Deceptive billing, silica dust disaster, and legal threats…read more
This review is for:
Floor Coverings International of Melbourne, FL
(321) 499-2658
1270 Lake Washington Road Ste B
Melbourne, FL 32935
Arthur Layman
Tamara Whiteaker
What started as a straightforward carpet replacement on our stairs turned into one of the worst contractor experiences I've had. Here's the full picture:
Scheduling: Installers no-showed on the first scheduled date with no proactive communication. I had to call after they were already outside the arrival window to find out they weren't coming.
Tile demo and dust: When installers discovered tile under the carpet, we were quoted a "worst case scenario" additional cost of $1,600 on top of the original $1,414.47. What they didn't mention was that the demo crew would leave every surface in our entire home -- upstairs, downstairs, soft furnishings, drapes, and our HVAC system -- coated in fine silica dust. No containment, no warning, no protection of any kind. This isn't just a mess, it's a serious health hazard. Even the lead demo worker acknowledged as he was leaving that he wouldn't be happy if it were his house.
"Making it right": The company promised to make it right with a cleaning and a painter for the damaged walls and stairs. At no point during this process did anyone mention we would be charged for these remediation services. We have doorbell camera footage of the painter telling his worker that the flooring company was paying him -- not us. The cleaning was incomplete, with silica dust remaining on soft surfaces and in the HVAC.
Surprise invoice: After carpet was finally installed, we received an invoice with a painter line item exceeding $1,000 -- no prior quote, no agreement, no breakdown. The work took under 2 hours and does not look good (bad sanding, one coat of paint - see through). We are going to get quotes to have it redone. The owner also revealed $200 of that line item was his personal fee for "coordinating" the painter.
Threats: When my husband called to dispute the painter charge, the owner threatened small claims court if the full invoice wasn't paid within days, rather than engaging in any good-faith discussion.
We are willing to pay what we actually agreed to despite the damage done to our home and belongings. Instead, we've been met with threats.
Arthur failed to provide itemized cost breakdown as requested. Arthur failed to provide contractor license numbers as requested. Arthur subsequently sent a second threat for small claims court, followed by a threat to file a lien against our property. I mailed a letter and check for $2,329.14 (the total for what we had actually discussed), which was cashed. Arthur sent another letter threatening small claims again for the painter line item. On top of all of this, the carpet on the stairs looks like garbage. It is shedding all over even after vacuuming, the corners are popping out. We purchased the most expensive carpet option he showed us. I would give anything to go back in time and just leave the old carpet. This has not been an improvement to our home. This has been a nightmare.
