By Alan Fletcher -
Carpet Expert and Consumer Advocate
Q. I bought a new house last year and the carpet is less than
1 1/2 years. My roommate has a cat the messed up the carpet 20 times? Is it
better to steam clean it or Chem-dry it? Is there a better way?
Alan's
Reply:
You have a problem. 20 times is a lot of mess. If it was solid
mess then a steam cleaning might do the trick, If it was urine, it has soaked
into the carpet and pad and may not be easy to get rid of the smell, if at all. Even so, I
would try hiring a professional steam cleaner, it would give results much better than
renting a store machine.
Q. I am re-carpeting my bedroom. I have heard different things
about carpet padding. Is 7/16, 6-pound padding a good pad to get.
Alan's
Reply:
Yes that would be a standard padding. It would not work for
all carpets though, Berbers and other commercial goods need special padding.
Read more about Carpet
Pad
Q.We have two active dogs, and we are looking for new carpeting
in our house. Would you recommend Stainmaster?
Alan's
Reply:
Most carpets come with anti stain protection and they are all
good. Some are
better than others. With active dogs you want to avoid Berber carpets and
any carpet with loops. Stainmaster carpets, Mohawk, Shaw, they all have good
and not so good carpets. Selecting the right carpet when you have active dogs is
not as easy as it was in years past. You have to buy a very durable carpet. What brand you
select is not as important as the fiber, twist and density ratings.
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Q. So, now that I have this P.E.T. Polyester plastic carpet and it is
matting down exactly as you said it would on your informative site, what can I legally do now? This
is a carpet nightmare. I filed with the BBB and the owner of the shop came and
an inspector (independent) came just today. Wish I had done more of my homework
and knew of your site.
Alan's
Reply:
The carpet makers cover themselves very well in their limited
warranties. They don't usually cover crushing or matting which is what you are
experiencing. Sometimes they (the retailer) will replace your carpet if
you make enough stink about it and they are willing to save face in the
community. But in most cases you
are up a creek without a paddle.
Your best bet to get a decent resolution
(carpet replaced or a store credit) is to convince the retailer (not the mill
rep) that you have a lot of friends, relatives, large church congregation, PTA
members, etc. And that you will be informing all of them about this transaction,
if you are not satisfied with the final outcome.
Word of mouth is the most
important factor for most locally owned businesses and a negative vibe in the community can
surely take its financial toll on any business. If you bought from a smaller
local dealer I think your chances for a satisfactory outcome is better than if you bought from
a big box retailer like Home Depot or a shop-at-home conglomerate like Empire
Today.
You cannot win against the carpet mill by
legal pursuits or intimidation alone, they have clearly defined limitations in
their warranty. This does not mean that they (the mill) won't side with you and
agree to replace your carpet, they may. But if they do, it is usually only
because they cherish the relationship with the retailer and may agree to replace
the carpet in order to keep the retailer happy.
You want the retailer to
be on your side and to go to
bat for you so don't make enemies by being totally unreasonable or hard to deal
with. The retailer may say to the mill rep
that "we do a lot of business with you guys, we want you to take care of
this issue because if you don't we may not order as much carpet from you in the
future, there are other mills to order from.
I hope to prevent others from going
through your "nightmare" so I will post your story on my site if you
will allow me. I am very interested in hearing all the details from start to
finish if you have the time. What did the salesperson tell you about this carpet
before you bought it? Did you get a copy of the warranty? How long was it
installed before you noticed the problems developing?
Polyester is a cheap fiber
and they make a lot of money selling it. It sure looks good when it is new and
is so soft. It is really deceiving to the general public who usually knows very
little about carpets. Well, I hope this helps you to understand the position you
are in, and how to best gain leverage and exactly where to focus your attention.
Q. I would like to install Mohawk Berber carpet in our
basement (an olefin/nylon blend). The house has been waterproofed, but when we
get a very severe storm, some minor seepage can still happen, usually leaking
from the foundation onto the floor. I have chosen a 65 oz. Mohawk Berber, but
the salesman worries that it is so thick that it will not dry out should seepage
occur. The next lesser weight down is 52 oz.; am I better off with that?
Alan's
Reply:
If you have the possibility of water getting to the carpet
then I suggest you either fix the problem or forget Berber. Water is the worst
enemy of Berber, regardless of the face weight. A wet Berber will fall apart. Try it yourself, take a small piece of
Berber carpet and
run it under the tap for a moment, Wait one minute and then you can easily peal
the backing right off. The loops will pull right out without any difficulty. The
problem is, they use a lot of latex to hold the loops into the backing and once water soaks in, the (water-based) latex fails and the loops
are free to unravel. Read
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