I am disappointed, but not particularly shocked, to see this complaint This customer is clearly unhappy Whether or not her hardwood floors are the cause is much less clear Floored has worked hard to try to please her, but to no avail At each encounter she wants more From the outset, our dealings were tinted by a tragic event that occurred in her home and necessitated the replacement of her old floors As is typical at Floored, I performed walk-throughs during and immediately after the installation of the customer's new floors No faults or blemishes were apparent, nor were any brought to my attention by the customer We did come back immediately after the completed installation to replace the refrigerator door, which had gotten a dent during the replacement of the kitchen floor It was replaced quickly and without hesitation after the installer brought the damage to my attention.Shortly after the work was completed - in December - the customer called to say she had some 'spots' on her floor I went to her home and looked at about half a dozen small dull spots on the hardwood floor in her living room, near the kitchen I surmised the spots were adhesive residue - probably from the kitchen floor - which I assumed was tracked into the living room during installation and missed during cleanup I sent the installer and his helper over to clean the spots, and look for any others A week or so after they came, the customer called again to say she had found more 'spots' The installer's helper returned and tried to clean the additional areas as the customer pointed them out Shortly after that - in January - the customer called again to complain about 'spots' I went out to see her, and she had marked boards in her floor with masking tape for me to look at In those marked boards, I identified five different causes for the 'blemishes' she was concerned about: - in the hallway, there was a burnished (shiny) spot on the floor where she said the installer's helper had scrubbed one of the spots, which affected three boards; - in the living room, there was one board with a small indentation along the edge from the shoe of the flooring nailer; - in the living room, there were three boards with small, natural cracks in the wood; - in the living room, several of the marked boards had 'medullary rays' - a natural figuring in the grain of wood floors, especially common in white oak, as purchased; - in the living room, there were three or four small dull spots on the floor finish Two appeared slightly rough, but were - in my appraisal - topical Each was the size of a dime or smaller, and of unclear origin.I explained to the customer that I would accept responsibility for the boards with the indentation and the burnished mark, and I would replace those boards In so doing, I would need to order another box of material, and I would therefore have enough to replace the boards with the topical dull spots, as well The customer asked if I thought her floor was defective, and I said 'no' She asked how I would replace the boards, and I explained how boards would be removed, and that we could fasten the new boards by either gluing invisibly, or face-nailing, which would leave holes to be filled on the surface She said she did not want the boards glued, and I tried to explain that if I face-nailed the boards, the puttied holes might be more visible to her than the blemishes we were repairing She said perhaps we should just tear up the whole room and replace it so there wouldn't be any glue or nail holes I told her that was excessive, and I couldn't even consider it unless there was a clear manufacturing defect and I got the support of the mill The customer said she wanted the manufacturer to look at her floor to see if it was defective I said I could file a claim for her, but that I didn't think it was warranted When I left her home, I ordered the box of materials for board replacements, and filed the requested claim with my supplier We did not return to perform board replacements, because the customer wanted to wait and see if the manufacturer thought her floor was defective.It was April before the claims representative arrived to inspect the customer's hardwood floor I met him at her home, and found that The customer had marked more than boards with masking tape for this visit The claims rep performed a thorough inspection, took pictures, and filed a report with the mill He found the floor to be properly installed, to have a few dull spots of unknown origin - which under magnification showed small scratch marks from cleaning attempts - and noted that the room of greatest concern to the customer was south-facing, and therefore received heavy, indirect light which made any surface imperfection more apparent.The flooring manufacturer did not immediately issue any finding After several weeks, the customer began to call Floored to inquire about the status of her claim We had little to tell her, other than that we would inform her as soon as the mill made a determination for her, and we could come anytime to replace the boards we discussed in January We called the claims representative several times, and in June received some correspondence saying that the claim was found inconclusive based on the report and pictures, and no further action would be taken unless samples could be removed from the floor and submitted to supplement the claim The customer was informed of this, but still would not let us come and perform the board replacements - which we had been prepared to do since January and which would allow us to retrieve the sample boards.The customer began to call Floored more frequently Her language started to change, and she began to refer to her floor as 'defective' She was always told the same things: that we couldn't do any more for her on her claim unless she let us come and replace the boards, that her floor was not defective and only a tiny fraction of her total floor was blemished in any way, and we were prepared to replace that She would entertain no suggestions of the board replacements or procuring samples for her claim She began saying things like, "You can have all the samples you want when you come replace my floor." The calls became so frequent at Floored that it bordered on harassment She was always asking the same questions, as though she thought the answers would somehow change on their own, and she became increasingly hostile She didn't just call Floored, either She began to call the manufacturer and the flooring distributor as well Near the end of 2014, someone in the claims department at the mill asked the customer why she hadn't let Floored come and perform board replacements to get them the samples they needed to complete the review of her claim She told them we were going to 'put nail holes all over her floor', and this person assured her that the board replacements could be done near-invisibly, by gluing the new boards in place While she had rejected this manner of installation for nearly a year - claiming that glued boards were not what she paid for and would somehow ruin her house - the customer finally agreed to let us come in and do the board replacements in December (months after we first offered, and bought the material to do them) The customer refused to allow the original installer to return, which combined with the holidays made for some scheduling difficulties, but a crew came to replace the boards - and collect samples for the claim - in January When they arrived, the crew found nearly a hundred boards in the living room marked with masking tape (quadruple the amount in the whole home a year earlier) Not having enough material to replace all of these, the installer consulted with me and then selected as many boards as he could replace with the provided material He returned the samples to the store, and they were passed along to the manufacturer.In February, the mill issued its findings on the claim There were no material defects and no valid claim against the warranty A board was noted in their report to have adhesive residue on the surface, but not of the type Floored used to install the kitchen floor The customer was still unsatisfied, and I went out again to meet with her (I have now visited her home times since completing her installation) An employee accompanied me to photograph the floor following the board replacements, and he counted pieces of masking tape on the floor She was openly hostile, and threatening to 'get lawyers involved' No resolution was evident at that meeting, so I told her I would get back in touch in a couple of days to discuss what I was willing to do to settle our affairs When I spoke to her, I told her that since her concerns were concentrated on the living room, I would consider replacing that whole room of flooring if she would sign a release of any further liability for her floors I told her that this solution was, in my opinion, more than fair, because I did not believe the condition of her floor warranted replacement I was willing to furnish the materials and labor simply to settle our affairs and put her and her home behind me The customer said she wasn't comfortable signing such a document and asserted that she thought I would provide inferior products or workmanship if she did We thus have arrived at another impasse The customer seems unwilling to be satisfied, and is equally unwilling to accept settlement offers that include a release of further obligations from Floored - something I think is critical given the customer's attitude and behavior over the now months since we first installed her floor
