Dalton Carpet Outlet

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Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me, although not completely true.  We DO have proof that the carpet was cut wrong.  The installer had the same diagram my husband drew for Javier with him the day of the install.  He knew immediately it was cut wrong, and phoned Javier to yell at him for the mistake. He also knew we only wanted one seam.  Not a good idea to try to blame the customer when we have proof he is lying about what we wanted, and a witness to prove it.
Regards,
 
[redacted]

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Oshkosh Store - Sales person talked me into carpet on the stairs after paying extra for memory foam. Installer put in a room instead of on the stairs. They did not fix the problem and she said they would come back and tear out at OUR expense.
Expensive and poor installation and customer service. Go with another company!

Review: Flooring was selected from Dalton Carpet Outlet. It was stated by the salesperson/"assistant store manager" [redacted] that matching material would and could be provide to finish the flooring edges where there were step down areas. This was a CONDITION of us buying there, as we visited several other flooring stores that had flooring we liked and they could provide matching finished edging. Had we known of their deceptive sales practices another flooring store would have our business and we would be minus a lot of grief from their deceptive promise dates of when this edging will be installed. They give specific dates and then another specific date then another specific date and nothing is completed. It has been months since this floor was installed. The door jambs and casings were cut 1/2 inch or more up from the floor line too, very unsightly. It has been stressfull to say the least dealing with DaltonDesired Settlement: Install remaining trim pieces to make this flooring look finished, including corners and where it was cut short. It looks like a bad do it yourself job now.

Business

Response:

We are very sorry this situation occurred. At the time of the sale we did not realize the particular color of trim pieces the customer ordered would be on back order from the distributor. The customer is correct that the date of when the trim would be installed has been pushed back more than once, but this was not due to any form of "deception". When the distributor notifies us of a new delivery date, we pass the information on to the customer. We have been just as unhappy when the distributor then calls us to say their promised delivery date is being pushed back again. We do not like having to call a customer and tell them that a delivery date has been pushed back. We very much want to resolve this as much as the customer!

The distributor of this product serves 10 states, has over 100 employees, is a member of every flooring association, and is a major regional US distributor. They are not a small "fly by night" operation. They can not get the trim pieces from the manufacturer. This is true for all of their accounts, not just us. It would not have mattered if the customer went to any other flooring store in Wisconsin, they would have encountered the same situation. Currently we have been told that the trim pieces will come in on February 21, 2014. Believe me, we have our fingers crossed that they come in on that date but we are completely at their mercy of the distributor, who is at the mercy of the manufacturer. If we could make them ourselves, we would! We did offer a potential solution to the customer to have a local mill manufacture the trim pieces and have them stained to match, but the customer did not accept that solution.

I know the trim pieces are the final pieces which really make the whole room look finished and I am sure it is quite frustrating for the customer but this was nothing that we did intentionally or deceptively just to get the sale. Not that it helps resolve the situation, but for the record, the customer has not paid for the trim pieces or for their installation. I would not want someone reading this to think the customer has paid for something they did not get. The installer has pledged to go to the customers home the day we get them in and have them installed.

The customer's desired settlement is the same as ours - to get their trim installed. At this point we have to wait until Feb. 21st when the distributor is telling us they should be in. I would be happy to provide the contact info for the distributor to the customer so he can hear them apologize as much as they have apologized to us for the hassle to our customer. We never wanted this situation to occur.

Consumer

Response:

I just want to share the horrible nightmare of an experience my family had buying 3500 worth of laminate and 1500 worth carpet (after the install). We bought the products and they were put in timely fashion, no complaints there. When the floor was put in we started to notice defects, a few things at first that were fixed before the installers left, but a day or two later we started to notice major bubbling in the floor. the laminate was clearly damaged or defective. after calling Dalton to resolve this they said it was the installers fault not theirs. So we called the installer who refused to fix it saying it was the product itself and we should put in warranty claim. So months go by and Shaw sends a supposedly independent investigator, who didn't even look in the all the rooms where the bubbling was occurring, and said it wasn't Shaw's fault and there was nothing they could do. So 6 months after having a damaged floor, nothing is being done. We called Dalton every week asking them to please help fix this situation, they did nothing just told us there was nothing they could do. We even got to speak to owner one day who told us "we're sorry you ever came to Dalton." I've never been more mad in my life but of course at this point there is nothing we can do, even small claims court didn't help since we couldn't prove "who" or "what" caused the damage. My only hope is that this review saves someone else from having to go through that horrible nightmare we had to go through. Please avoid this business at all costs.

