Complaint Review: Mokawk Carpet

WE purchased Mohawk Carpet from Lowe's Home Centers.  Approximately 2 months after the purchase, a very strange meandering line started to appear in the carpet.  It was about 1" wide and extended for about 8'.  We contacted Lowe's who in turn contacted the Mohawk representative regarding the defect.  Mohawk sent a service person to our house, to a quick look at the area in question, and proclaimed "shading" as to what the issue was.  I'm not real versed in carpeting, so I let it go, expecting some type of resolution.  Much to my dismay, Lowe's contacted me about 3 days later saying Mohawk denied my warranty claim, because the issue was "shading".  I then found out what "shading" is.  They say it's a discoloration to the carpeting due to common wear and tear, thus not covered under the warranty.  I disagreed with the Lowe's reperesentative, and he came out and took pictures of the area in question, and submitted them to Mohawk.  He stated that he had never seen any type of wearing like this, and filed our appeal with the Mohawk representative.  They in turn denied our claim again, even with the Lowe's people behind us. The Lowe's people were very frustrated, as I was, and stepped up to the plate, offering us a new carpet for the area in question, including the intallation.  We thanked them and took them up on their offer, selecting any carpeting besides Mohawk to replace the area in question.  I again contacted Mohawk to see if there was any other means of appeal, and was stated a flat "no".  I decided that since Lowe's stepped up to the plate, and made good on the issue, I would not take the company to small claims, knowing that they would battery me with lawyers and the hassle just wasn't worth it.  I suspect that's probably what they want anyway.  I should note that this was NOT cheap carpet.  It was a very dense pile that cost approximately $12/yard.  Very plush and luxurious carpet, and feels real good under the bare feet.

Whatever you do, don't purchase Mohawk carpeting due to ther total lack of customer service in the warranty department.  No matter what the issue with the carpeting, they will declare it the innocuous "shading" and deny any warranty claim.  To this day, I have not received a good definition of "shading", even from independent carpet retailers and experts.  Some, in the buisness for many years, had never even heard of the term, and when I shoed them the pictyures of the area in question, they stated it looked like a defect in manufacturing that related to the actual weave of the carpet.  We are now facing the same issue with the carpet in our bedroom, but will not pursue any claims due to the problems we have faced with Mohawk carpeting.

Lowe's,on the other hand,  due to their quick resolution and excellent customer service, still has my business, and always will.