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me I will accept his offer of:I am prepared to extend the following offer: Floored will provide replacement flooring for the living room (the same product originally purchased), and I will refund the customer $- an amount sufficient to cover the labor to remove the existing hardwood, install new flooring, plus incidentals The customer may take this new material and money, and can find someone to install the new flooring for them with whom they have greater confidence.I would like to know when I can expect the refund of $and the materials, also how much materials I will receive (sqftor boxes).I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved Regards, [redacted]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me and consider this complaint resolved
Regards,
*** ***
Everyone at Floored has made an earnest effort to understand the nature of this customer's concerns, to give the installation appropriate attention, and to try to satisfy the customer We have made multiple visits to the home, we have consulted with the manufacturer, we have had countless phone conversations with the customer, we have offered and attempted to replace the offending boards in the living room, and at every turn the customer was not pleased In light of the customer's continued dissatisfaction, I offered to replace the entire living room of hardwood, in exchange for a signed release from any further obligation/warranty on the floor That offer was greeted with the offensive suggestion that Floored would furnish inferior materials or workmanship if such a release were signed Floored and all its employees have been and will remain committed to the satisfaction of every customer that chooses to do business with us After so many rounds of back-and-forth with this customer, I fear it may be time to admit we cannot satisfy this individual Since I know that she is unhappy with her living room floor, I am prepared to extend the following offer: Floored will provide replacement flooring for the living room (the same product originally purchased), and I will refund the customer $- an amount sufficient to cover the labor to remove the existing hardwood, install new flooring, plus incidentals The customer may take this new material and money, and can find someone to install the new flooring for them with whom they have greater confidence
I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
I do not see that it would be in my best interest to accept the owners offer to furnish me the flooring and $900 to have it installed by another contractor. Businesses make most of their profit from the sale of their product and it would be difficult for me to find someone interested in installing a floor that was purchased elsewhere. The owner keeps insisting that I have been so hard to satisfy. I do not agree and have addressed this previously. His business installed tile in my kitchen and hardwood in the rest of my house (living room, 3 bedrooms, 2 hallways and den) and out of that entire job my dissatisfaction has been with the one room. The owner agreed in March to replace my living room floor in exchange for a signed release from further liability. Since this was a highly unusual request, I did ask how I could be assured the floor would be replaced with the same product I purchased. I don’t consider this to be an offensive remark; only a cautious question. He stated he would address my concerns in his document and send to me for my approval and signature. I agreed to this and he said that he would order the materials and have his office schedule a date for installation to be done within 30 days. I never received the document to sign nor was the work ever scheduled. All I am asking is for the owner to honor his commitment to me and replace my living room floor. Regards,
[redacted]
I am disappointed, but not particularly shocked, to see this complaint. This customer is clearly unhappy. Whether or not her hardwood floors are the cause is much less clear. Floored has worked hard to try to please her, but to no avail. At each encounter she wants more....
From the outset, our dealings were tinted by a tragic event that occurred in her home and necessitated the replacement of her old floors. As is typical at Floored, I performed walk-throughs during and immediately after the installation of the customer's new floors. No faults or blemishes were apparent, nor were any brought to my attention by the customer. We did come back immediately after the completed installation to replace the refrigerator door, which had gotten a dent during the replacement of the kitchen floor. It was replaced quickly and without hesitation after the installer brought the damage to my attention.Shortly after the work was completed - in December 2013 - the customer called to say she had some 'spots' on her floor. I went to her home and looked at about half a dozen small dull spots on the hardwood floor in her living room, near the kitchen. I surmised the spots were adhesive residue - probably from the kitchen floor - which I assumed was tracked into the living room during installation and missed during cleanup. I sent the installer and his helper over to clean the spots, and look for any others. A week or so after they came, the customer called again to say she had found more 'spots'. The installer's helper returned and tried to clean the additional areas as the customer pointed them out. Shortly after that - in January 2014 - the customer called again to complain about 'spots'. I went out to see her, and she had marked 24 boards in her floor with masking tape for me to look at. In those marked boards, I identified five different causes for the 'blemishes' she was concerned about: - in the hallway, there was a burnished (shiny) spot on the floor where she said the installer's helper had scrubbed one of the spots, which affected three boards; - in the living room, there was one board with a small indentation along the edge from the shoe of the flooring nailer; - in the living room, there were three boards with small, natural cracks in the wood; - in the living room, several of the marked boards had 'medullary rays' - a natural figuring in the grain of wood floors, especially common in white oak, as purchased; - in the living room, there were three or four small dull spots on the floor finish. Two appeared slightly rough, but were - in my appraisal - topical. Each was the size of a dime or smaller, and of unclear origin.I explained to the customer that I would accept responsibility for the boards with the indentation and the burnished mark, and I would replace those boards. In so doing, I would need to order another box of material, and I would therefore have enough to replace the boards with the topical dull spots, as well. The customer asked if I thought her floor was defective, and I said 'no'. She asked how I would replace the boards, and I explained how boards would be removed, and that we could fasten the new boards by either gluing invisibly, or face-nailing, which would leave holes to be filled on the surface. She said she did not want the boards glued, and I tried to explain that if I face-nailed the boards, the puttied holes might be more visible to her than the blemishes we were repairing. She said perhaps we should just tear up the whole room and replace it so there wouldn't be any glue or nail holes. I told her that was excessive, and I couldn't even consider it unless there was a clear manufacturing defect and I got the support of the mill. The customer said she wanted the manufacturer to look at her floor to see if it was defective. I said I could file a claim for her, but that I didn't think it was warranted. When I left her home, I ordered the box of materials for board replacements, and filed the requested claim with my supplier. We did not return to perform board replacements, because the customer wanted to wait and see if the manufacturer thought her floor was defective.It was April 2014 before the claims representative arrived to inspect the