Review: We purchased vinyl flooring for our kitchen, manufactured by [redacted], from [redacted] Carpet Outlet's (DCO) Oshkosh location and had it installed by [redacted]'s contracted installers on May 29, 2015. We purchased vinyl over other flooring because the sales representative at [redacted], told us that vinyl flooring is "more durable than laminate". We were told by the installer that we should not walk on or place any of our furniture on the vinyl for 24 hours after it was installed. We did not move any of our furniture back onto the floor until Sunday, May 31 so well after the 24 hour recommendation. We were not given any additional instructions or written information regarding care of the floor.

On June 21, 2015 we noticed hundreds of dents on the floor surrounding our kitchen table and chairs. I took pictures and brought them to the DCO in Oshkosh and spoke with [redacted] looked at the pictures, agreed that there is a problem with the flooring and assured me that everything would be taken care of. [redacted], the installer, came to the house to inspect and agreed that it is a problem with the floor.

It has now been over four months and we still have the defective floor and have not gotten any money refunded nor has [redacted] given us any plan to refund or replace the flooring.

We have been on the phone with [redacted] the sales manager and other staff with DCO on countless occasions in the last four months. DCO initially stated that it was a factory defect with the floor and tried to work with [redacted] to have them replace it. [redacted] declined the claim stating that the floor "is not warrantied for dents, scratching, or indentations". Following that denial, [redacted] then told us that the problem must be with our furniture. Please note that he has not come to inspect our floor. In fact, he scheduled an appointment to do so and I took off of work to accommodate his schedule and he canceled that day (August 21). [redacted] also told us that [redacted], who installed the flooring, reported that the problem was with our furniture, which is a lie.

I made contact with [redacted] to gain more information about their denial and was told that DCO should have provided us with written materials about use and care of the floor, which would have included adding felt to the bot[redacted] of our chairs to prevent the denting. We were never given any information from [redacted] regarding this.

When I brought this to [redacted]'s attention he stated that they do not have any of these materials and put the responsibility, again, back on [redacted].

My husband and I have spent countless hours of our lives trying to either have our floor replaced or our money refunded over the last four months. [redacted] has told us on numerous occasions that he will find answers and call us back, which often he did not follow through with. We have had to continue to call them on a bi- weekly basis for four months with no result. [redacted] continues to try to pass the blame to [redacted], us and the installer. Each time we have contact with [redacted], he goes on about how much time he has put into our claim and how he has gone "above and beyond" yet it has been four months and we are no where closer to a result than I believe we were on June 21st.Desired Settlement: I believe that [redacted] has a responsibility to either replace the floor or refund us the cost of the flooring. They sold us the floor and installed the floor and therefore it is their responsibility to make this right.

Business

Response:

November 4, 2015I am very sorry to hear you are having a problem with your flooring. We sell well over 100,000 square feet of vinyl flooring every year and I this is not a common problem. We have worked with the manufacturer to resolve the complaint and although they denied the claim, we have asked them to re-open the complaint and have the flooring tested. Our sales manager spoke with the cus[redacted]er yesterday, before this Revdex.com complaint was filed, and told them we are waiting for the results from the manufacturer. If [redacted], the manufacturer, finds there is a problem with the flooring, we will absolutely get the flooring replaced at no cost to the cus[redacted]er. If the claim is denied once again, there is little we can do. Based on the cus[redacted]er's complaint, there is really no question that the dents are caused by their table and chairs. No flooring is indestructible. Even concrete can get scratched and chipped. I do want to address some specific items from the cus[redacted]er's complaint that I do not believe give full the picture. First, no one would ever say vinyl is more durable than laminate. Vinyl has come a long way since over the years and the wear layer that has been added makes it much tougher. But vinyl is relatively soft and laminate is a hard surface. Laminate is actually more expensive than vinyl and no sales person would ever steer a cus[redacted]er away from a higher price item to a lower price item. I have seen pictures of the flooring that was supplied by the cus[redacted]er and I do not see hundreds of dents. I have attached a sample picture of the cus[redacted]er's floor. We talked to with our [redacted] representative and they told us they do not provide us (the retailer) with information about use and care of the floor. According to [redacted], it is all available online. If [redacted] supplied it to us, we would certainly give it out. The cus[redacted]er admitted in the presence of 3 people that she put "hard buttons" on the bot[redacted] on her chairs. That was probably the worst thing she could have done. She later denied ever saying she put hard buttons on the bot[redacted] of her chairs. When she first came into the store the very first time to tell us about the problem she was advised to put felt on the bot[redacted] of her chairs. The cus[redacted]er says they have spent countless hours working with us to have her flooring replaced but then also says we are not responsive. Obviously we have been involved in working with the cus[redacted]er or there would not be as much time spent. We have also spent that time and more trying to resolve this for the cus[redacted]er. We have not tried to pass the blame on to the installer or [redacted]. We do not believe there is any problem with the manufacture of the flooring, but we are doing our due diligence and having them test the flooring on behalf of the cus[redacted]er. Nor does anyone believe the dents are caused by poor installation. The dents are from their chairs. At this point I suggest we wait for the final results of the testing from [redacted] and proceed from there. If they find a fault with the flooring we will replace the flooring ASAP. If they find no faults with the flooring I would even be willing to offer a partial refund as a goodwill gesture towards the cus[redacted]er.We have been in business for over 21 years and grown from one to six locations because of the great value and cus[redacted]er service we provide to the community. We have an A+ rating from the Revdex.com and are an accredited Revdex.com business because we don't ignore cus[redacted]ers when they have a complaint. Let's work together to solve this problem in way that everyone can live with.

