading testimonials of chair companies,  (3) carefully inspecting your chairs upon delivery, and (4) following wise principles for caring for your chairs. 

Alumni Chairs builds its chairs from American woods, exclusively.  Our oaks are American White Oak and American Red Oak – all sourced from Ohio.   All wooden components of our chairs are truly and exclusively American.

One college chair company builds its chairs from a wood that they call “Malaysian Oak”.  It is NOT oak.  It is wood of the Hevea species which is otherwise known as rubberwood,  plantation hardwood, or para wood.   In 2002, the Malaysian Ministry of Primary Industries began promoting rubberwood under the contrived name of  “Malaysian Oak”.

Some chair makers ship maple from the American Midwest to Asia for milling at reduced production costs, and the finished products are return to the U.S. for assembly or sale.    Alumni Chairs does not do this.  Our chairs are made of American woods and are milled and assembled in the United States, exclusively.

The largest prodicer of captain’s chairs builds its chairs of maple exclusively.  Therefore, its chairs that boast “cherry” arms and/or crowns merely offer maple arms and crowns that are plain maple merely stained to appear as “cherry”.   The areas of those chairs that are stained to look like cherry do not really look like cherry; they certainly lack the chracteristic grain of cherry wood.

We at Alumni Chairs make all of our captain’s chairs with true, solid cherry arms and crowns.  Our clients who request cherry arms and/or crowns receive exactly that –  real, solid, cherry arms and crowns that display beautiful, rich, interesting cherry grain which is much more attractive than inexpensive white maple parts merely stained to look like cherry.   Our clients deserve real cherry.  You should demand real cherry.

Many studies of school students indicate that poor seating and poor sitting habits, and a lack of exercise can prove detrimental to the health of students.  Sitting for long periods is harmful to one’s health and most times that is compounded by poor ergonomics leading to poor posture and back problems.  Seating classrooms is often designe with the philosophy of  “one-size-fits-all”.   Often students of all heights must adapting to identical chairs.  This can leading to poor ergonomics and posture; and they perpetuate long hours of sitting at a young age.

Research shows people leading the modern lifestyle sit more than 9 hours a day. Sitting for more than 6 hours a day increases health risks even for people who workout regularly. Healthy living involves less than 3 hours of sitting a day and that has to involve regular exercising too.

Sitting far from one’s work on a desk or reaching forward to a computer keynoard for long periods of time can lead to deformities of the shoulders and back.  People of all ages should be seated in chairs that are designed for certain tasks.  Ergonomc chairs that fit each person properly can bear health dividends.

CoreConcepts.com.sg in Singapore states “Bad posture may cause postural scoliosis, but it will not cause bone deformity. The good news is that it is completely reversible by exercises and posture re-training.”

More information about the effects of the sitting position on the body posture of children by the National Institutes of Health.   They have concluded that maintaining a sitting position for a long time results in advanced asymmetries of the trunk and scoliosis, and causes a decrease in lumbar lordosis and kyphosis of a child’s entire spine.

Alumni Chairs does not offer on-line orders.  We offer so many options with each chair that, in order to ensure that our clients are completely satisfied that they will receive the exact chair with the exact features that they want, we strongly recommend that you talk to us.  Chairs are complex products with many options, they are expensive to ship, and our chairs offer many variations of wood, stain, fabric, leather, hand-striping, two-tone finishes, multiple woods, multiple logo techniques, multi-colored or monochrome logos and seals, personalized plates, and multiple shipping options. Also, clients may have specific and challenging deadlines for chair deliveries.  So, PLEASE PHONE US to discuss all the options and client requirements  before you commit to any particular chair or chair features. 

When making a chair to represent a college, university, or any organization or business entity, we need their permission to use their trademarks or protected images.  Typically, large and medium-size academic institutions require licensing protocols.   These schools maintain careful control of their trademarks and, often, they seek royalty revenue.   There are approximately 2,400 four-year colleges and universities in the United States, and we are unable to become licensed with all of them – it’s expensive and it requires very burdensome administration and reporting.   Therefore, when a customer requests a chair for a certain school, we simply contact the school, request permission, and request the art for the official seal or logo.

We can probably gain permission to make your chair, but we need to contact your favorite college  or university and request that permission.  Sometimes that process is speedy; sometimes, it takes some time.  Just ask us to build your college chairs, and we will expedite the process to gain permission and begin building your chairs.

Yes, please see the page CHAIR DETAILS and FINISH for more information.   Special wood stains and special woods are possible, but these additions will affect pricing. 