customer's hardwood floor. I met him at her home, and found that The customer had marked more than 40 boards with masking tape for this visit. The claims rep performed a thorough inspection, took pictures, and filed a report with the mill. He found the floor to be properly installed, to have a few dull spots of unknown origin - which under magnification showed small scratch marks from cleaning attempts - and noted that the room of greatest concern to the customer was south-facing, and therefore received heavy, indirect light which made any surface imperfection more apparent.The flooring manufacturer did not immediately issue any finding. After several weeks, the customer began to call Floored to inquire about the status of her claim. We had little to tell her, other than that we would inform her as soon as the mill made a determination for her, and we could come anytime to replace the boards we discussed in January. We called the claims representative several times, and in June received some correspondence saying that the claim was found inconclusive based on the report and pictures, and no further action would be taken unless samples could be removed from the floor and submitted to supplement the claim. The customer was informed of this, but still would not let us come and perform the board replacements - which we had been prepared to do since January and which would allow us to retrieve the sample boards.The customer began to call Floored more frequently. Her language started to change, and she began to refer to her floor as 'defective'. She was always told the same things: that we couldn't do any more for her on her claim unless she let us come and replace the boards, that her floor was not defective and only a tiny fraction of her total floor was blemished in any way, and we were prepared to replace that. She would entertain no suggestions of the board replacements or procuring samples for her claim. She began saying things like, "You can have all the samples you want when you come replace my floor." The calls became so frequent at Floored that it bordered on harassment. She was always asking the same questions, as though she thought the answers would somehow change on their own, and she became increasingly hostile. She didn't just call Floored, either. She began to call the manufacturer and the flooring distributor as well. Near the end of 2014, someone in the claims department at the mill asked the customer why she hadn't let Floored come and perform board replacements to get them the samples they needed to complete the review of her claim. She told them we were going to 'put nail holes all over her floor', and this person assured her that the board replacements could be done near-invisibly, by gluing the new boards in place. While she had rejected this manner of installation for nearly a year - claiming that glued boards were not what she paid for and would somehow ruin her house - the customer finally agreed to let us come in and do the board replacements in December 2014 (11 months after we first offered, and bought the material to do them). The customer refused to allow the original installer to return, which combined with the holidays made for some scheduling difficulties, but a crew came to replace the boards - and collect samples for the claim - in January 2015. When they arrived, the crew found nearly a hundred boards in the living room marked with masking tape (quadruple the amount in the whole home a year earlier). Not having enough material to replace all of these, the installer consulted with me and then selected as many boards as he could replace with the provided material. He returned the samples to the store, and they were passed along to the manufacturer.In February, the mill issued its findings on the claim. There were no material defects and no valid claim against the warranty. A board was noted in their report to have adhesive residue on the surface, but not of the type Floored used to install the kitchen floor. The customer was still unsatisfied, and I went out again to meet with her (I have now visited her home 5 times since completing her installation). An employee accompanied me to photograph the floor following the board replacements, and he counted 92 pieces of masking tape on the floor. She was openly hostile, and threatening to 'get lawyers involved'. No resolution was evident at that meeting, so I told her I would get back in touch in a couple of days to discuss what I was willing to do to settle our affairs. When I spoke to her, I told her that since her concerns were concentrated on the living room, I would consider replacing that whole room of flooring if she would sign a release of any further liability for her floors. I told her that this solution was, in my opinion, more than fair, because I did not believe the condition of her floor warranted replacement. I was willing to furnish the materials and labor simply to settle our affairs and put her and her home behind me. The customer said she wasn't comfortable signing such a document and asserted that she thought I would provide inferior products or workmanship if she did. We thus have arrived at another impasse. The customer seems unwilling to be satisfied, and is equally unwilling to accept settlement offers that include a release of further obligations from Floored - something I think is critical given the customer's attitude and behavior over the now 18 months since we first installed her floor.
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will accept his offer of:I am prepared to extend the following offer: Floored will provide replacement flooring for the living room (the same product originally purchased), and I will refund the customer $900 - an amount sufficient to cover the labor to remove the existing hardwood, install new flooring, plus incidentals. The customer may take this new material and money, and can find someone to install the new flooring for them with whom they have greater confidence.I would like to know when I can expect the refund of $900 and the materials, also how much materials I will receive (sq. ft. or boxes).I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
Regards,
[redacted]
I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
First of all I would like to say I find it very disrespectful and insensitive that a business owner would insinuate a tragic event necessitating the replacement of my floor would cause me to be unhappy with the results of his work. This is totally irrelevant to the problems I have had with the installation of my floor.The owner states that there were no blemishes or faults on the floor during his walkthrough which is untrue. As originally stated in my complaint there were spots showing on my floor from the very beginning and I immediately brought them to his attention. The installer and his helper did come back and attempt to remove the spots. Some of them they could remove and some they could not and in some cases the floor was damaged more by their attempts to remove with different types of cleaners. When the owner speaks of “each encounter I want more” I assume he is speaking about the increase in spots marked on the floor each of the times that he has come to my house. There are many reasons why the numbers have increased. For example, in the beginning I made reference to the boards and their location on the floor rather than individual spots. In many cases there was more than one spot on each board. Later it was suggested by the installer that I mark each spot (not board) on the floor with painter’s tape which I did to make it easier for them to be located; however, it did increase the number of marked places. I want to make it clear that at no time did I ever use masking tape as indicated by the owner. I had to mark these spots four times so the owner, installers and factory representatives could inspect and each time the outside lighting in the room was subject to change which at times caused spots to become more visible in different areas of the room. Later furniture was move and more spots were located. The fact remains that the spots are there and have been from the time of installation. I’m not sure what he means by “wanting more”. What more have I ask for other than to have my damaged floor in the living room replaced?The owner talks about my refusal to allow him to remove boards and face nail or glue replacement boards back. Yes I did and still do have a problem with this. We are talking about a large portion of my living room floor. I am being told that you cannot tell when the boards are glued back and that is not entirely true. You can tell where the sample boards were removed and replacements were glued back on my floor. According to the owner I was told the board replacements could be done near-invisibly. Near-invisibly