Business

Response:

I truly do understand the frustration. You paid good money for flooring and yes, you should be able to walk on it and use furniture. I appreciate that you came to DCO and that you have had no issues with any of the other flooring. At this point, the claim with [redacted] has been re-opened at our insistence and we are working on your behalf to get it resolved. I have asked my office staff to contact their claims department to check on the status. As soon as we know anything we will immediately contact you. I know you have been waiting for satisfaction but I have to ask for just a little more time until we get their answer. One way or another, I want to see this resolved in a way that you would consider coming to us again and recommending us to friends and family.If someone has not gotten back to you by Monday, November 16th then please call me ([redacted]) at our [redacted] location at ###-###-####. Thank you.

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have had contact directly with the business. We have reached an agreement that we are both appreciative of and satisfied with.

Regards,

The Westhill Blvd Store in Appleton did not support the work of their installers (vinyl). Refused to come out to look at the job. Ended up having to have a different installer come out to fix the initial installation which was absolutely sloppy work - couldn't cut straight lines - had to adjust floor trim to cover up wide cuts - left a mess of glue residue all over the bathroom vanity/floor/mirror/wall. Seams were installed incorrectly and placed in the incorrect places. The store never made a follow-up call to check to see if there was satisfaction after the 2nd installer came out to make corrections. They made a sale - didn't seem to care if the customer was actually satisfied once it was installed. The initial installation was a terrible job. The second installer was very compassionate and cared that we were satisfied. Haven't heard from the store again. Will NOT give them any more business.

Review: I had an emergency situation with my Tenants in Appleton WI. I searched high and low and needed to re-carpet one of my rental homes due to destroyed carpeting. I chose Dalton Carpet for one reason: in their website, it states that they have a guaranteed installation of 3 days. I explained to [redacted], the salesperson that I had an emergency and I needed to purchase and install the carpet ASAP! He said no problem and that he would show my Tenants to some carpet they can get right away. I stressed the fact that this needed to be done right away and he told me not to worry because they have tons of carpeting in-stock. I sent the Tenants in that same day [Sunday, May 4th] and I was contacted by [redacted] and he said they had chosen some carpet and although they had to order a large roll, they could have it in and fully installed by Wednesday, May 7th. I said, "Great, let's go ahead with it as long as you can guarantee me we get this in and installed by Wednesday because at this point, there is no carpeting in the house."

[redacted] told me that he gotten a great deal on the carpeting, which was $1.69 a square foot and he brought the price down to $1.00/square foot because I had purchase over 1800 square feet. He said that he could beat any price and they compete on a regular basis. My first option, by the way was Lowes who told me they could install the carpet as soon as Tuesday, May 6th. I was very happy with the price and especially the time-frame. [redacted] asked me for a $300 deposit which I paid. My Tenants were ecstatic that the entire install would be done by Wednesday.

