How the process works:
Each manufacturer has their own process for handling claims and some are more lenient than others. But even when a claim is legitimately a manufacturing problem you may have a hard time getting it resolved. Any little quirk that may afford an opportunity for a denial or a minimal response can and will be taken advantage of. After all, as badly as you may want to get as much as you can from a manufacturer, they on the other hand, want to give as little as possible. Certainly you have to understand that the manufacturer has their policies which require them to get a certain amount of information such as inspection reports, test results, etc., because they just can’t take your word for a problem initially – they have to substantiate your claim. In addition, yours is not the only claim they’re working on. What happens sometimes however is that you get lost in the crowd of other dealers who have filed claims. The claims analyst you talk to initially likely has no technical background, they are basically administrative people. Many have no knowledge of some of the terms that are used to describe defects in a product, surprising as that may sound.
You should also take this route as your practice of filing a claim and that is to contact the accounts receivable department to dispute the invoice. This way you have the attention of two departments at the mill who will now be talking to each other about your situation. The more people you have involved the greater your chances of getting a response and action on your claim. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
One thing you have to keep in mind however is just because you think what you have is a manufacturing related problem, it may not be. Often we find that the dealer just doesn’t understand the product or has too much faith in the warranties. As far as understanding the product is concerned wood tops the list. It generates more complaints and concerns from its normal characteristics that people just don’t understand. You have to have a better knowledge of this product if you’re going to sell it – but that goes for any of the products you sell and install.
No matter what you’re complaint is you should register it with the mill. Don’t leave the claims analyst without a claims number. For example, don’t file a claim with the fiber producer without first registering the claim with the manufacturer. The reason for this is that if it is not a fiber issue, you may go six months with the fiber company and then go back to the manufacturer and they will want to know why there was such a delay in filing the claim with them. This could jeopardize your warranty period with the manufacturer.
As for latent defects, things that manifest themselves after a carpet is put into service, such as delamination, fuzzing, pilling, sprouting, etc. should be filed within one year if they appear in that period of time. We have had several dealers lately who have had complaints and claims on carpet that has been installed for years. One was installed for 8 years! No one is going to do anything after that period of time. Some others have been installed for two years but they never filed a claim with the manufacturer. Also, if you think there is a problem or you get a complaint within two months for example, file the claim. This way you have a record of when the initial problem started and you won’t have to explain why it took you so long to bring it to the mills attention. You’ll avoid being questioned about why it took so long and the denial of your claim because you never registered a concern. If you act in a responsible, pro-active way rather than react later, your chances of a resolution and a denial can be lessened. You’ve taken one of the weapons out of their arsenal for declining your claim. If the options are open to you to help yourself by following a manufacturers’ claims policy or procedures, why shouldn’t you take advantage of them to help yourself? After all, they exist for the benefit of both the dealer and the manufacturer. In the long run it will be time saving for the retail dealer even if the claim isn’t a manufacturing defect.
Understand you have to be reasonable and fair to the consumer and the manufacturer when handling a claim. You can’t assume any and every problem you have with a product is a manufacturing related issue. Most of the problems you’ll have, and I’ve said it in my column for years, is the lack of knowledge and understanding of the products you sell. And to repeat, this seems to be more so with wood flooring materials today, by far.
Remember, if you have a question, concern or claim you need help with, call us. We have a staff of knowledgeable expert professionals who can help you with answers to most every concern you have. We’ll help you determine if what you have is a manufacturing related problem or something else. There isn’t anything we can’t answer with all flooring products or concerns.
Author: Lewis G. Migliore
LGM and Associates – The Floorcovering Experts