means to me that it is visible. I purchased a high quality hardwood floor with a 50 year warranty and that is what I expected to receive. I did not expect to have a floor piece-milled back together after boards are removed throughout the area.When I was told the factory wanted sample boards removed and sent to them I did get upset and told the owner since the purchase of the flooring was between him, his distributor and the factory I felt he should go ahead and replace my floor and then take care of his claim afterwards by sending the samples to the factory. My contract was with him not the factory. When he refused, I ask that he provide me with the name and telephone number of the factory representative handling the claim and the name and telephone number of the person that came to my home and inspected the damaged areas. He was to get this and call me back. When I did not hear anything I sent a letter to him on September 6, 2014. In the letter I requested that if he refused to replace the damaged floor I wanted him to submit to me, in writing, a detailed explanation of what he proposed to do to resolve the matter and how he intended to do it. I also ask for a written letter from the factory that this was an approved way to correct a new floor installation damaged by either defective wood or by the people installing it. I also ask for a written confirmation from the factory that the type of repair he suggested would in no way cause me any problems with the warranty that was on the product. I never received a response to this letter.I take exception to the statement that my calls became so frequent they bordered on harassment. At no time did I ever harass the owner or his employees. I can account for all calls made and they definitely would not be considered to be excessive. In fact, I feel that I have been very patient in waiting all this time to resolve this problem. Most of my calls went unanswered and return calls were not received. When I was able to speak with an employee I would ask for any updates and request that the owner call me back which he never did. The owner has also accused me of calling the distributor and the factory. I have never placed a call, sent an email or talked to the distributor at any time. My communication with the factory was a letter sent on October 24th , a phone call on November 20th and an email on December 10th when trying to settle the issue with obtaining samples. I didn’t contact them again until I sent an email June 2nd requesting that I be given information on the results of the test they ran on the samples from my floor. This was done because the owner would not give me a copy of the factory’s denial. I don’t consider this to be excessive communication. It is completely untrue that I refused to allow the original installer to return to obtain sample boards. The employee working to schedule this appointment told me she wanted to get another installer to remove and replace the boards because he was considered one of the best and she knew he would do a good job. I had no knowledge of this person until the employee told me about him. This was her reason for the delay in scheduling an appointment. He was working on another job that he did not finish as scheduled; therefore, they cancelled his visit to my home on December 17 and rescheduled the middle of January when he returned from Christmas holidays. The only statement I made about him to her was that if he was the best why wasn’t he the one that installed my floor to begin with? (When the owner agreed to install a new floor I did request that this installer do the job since they considered him to be one of the best and I was told they would have to go with the original installer which I accepted.)When the installer came to my house on January 13th and I told him the owner said he was going to replace the worst boards, he immediately informed me he only had a partial box of flooring. He had no knowledge that he was suppose to repair any of the damaged areas other than to get samples. The owner said the installer consulted with him on that day about having only enough material to get samples; however, the owner later claimed that he was under the impression my floor had been fixed that day.The owner says the testing that came back from the factory showing that the adhesive residue on the surface is not the type used to install the kitchen floor. It was my understanding that grout was used on my kitchen floor; however, I do know that glue was used in my living room when the installers had to replace some boards while they were on site before they finished the job. Either one of those could be on the floor as both rooms were being done at the same time on the last day they worked. The installers were walking between the two rooms as well as in and out of the house. Again the fact remains that something was left on my floor during installation and the owner and/or installers have not been able to get off. I was not hostile as indicated by the owner when they came to my house in March. Maybe upset, but not hostile and I did not threaten to get lawyers involved. I made the statement that I didn’t want to get lawyers involved because it would be costly for both of us and it would be better if we could settle this ourselves and the owner agreed. I was upset that he tried to act as if he couldn’t see the areas of damage on my floor and especially when he indicated the lighting in my room caused the spots to show up more. That certainly is not a reason to justify spots on the floor and as I told him maybe I should look more closely in the other rooms that were not so well lit. The owner agreed in March to replace my living room floor and I thought this matter was going to be settled. He asked that I sign a document releasing him from further liability and I did say I was uncomfortable with this; however, I did not refuse. He said he would address my concerns in his document and would send me a copy for my review which he never did. He was to order the material and schedule the work to be completed within a month. This did not happen and I called a month later to find out why. His employee spoke with him and told me he was still working on a date. I waited a couple weeks to call and by then it had been six weeks. When they did not answer I went to the store. I was told that messages had been given to the owner. When I left I called him on his cell phone which was the first time I had done this and he answered. He had not ordered the flooring nor had he scheduled the work. He told me this had not been done due to a financial problem causing his delay because the money would be out of his pocket. He promised he would get the flooring and have the work done by no later than the end of May. When I didn’t hear anything I called on May 18th and spoke with the employee. She said that the materials had been ordered but they had been unable to schedule the work. I was put off again and told it was not going to be done by the end of May as promised. I ask her to see if she could get a date scheduled for installation and call me back which was never done.In the first couple weeks of June I called and again my phone calls went unanswered with no return calls made in response to messages left so on June 11th I called and left a final message that if they did not call me back Iwas going to take further action. I did not receive a reply; therefore, I made arrangements to file this complaint.The owner states that we are at another impasse. I do not accept responsibility for this. He has accused me of being unhappy and unwilling to be satisfied and he has tried to blame this on an occurrence that has absolutely nothing to do with the flooring issue and should have never been brought up due to its’ extreme personal nature. I feel that bringing this up was very unprofessional on his part. He has said that I have bordered on harassment. I do not agree with this. My calls have not been excessive and most of them have gone unanswered and ignored. After waiting all this time (1 ½ years) the owner finally agreed to replace the living room floor only to continuously delay scheduling the work. After all the delays, excuses and blame that he has sent my way he is now saying I am unwilling to sign a release of liability to him for work prior to it being done. Considering the way in which this matter has been handled I do at this time have some reservations with this request; however, I have never refused as he implies. This is just another reason for him to have an excuse for delay. He said in his response to my complaint that he wanted to have this matter settled so that he could put me and my home behind him. I would also like to have the issue resolved and had he done as promised this would be behind both of us.Regards,
[redacted]
