Tuesday, 7 October 2014

Westboro Floors has a new motto - "as long as it's installed correctly, it's ok with us if your floors look like sh*t" - UPDATED

UPDATE: Email from CRI says : "Westboro Flooring is not a CRI member. Any claim they make of CRI membership would either by mistaken or fraudulent"




________________UPDATE ___________________
Westboro Flooring violated section 6.2 of CRI guidelines in their installation  …



6.2
Planning for Seams
Keep seams to a minimum. Position seams so that, where possible:
• they run the length of the area. (NOPE!)
•main traffic flow runs along, rather than across, the seam. (NOPE!)
•natural light does not strike across the seam.
•are away from areas subject to pivoting traffic.
•are not perpendicular to doorway openings (NOPE!)
_____________________________________________________




Overall: Westboro flooring finds that a carpet installed in our home is acceptable although seems are visible in almost all areas.  They conclude that because the installation was done correctly and the seams are tight, the way the carpet looks is "acceptable". Noting that sometimes we need to "admit defeat" and accept that sometimes the "perfect storm of conditions come together" and then the seams are "as good as they can be"....

Really? So the bottom line is, if the work is done 100% correctly, the final product looks terrible then the consumer is on the hook for either replacing the carpet ($10,000) or living with carpets that look like shit? This home is brand new, I expect perfection not "acceptable"

Please - read below and send your comments, suggestions and support. Westboro Flooring is  hoping we will just go away...and we wont. 

Share our story so no one else goes up against a big company that wants to ruin our dream home by not standing by their work.

http://canadastvgirl.blogspot.com/2014/10/westboro-floors-has-new-motto-as-long.html


The quick and dirty notes
  • Carpet issues upstairs on PDI (Pre delivery inspection) all seams were visible in rooms and in hallway, 1 bedroom being particularly bad
  • these were noted and we were told they would be fixed - they were not
  • Westboro has come in numerous times and says that 1 room has a carpet defect but the other seams are "acceptable" 
  • The Solution for the 1 room was to change out the piece of carpet for a new piece of carpet - but Westboro warns us that it most likely wont match the rest of the carpet because it wont be from the same dye lot.  So essentially they want us to change a carpet that doesn't match, for another piece of  carpet that doesn't match...
  • I had an independant contractor come in -  he indicated that he would have installed it differently and would have used different carpet for that area

    Even Westboro thinks Westboro's work is bad:
    I sent an anonymous email to Westboro asking about our seams - acting like I was not a Westboro client and got this in return:

    > From: adewhurst@westboroflooring.com
    > To: vickivailessex@hotmail.com
    > Subject: RE: Westboro Flooring
    > Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 18:30:16 +0000
    >
    > Thanks for the pictures.
    > The seams are bad in those areas, have they always been that way?
    > Sometime as the carpet ages and they get steam cleaned the seams can start to look more noticeable.
    > There is a chance that we can put the seams in a less noticeable area(doorways can't be changed.)
    >
    > Keep in touch if you want to get together to look at options.
    > Thanks again.
    >
    > Amanda
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------
    and
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    To: vickivailessex@hotmail.com
    Subject: RE: Westboro Flooring
    Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 19:36:57 +0000
    Hi Vicki.
    We do guarantee our installations for 2 years.
    We just can’t   guarantee a totally invisible seam, the installers we have a good at what they do. I am sure the seams will be better than what you have now.
    Keep in touch.
    Amanda
     -------------------------------------------------------------------



NOW - After a long (8 month) battle about our carpet seams (that you have all been following
on Facebook) here is the email I received from Westboro: 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hi Vickie,

I visited your home yesterday with Angelo Paolozzi (our Senior Quality Control Inspector).

A common misconception is that carpet seams will be completely invisible.
Carpet is no different than an article of clothing, fabric in sofas, wall paper etc.

If a carpet seam has the carpet backing flush to each other without gap and without overlap it is acceptable.

Acceptable carpet  seams do not mean they are invisible.  I found the carpet seams in the doorways and hallway of your home to be acceptable.

Metric Homes and Westboro Flooring & Décor have agreed to bring in an independent inspector (at our cost) to give their professional and final opinion, with the understanding that all three parties will respect the findings of the independent.

Please advise if you would like us to move forward with the independent inspector.


