Let me start by
saying that there are plenty of reputable carpet dealers. The problem is knowing
the difference between a reputable carpet retailer and a store you should avoid.
You can't tell by looking from the outside or even shopping on the inside of the
store. You need to be knowledgeable about the whole carpet buying process to be
able to recognize the carpet con-artists.
Consumers who are in need of new carpet
are often misinformed, mislead, overcharged or sold the wrong flooring materials
for their needs or lifestyle. The problem is, there are just too many flooring
salespeople that are willing to tell you just about anything in order to
persuade you to buy from them. Why? It's due to the fact that most carpet
salespeople are not paid by the hour or on salary, they are paid on commission. For them, no sale means no pay, and the need to make money can
easily cause many salespeople to sacrifice integrity. That means they may
tell you what you want to hear even if it is not true, just to make a sale.
Here is a
list of Common Internet Scams from the FBI website...
It's a sad fact that many consumers buy carpet
that they know little or nothing about. They may be able to recall how much they
paid for their new carpet, but they often have no idea what type of fiber the
carpet is made of, or what grade of padding was selected.
Very few consumers have adequate knowledge about
the carpet they purchased to know whether or not it will endure their needs and
lifestyle or longevity expectations. It doesn't take long for most homeowners to
discover that the carpet they selected will not last as long as anticipated.
In
fact, most homeowners expect their new carpet to last for at least ten years but often
find it fails to retain a "like-new appearance" for more than three
years.
Why does this happen? Carpet is not made the same
as it was 40-50 years ago. They made all carpets the same way. Heavy duty. There
were three grades of carpet back then. Good, better and best. The lowest grade carpet
used to last 10-20 years or more before it would begin to wear out. Even today
we are still removing these old carpets that were installed in the 1960's and
1970's. They were made of heavy gauge nylon and they wore like iron. All they
had to do was give them a good cleaning once in a while and they would come back
looking like new again and again.
Today, like everything else, carpet is
manufactured to meet the needs of any application and for any size budget. Carpet manufacturers
make at least 12 different qualities or grades of carpet to choose from, but the
trick is knowing which grade of carpet to buy.
-
There are at least three grades
of low-end
carpets designed for apartments. The lowest apartment grade carpet is so thin
you can almost read a newspaper through it.
-
There are at least six medium grade carpet
qualities for those who want a carpet to
last for 5 to 15 years,
-
There are at least three high-end grades for those who want
their carpet to last 20 years or more and are
willing to pay dearly for it.
That's
over 12 different grades of carpet. Choosing the wrong grade is the biggest
mistake you can make. Why? Because the carpet you buy must meet your needs and
goals or you will not get the results that you desire. Why spend thousands on a
carpet that won't last?
Why spend thousands on a carpet that wears out
prematurely? On the other side of the coin, why spend more than you need to? If
you want a carpet to last for only 5 years you shouldn't spend more than is
necessary to achieve that. The trick is knowing how to determine which carpet
can do the job for you at the right price. Few carpet salespeople are going to
know this information. They just want to make a sale and will applaud any choice
you make whether it is a good choice or not.
Now
please remember, not all carpet stores are unscrupulous and have untrained
salespeople. There are plenty of reputable carpet stores to buy from. Take a
moment to see who I have listed in my Preferred
Carpet Dealer Directory.
