The furniture expert

If you have problems with the furniture you have just bought and your complaint falls on deaf ears at your furniture store or the manufacturer: There are neutral experts who, by virtue of their office, can help you in word and deed.

In such cases, contact your local chamber of industry and commerce, department for experts. They will inform you of the expert responsible for you. The competent expert will usually ask you to send him the necessary documents (e.g. purchase contract and correspondence concerning the complaint) in order to examine the facts of the case. In addition, he or she will examine the piece of furniture that is the subject of the complaint and provide you with professional advice after having agreed on a corresponding contract with you.

You can also agree on an arbitration contract with your opponent by agreeing to submit to the expert's assessment. This has the advantage for you that you can come to an out-of-court settlement.

By virtue of his appointment, the expert is obliged to give his opinion impartially and to the best of his knowledge. This guarantees you a neutral professional assessment of your case. Due to their daily dealings with the matter, the experts are predestined to help you in your matter by providing an expert opinion.

You can also find out about furniture experts in your area at Deutsche Gütegemeinschaft Möbel e. V. - please use the contact form for your enquiry or directly at:

Experts "Association of German Furniture Experts e.V." - VDMS

Experts "Federal Association of German Furniture, Kitchen and Furnishings Specialists" - BVDM

Examination committee

Alexander Laakes - Publicly appointed and sworn expert of the IHK (Chamber of Industry and Commerce)
Reimund Heym - Head of Technology and Standardisation DGM
Jochen Winning - Lawyer and DGM Managing Director

Since August 2013, the DGM Academy has regularly offered basic and intensive seminars to prepare for work as an expert for industrially manufactured furniture in accordance with the DGM guidelines and has successfully examined the first furniture experts. The final examination comprises a four-hour written examination and a one-hour oral discussion.

All examinees have fulfilled the legally relevant basics as well as the commercial and technical requirements and finally prepared a professional expert opinion for legal disputes.

The requirements for working as an expert for industrially manufactured furniture according to the guidelines for experts of the Deutsche Gütegemeinschaft Möbel e.V. (German Furniture Quality Association) were examined by the examination board and successfully completed for the following specialist areas:

Experts in the field of cabinet / living room furniture

  • Wilfried Malter
    Unterscheffau 264
    A-5440 Scheffau
    Telefon: 0043 / (0)664 575 0866

Experts in upholstered furniture

  • Marcel Pavel
    Landwehrstraße 14
    D-96247 Michelau
    Telefon: 0049 / (0) 9571 892-691
    Mobil: 0049 / (0)160 97572419

  • Thomas Loeschke
    Königsberger Straße 9
    27324 Eystrup
    Mobil: 0049 / (0)151 173 45 478
    E-Mail: mail@thomas-loeschke.de

As experts for industrially manufactured furniture and upholstered furniture in accordance with the guidelines for experts of the Deutsche Gütegemeinschaft Möbel e.V. (German Quality Association for Furniture), they can, among other things, prepare expert opinions for legal disputes on the basis of the quality and testing regulations RAL-GZ 430 and the high quality standards of the DGM for the specialist areas of cabinet / living room furniture and upholstered furniture.