Eva Lepore
Director of New Housing & Highrise
Westboro Flooring & Décor
195 Colonnade Rd. South
Ottawa, Ontario
K2E 7K3

----------------------------------------------------

And my reply : 



Hi Eva,

I appreciate your visit and respect your opinion of our seams being acceptable.

At this time we are not interested in an independent contractor coming into our home to advise us as we are willing to accept that there is a possibility that the carpet has been installed correctly - that is not the issue that we are debating.

Visually  and/or esthetically these seams are not acceptable to us. In natural light, the seams do appear slightly better but with nothing but our ceiling lights on at night the seams are extremely visible. Again, not acceptable, they look like you could almost trip over them!

This has been ongoing for over 7 months and these seams were spotted in our PDI inspection.  
After all this time, we still have no resolution for the portion of carpet in our sons room that has been deemed “defective” so I was not expecting a quick resolution to the rest of the situation where it is simply a matter of opinion and where the resolution will be costly for Westboro.   I am extremely disappointed that the way this carpet looks is acceptable to Westboro.


We will consider other options and be in touch.

Thank you,



Tuesday, 9 September 2014

Why People Download TV …and other things that have to do with landing on the Moon


Extant - the new Steven Spielberg series is excellent, I love it, but it’s not the topic of this post, it’s merely a prime example or a casualty in a battle I am waging on the cable companies.  As someone who watches a lot of TV, It’s important to have a number of places where I can watch.  People often ask me: “do you really watch all the shows you review?” and “where do you find the time?”  Well I’ll tell you! And then we will get to the meat of what I want to address today.
I have a full time job and I have full time kids and a full time husband (is there a word for more than full time?) and yet I still find the time to keep up with watch my favorite shows as well as watching new shows and writing reviews. I do this for a couple of reasons.
1 – I love TV. Period. I would take TV over movies any day!
And …
2 – I try to watch and review so that those of you who can't make time for all the shows make time for the ones you think you will like. I am trying to maximize your enjoyment of TV too!



This is where I get back to Extant…In order to keep up with my busy life and keep up my TV viewing and blogging I need to have a system and the system needs to be reliable! I have some shows recording on the PVR in the bedroom and some on the PVR in the living room. Some shows are recording on time shift to catch them earlier or and some are recording on time shift to catch them later and some are recording simultaneously at times that I know I won't need to watch live TV…It’s a delicate grid people…very delicate. It’s in Excel and posted on my fridge with highlighter and colour codes…it’s a science…nay! An art!




So when I get into bed the other night and turn on Extant and I see “scenes from last week” that should be a recap but in fact I have not seen them before? I lose it!  Come on cable companies, we have put a man on the moon but when I select “record all new events” you can't figure out how to record a show if it is an unprecedented 2 hour episode? Come on! This makes me want to jump on the bandwagon with the conspiracy theorists that the moon landing never happened! How could it have if my PVR can't even figure out how to not skip the first hour of a 2 hour show that said “record ALL NEW EPISODES”? Impossible!




In adding insult to injury, today I see a post on TvLine.com with the Headline “Good Wife, Bad Time Slot: CBS Tweaks Alert System for Sunday Delays” http://tvline.com/2014/09/09/the-good-wife-football-delays-cbs-eye-lert-system/ and I am immediately in a bit of a rage.  To set the stage, I am one of the honest people that pays for music when I download it. I believe whole-heartedly that some artists create great music and I am more than happy to spend my money to purchase a good song that makes me do a little dance or puts a smile on my face.  I feel the same way about TV.  I want studios to make great shows! I want producers, directors, writers and actors to make money for providing me with such fabulous entertainment. Especially after dabbling in acting myself, I know I appreciate the paycheck after what can sometimes be long hours. BUT…and you knew one was coming…I get so frustrated with the networks and the way they move things around without giving it a second thought. I want to watch, I want your sponsors to get their money and have everyone get paid…but you have to deliver the goods on your end too!



So when I read that CBS wants me to download an app so that I get an alert that my show is running late because of Football so that I can update my PVR - I have to say why?  Why in this age of modern technology can we not just bump the show and have the PVR know that? If the Football game ran 32 minutes longer than it should have– BAM – a signal is sent to the digital box and all shows on that channel and their recordings are also bumped back by 32 minutes. Easy.  Done. When Bachelor Pad runs an episode on Monday night and ALSO one on Tuesday – BAM – a signal goes to my PVR to record it if I am already recording the one on Monday. It’s not rocket science people…but it is the reason people download.   


