Ellsworth Flooring Enterprises

To Whom It May Concern: Please find below our response to a complaint that was filed against our company and that we received notification of today in the mailWe did indeed install lvp flooring (a click floating vinyl plank) within several rooms of the clients house Upon our completion the client had her contractor come in and install the base boards We received notification that there was an issue with the floor approximately a month and a half later and made several trips to the residence to try to rectify the situation After a few no-shows by the client at specified times that we would be there to inspect the flooring, we were finally able to get inside the residence It was immediately clear that the issue was that the base boards had been too tightly attached by their contractor which did not allow for the necessary expansion and contraction of the click floating vinyl planks This was expressed to the clients on numerous occasions via phone calls and emails We instructed the client that we would be more than happy to come over and fix the floor, however, the baseboards would need to be removed (approximately lineal feet) so we could repair the areas that need to be replaced and the floor could perform as it shouldAt this point the office staff started receiving numerous increasingly angry phone calls, which consisted of belittling of the staff, yelling, and rambling from the clientThis continued (sometimes as many as phone calls a week lasting upwards of minutes) until an email was sent to the wife stating that the office staff had been instructed to no longer take phone calls from the gentleman When it became clear that the clients would not accept our company coming over and repairing the floor, the offer was then made for us to replace the entire floor at no cost (materials OR labor) to the client However, the base boards would need to be removed by others and the gas stove would need to be un-hooked and hooked back up by a licensed person The client would not accept this as they did not want to pay to have lineal feet of baseboard removed and replaced OR pay to have the gas stove un-hooked and hooked back up by a professional At this point we offered to refund the entire cost of the flooring and installation for the kitchen and entry where the problem had occurred In response to our offer to refund the entire cost of the flooring and installation to the client, they have chosen to file a claim with the Revdex.com The ONLY offer still on the table is for us to refund the amount of the flooring and installation in the amount of $1, Per a local appliance dealer, to un-hook and hook back up a gas stove at the clients location is $ Our company charges $a lineal foot for the removal and replacement of baseboards, therefore, the cost for this would be $ The client has quibbled over $ Even though the floor has failed due to base boards that were improperly installed by their contractor, we are willing to go above and beyond to refund the clients the cost of the flooring and the labor to install this flooring At this point we are no longer willing to go over and install new flooring for the client because of the treatment of our employees by the owners...especially the husband Lastly, per their letter to you, the client expressed that "eventually Family Floor Store accepted responsibility for incorrect installation." At no time point did we ever claim any sort of responsibility for this issue, as it is not ours to claim Sincerely, [redacted] ***Office Manager

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ***
To: Revdex.comRe: Family Floor Store’s response received 1/4/17, ID #*** First, I must make two points regarding the response from *** ***, office manager. 1. The response includes many statements that I will highlight in this response with paragraphs noted. The office manager we worked with throughout the winter and spring was not *** ***. I’m uncertain when she began at the business in this capacity, but we dealt initially with two other people Paragraph one of the Family Floor Store is filled with incorrect information. The first time we informed the floor store of the problem was the day of installation. We were told it just needed a little time to lie down. After a few weeks when it became evident that time was never going to be the solution, we called the Family Floor Store. Upon being told that someone would stop by, we informed them that we were not living in the home and would need a time. This happened more than onceWe could never get a specific time, no appointments were made, and none were missed. Someone may have stopped by on his/her way to or from another job only to find no one, but we were never notifiedIn early September I called yet again and again requested an appointment and finally got one. On the day of that appointment, I called after waiting for an hour and was told of a flat tire delay. After a two-hour wait, someone arrived. The Family Floor Store staff didn’t even call to say there would be a delay in meeting the appointment time It was after this September appointment that the tale of tightly fitting baseboard was first presented to us as a reason for the