I'm still in disbelief over the pretty nasty encounter I just had in my home with Jay, who is apparently owner of this company. What began as an appointment to measure 5 rooms in our house for carpet replacement ended abruptly with him walking out the door (with a dismissive head shake on the way out), based on some pointed questions that developed about his installation practice, which apparently is in conflict with the manufacturer's (Mohawk flooring) requirements for warranty coverage.
We had visited the store and selected some preliminary samples, and found their prices to be a little better than expected. We talked with Nicole, who was quite helpful, and scheduled an appointment to get our rooms measured.
On a previous carpet installation (years ago, by a different installer) I had encountered fraying fibers along the seams, and after some time the carpet developed bare lines because of the loss of fibers. I decided to look into current recommended installation practices before the visit to get measured. What stood out was something that I did not know about, and that was the fact that most if not all carpet manufacturers require the cut edges of carpet to be sealed with a latex or hot-melt sealer to lock the loose fibers BEFORE the edges are joined with tape. I had also learned that an inspector investigating a warranty claim may use a UV light to verify that the cut edges were indeed sealed prior to seaming.
When I asked Jay whether his installers follow this procedure, I was surprised to hear that they do not, nor has he ever in all of his years sealed cut edges prior to seaming. He said that the new carpet backings don't need it, and you don't want to do it for other reasons.
At this point we were still on track to do business, although I knew I had to do some more research. He even said that he would personally seam the carpet and he would seal the edges if I really wanted it, but that was not my point. For the moment I accepted what he was telling me, indicating that my information could be out of date, but I also said that I would want to confirm what he was telling me with the manufacturer (Mohawk). But as we spoke a little more about warranties, he related a couple of anecdotes that really started to raise some flags.
He indicated that I shouldn't read too much into warranties, and made the statement that the carpet manufacturer could disallow claims for many unwritten reasons, including 1) if you wear rubber-soled shoes on the carpet, and 2) if you don't specifically use a Dyson brand vacuum to clean the carpet. He also said that I should be more concerned about the warranty offered by Thoroughbred Carpets themselves rather than that of the carpet manufacturer. In my mind this is fine in concept, but perhaps less than ideal at claim time.
At some point in the discussion I mentioned that I didn't care where the warranty came from as long as it was there when needed, although I was thinking that it was risky business to defy the manufacturer's installation requirement.
At this point I'm ready to move on with the measuring, and look into these questions later. But at this point he made the statement that "maybe you don't want to do business with Thoroughbred Carpets". I indicated that I had no problem with how they did things as long as I had warranty coverage, but that I would be calling Mohawk to verify this new information.
But Jay was a little "elevated" by this time and began doing most of the talking. The rest of the conversation largely consisted of Jay schooling me on his expertise and the value of trust, dismissing the information that I had found by doing a fair amount of research ahead of time.
The visit had already gone south, and his mind was made up. He was heading toward the door, talking only, not listening, stating repeatedly that "You don't get it, I just don't want to do business with you" and giving that condescending head shake as he exited.
A quick call to Mohawk Flooring directed me to a technician (quickly, I might add) that categorically confirmed that edge sealing IS a requirement to obtain warranty coverage, and he volunteered that this is confirmed by inspection with an ultraviolet lamp. He also nearly laughed off the other claim that Jay had made about rubber-soled shoes. He also specifically denied any brand-specific vacuum cleaner requirement. He also confirmed that to the best of his knowledge, the edge sealing requirement was industry-wide and not just specific to Mohawk.
I called Jay to tell him what I had learned, and he didn't want to hear it. "Why are you calling me?" he said. "How many times do I have to tell you I don't want to do business with you" He even included a little personal dig, a zinger at the end. How professional.
Okay then. Do it your way.
If you choose to have Thoroughbred Carpets do your installation, I would suggest that you first pose the question: "Do you edge-seal your cuts before seaming?" read more