Friday, 11 July 2014

Extant - The Ratings Were Wrong...and Here's Why!



OK Mystery solved! I know why the numbers for Extant were low and it’s not what you think.   

I set up my PVR for the series premiere of Extant and was insanely excited for this new Steven Spielberg/Hale Berry work of genius.  The trailers were exciting and intriguing and based on those I can’t believe that it was not at the very top of the ratings chart this week.  However, it became clearer when I set up the PVR and the description for Extant said the following:









2 words come to mind after reading that description: Seriously Boring.

It looks as though this synopsis was stolen ALMOST word for word from the CBS page. The deletion of the word "thrilling" (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/thrilling) and the addition of the last sentence would have drastically altered who (and how many people) turned into this show.

CBS:  In a thrilling drama, Berry will play an astronaut who returns home from a year-long solo mission in space and tries to reconnect with her husband and son in their everyday life. Her experiences in space and home lead to events that ultimately will change the course of human history.”

What potential viewers need to know is that Extant:

  • …is not a female "reconnecting" drama
  • …is a sci-fi masterpiece like only Spielberg can achieve
  • …has a cast of brilliant actors
  • ....is reminiscent of “Encounters of the Third Kind”

Extant boasts a huge cast of mega stars:  HalleBerry, Goran Visnjic, Camryn Manheim and one of the most talented young actors currently on the TV screen Pierce Gagnon.  I urge you to share this review and undo the misconception the PVR guide may have created!

I was expecting Extant to be awesome …and it Extraordinary!

Wednesday, 9 July 2014

Leftover...but not lost


When I tuned into  The Leftovers’  for its series premiere on HBO June 29th I was expecting a remake/expansion of ‘LeftBehind  (a series of 16 novels by Tim Lahaye and Jerry B Jenkins that was turned into TV movie starring KirkCameron) what I got was a pleasant surprise as a riveting and sometimes chilling dramatic series unfolded before me. Similarities run through both productions in that a mass spontaneous disappearance which some feel is biblical in origin has rocked the planet - leaving all those who remain behind searching for answers. 

** (Left Behind has since been adapted into three action/thriller films set for release in 2014 starring Nicolas Cage

Starring Justin Theroux (Mr. Jennifer Anniston), Michael Gaston (Inception, Body of Lies), Liv Tyler  (most famously for Armageddon) and one of my personal favourites Amy Brenneman  (Private Practice, Reign, Judging Amy) this intriguing and mysterious drama is not surprisingly from the mind of Damon Lindelof – the co-creator of Lost.

‘Leftovers’ provides the audience with enough information to not be lost (pun intended) and little enough information to be hungry for more.

Newcomer Margaret Qualley is captivating and authentic as Jill Garvey, the daughter of the Sheriff - played by Theroux - whose life has been capsized by the loss of her mother.

Theroux is nondescript and disappointing in a pivotal role and I would have preferred to see this character played by RonLivingston.   Their facial similarities leave me constantly awaiting Livingston’s likeability to appear and it never does…

Looking forward to seeing how this one unfolds and hoping that unlike Lindelof’s last creation after 6 years I am not lost

Monday, 23 June 2014

Resurrection, The Returned or "Les Revenants" - Whatever You Call It - Its Wonderful, Amazing and "Magnifique"!



Directed by Daniel Attias (who has assisted in directing duties with such legends as Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola) and written by Aaron Zelman (of CSI and Law and Order Fame) comes Resurrection. 

Based on the book “The Returned” by Jason Mott which was brought to life the first time in the French movie and TV Series “Les Revenants”, Resurrection claims to flow from a different source.  However, when reviewing content and overall storyline there is barely a shade of grey of difference other than language.

Lovers of supernatural TV will be engrossed in this fantasy drama television show.  I found myself going through several rounds of goose bumps in Episode 1 alone.

A quick synopsis: (without spoilers)  The series follows the residents of Arcadia, Missouri, whose lives are upended when their loved ones return from the dead, un-aged since their deaths.

The well composed scenes allow the audience to feel what is happening and internalise the emotion by providing an excellent balance of dialogue and silence which allows the viewer to sink into Arcadia.

The seasoned cast delivers outstanding performances that further draw in the audience with believability that allows you to get lost in their stories. 

Omar Epps, Francis Fisher, and Kurtwood Smith are unforgettable.
Season 1 began on ABC in March 2014 and I urge you to watch it before season 2 starts in the Fall of this year.  I can’t get enough!