BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Some customers are frustrated with delays in getting what they paid for from the Bakersfield Ashley Furniture store, and they've been trying to get answers.

After being contacted by Eyewitness News, Ashley managers said they have a special e-mail address for customers to use to request help, and they promised to quickly resolve issues with irate customers.

For Ellen Ferreira, the last straw was Tuesday when she still didn't get a refund for the couch she had ordered and paid for on Aug. 14.

"The estimated delivery date was here on Sept. 10," she said, pointing to her receipt. "I called when it got to the 10th, and I asked what the situation was, they pushed it back a week."

Ferreira said the delivery date was delayed repeatedly, and she couldn't get a straight answer on why it wasn't being delivered or when it would finally show up.

"Finally, after nine weeks of waiting, and it being pushed back, I called and said, 'What's the situation? I'm done,'" she said.

At that point, Ferreira asked for a refund. She had paid 100 percent of the price, more than $1,000. Ferreira said she was told there would be a refund, but again she waited.

She went in the store one more time and was told there had been a paperwork mix-up. That's when she called Eyewitness News.

"I kind of heard through the grapevine that the only way for me to get my money back was to call the TV station," she said.

Two weeks ago, two other customers had called Eyewitness News, which put them in touch with Ashley spokesman Roy Corn, who works out of the San Diego area.

Susan Bonner ordered two tables in August and paid $781. She also got frustrated when that furniture was not delivered on the promised "estimated delivery date" of Sept. 10.

Bonner had been promised a refund by the time she contacted Eyewitness News on Oct. 22. She called Corn and demanded action.

"He wanted to solve the problem," Bonner said. "He wanted me to give him a chance to solve the problem within 24 hours, which, in fact, he did."

Bonner said she got a refund check by UPS on Oct. 24.

That's the day another Ashley customer also finally got delivery of the furniture she had ordered. April Roberts wanted new bedroom furniture for her son and daughter. They picked out beds, dressers and bookshelves. She also called Corn on Oct. 23, and the furniture was delivered the next day.

Another customer contacted Eyewitness News and said they finally got a refund check from Ashley. That family bought a bed on July 26, and it was supposed to be delivered in four weeks. They waited three months and started making repeated calls and got repeated new delivery dates.

Finally, they also asked for a refund. They did get the refund of their original credit card purchase of about $1,300. But this customer notes they did not get a refund for the interest they'd paid for the months. They figure that was $180 to $200.

Farrier and Bonner said they think there should be a way customers can get help with disputes directly from Ashley. Spokesman Corn said any customer can e-mail issues to ashleyhelp@ashleycfs.com.

Corn said messages to that address will go directly to him or other Ashley senior management. He also said Ashley does not manufacture the furniture, so there can be delays that they have no control over.

Corn also promised Farrier would get her refund by Thursday.

That customer hopes she'll finally get her money back, and she hopes the company will be more responsive. Farrier doesn't want anyone else to have to take their story to a news reporter to get action.

"I don't want you to have to come to someone else's house and you have to interview them in order to get what they have put into something," she said.