peaking, never as a reason for the gaps. It is interesting to note that the place that is peaked the worst is near a place where the Floor Store installed the floor right up to the hardware floor of the next room doorway, and in a spot that has no baseboard. Also of note, the Family Floor Store did not inform us, or the contractor working at the house, of any special requirements regarding the baseboard installation. The baseboard was installed days after the floor installation and was done the same in every room that has the product. Only the one floor has a problem. Our building contractor, whose company also installs this type of flooring, has never seen a baseboard issue. We have reviewed the floor installation instructions (which Ms*** says in a email contain the information regarding baseboard) and there is no mention of baseboard installation in the instructions we found that came with the tile. There is a statement about opening the boxes and laying the tiles out in the room to be done for a period of hours prior to installation. It says if not done this can void the warranty. When we asked the Family Floor Store why this wasn’t done we were told this “didn’t matter” When we asked the Family Floor Store if the peaking (but not the gaps) could be a warranty issue we were threatened with a purported $fee that would be charged by ***, the manufacturer, for an inspection, and further told that if any baseboard was tight, all the floors in the home would have a voided warranty. During that September appointment and a subsequent one on November by a different employee, the two separate problems of peaking and gaps were noted. On that September visit, the Family Floor Store employees tore off a section of flooring where there was a gap, damaged it further, and then put it back in place. I was left with the impression that they would be back soon to replace that section, but it remains torn apart today, four months later. In paragraph Ms*** states that she received “numerous increasingly angry calls”. After the September appointment we received no call from the Family Floor Store indicating what would be done. There were then calls made expressing our frustration with the months long issue. Because Ms*** was not the person we originally worked with, one call was indeed long because of trying to explain the problem from the start. It was during this period that we were told about the idea of it being caused by the baseboard. We did try to work with Family Floor Store on fact finding and looking into options, but they were unwilling to help us. We were told that because it was our baseboard it was our problem. Except for one call returned to me and one angry call by one of the floor store owners repeating that it was due to baseboard and our problem, all conversations had to be initiated by us or they would not have happened. The request to communicate only by email did not occur until December and was welcomed as at least Ms*** did respond to email, there was documentation, and she was no longer rude. On November we received a letter (weeks after the appointment) by certified mail that stated that their inspection had concluded that the flooring peaked “due to improper installation of mopboards”. This letter referred only to the entry. The peaking problems are in the kitchen that is connected to the entry. The letter further stated that they would replace the tiles that needed to be replaced, but that we would need to remove and re-install the mopboards. Upon receiving that letter we again called, and this time asked that someone come to inspect all of the kitchen and entry, and show us exactly what would be done. On November 15, the person who installed the other floors (which have no problems and same baseboard) came to inspect the floor. (He may be a co-owner of the business, we are uncertain of this.) He saw and pointed out to us several different areas in almost every section of the floor. Some were peaked, with now bent tile, and some were gaps where the tiles weren’t together fully. He said he could not tell us exactly what would be done, but that he would take the information back to Family Floor Store, and we would hear from them. Of course, we did not hear in a timely manner, and when we called we were told they’d let us know when they decided what they would do. Finally in late November, after requesting and receiving warranty information from Family Floor Store, we decided to call the distributor in Augusta to ask for advice. While the distributor representative said he was not the person to help us, he did put in a call to Family Floor Store. It was soon after that (Decemail) that we told Family Floor Store had worked with the company to obtain a “few cartons” of the flooring. They said their plan was to replace necessary tiles and glue them down to the existing subfloor. They further stated, “we are hoping that in the process of repairing the floor, we will not need to have any of the mop boards taken off. However, if we find the mop boards are pinched down, we will need to have the mop boards removed and then replaced upon our completion“ They gave us a date in December to do the work. We then researched the concept of