I waited and waited and by Wednesday, I had not heard anything from [redacted]. My Tenants were getting extremely frustrated and were contacting me asking me what the update was. I had assumed the carpeting was already in and installed that day. I called and left a message for [redacted], who finally called me on Thursday, May 8th and said unfortunately, there had been a delay and we would probably get the carpeting in that day; Friday at the latest. By this point, my Tenants were very agitated. On Friday, we still had not heard anything and I called [redacted] back to find out what was going on. He told me that unfortunately, the truck had not even left yet and now the carpeting would not get here until Monday. He promised me that no matter what, his Installers would get the entire thing laid even if they had to work all night. I couldn't believe my ears. I said, "You do know that Dalton advertises a 3-day guaranteed install, right?" He apologized and told me he has mentioned this to his bosses multiple times and they have not removed that from the website.

At this point, to appease my Tenants, I had to give them a $400 discount in rent. Every promise that had been made to me was not fulfilled and my Tenants were very angry. Finally, on Sunday I call [redacted] for an update and he tells me that Carpet is finally in and asks for full payment, which I gave. He again guaranteed that his Installers would work night and day if they have to to get this done. He said he would get it all cut on Monday as the Installers are getting everything ready at the house: installing tack strip, etc. I figured this time, everything would go as planned.

On Tuesday afternoon, my Tenants call me complaining that not only did the Installers NOT put down all new tack strip [as was agreed upon in the contract], but they left early [before 1pm] both Monday and Tuesday stating that they were too tired. I was so mad by now that I called Dalton right away to find out that [redacted] had the day off. I spoke to the Manager, [redacted] instead. I explained the entire ridiculous situation and he told me:

1. The carpeting was at $1.29 a square foot; not $1.69 as [redacted] had said.

2. He had no idea why [redacted], knowing this was an immediate emergency, would not have steered the Tenants towards something they had in stock.

3. They have 5 other stores and he couldn't figure out why [redacted] did not contact any of them to get In-Stock carpet.

4. What the Installers' problem was and why [after all the problems that had already occurred] not stay until the job was complete?

I told him that I had had to reimburse my Tenants $400 due to all the mix-ups and them not having carpeting in the house all this time and the sole reason I had done business with Dalton was due to their guaranteed 3-day install. I asked them to be fair about this and reimburse me the $400 I had to take a loss on and he told me he would contact the Installer and the Home Office to see what they can do. I was happy with that as fair is fair.

After not hearing back from anyone about this, I finally called [redacted] today, Friday, May 16th to get an update. He told me that [redacted] was supposed to call me. I told him I had not heard from him to which he replied that he comes in an hour from now and he would have him contact me right away. I did not hear anything from [redacted]. When I came home tonight, I had a message from [redacted]. He said that the Tenants picked out carpet that had to be ordered and they knew the carpet would take a couple of days because they had to move furniture around.Desired Settlement: A $400 reimbursement to offset my loss due to the inability to come through.

1. Do not lie to me about the price to close a sale.

2. Do not make promises you cannot keep.

3. If your website states a guarantee, HONOR it.

4. If you know it's an emergency, direct the customer to IN-STOCK carpet.

5. Get your Installers on the same page.

Business

Response:

May 22, 2014

We are very sorry this situation occurred. We provide excellent customer service to several thousands of customers every year in NorthEast Wisconsin. Yes, from time to time problems will develop and we do our very best to resolve them as quickly as possible and to the customer’s satisfaction. In this particular case, the customer’s main complaint seems to be that the carpet was not installed within 3 days as advertised on our website. Our website very clearly states that applies in stock carpet only. The carpet the customer wanted was not in stock and had to be ordered. The customer knew this and is referenced in his very own complaint. According to the customer, he chose to discount his tenant’s rent by $400 but that was his decision and not due to any agreement he had with us.

The following is the account of the events by the sales person who worked with Mr. [redacted]:

I first spoke with [redacted] May 1st and he told me his situation. He needed cheap carpet installed A.S.A.P. He had a quote from Lowe's for about 1800 sf of carpet (12x150.00). I told him that we would have to measure to be sure of the total amount. I explained to him at that time that an order that size would have to be ordered since we did not have any carpet in stock at the price he wanted to pay. I told him that I found a carpet for $0.99sf with pad, he said that would work but he wanted the labor for cheaper. I asked the installer if he would do the job for $178.00 less than normal and he agreed.

I told [redacted] in the mean time we would have [redacted] measure the space and get firm measurements. I called him back on Saturday, May 3rd when I got the new measurements from the installer. [redacted] agreed on the price and put $300.00 down and I wrote the order.

