Complaint Review: Express Flooring

On 11/19/12 I submitted a warranty case with Express Flooring.  I had 2 issues; first, we had significant buckling in our carpet which is covered under the lifetime installation guarantee and secondly, the level of wear on our carpet is incredibly difficult. We clean our carpets several times a year and had it professionally cleaned mid-October. The carpet we purchased was a more expensive higher end carpet (to the tune of almost $3,400 including new pad), and we opted to spend more because we did have a dog (now we have two) and it came with a 35 year wear warranty. It started looking really bad 2 years ago, but I didnt find our paperwork until November. In fact, the carpet looks worst than carpeting in 4 other rooms that is twice as old and merely builder grade.

I was advised that due to the holidays, the process for replacement would take 2-3 weeks. Not a big deal, I understand that holidays mean more vacation time, fewer resources, and fewer working days. Now, 7 weeks in and we still have yet to hear much of anything. I called to speak with my warranty advisor the second week of December. The carpet had been stretched, removing the buckling at that point, but we still had not heard from the manufacturers inspection rep to even schedule a visit to our home to evaluate the state of the carpet. I played phone tag, never actually speaking to Michael, who left me a voice mail that truly irritated me more than anything. The last thing I want is to feel like I am being handled, so I let it go for a few days to make sure it wasnt just bad timing. I listened to it again a few days later and it still enraged me; so much for hoping it was just a bad day and timing when I heard it the first time.

Luckily for Michael, and Express Flooring, the following day I received a call from the manufacturers inspector and promptly scheduled his visit to my home for the following morning. On 12/14/12,
Rick from Certified Flooring Inspectors visited our property, taking down information and pictures to send back to the manufacturer. He did let me know that with the holiday, it would likely be after the first of the year before the carpet would be replaced (inferring that he agreed this was a manufacturers issue and Express would be authorized to replace the carpet).

I figured through Christmas and New Years I wouldnt hear much. We finally received a letter in the mail today denying our claim.  There is nothing "normal" about the wear of the carpet, and information contained within the denial report is inaccurate as well. Ironically enough, we are confident we will be purchasing more flooring this year and I dont plan on using Express Flooring again, given the lack of communication and customer service I am experiencing.