gluing down “floating vinyl planks” and concluded this was not an appropriate solution, and had the potential to cause peaking of other tiles. I let Ms*** know this and also that we would not be able to have the contractor on stafor those dates to remove baseboard. The response was that if we did not want the product glued, then we would need to remove all baseboard/mopboard, and the stove and refrigerator. It was at this point that I again stated that these additional costs should not be our responsibility as it was the faulty installation by Family Floor Store that was causing the need for this work to be done. Twelve days after I asked how they wanted to pay for the removals, by direct invoice or reimbursement, we received noticed that Family Floor Store would send us a check for the cost of material and labor to install a new floor. This was accompanied by a Release and Waiver of Liability Agreement that we must first sign. No mention is made of the costs associated with removal and replacement of baseboard, removal and re-installation of appliances, or the removal of the existing tile (a new cost if a different installer does the work). In paragraph four, Ms*** suggests that we are “quibbling over $196.00”. She is incorrect. They installed flooring in a completely new space. There is feet of clear pine baseboard with three coats of finish, four feet of quarter round, and five doorways that must be undercut, along with the removal and disposal of the existing flooring, and the removal and re-installation of appliances. We want the space to be as close to the new condition that it was at the time of the Family Floor Store’s incorrect installation as possible. (The doorways cannot be exactly as original.) We have a quote of $for all the work to be done (including installation of new flooring). This is $more than Family Floor Store has said they will reimburse us. We do not believe we the consumer should have to pay $in addition to being displaced from our home for two or more days due to Family Floor Store’s faulty installation in this one space of our home. Finally, Ms*** states that they are no longer willing to do the work at our home because of “the treatment of our employees by the owners”. We as the clients have never been inappropriate in our behaviorI feel confident that the employees that were at our home during the installation and two inspections would say we were courteous and respectful in our behavior. We have worked diligently over the past ten months to get this problem corrected, and it has required us to make contact with Family Floor Store repeatedly. It is a problem that likely could have been taken care of at the time of installation, and at any time in the subsequent months in a simple and professional way by Family Floor Store. At this time we have no confidence in the Family Floor Store and simply want to be made whole by receiving the $it will cost to do so. Regards,
*** ***

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # [redacted].  
Response to Revdex.com claim # [redacted] During a recent conversation with a Revdex.com representative we were encouraged to submit a final response.   First, I must say that I am not “playing a game”.  After nine months (the first several with no response from Family Floor Store) of trying on our own to resolve this issue and getting business responses that were increasingly angry, we turned to Revdex.com.  All we expected as consumers/customers in this specific process was to be treated fairly and respectfully by the business, hoping that engaging in a process that is supposed to help with disputes would safely facilitate such treatment. The business representative has instead chosen to accuse me of behaviors and actions that are completely untrue rather than simply addressing the issue at hand.   In my forty years as an adult consumer of home-related products and as a career educator and administrator who dealt with businesses of all types, I’ve never been treated so poorly on so many levels as this experience with the Family Floor Store.  It saddens me that my attempt to stay with a local company to do all the floors in our home, rather than go the easier route of using the contractor, resulted in this.  The issue we hoped to resolve is simple:  to hold Family Floor Store accountable for all expenses incurred that are a direct result of their faulty floor installation.  We do have a quote for over $1,000 for all work beyond the floor materials and installation. (The only question in that quote mentioned by Ms. [redacted] was in regard to flooring choice, not to all the other expenses.) We continue to believe that we should be reimbursed for all expenses in addition to the refund of material and installation that Family Floor Store offered (nine months after our first noting the problem).  We would not have these expenses if the floor had been installed correctly.  Regards,
[redacted]

To Whom It May Concern: Please find below our response to a complaint that was filed against our company and that we received notification of today in the mail. We did indeed install lvp flooring (a click floating vinyl plank) within several rooms of the clients house.  Upon our...

