Page 3 - 2019-04-CFR Volume 127 - Im Not On the List - April 2019

Note that each plank is cupping individually. Installation and
installers cannot cause this physical change.

Mind you, my not being on the list does not change the
fact that the product is defective. I was livid upon hear-
ing this. But after calming down a bit, understood that
the first line of defense in a claim is for the manufactur-
er to deny it. Only when you make enough noise will
you start to unpeel the “onion skin” surrounding the
claim denial.

LGM and ASSOCIATES
I understand that this is just the process that the claims
analyst is instructed to go through when a claim cross-
es their desk. The analyst didn’t even look to see if the BEFORE YOU START YOUR NEXT PROJECT
information was valid. They were supplied with test re-
sults from a certified lab that they themselves use, and CONTACT US FOR GUIDANCE ON SELECTING THE APPROPRIATE
photos of the defective product which proved without a FLOORING MATERIAL AND SUBSTRATE SPECIFICATIONS SO WE
doubt their product was defective. The manufacturer CAN HELP KEEP YOU OUT OF TROUBLE.
trains the analyst to find any reason to decline the
claim.

This is how the mills are handling claims. No one has
an advantage here. It doesn’t matter the volume of
business you do with the manufacturer. The saying,
“the customer is always right” no longer exists. Com-
mercial flooring claims can easily reach six figures and
many of the situations we are involved in reach into the
millions of dollars. What we do is not for the faint of
heart nor the individual with no experience who may
be on “the list.” The claims process has also been de-
personalized by filing on-line.

You no longer have that one on one customer service
experience. We find that most claims are initially de-
clined for one reason or another. The analyst may or

3 Commercial Flooring Report April 2019