I am disappointed, but not particularly shocked, to see this complaint This customer is clearly unhappy Whether or not her hardwood floors are the cause is much less clear Floored has worked hard to try to please her, but to no avail At each encounter she wants more From the outset, our dealings were tinted by a tragic event that occurred in her home and necessitated the replacement of her old floors As is typical at Floored, I performed walk-throughs during and immediately after the installation of the customer's new floors No faults or blemishes were apparent, nor were any brought to my attention by the customer We did come back immediately after the completed installation to replace the refrigerator door, which had gotten a dent during the replacement of the kitchen floor It was replaced quickly and without hesitation after the installer brought the damage to my attention.Shortly after the work was completed - in December - the customer called to say she had some 'spots' on her floor I went to her home and looked at about half a dozen small dull spots on the hardwood floor in her living room, near the kitchen I surmised the spots were adhesive residue - probably from the kitchen floor - which I assumed was tracked into the living room during installation and missed during cleanup I sent the installer and his helper over to clean the spots, and look for any others A week or so after they came, the customer called again to say she had found more 'spots' The installer's helper returned and tried to clean the additional areas as the customer pointed them out Shortly after that - in January - the customer called again to complain about 'spots' I went out to see her, and she had marked boards in her floor with masking tape for me to look at In those marked boards, I identified five different causes for the 'blemishes' she was concerned about: - in the hallway, there was a burnished (shiny) spot on the floor where she said the installer's helper had scrubbed one of the spots, which affected three boards; - in the living room, there was one board with a small indentation along the edge from the shoe of the flooring nailer; - in the living room, there were three boards with small, natural cracks in the wood; - in the living room, several of the marked boards had 'medullary rays' - a natural figuring in the grain of wood floors, especially common in white oak, as purchased; - in the living room, there were three or four small dull spots on the floor finish Two appeared slightly rough, but were - in my appraisal - topical Each was the size of a dime or smaller, and of unclear origin.I explained to the customer that I would accept responsibility for the boards with the indentation and the burnished mark, and I would replace those boards In so doing, I would need to order another box of material, and I would therefore have enough to replace the boards with the topical dull spots, as well The customer asked if I thought her floor was defective, and I said 'no' She asked how I would replace the boards, and I explained how boards would be removed, and that we could fasten the new boards by either gluing invisibly, or face-nailing, which would leave holes to be filled on the surface She said she did not want the boards glued, and I tried to explain that if I face-nailed the boards, the puttied holes might be more visible to her than the blemishes we were repairing She said perhaps we should just tear up the whole room and replace it so there wouldn't be any glue or nail holes I told her that was excessive, and I couldn't even consider it unless there was a clear manufacturing defect and I got the support of the mill The customer said she wanted the manufacturer to look at her floor to see if it was defective I said I could file a claim for her, but that I didn't think it was warranted When I left her home, I ordered the box of materials for board replacements, and filed the requested claim with my supplier We did not return to perform board replacements, because the customer wanted to wait and see if the manufacturer thought her floor was defective.It was April before the claims representative arrived to inspect the customer's hardwood floor I met him at her home, and found that The customer had marked more than boards with masking tape for this visit The claims rep performed a thorough inspection, took pictures, and filed a report with the mill He found the floor to be properly installed, to have a few dull spots of unknown origin - which under magnification showed small scratch marks from cleaning attempts - and noted that the room of greatest concern to the customer was south-facing, and therefore received heavy, indirect light which made any surface imperfection more apparent.The flooring manufacturer did not immediately issue any finding After several weeks, the customer began to call Floored to inquire about the status of her claim We had little to tell her, other than that we would inform her as soon as the mill made a determination for her, and we could come anytime to replace the boards we discussed in January We called the claims representative several times, and in June received some correspondence saying that the claim was found inconclusive based on the report and pictures, and no further action would be taken unless samples could be removed from the floor and submitted to supplement the claim The customer was informed of this, but still would not let us come and perform the board replacements - which we had been prepared to do since January and which would allow us to retrieve the sample boards.The customer began to call Floored more frequently Her language started to change, and she began to refer to her floor as 'defective' She was always told the same things: that we couldn't do any more for her on her claim unless she let us come and replace the boards, that her floor was not defective and only a tiny fraction of her total floor was blemished in any way, and we were prepared to replace that She would entertain no suggestions of the board replacements or procuring samples for her claim She began saying things like, "You can have all the samples you want when you come replace my floor." The calls became so frequent at Floored that it bordered on harassment She was always asking the same questions, as though she thought the answers would somehow change on their own, and she became increasingly hostile She didn't just call Floored, either She began to call the manufacturer and the flooring distributor as well Near the end of 2014, someone in the claims department at the mill asked the customer why she hadn't let Floored come and perform board replacements to get them the samples they needed to complete the review of her claim She told them we were going to 'put nail holes all over her floor', and this person assured her that the board replacements could be done near-invisibly, by gluing the new boards in place While she had rejected this manner of installation for nearly a year - claiming that glued boards were not what she paid for and would somehow ruin her house - the customer finally agreed to let us come in and do the board replacements in December (months after we first offered, and bought the material to do them) The customer refused to allow the original installer to return, which combined with the holidays made for some scheduling difficulties, but a crew came to replace the boards - and collect samples for the claim - in January When they arrived, the crew found nearly a hundred boards in the living room marked with masking tape (quadruple the amount in the whole home a year earlier) Not having enough material to replace all of these, the installer consulted with me and then selected as many boards as he could replace with the provided material He returned the samples to the store, and they were passed along to the manufacturer.In February, the mill issued its findings on the claim There were no material defects and no valid claim against the warranty A board was noted in their report to have adhesive residue on the surface, but not of the type Floored used to install the kitchen floor The customer was still unsatisfied, and I went out again to meet with her (I have now visited her home times since completing her installation) An employee accompanied me to photograph the floor following the board replacements, and he counted pieces of masking tape on the floor She was openly hostile, and threatening to 'get lawyers involved' No resolution was evident at that meeting, so I told her I would get back in touch in a couple of days to discuss what I was willing to do to settle our affairs When I spoke to her, I told her that since her concerns were concentrated on the living room, I would consider replacing that whole room of flooring if she would sign a release of any further liability for her floors I told her that this solution was, in my opinion, more than fair, because I did not believe the condition of her floor warranted replacement I was willing to furnish the materials and labor simply to settle our affairs and put her and her home behind me The customer said she wasn't comfortable signing such a document and asserted that she thought I would provide inferior products or workmanship if she did We thus have arrived at another impasse The customer seems unwilling to be satisfied, and is equally unwilling to accept settlement offers that include a release of further obligations from Floored - something I think is critical given the customer's attitude and behavior over the now months since we first installed her floor
