ComplaintsforFloor Coverings International

• Initial Complaint

  09/20/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On May 21st, 2021, I ordered new carpet (***** ****** ******* ** *****) along with professional installation from Floor Coverings International Austin (FCIA) for the total amount of $2590.04. On July 12th, 2021, FCIA completed the installation of this carpet in the living room of my home. Directly after the installation was complete on that day, the installer informed me that there were two stains on the carpet which he attempted to remove with some unknown cleaning solvent, saying that once the carpet fully dries, the stains would be gone. However, the stains never vanished. I should have been made aware of the existence of these stains before installation, as I would have never allowed carpet to be installed with stains on it. I paid for new carpet, which should be stainless. All in all, FCIA should have never installed carpet in my home knowing there were stains on it, and as such, they should replace the carpet instead of attempting to pass it off on a warranty claim.

  Business response

  10/06/2021

  Floor Coverings International of Austin (FCIA) installed the carpet as indicated by the customer. The customer found a substitute product that we did not show a sample and we allowed the customer to switch the product at the last minute without benefit of reviewing a large sample. Unfortunately, the installation took two visits to complete because his selection was a pattern carpet that exceeded the original order’s waste percentage. He was not happy with his last-minute selection when the product was installed and immediately wanted to replace the carpet at our cost. We never experienced a new carpet from the manufacturer’s roll with stains in all our past installations. The team placed a piano with rusted wheels onto the new carpet after completing the first portion of the room while waiting for additional carpet to complete the job. The team discovered two marks from the piano wheels when moving the piano for the final placement in the room. The installer tried to remove the marks, but the customer was not satisfied—still trying to replace his unhappy selection of carpet with a different selection. To honor our goal for customer satisfaction, FCIA paid a professional cleaning company--******* *******--to take care of the marks and the customer was still not satisfied, continuing to want a replacement of a different carpet at FCI expense. We are in the process of communicating with the carpet manufacturer to inspect and take care of the customer as part of their warranty process. We help our customers navigate the warranty process. We will step aside and provide the manufacturer with the customer's contact information for the customer to settle the claim directly.

  Customer response

  10/07/2021

  Complaint: 15883909
  
  I am rejecting this response because: The two stains on the carpet WERE NOT made by rusty piano wheels as FCIA claims, and this theory doesn't even make sense based on the placement and the size of the two stains plus the fact that my piano's wheels are not rusty! I suspect the stains were either on the carpet when it was initially delivered or they were made by the installers. The stains were not discovered at first because the installers covered them up with the piano centered over them until they returned to finish the installation. Furthermore, the matter with the stains on the carpet has absolutely nothing to do with being unhappy with the carpet selection, and in fact, FCIA should replace this stained carpet with the exact same type of carpet. This matter should never have been claimed as a warranty issue as FCIA sold and installed the carpet knowing the stains were there, and in fact I feel that it is unethical if not completely fraudulent for FCIA to attempt to claim this under warranty. Moreover, during the past several months that this situation has been ongoing, I've heard nothing at all from ***** Carpet concerning warranty or anything concerning the carpet, so I have serious doubts that a warranty claim has been filed with ***** at all. All of FCIA's attempts to remove the stains only made them stand out more plus ******* *******'s attempt to remove the stains discolored the carpet, totally ruining it.

  I demand that FCIA fix this by either replacing the carpet or issuing a refund.

  
  Regards,
  
  ***** *****

  Business response

  10/15/2021

  In support of our customer, we worked through the warranty process with the manufacturer to obtain approval for replacement of the carpet by *****. Per the manufacturer, the customer may replace the carpet with the same carpet or optionally replace the carpet with a different ***** carpet of equal or lesser value. The customer must pay the additional cost should the replacement carpet value exceed the existing carpet’s value – customer must pay prior to the re-order of the carpet from the manufacturer.