Please be aewars that Our Traditional College Chairs (including our Captain’s Chair) are based on a structure of Maple but with Arms and Crown (headboard) of solid Cherry wood.

Each product page on this website contains some drop-down menus that will enable you, the user, to affect the price of your chair based on options and features that you choose.  This may be a bit confusing, and we are here to explain pricing more clearly.  We can walk you through our AlumniChairs.com website and its product pricing if you would simply phone us at 866.748.2230.  We are here to help you understand the many options and their effect on pricing.

We can put names on your chair.  It depends on what text you want, where you want it, and how you want it to look.   We can put names, dates, and other text on the front of the chair’s crown (or headboard), but this can be complicated by limited space and your preference of color and font.  It requires careful thought and planning.   We will ask you to phone us and discuss what you want.   

Typically, we advise customers to consider being faithful to the institution being represented by the chair and to put only the logo or seal in the most prominent position – the front of the crown.    We would, then, add personalized information (text, names, and dates) on the rear of the chair via a metal plaque (silver or gold plate).  We choose the color of the plate to match any gold or silver components on the chair – such as gold or silver hand-striping (accents).

Regarding a brass plate, we do this frequently.   A personalized brass or silver plate can greatly enhance a personal gift chair.  We normally make a shiny gold plate or a shiny silver plate with black font in any reasonable number of lines on a size of plate that fits the chair appropriately.    We prefer that our customers create the desired content (text) in their preferred font with all of the proper editing necessary (in PDF format).  We can transfer that text to the plate perfectly with no misspellings or errors – exactly as you present it to us.  We can also add your company or institution logo as space allows. 

Some folks have requested a brass plate on the front of their chair, but we always advise against that because of the potential of snagging and damaging clothing on the corners of the plaque.

We are happy to accept checks, providing that we have spoken to you, have become familiar with you, and have discussed your chairs and all necessary details of your chair.  Because every chair is custom-built for a customer, we require payment in advance.   When we have received your check, we will begin building your chair.

Yes we can.   We offer 25 models of chairs and many options and features.   So, nearly ever chair that we make can fairly be considered “custom”. 

We work with skilled Amish craftsmen who can design and build nearly any hardwood chair that you would want.   So, if you would wish to build an entirely unique and new chair design, we can do that.   You will need to consider costs and time both of which will be greater than our standard chair models, but we can give you the special, custom chairs that you have been dreaming of.

Yes, and it is easy and convenient.   We can help you use PayPal Credit.  Your PayPal credit line can be used for purchase elsewhere, as well – with other companies and other websites – anywhere PayPal is accepted.  Please pghone us at 866.748.2230.

Nearly all of the materials that constitute our chairs are natural materials.  Natural materials can vary significantly in color, but we are very careful to be true to the expectations of our customers.   The best we can do to assure potential buyers of our chairs is to display sample images on our website.   Please see the pages WOOD and FINISH for color samples of wood and stain.   Regarding fabrics and leathers, we can provide physical color samples for your approval.

We prefer to receive logo art in EPS format and in Black and White, typically.   That is best for a monochrome (single color) logo, regardless of the ultimate color of your logo.   If you would order a logo in multiple colors, we would need to know the PMS (Pantone) colors of the final art.

If EPS format is not possible, we can work with a JPG, JPEG file if it is in high resolution.   If there is some doubt or concern about the logo, please phone us at 866.748.2230.

Follow common-sense principles of caring for your chairs beginning immediately after you receive your new chair.    The first rules to observe are the following:    Do not use harsh chemicals, solvents, or chemical wipes to clean your college chairs.   Wipe the wood surface with a soft, damp cloth, and use a soft, dry cloth to dry.  Maintain moderate temperatures, and avoid direct sunlight.  Keep your shipping carton in case you move.   Avoid extremes, and exercise common sense.

There are two methods: (1) Go to our CHAIRS page and (2) on the HOME page, please click on the red button “SHOP ALL ALUMNI CHAIRS”.   This will take you to a page that is categorized by Product Type, Institution, Chair Models, Product Line, and Product Size.    There is also a search function at the top left, under the heading, “SEARCH PRODUCT”.     If you want to see Captain’s Chairs, simply type in “captain” and click.   If you require some assistance, we are here to help.   Please call us at 866.748-2230.

