I purchased the 5-piece set so can't speak for the bench. Dining set arrived with almost zero damage (one of the chair cushions has some tears) but was easy to assemble. You get what you pay for- it works for what I need, which is if you're on a budget and looking for something simple, but in the long run I'd invest in higher quality chairs. The chairs seem pretty sturdy so far, but given the complaints about cracking I will continue to keep an eye on them.