How do you put a hole in a water pipe buried in concrete that manifested a leak 30 days after the installation of laminate flooring? In this case the consumer told the dealer he caused the leak and that it was his responsibility to replace the floor. The dealer only nailed the trim boards with nails that don’t even extend far enough to hit the water pipe. Besides, the water pipes, in this region of the country are buried in the concrete substrate and the nail would not have been able to penetrate. Even if the nails punctured the pipe the leak would have been noticed right away. The consumer claims it took so long because the nail got imbedded in the pipe and when it got rusty it dislodged and opened the hole. Now if this sounds plausible, logical or reasonable to you, you have a better understanding of science, physics and possibly the occult than I can comprehend. This just doesn’t make sense.
In another case, also with a new laminate flooring installation, the consumer claims the installers are responsible for water damage to the new flooring because the plastic water line that feeds the refrigerator broke – six weeks after the installation. This again, is another stretch of the imagination but plausible because the installers actually did move the refrigerator and it is possible the line popped off or exploded for some reason that they caused. Still, six weeks is a long time for something like this to take. It’s possible there was a weakness somewhere in the line or connections that were aggravated by moving the refrigerator.
Both of these cases are better addressed by the consumers’ home owners insurance than by the flooring dealer simply because they took so long to occur and are most likely not installation related. After speaking with the dealers they admitted they have no policy for things like this. They have guidelines and policy for removing plumbing fixtures such as sinks and toilets, which they will remove but will not re-install simply because they don’t want to be responsible for any leaks or damage. We discussed having the same type of policy for refrigerators which I suggested they shouldn’t even move out if there is a water line – let the consumer do this.
It amazes me what people think are flooring problems, either created by the installation of the material or by the material itself. Today I got a call from a dealer who said one of his customers called him with a complaint about dust particles on furniture in a spare bedroom. The carpet was installed six years ago throughout the entire house, yet this was the only room afflicted with this condition just recently, a room that gets virtually no use, that the consumer is certain is the fault of the carpet. The most frustrating thing about this is that the dealer has to prove it is not the carpet. If there was going to be a problem of particulate flying off the carpet, which is unlikely because carpet actually traps particulate, it would be in rooms that were getting traffic and use. The cause, as he told the customer, is likely dust from the air handling system blowing in, but she isn’t ready to buy this.
These seem like insane situations but they are the types of complaints you have to deal with. To protect yourself you have to be armed with as much information as you can and an understanding of the products you sell and the methods you use to install them. Unfortunately you’re stuck trying to defend yourself from unreasonable claims like these that 9 out of 10 times you are not responsible for. Call us if you ever have a problem like this and we’ll do our best to help you – even if it’s for the therapy of talking to someone.
If you want to learn more about carpet attend the LGM Carpet Seminar July 11, 12 and 13th inDalton,GA where you will also get to see it made.
Author: Lewis G. Migliore
LGM and Associates – The Floorcovering Experts