I told him that the carpet should arrive the following Wednesday or Thursday and [redacted] should be able to get it done in 1 to 2 days. I never guaranteed any days and told [redacted] that I would check the carpet status day to day. I called everyday that week and got a solid answer on Wednesday, May 7th that the carpet would arrive at the store the following Monday, May 12th. I then called both the tenants and [redacted] and explained the situation. Once the carpet came in I called [redacted] and got full payment for materials and labor. [redacted] took 3 days to install because of the tenants had many items that had to be moved back and forth between rooms.

To make a long story short, [redacted] had tenants moved in to a large space that had cat urine soaked carpet. When they found out how bad the carpet was they arranged with [redacted] to remove and replace the carpet. [redacted] was fully aware of both the arrival date and the install time.

To answer his reimbursement key point:

1. Do not lie to me about the price to close a sale

Answer: I did not lie about the pricing. The customer knew the price before the carpet was ordered and the price never changed.

2. Do not make promises you cannot keep

Answer: I never promised anything about arrival time or install timing. Only thing I promised was the pricing on the materials, which we honored.

3. If your website states a guarantee, HONOR it.

Answer: Our website guarantees 3 day install on in-stock carpet only. The customer knew I had to order the carpet and once the carpet arrived, it was installed within 3 days.

4. If your know it's an emergency, direct the customer to IN-STOCK carpet

Answer: All of the in-stock carpet was way too expensive for him so I ordered a new carpet with good pricing, which the customer was aware of.

5. Get your Installers on the same page.

Answer: Our installer was on the same page as us. He did the measurement of the space right away and jumped at the install as soon as the carpet came in.

In summary, we are not willing to re-imburse the customer $400 when the customer was well aware that to get the inexpensive carpet he wanted, it would have to be ordered. The customer was aware of the timing of the carpet being ordered and the installation. The customer even acknowledges in his complaint that he knew the timing when he paid for the order. According to the customer by that time he had already discounted the rent to his tenant yet he did not mention that to [redacted] when he paid for the order. Our credit card records show that the customer paid for the order on Monday, May 12 and the installation was started that very same day.

Review: We ordered a specific amount of carpeting to only have one seam in a high traffic area. My husband drew them a diagram of the layout with measurements. He explained what we wanted 3-4 times to Javier. Javier said he understood what we wanted. We ordered extra carpeting so we would only have one seam in a high traffic room. Dalton cut the carpet wrong and pieced it together. The job is unsatisfactory to us. We just want what we paid for.Desired Settlement: We are willing to accept either a $200.00 refund for their mistake, or we would like the carpet reinstalled the way it is supposed to be.

Business

Response:

May 26, 2015I spoke with the customer this morning and expressed my disappointment that their carpet install did not go as they had expected. The salesperson had communicated to me that a customer was unhappy about a seam but until the complaint was filed with the Revdex.com I had no idea how unhappy they were. As I told the customer, I wished they had reached out to me before filing the complaint. As a small business, we pride ourselves on being accessible to our customers. As the president and owner, I am one call away from any customer. When I first called the customer this morning I got their voice mail and I had no problem giving my personal cell phone number as a way for them to call me back. While I have a long-term employee telling me one thing and a customer telling me something else with no proof on either side, all I know for sure is that at the very least, there was a miscommunication and I am sorry for this. We work with thousands of customers every year and with our 6 locations and being in business for over 20 years we have worked very hard to maintain our excellent reputation and A+ rating from the Revdex.com. We absolutely feel terrible when there is even one problem. The customer has requested a $200.00 refund or their carpet replaced. I have offered them a $200.00 refund and expect this matter to be settled.

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me, although not completely true. We DO have proof that the carpet was cut wrong. The installer had the same diagram my husband drew for Javier with him the day of the install. He knew immediately it was cut wrong, and phoned Javier to yell at him for the mistake. He also knew we only wanted one seam. Not a good idea to try to blame the customer when we have proof he is lying about what we wanted, and a witness to prove it.

Regards,

The final result was not satisfaction. The entire job should have been redone because the seams were not in the right location. But that would have required the entire floor be replaced and there was no way the store would have agreed to that and our new cabinets were already installed on top of the floor. We settled for a fix up to make it as good as it could get. The end result was that we were not satisfied from start to finish. And with all the problems we had the store never called after the 2nd installer was out to check on our satisfaction with his work.