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me I will accept his offer of:I am prepared to extend the following offer: Floored will provide replacement flooring for the living room (the same product originally purchased), and I will refund the customer $- an amount sufficient to cover the labor to remove the existing hardwood, install new flooring, plus incidentals The customer may take this new material and money, and can find someone to install the new flooring for them with whom they have greater confidence.I would like to know when I can expect the refund of $and the materials, also how much materials I will receive (sqftor boxes).I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved Regards, [redacted]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me and consider this complaint resolved
Regards,
*** ***
Everyone at Floored has made an earnest effort to understand the nature of this customer's concerns, to give the installation appropriate attention, and to try to satisfy the customer We have made multiple visits to the home, we have consulted with the manufacturer, we have had countless phone conversations with the customer, we have offered and attempted to replace the offending boards in the living room, and at every turn the customer was not pleased In light of the customer's continued dissatisfaction, I offered to replace the entire living room of hardwood, in exchange for a signed release from any further obligation/warranty on the floor That offer was greeted with the offensive suggestion that Floored would furnish inferior materials or workmanship if such a release were signed Floored and all its employees have been and will remain committed to the satisfaction of every customer that chooses to do business with us After so many rounds of back-and-forth with this customer, I fear it may be time to admit we cannot satisfy this individual Since I know that she is unhappy with her living room floor, I am prepared to extend the following offer: Floored will provide replacement flooring for the living room (the same product originally purchased), and I will refund the customer $- an amount sufficient to cover the labor to remove the existing hardwood, install new flooring, plus incidentals The customer may take this new material and money, and can find someone to install the new flooring for them with whom they have greater confidence
I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
I do not see that it would be in my best interest to accept the owners offer to furnish me the flooring and $900 to have it installed by another contractor. Businesses make most of their profit from the sale of their product and it would be difficult for me to find someone interested in installing a floor that was purchased elsewhere. The owner keeps insisting that I have been so hard to satisfy. I do not agree and have addressed this previously. His business installed tile in my kitchen and hardwood in the rest of my house (living room, 3 bedrooms, 2 hallways and den) and out of that entire job my dissatisfaction has been with the one room. The owner agreed in March to replace my living room floor in exchange for a signed release from further liability. Since this was a highly unusual request, I did ask how I could be assured the floor would be replaced with the same product I purchased. I don’t consider this to be an offensive remark; only a cautious question. He stated he would address my concerns in his document and send to me for my approval and signature. I agreed to this and he said that he would order the materials and have his office schedule a date for installation to be done within 30 days. I never received the document to sign nor was the work ever scheduled. All I am asking is for the owner to honor his commitment to me and replace my living room floor. Regards,
[redacted]
I am disappointed, but not particularly shocked, to see this complaint. This customer is clearly unhappy. Whether or not her hardwood floors are the cause is much less clear. Floored has worked hard to try to please her, but to no avail. At each encounter she wants more....
From the outset, our dealings were tinted by a tragic event that occurred in her home and necessitated the replacement of her old floors. As is typical at Floored, I performed walk-throughs during and immediately after the installation of the customer's new floors. No faults or blemishes were apparent, nor were any brought to my attention by the customer. We did come back immediately after the completed installation to replace the refrigerator door, which had gotten a dent during the replacement of the kitchen floor. It was replaced quickly and without hesitation after the installer brought the damage to my attention.Shortly after the work was completed - in December 2013 - the customer called to say she had some 'spots' on her floor. I went to her home and looked at about half a dozen small dull spots on the hardwood floor in her living room, near the kitchen. I surmised the spots were adhesive residue - probably from the kitchen floor - which I assumed was tracked into the living room during installation and missed during cleanup. I sent the installer and his helper over to clean the spots, and look for any others. A week or so after they came, the customer called again to say she had found more 'spots'. The installer's helper returned and tried to clean the additional areas as the customer pointed them out. Shortly after that - in January 2014 - the customer called again to complain about 'spots'. I went out to see her, and she had marked 24 boards in her floor with masking tape for me to look at. In those marked boards, I identified five different causes for the 'blemishes' she was concerned about: - in the hallway, there was a burnished (shiny) spot on the floor where she said the installer's helper had scrubbed one of the spots, which affected three boards; - in the living room, there was one board with a small indentation along the edge from the shoe of the flooring nailer; - in the living room, there were three boards with small, natural cracks in the wood; - in the living room, several of the marked boards had 'medullary rays' - a natural figuring in the grain of wood floors, especially common in white oak, as purchased; - in the living room, there were three or four small dull spots on the floor finish. Two appeared slightly rough, but were - in my appraisal - topical. Each was the size of a dime or smaller, and of unclear origin.I explained to the customer that I would accept responsibility for the boards with the indentation and the burnished mark, and I would replace those boards. In so doing, I would need to order another box of material, and I would therefore have enough to replace the boards with the topical dull spots, as well. The customer asked if I thought her floor was defective, and I said 'no'. She asked how I would replace the boards, and I explained how boards would be removed, and that we could fasten the new boards by either gluing invisibly, or face-nailing, which would leave holes to be filled on the surface. She said she did not want the boards glued, and I tried to explain that if I face-nailed the boards, the puttied holes might be more visible to her than the blemishes we were repairing. She said perhaps we should just tear up the whole room and replace it so there wouldn't be any glue or nail holes. I told her that was excessive, and I couldn't even consider it unless there was a clear manufacturing defect and I got the support of the mill. The customer said she wanted the manufacturer to look at her floor to see if it was defective. I said I could file a claim for her, but that I didn't think it was warranted. When I left her home, I ordered the box of materials for board replacements, and filed the requested claim with my supplier. We did not return to perform board replacements, because the customer wanted to wait and see if the manufacturer thought her floor was defective.It was April 2014 before the claims representative arrived to inspect the