We are happy to refer prospective clients to an existing client as part of the final decision process – once permission is granted by our client in advance.  We must always respect the time, privacy, and wishes of our existing client base.  Therefore, we can refer potential customers carefully and sparingly to our current clients, based on your interest in specific chairs.

Certainly!  All of our chairs are available with or without college seals, trademarks, other images, or text with the single exception of one of our chairs is fully upholstered and cannot be embellished by logos.    All other chairs can received logos or seals.

Ohio Certified Stains (OCS) started when a group of Holmes County small business owners got together and concluded that there must be a better way to managing stain colors. Having eight different medium stain colors, three varieties of Washington colors, plus many more that needed to be stocked was becoming a problem.

There is a time when talking about something must move on to taking action. Working toward a solution began when these owners got together for one entire day and compared a large collection of stain wipes to the original colors. The goal was to make these stain samples practically identical to the original colors and as such, Ohio Certified Stains was born.

After many meetings and buying in from a sizeable percentage of the community’s craftsmen, Ohio Certified Stains has become one of the most valuable joint ventures for the woodworking community of Holmes County. Not only did it eliminate the unnecessary amounts of stains for a craftsman, but it also helped the ordering process for retailers by guaranteeing a stain match from different craftsmen. To this day, a trained employee is delegated every month to match every manufacturer’s stain wipes to the master OCS samples. Meeting the satisfaction of the retailers and consumers is our highest priority.

Information provided by Ohio Certified Stain (OCS) Samples | VIZTECH FURNITURE, Baltic, Ohio

We require payment in advance of building your chair.    We can not build chairs based on partial payments or deposits. 

There are three important reasons:  (1) We build our chairs in small woodworking shops in Ohio.  These shops have cash outlays in advance of building your chair.  They also have payroll considerations.   We are unable to directly carry the cost of our customers’ orders.  (2) Nearly all of our products are CUSTOM products.  Therefore, your chair will most likely be a chair unique to you, your family, your organization, or your business, and it will not be marketable to other Alumni Chairs customers.  (3)  If a customer changes his/her mind after receiving his/her chair, the shipping costs and potential damage to the chair in transit are prohibitive.  We ask new, potential customers to commit to their chair.  We believe that careful planning, conversations with Alumni Chairs, and referencing of our testimonials should enable you to order with confidence.   One alternative that meets the needs of both Alumni Chairs and our customers is PayPal Credit which enables customers to arrange payment terms.  

All transactions are handled securely through PayPal.com.  Therefore, you can be assured of safe and secure processing. …and Paypal accepts all major credit cards.  PayPal and Alumni Chairs DO NOT retain any records of your credit-card information.   Once you have completed your purchase transaction, you will receive an automatic receipt from PayPal.  When we have received your payment, we will begin building your chair.

There are two basic definitions:   (1)  A department head or an academic leader in an academic institution – the chairperson of a department or chairman of a university, or (2)  a physical piece of furniture or chair that bears a college logo, university logo or college seal that identifies the institution being represented.   Many alumni of such institutions purchase college chairs and university chairs due to their fondness for and loyalty to the the institution which they have attended – their Alma Mater.   Traditionally, a college chairs has been a black chair made in the style of Hitchcock or Windsor chairs.   Alumni Chairs LLC builds many styles of college chairs.  Several other companies build college chairs in a single style.   While most college chairs are strictly all-wood chairs, Alumni Chairs offers both un-upholstered and upholstered chairs.

The Affinity Classic Alumni Chair is a fine, hardwood chair that appears to be simple, but is, actually, a very complex chair.   It is typically made of brown maple.  Its design may have originated in England (we are not sure), but we designed this chair after chairs that had been manufactured in large numbers in Wisconsin beginning around 1900.  We have seen references to similar chairs as “barrister chair” or “jury chair”.     Only a few companies build a chair similar to our chair.   This is the first chair model made by Alumni Chairs, and our reason is that it is such a comfortable chair.   Since then, we have re-designed the chair to retain its signature style and appearance but also to enhance its comfort.   We lenghtened the seat a bit, increased the slope of the seat, widened the seat  slightly, and altered the seat and how it connects with the remainer of the chair.   The expertly sculpted back, Deco-style arms, and uniquely shaped seat are the keys to its extraordinary comfort.  Other college chairs and university chairs cannot compare, because they are made of straight turnings in the traditional Windsor or Hitchcock styles.   This is a difficult  and complex chair to build and requires extensive labor and skill to construct the continuous, flowing crown and arms that appear as one piece.   Most clients request this chair in a stained finish that will display the interesting wood grains of the brown maple.

