THE VACUUM DID IT
This from a retail floor covering dealer who sold a very expensive cut and loop 100% wool carpet to a customer who called to complain to him that it was fuzzing. The consumer used an aggressive vacuum cleaner on the carpet which was determined to be the cause of the complaint. This in itself was a self induced problem that the consumer, if she was going to go after someone, should have addressed her complaint to the vacuum manufacturer. She called the dealer, whom she purchased the carpet from to let him know and to ask him to take a look at the carpet. He did and told the consumer he could try to shear the carpet to make it look better. He provided this service for free as a courtesy and told us the carpet did look much better. He later got a call from the consumer again saying he damaged the carpet. He went back again to see some loops he had nicked but they weren’t very noticeable. The point is the consumer caused the problem. In his effort to be helpful because this is the way they treat their customers, he’s been dragged into a situation that he did not create. He will however have to defend his position because he came back and worked on the carpet which may make him liable for some damages. Had he just looked at the carpet, listened to what the consumer did and offer some advice as to how she should pursue this matter, he would have been far better off. The consumer caused the problem by her action with a vacuum machine that was too aggressive for this type of carpet and her complaint should be with the vacuum manufacturer, dealer or herself, not the dealer. Realize that cut pile wool carpet in a home is going to fuzz. Wool is a staple fiber that is spun and it will fuzz. It will not hold up well to aggressive use or a vacuum cleaner that is designed to agitate the carpet and lift it. Wool carpet in the configuration and construction of this product is a high end, designer type material for use in areas that do not receive a lot of use or abuse, in any way. Unfortunately this dealer has involved himself in a situation that may financially hurt him. He has been advised to seek legal council in this matter, which alone will cost him even if he can extricate himself from it. In a case like this, certainly respond to your customer and look at their problem. But when they tell you they did it, help by guiding them to a resolution. Once you touch the problem and involve yourself in it, it becomes yours in some way, shape or form. The carpet was ruined and the consumer is looking to have it replaced. Who better for them to try and get new carpet from than the dealer?
IGNORANCE IS BLISS
In this case a consumer spilled dry red Jell-O on their carpet. She proceeded to call a couple of retailers to ask how to take it out. One told her to use a detergent and water, another told her to put hot water on it, and none told her the right answer. Putting water on dry Jell-O will give you a mess; putting hot water on Jell-O will give, guess what, Jell-O! Either way the consumer was going to wind up with something that would likely never come out. First you have to get the Jell-O powder out dry using a vacuum without any agitation – you don’t want to push this stuff into the carpet fiber. After you have gotten the powder out as best as possible then you can use an extraction process to flush it from the carpet. The best thing to do is call a professional cleaner who can do the flushing for the consumer. It is likely this will get all or most of the powdered material out, depending on the fiber type and carpet color. Adding water will make a mess and it won’t help the consumer a bit.
DELAMINATION AT THE SEAM
This carpet was down less than a year when delamination was noticed at a seam. An independent inspector said he felt it was neither installation nor manufacturing related. He felt it was the result of the consumer user using Carpet Fresh in conjunction with wet cleaning. He thought that high alkalinity broke the latex down. There’s more but suffice it to say that this elaborate deduction was most likely not the cause of the delamination. It may have been from the seam not having been sealed, over wetting the carpet during the do it yourself cleaning process or something else foreign to the carpet. Fresheners are essentially scented neutral ph baking soda that should do no harm to the carpet relative to compromising structural integrity. Using them in conjunction with wet cleaning processes will not break down the latex and cause delamination. Something else caused this problem not what the inspector thought. Sometimes thinking you know more than you do without finding out first results in the wrong information.
If you have a question, need help or want to find out if someone is telling you the truth about a flooring problem or issue. Call us, we have the right answers.
Author: Lewis G. Migliore
LGM and Associates – The Floorcovering Experts