This vinyl flooring installed in the kitchen – dining area of a home has a dull spot, as you’ll see by the photo, in a very conspicuous location. The consumer says they noticed the spot the day of or day after installation, yet the complaint was not filed by them for two months. When questioned, the consumer could not be certain when they noticed the spot. The spot is something that would have been obviously evident at the time the material was cut, installed and initially used. No one seems to be able to specifically identify the cause thus the reason the dealer contacted us to help solve this mystery. The spot was said to be rough in texture, on top of the surface of the flooring, perpendicular to the seam, in close proximity to the refrigerator, irregular in shape and not affected by any attempts to remove it with several agents. It was reported, after being inspected, to be the result of a foreign contaminant coming in contact with the flooring.
After viewing all the photos supplied it is evident that there is an underlying line in the material. The dull spot can be seen over this line and the shape of the dull spot indicates an activity that suggests a circular type motion over the line. In addition there are three small spots to the lower right of the photo which indicate drips. The evidence then indicates damage to the flooring material and an attempt was made to remove it. Remember what I’ve been telling you for years, the evidence never lies, it will always tell you the truth. We’ve been inundated with episodes of CSI Crime Scene Analysis enough that this should resonate clearly with you.
The spot could not have been caused at the mill or else it would have been seen. The fact that it runs perpendicular to the seam would also eliminate manufacturing as it goes contrary to the direction the material travels when produced. It’s not installation because nothing is used in installation that would cause the mark or the dull spot, especially for as long as it is and the direction it runs. And you would hope that the installer would have fixed it at the time if he did cause it; easy enough to do. The location, in front of the refrigerator, the most active location in the space, would have made this spot noticeable immediately, yet the dealer was not notified for two months. So what are we to conclude from all the evidence? The physical evidence is screaming out. Someone tried to remove damage to the floor and damaged it worse. The psychology tells us that it wasn’t there to start with and occurred sometime after installation. The consumer or someone in the home caused the damage, and the floor is damaged, not defective and since the flooring was still fairly new, thought they could get away with filing a claim against the material with the dealer. They would be better served by filing a claim with their insurance company after this.
This should not have been such a perplexing issue but it turned out to be because no one could recognize what the evidence was telling them. This is also a case where you have to think backwards and use some common sense and logic to realize nothing in the normal chain of events in manufacturing or installation would cause this glaring, extensive and obvious damage. We can help you too if you have something like this no one can determine. We can always figure out what happened and most often common sense will tell you.
Author – Lewis G. Migliore
LGM and Assoicates – The Floorcovering Experts