Herman Miller's Embody is one of the best office chairs on the market, and the company has a reputation for excellence in design and engineering. So we were surprised when both armrests on our review unit of the Embody independently stopped working within just a few years. (Two and a half, to be exact.) We subsequently saw the same issue on a second Embody.

The Embody's cost has come down from a whopping $1,600 to a more manageable $1,100 or so, but that's still a lot of scratch; shouldn't a Herman Miller product last longer than that? After all, the company does guarantee their products for 12 years. But if you've got a busted Embody and don't want to go through the hassle of shipping it back to HM for repairs, living without it for a spell, then waiting around for the delivery guy, we figured we'd see if we could fix ours using basic household tools. Have a look:

**Update 6/17**

Herman Miller writes:

The arm issue was limited to early production, identified, and soon thereafter resolved via product design--it is no longer an issue.

We would like to point out that the warranty really is the best solution for any covered issues, and we pledge to make it as convenient as possible. Repairs oughtn't be attempted by the user as it voids your warranty, not to mention there is the potential for frustration and injury.

Any owner of an early Embody with the product problem depicted in the video should contact us for warranty repair. We will gladly assist with return arrangements, and the customer will receive a fixed or replaced chair.