completion the client had her contractor come in and install the base boards.  We received notification that there was an issue with the floor approximately a month and a half later and made several trips to the residence to try to rectify the situation.  After a few no-shows by the client at specified times that we would be there to inspect the flooring, we were finally able to get inside the residence.  It was immediately clear that the issue was that the base boards had been too tightly attached by their contractor which did not allow for the necessary expansion and contraction of the click floating vinyl planks.  This was expressed to the clients on numerous occasions via phone calls and emails.  We instructed the client that we would be more than happy to come over and fix the floor, however, the baseboards would need to be removed (approximately 32 lineal feet) so we could repair the areas that need to be replaced and the floor could perform as it should. At this point the office staff started receiving numerous increasingly angry phone calls, which consisted of  belittling of the staff, yelling, and rambling from the client. This continued (sometimes as many as 3 phone calls a week lasting upwards of 30 minutes) until an email was sent to the wife stating that the office staff had been instructed to no longer take phone calls from the gentleman.   When it became clear that the clients would not accept our company coming over and repairing the floor, the offer was then made for us to replace the entire floor at no cost (materials OR labor) to the client.  However, the base boards would need to be removed by others and the gas stove would need to be un-hooked and hooked back up by a licensed person.  The client would not accept this as they did not want to pay to have 32 lineal feet of baseboard removed and replaced  OR pay to have the gas stove un-hooked and hooked back up by a professional.  At this point we offered to refund the entire cost of the flooring and installation for the kitchen and entry where the problem had occurred.  In response to our offer to refund the entire cost of the flooring and installation to the client, they have chosen to file a claim with the Revdex.com.   The ONLY offer still on the table is for us to refund the amount of the flooring and installation in the amount of $1,079.68.  Per a local appliance dealer, to un-hook and hook back up a gas stove at the clients location is $100.00.  Our company charges $3.00 a lineal foot for the removal and replacement of baseboards, therefore, the cost for this would be $96.00.  The client has quibbled over $196.00.  Even though the floor has failed due to base boards that were improperly installed by their contractor, we are willing to go above and beyond to refund the clients the cost of the flooring and the labor to install this flooring.  At this point we are no longer willing to go over and install new flooring for the client because of the treatment of our employees by the owners...especially the husband.  Lastly, per their letter to you, the client expressed that "eventually Family Floor Store accepted responsibility for incorrect installation." At no time point did we ever claim any sort of responsibility for this issue, as it is not ours to claim.  Sincerely, [redacted]Office Manager

Please find below our response to the above listed complaint. We have read through the additional customer comments listed in response to our response to the complaint.  All I can do is shake my head in frustration.  There are numerous statements made within the response by Ms. [redacted] that are false.  However, when things are discussed over the phone anything can be added or taken away from a conversation to make someone look good.  It all boils down to a she said/he said game and I am not willing to play the game any longer.  The statement was made that "they were unwilling to help us".  Frankly, I don't know what else we could have done other than what was offered in way of trying to help.  We initially offered to replace the peaked boards that the tongues had broken off of at no charge to the client.  This was not acceptable.  We then offered to replace the entire floor where the issue was at no charge to the client.  This was also not acceptable.  Finally we have offered to refund the money to the client that they paid for the flooring and installation.  Again, this has not been accepted.   The client seems really caught up on the $1,000.00 that is above and beyond the amount that was paid for the flooring and installation that we offered back to the client.  We have talked with a few area businesses regarding pricing.  Again, per a local appliance dealer it would only cost $100.00 to go to a residence in the clients area to unhook and re-hook back up the gas stove (this needs to be completed by a licensed professional).  We would charge $3.00 a lineal foot to remove and replace the clear pine boards with three coats of urethane. Even based on 46 lineal feet of baseboard, the cost to remove and replace the baseboards would only be $138.00.  This brings the total cost of removal and replacement of the gas stove by others and the baseboards by us to $238.00.  Not $1,000.00.  The general contractor on the project that was contracted through the client did call 2 weeks ago and speak with me on the phone.  During the conversation, he told me that he had provided the client with a figure on removing the existing flooring, purchase and installation of new flooring, removal and replacement of the gas stove, and removal and replacement of the mop boards in the amount of roughly $2,100.00.  However, he also told me that it was a general pricing that he gave the client and nothing firm.   This amount is not necessarily based on the client installing the same exact flooring product that was initially installed.  Therefore, it is hard to compare apples to apples in such a blanket statement by the homeowner. With regard to the clients last paragraph in the additional customer comments, [redacted] states, "I feel confident that the employees that were at our home during the installation and the two inspections would say we were courteous and respectful in our behavior."  Unfortunately this is not so.  My installers REFUSE to go back to the residence due to their treatment, comments that were made, and the rudeness of the home owners.  This is one of the reasons that we have offered a full refund for the area in question.  I reiterate that we have tried numerous times to rectify the situation with the homeowners, but they are unwilling to accept anything other than what they feel they are owed.  We are not responsible for the cost of removing and replacing of the gas stove and base boards.  The offer to refund the client the amount of the materials and installation in the area of question in the amount of $1,079.68 still stands.  However, as stated in the beginning of this response, I am no longer willing to play this game with a client who is unreasonable.  We have already gone above and beyond time and again.  Sincerely,[redacted]