customer's hardwood floor. I met him at her home, and found that The customer had marked more than 40 boards with masking tape for this visit. The claims rep performed a thorough inspection, took pictures, and filed a report with the mill. He found the floor to be properly installed, to have a few dull spots of unknown origin - which under magnification showed small scratch marks from cleaning attempts - and noted that the room of greatest concern to the customer was south-facing, and therefore received heavy, indirect light which made any surface imperfection more apparent.The flooring manufacturer did not immediately issue any finding. After several weeks, the customer began to call Floored to inquire about the status of her claim. We had little to tell her, other than that we would inform her as soon as the mill made a determination for her, and we could come anytime to replace the boards we discussed in January. We called the claims representative several times, and in June received some correspondence saying that the claim was found inconclusive based on the report and pictures, and no further action would be taken unless samples could be removed from the floor and submitted to supplement the claim. The customer was informed of this, but still would not let us come and perform the board replacements - which we had been prepared to do since January and which would allow us to retrieve the sample boards.The customer began to call Floored more frequently. Her language started to change, and she began to refer to her floor as 'defective'. She was always told the same things: that we couldn't do any more for her on her claim unless she let us come and replace the boards, that her floor was not defective and only a tiny fraction of her total floor was blemished in any way, and we were prepared to replace that. She would entertain no suggestions of the board replacements or procuring samples for her claim. She began saying things like, "You can have all the samples you want when you come replace my floor." The calls became so frequent at Floored that it bordered on harassment. She was always asking the same questions, as though she thought the answers would somehow change on their own, and she became increasingly hostile. She didn't just call Floored, either. She began to call the manufacturer and the flooring distributor as well. Near the end of 2014, someone in the claims department at the mill asked the customer why she hadn't let Floored come and perform board replacements to get them the samples they needed to complete the review of her claim. She told them we were going to 'put nail holes all over her floor', and this person assured her that the board replacements could be done near-invisibly, by gluing the new boards in place. While she had rejected this manner of installation for nearly a year - claiming that glued boards were not what she paid for and would somehow ruin her house - the customer finally agreed to let us come in and do the board replacements in December 2014 (11 months after we first offered, and bought the material to do them). The customer refused to allow the original installer to return, which combined with the holidays made for some scheduling difficulties, but a crew came to replace the boards - and collect samples for the claim - in January 2015. When they arrived, the crew found nearly a hundred boards in the living room marked with masking tape (quadruple the amount in the whole home a year earlier). Not having enough material to replace all of these, the installer consulted with me and then selected as many boards as he could replace with the provided material. He returned the samples to the store, and they were passed along to the manufacturer.In February, the mill issued its findings on the claim. There were no material defects and no valid claim against the warranty. A board was noted in their report to have adhesive residue on the surface, but not of the type Floored used to install the kitchen floor. The customer was still unsatisfied, and I went out again to meet with her (I have now visited her home 5 times since completing her installation). An employee accompanied me to photograph the floor following the board replacements, and he counted 92 pieces of masking tape on the floor. She was openly hostile, and threatening to 'get lawyers involved'. No resolution was evident at that meeting, so I told her I would get back in touch in a couple of days to discuss what I was willing to do to settle our affairs. When I spoke to her, I told her that since her concerns were concentrated on the living room, I would consider replacing that whole room of flooring if she would sign a release of any further liability for her floors. I told her that this solution was, in my opinion, more than fair, because I did not believe the condition of her floor warranted replacement. I was willing to furnish the materials and labor simply to settle our affairs and put her and her home behind me. The customer said she wasn't comfortable signing such a document and asserted that she thought I would provide inferior products or workmanship if she did. We thus have arrived at another impasse. The customer seems unwilling to be satisfied, and is equally unwilling to accept settlement offers that include a release of further obligations from Floored - something I think is critical given the customer's attitude and behavior over the now 18 months since we first installed her floor.
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will accept his offer of:I am prepared to extend the following offer: Floored will provide replacement flooring for the living room (the same product originally purchased), and I will refund the customer $900 - an amount sufficient to cover the labor to remove the existing hardwood, install new flooring, plus incidentals. The customer may take this new material and money, and can find someone to install the new flooring for them with whom they have greater confidence.I would like to know when I can expect the refund of $900 and the materials, also how much materials I will receive (sq. ft. or boxes).I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
Regards,
[redacted]
I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
First of all I would like to say I find it very disrespectful and insensitive that a business owner would insinuate a tragic event necessitating the replacement of my floor would cause me to be unhappy with the results of his work. This is totally irrelevant to the problems I have had with the installation of my floor.The owner states that there were no blemishes or faults on the floor during his walkthrough which is untrue. As originally stated in my complaint there were spots showing on my floor from the very beginning and I immediately brought them to his attention. The installer and his helper did come back and attempt to remove the spots. Some of them they could remove and some they could not and in some cases the floor was damaged more by their attempts to remove with different types of cleaners. When the owner speaks of “each encounter I want more” I assume he is speaking about the increase in spots marked on the floor each of the times that he has come to my house. There are many reasons why the numbers have increased. For example, in the beginning I made reference to the boards and their location on the floor rather than individual spots. In many cases there was more than one spot on each board. Later it was suggested by the installer that I mark each spot (not board) on the floor with painter’s tape which I did to make it easier for them to be located; however, it did increase the number of marked places. I want to make it clear that at no time did I ever use masking tape as indicated by the owner. I had to mark these spots four times so the owner, installers and factory representatives could inspect and each time the outside lighting in the room was subject to change which at times caused spots to become more visible in different areas of the room. Later furniture was move and more spots were located. The fact remains that the spots are there and have been from the time of installation. I’m not sure what he means by “wanting more”. What more have I ask for other than to have my damaged floor in the living room replaced?The owner talks about my refusal to allow him to remove boards and face nail or glue replacement boards back. Yes I did and still do have a problem with this. We are talking about a large portion of my living room floor. I am being told that you cannot tell when the boards are glued back and that is not entirely true. You can tell where the sample boards were removed and replacements were glued back on my floor. According to the owner I was told the board replacements could be done near-invisibly. Near-invisibly