Michigan county seeks to swap Chinese desks for US-made ones

IONIA, Mich. – A Michigan county official is demanding a local supplier replace the Chinese-made office furniture it delivered with American products that the contractor had promised at a higher price.

The (Greenville) Daily News reports Ionia-based Custom Office Systems recently delivered 11 desks to the Ionia County Courthouse in boxes clearly marked “Made in China.”

County Commissioner David Hodges voted with the 6-1 majority on April 24 to go with Custom’s $41,862 bid over a rival’s $33,739 offer based on the U.S.-made promise. He says the commissioners aren’t happy and are demanding the furniture be replaced with American-made products.

The company sent a letter of apology to the commissioners this week but didn’t offer to fix the problem. It blamed the mistake on an oversight with its U.S.-based supplier.

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Information from: The Daily News, http://www.thedailynews.cc/