  As we communicated to the customer at the start of this issue, the path forward was to start the claim with manufacturer [Claim ******], which we also did as courtesy – normally the customer initiates these claims directly with the manufacturer. We also submitted a claim with ***********. We informed the customer that our business will not replace the carpet under warranty unless the manufacturer states that it will, and Floor Coverings International of Austin would not be replacing the carpet at our expense; this will be at the discretion of the manufacturer and the customer will have to work through this process with the manufacturer to get resolution.

  The following chronology of events provides the background and places the issue in context in response to the customer’s rejection.

  The customer replaced his carpet with the new carpet after water damage in the room. Our installer saw no carpet defects after unrolling, cutting, and laying on the floor [see Installer Statement Attachment]. The installation team worked around a piano left after in the room removing the furniture from the room. The installer noticed two obvious nickel sized rust marks left when repositioning the piano. His attempt to clean the marks were not satisfactory for the customer. The customers were not happy with their selection and commented that the carpet looked dirty [see Carpet Sucks attachment]. Our installer explained that the carpet has naps and sometimes it looks shaded when rubbed a certain way. After that event, the customer communicated issues with the carpet to get the carpet replaced, e.g., non-existent seams, dirty carpet, etc. The attached text message confirmed their unhappiness. The manufacture stands behind their product whether upon receipt or after the install as evident with the carpet replacement approval. The insinuation of fraud is unwarranted and the attempt to satisfy the customer at our expense for ******* ******* went beyond typical customer service in this industry and not obviously appreciated.

  Customer response

  10/18/2021

  Complaint: 15883909
  
  As far as my text saying the “carpet sucks”, this text was sent several weeks after it was installed by FCI and after ******* ******* arrived at my home in FCI’s 3rd failure to remove the stains. When I sent that text, I was extremely frustrated and unhappy in general with the entire situation of FCI having installed stained carpet in my home then having FCI’s efforts only enlarge the stains and discolor the carpet instead of replacing it, so yes, this sucks. The carpet is supposed to be stain-proof and each effort has only made these stains uglier.

  The statement given by the carpet installer ******* on 10/6/2021 is not much more than a fabrication. First of all, the two stains were always much larger than nickel size as ******* claims and they were certainly not made by the piano’s wheels, which are not the least bit rusty. The stains were larger than the size of the piano wheel, plus there were TWO STAINS, not one, and these stains were too close together to claim they were made by two rusty piano wheels on the same side of the piano, anyway. Besides, the piano was centered over the location of the stains between the time the carpet was delivered until it was installed, so it’s impossible this was made by the piano, but rather the stains were there when the carpet was initially delivered and thus covered until it was installed. Moreover, the interaction ******* had with my wife had nothing to do with the carpet selection, but everything to do with the two prominent stains in the center of the carpet.  Furthermore, to my knowledge ******* did not use hand soap from my bathroom as he claims, but rather he was carrying a spray bottle containing an unknown solvent that he himself supplied along with a rag. Once I arrived on the scene, ******* admitted to me that he noticed those stains BEFORE HE INSTALLED THE CARPET but he "took care of it" by using some of his cleaning solvent on them. He went on to say that once this fluid he sprayed on the carpet fully dries, the stains would vanish. I let ******* know that all of this was unacceptable, that I should have been made aware of the existence of these stains before he mounted the carpet, for I would have never allowed him to install it had I known. The stains never vanished as ******* claimed they would.

  Again, this matter should have NEVER BEEN CLAIMED UNDER WARRANTY, and instead, FCI should have initiated the replacement of the carpet upon the initial discovery of the stains by *******. The Flooring Inspector sent to my home by ***** on 10/8 agreed with me that this should have never been claimed under warranty, that FCI should have replaced the stained carpet and sent it back for a refund.

  At this juncture I ask for a full refund in the amount of $2590.04 in order to have the carpet replaced by a different vendor, as it is clear that FCI does not intend to replace the stained carpet they sold me and installed in my home.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** *****

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