A typical scenario might go like this:
The “Delay Game”
You buy a laminate floor from a dealer and several weeks after the installation you notice that the joints are coming apart. You call the dealer and the following happens:
- They don’t return your repeated phone calls & messages.
- After finally getting a hold of a manager, they make an appointment to “inspect” the floor, but never show up.
- Your follow up calls are ignored.
- After many missed or delayed appointments, they finally “inspect” the floor, promise to get back to you, but never call.
- They say it’s a “manufacturing problem,” so you call the manufacturer and they say it’s an “installation problem.” They pass the buck back and forth for weeks.
- They offer to send you a few hundred dollars in order to make you go away. You refuse.
- They begrudgingly agree to replace the floor at no charge, but the installers never show up.
- The installers finally show up, but they inform you that the cost to “re-install” will be $500. You tell them that the dealer said “no charge.” They refuse to do the work without getting paid. More delays. More stress.
Go to Ripoff Report and look under carpet & tile stores to see real life examples of the “Delay Game.”
This process typically drags on for weeks or months, all the while your floor that you paid a lot of money for is NOT getting fixed. Keep in mind that this is done deliberately. You see, unethical, bait-and-switch, “discount” dealers know ahead of time that because of their low price they simply cannot afford to honor their warranties.
So they play a numbers game. If they get ten warranty claims in a month, they know that if they play the “Delay Game” long enough, eight of the customers will simply give up and go away. Now they only have to pay for two warranties! Not a bad deal…for them.
The “Delay Game” is especially frustrating when the big-box, “Mega-Depots” play it. These stores are HUGE corporations, and have layer after layer of bureaucracy, and lots of lawyers. Trying to get them to honor a simple agreement can be like dealing with the federal government: a hair-pulling nightmare.
Finally, in desperation, you hire an attorney (more money out of your pocket), and FORCE them to honor the warranty that you paid for, and you get your floor fixed. (Hopefully they get it right this time, otherwise you get to play the “Delay Game” again!)
In this case, did the warranty protect you? Well, in a way it did, because you eventually got your floor fixed. But what a nightmare! Wouldn’t it be better to work with a local, honest dealer that backs up their warranties out of simple ethics rather than legal threats?
This is another reason it’s critical that you work with a local, reputable company you can trust. Always get a list of references from past clients. References are simply the ONLY WAY you can know ahead of time that you’re dealing with an honest company. If they refuse to provide references, find another store. Period.
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