________________UPDATE ___________________
Westboro Flooring violated section 6.2 of CRI guidelines in their installation https://www.carpet-rug.org/Documents/Publications/CRI_Carpet_Installation_Standard_2011.aspx …
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 +0000Hi 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,
For argument sake if we agree that it was installed correctly, then it comes down to if the look of it is acceptable or not, they say it is, and I say its not....remind me of that old expression..."the customer is always......right!" Except when you are dealing with Westboro Flooring & Decor
ReplyDeleteI tend to side with you. When you buy a new home you want it to be right. I am no carpet expert but I can see your seams. When I bought my never before lived in home I wanted it to be perfect. That was almost 17 years ago and I can not see the seams in my carpet. I had a similar issue with a company over some ceramic tiles in my bathroom. Floor uneven, toilet leaking, wrong colour of grout used. I was told the floor would never be even because it was ceramic tile, I was told the toilet leaking was that something was wrong with toilet or the plumbing. The grout work was done right even though it was the wrong colour but because it still matched it was ok. After terrible customer service them leaving a mess in my house and pouring concrete in my flower garden I had about gad it with them. After a year of me calling about every week and me telling them the next call would be from a lawyer I got a new floor at no cost to me contracted out by another company (due to the fact I didn't want the same crappy work done). When the new people came out my floor was level and no more leaky toilet. Good luck with your carpet issue. What ever happened to "the customer is always right".
ReplyDeleteLatest Email to Westboro Flooring :
ReplyDeleteHi Eva,
After some consideration, I find that I have a question for you that I am hoping that you can reply to in order to guide our next steps.
For argument sake, let’s assume that the carpet is installed correctly.
Once we have agreed on that, the matter before us becomes about how the carpet looks even though it was installed correctly.
The look of the carpet is a matter of opinion.
Our opinion - as the customer- is that the way it looks is not acceptable.
Your opinion - as the service and goods - provider is that it is acceptable.
The question is: Are you saying that our opinion is of no consequence and that our satisfaction with your product is not of enough importance for you to do anything further for us?
Please respond to this as well as with a response on the defective piece of carpet in our son’s bedroom which has gone 8 months without correction.
Thank you,
As no response has come in from Westboro, please see the latest email I have sent to them :
ReplyDeleteEva,
Please note that I am in need of response in writing to this email.
I need:
• A confirmation that no further action is being offered by Westboro Flooring or that a new carpet installation is being scheduled at your cost.
• A confirmation from Westboro on upcoming actions to be taken to resolve the defective carpet in my son’s bedroom (ongoing for 8 months)
Please note that I would like to move forward swiftly with this.
Please advise if the next step is a planned installation of new carpet or if I should move forward with filing complaints with the appropriate parties. (The Better Business Bureau, The Ministry of Government and Consumer Services and Small Claims court)
Please note that if no response is received by end of day Friday October 10th, I will accept that as your admission of disinterest in my satisfaction with your services.
Thank you,
BBB says Westboro has 4 complaints http://www.bbb.org/ottawa/business-reviews/carpet-and-rug-dealers-new/westboro-flooring-and-decor-in-nepean-on-3056/complaints
ReplyDeleteWestboro's latest response: PS - they are not "threats" they are my next steps in my course of action.
ReplyDelete--------------------------------------
Dear Ms. Essex-Price,
We have spoken with the builder of your new home and they have confirmed that after inspecting your carpets, it is their opinion that there is a defect in one bedroom, which we had acknowledged at the outset.
They also confirmed however that there that are no further issues with the product, the installation or the appearance of your carpets.
Notwithstanding their opinion, you were offered the opportunity to have an independent inspector attend at your home (at no expense to you) to determine if in fact the builder's and Westboro's opinion is correct, which you refused. It is obvious that it will not be possible to satisfy you unless we capitulate to your demands and threats, which we will not do.
Your home builder will contact you to arrange an appointment for Westboro to replace the carpet in the identified bedroom.
Sincerely Yours,
Eva Lepore