means to me that it is visible. I purchased a high quality hardwood floor with a 50 year warranty and that is what I expected to receive. I did not expect to have a floor piece-milled back together after boards are removed throughout the area.When I was told the factory wanted sample boards removed and sent to them I did get upset and told the owner since the purchase of the flooring was between him, his distributor and the factory I felt he should go ahead and replace my floor and then take care of his claim afterwards by sending the samples to the factory. My contract was with him not the factory. When he refused, I ask that he provide me with the name and telephone number of the factory representative handling the claim and the name and telephone number of the person that came to my home and inspected the damaged areas. He was to get this and call me back. When I did not hear anything I sent a letter to him on September 6, 2014. In the letter I requested that if he refused to replace the damaged floor I wanted him to submit to me, in writing, a detailed explanation of what he proposed to do to resolve the matter and how he intended to do it. I also ask for a written letter from the factory that this was an approved way to correct a new floor installation damaged by either defective wood or by the people installing it. I also ask for a written confirmation from the factory that the type of repair he suggested would in no way cause me any problems with the warranty that was on the product. I never received a response to this letter.I take exception to the statement that my calls became so frequent they bordered on harassment. At no time did I ever harass the owner or his employees. I can account for all calls made and they definitely would not be considered to be excessive. In fact, I feel that I have been very patient in waiting all this time to resolve this problem. Most of my calls went unanswered and return calls were not received. When I was able to speak with an employee I would ask for any updates and request that the owner call me back which he never did. The owner has also accused me of calling the distributor and the factory. I have never placed a call, sent an email or talked to the distributor at any time. My communication with the factory was a letter sent on October 24th , a phone call on November 20th and an email on December 10th when trying to settle the issue with obtaining samples. I didn’t contact them again until I sent an email June 2nd requesting that I be given information on the results of the test they ran on the samples from my floor. This was done because the owner would not give me a copy of the factory’s denial. I don’t consider this to be excessive communication. It is completely untrue that I refused to allow the original installer to return to obtain sample boards. The employee working to schedule this appointment told me she wanted to get another installer to remove and replace the boards because he was considered one of the best and she knew he would do a good job. I had no knowledge of this person until the employee told me about him. This was her reason for the delay in scheduling an appointment. He was working on another job that he did not finish as scheduled; therefore, they cancelled his visit to my home on December 17 and rescheduled the middle of January when he returned from Christmas holidays. The only statement I made about him to her was that if he was the best why wasn’t he the one that installed my floor to begin with? (When the owner agreed to install a new floor I did request that this installer do the job since they considered him to be one of the best and I was told they would have to go with the original installer which I accepted.)When the installer came to my house on January 13th and I told him the owner said he was going to replace the worst boards, he immediately informed me he only had a partial box of flooring. He had no knowledge that he was suppose to repair any of the damaged areas other than to get samples. The owner said the installer consulted with him on that day about having only enough material to get samples; however, the owner later claimed that he was under the impression my floor had been fixed that day.The owner says the testing that came back from the factory showing that the adhesive residue on the surface is not the type used to install the kitchen floor. It was my understanding that grout was used on my kitchen floor; however, I do know that glue was used in my living room when the installers had to replace some boards while they were on site before they finished the job. Either one of those could be on the floor as both rooms were being done at the same time on the last day they worked. The installers were walking between the two rooms as well as in and out of the house. Again the fact remains that something was left on my floor during installation and the owner and/or installers have not been able to get off. I was not hostile as indicated by the owner when they came to my house in March. Maybe upset, but not hostile and I did not threaten to get lawyers involved. I made the statement that I didn’t want to get lawyers involved because it would be costly for both of us and it would be better if we could settle this ourselves and the owner agreed. I was upset that he tried to act as if he couldn’t see the areas of damage on my floor and especially when he indicated the lighting in my room caused the spots to show up more. That certainly is not a reason to justify spots on the floor and as I told him maybe I should look more closely in the other rooms that were not so well lit. The owner agreed in March to replace my living room floor and I thought this matter was going to be settled. He asked that I sign a document releasing him from further liability and I did say I was uncomfortable with this; however, I did not refuse. He said he would address my concerns in his document and would send me a copy for my review which he never did. He was to order the material and schedule the work to be completed within a month. This did not happen and I called a month later to find out why. His employee spoke with him and told me he was still working on a date. I waited a couple weeks to call and by then it had been six weeks. When they did not answer I went to the store. I was told that messages had been given to the owner. When I left I called him on his cell phone which was the first time I had done this and he answered. He had not ordered the flooring nor had he scheduled the work. He told me this had not been done due to a financial problem causing his delay because the money would be out of his pocket. He promised he would get the flooring and have the work done by no later than the end of May. When I didn’t hear anything I called on May 18th and spoke with the employee. She said that the materials had been ordered but they had been unable to schedule the work. I was put off again and told it was not going to be done by the end of May as promised. I ask her to see if she could get a date scheduled for installation and call me back which was never done.In the first couple weeks of June I called and again my phone calls went unanswered with no return calls made in response to messages left so on June 11th I called and left a final message that if they did not call me back Iwas going to take further action. I did not receive a reply; therefore, I made arrangements to file this complaint.The owner states that we are at another impasse. I do not accept responsibility for this. He has accused me of being unhappy and unwilling to be satisfied and he has tried to blame this on an occurrence that has absolutely nothing to do with the flooring issue and should have never been brought up due to its’ extreme personal nature. I feel that bringing this up was very unprofessional on his part. He has said that I have bordered on harassment. I do not agree with this. My calls have not been excessive and most of them have gone unanswered and ignored. After waiting all this time (1 ½ years) the owner finally agreed to replace the living room floor only to continuously delay scheduling the work. After all the delays, excuses and blame that he has sent my way he is now saying I am unwilling to sign a release of liability to him for work prior to it being done. Considering the way in which this matter has been handled I do at this time have some reservations with this request; however, I have never refused as he implies. This is just another reason for him to have an excuse for delay. He said in his response to my complaint that he wanted to have this matter settled so that he could put me and my home behind him. I would also like to have the issue resolved and had he done as promised this would be behind both of us.Regards,
[redacted]