You may return eligible items for a refund of the chair value to the original owner in the unlikely case of manufacturing defect.  The original receipt or invoice is required.  It is essential that clients notify Alumni Chairs immediately if a manufacturing defect has been identified.

Certain chairs are INELIGIBLE for refunds in the absence of a manufacturing defect:  (1) Chairs with institutional logos, (2)  Personalized chairs, (3) Chairs made to order, (4)  Custom chairs, and (5) Items damaged through normal wear and tear.     More information about our return poilicy

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That’s a dificult question.    The best chair is that chair which meets your needs.   Alumni Chairs builds two chairs that can be considered “office chairs” or “desk chairs”, if you would define an office chair or desk chair as a chair that has a swivel base.  Our Affinity Traditional Captain’s Swilvel Chair and our Affinity Columbiana Mission Desk Chair both offer flexible and highly adjustable swivel bases.   Unlike the many foreign-made chairs of plastic and metal, our two desk chairs are made of beautiful, natural woods.

The seat of each traditional university chair and college chair is made of solid Ohio brown maple.   The seats are not laminated as in some other chairs onthe market.   Our seats are cut from solid hardwood.

Most of our chairs can be constructed and delivered within 3 – 8 weeks.  Some require 9 – 16 weeks, depending on the complexity of the chair.  Only three of our more complex chair models require significant lead times.   We hesitate to make promises, but we can offer what we beliueve are valid estimates to our clients.  PLease explain your deadline or special event and we will give you our best estimate of a delivery time.  

In order to learn delivery times, please phone us at 303.399.3339 for an estimated delivery timeframe.  

Completion time depends on the season relative to graduation and the holidays.  Other factors are the logo art  or seal art of the institution being represented by the chair; some colleges and universities are extremely slow to respond with permissions and/or the necessary art for the chairs.  Sometimes institutions can respond in hours.  Sometimes they require months!   Another potential delaying factor is the delay in decision making my some customers or their colleagues. 

The best approach to meeting a deadline is to speak with us, explain your desired time frame or special event date, make decisions promptly, and place your order.  We will do our part to make things happen quickly.  We haven’t missed a deadline, yet!

Our full-size (adult and child) Alumni Chairs are built in four separate Amish chair shops in three counties of Northeastern Ohio: Columbiana , Wayne, and Holmes Counties.   We finish our chairs in Coshocton County.   Together, these counties represent one the largest Amish communities in the United States.  Whereas other college-chair companies build their chairs overseas or they assemble chairs from parts that are milled overseas, Alumni Chairs LLC builds its chairs in Ohio from American materials, exclusively.   Therefore, we are able to control quality.  All components fit together, perfectly.  Our clients tell us that they prefer American-made products in their quest for high quality.   They often seek our Amish chairs because of the indisputable quality and high level of detail.

Great question.  Many folks are surprised to learn that the Amish furniture industry is founded on many small woodworking shops, and, with a few exceptions, each shop works in its specialty area of construction, parts fabrication, fabric, upholstery, and finishing.  The great benefit to our customers is that, through our relationships within the Amish community, we can provide beautifully constructed chairs with wonderful, elegant finishes that are true to the Amish tradition of fine furniture.  This is how we deliver excellent college chairs.

The simple answer is “No”.   Some chair marketers make chairs overseas.  Some chair marketers buy parts from sources overseas and only assemble the chairs in the states. 

Alumni Chairs is unique among college-chair companies.  We maintain four strict policies regarding our sources of chair parts:  (1)  we rely on shops that build all parts within the shop in Ohio depending on the chair model; they are entirely vertically oriented; (2)  shops that build parts locally near the assembly and finishing shop all in Ohio, (3) we use only wooden chair parts from the United States, and (4) all milling and assembly are performed within the USA.    Our full-size and miniature chairs are built and finished in our Amish shops located in Northeastern Ohio.   

Therefore, in our chairs, all parts fit perfectly – made of familiar American woods that have been harvested from local forests and cut at local sawmills. 

In full disclosure, our chairs may be more expensive than the factory chairs that prevail in college bookstores and college-chair websites.  Those less-expensive chairs are made of wood from southeast Asia or American woods milled in Asia..  Our chairs are built and finished entirely by Amish craftsmen in Northeastern Ohio.  Therefore, be cautious regarding lower prices and questionable claims of “Made in America”.  Such prices can be misleading, and such claims can be deceptive. 

We recommend that you purchase chairs truly Made in America.