Recently, on August 7, I had some Dura Ceramic tile by Congoleum (high-end, costly product) installed in my family room, eating area and kitchen, which encompasses the majority of the main floor of my home, minus the living room.initially, I ordered this product back in October. Since I have been working as a temporary legal secretary at a law firm and do not get paid for time off, I delayed the installation until late summer of this year when I was scheduled to do some at-home work for another company the week of August 4th. I paid off the first half of the project at the time of ordering. The second half I was pressured to pay off at the end of June by a sales person, Heather Erickson, who indicated that she was getting pressure from higher up to complete the transaction prior to installation. I reluctantly agreed, with the assurance that I would have a year's warranty to deal with any problems that may occur. Now I wish I had not consented to remit the second half payment until after the project was completed. The installers did a very nice job of installation; however, the majority of the tiles are defective. They either have black marks on them or a circle of dots in the center of the tiles. I asked the installers before they left why they continued to install the entire floor when the tiles were defective, but they simply answered that they don't really look at the tiles when they install them. This is very hard to believe. I noticed the defects immediately upon looking at them. I believe they simply wanted to get paid for the job and no doubt felt it was not their problem that the tiles were defective. As a matter of fact, they could possibly surmise that it would mean additional work for them to come back and rip them out and reinstall them again. One of the installers said he'd mention the problem to his "boss" and they would get in touch with me to come and view the tiles. On Friday, August 8th, I waited until afternoon to hear something but no one called. I contacted Carpet King in St. Louis Park and spoke with Marti about the problem and asked who I should speak with. She referred to some problem with the order prior to installation but didn't elaborate any further. She gave me the name of the customer service representative, Giuliano. I attempted to contact him; however, he had left for the day. I called Marti back and she gave me his usual hours. She indicted that she would tell him that I would call him around 10:00 on Monday, August 11th. I did reach him and relayed my problem to him. I told him someone would have to come out after 5:15 P.M. When I arrived home from work to look at the floor. He indicated that the reps didn't work those hours and that it would have to be by 4:30 or 5:00 P.M. Or 8:00 or 9:00 in the morning. I replied that I did not create this problem and they would have to accommodate my schedule. He said he would try to find someone to come after I returned home from work. On Tuesday, August 12th, Giuliano and another rep showed up about 5:30 P.M. They acknowledged the tiles were defective and took a sample tile from those that were left over. They indicated it would be a "long process" and that they would first have to submit a claim to Congoleum and that it would be about ten days before they heard anything back. Giuliano indicated he would be in touch with me. As of August 23rd, I had heard nothing. So, I sent a 3-page letter to Wm. Bailey, President of Carpet King on August 24th. Mr. Bailey called on August 25th and said he agreed with me that they mishandled the matter and that they would get on it. Giuliano called August 26th and said Congoleum claimed the marks were part of the tile pattern. He said they were dealing with Congoleum and would contact me on August 29th re status. Today is August 29th and by late afternoon I had heard nothing. I finally had to call Giuliano and Wm. Bailey and left messages for both objecting that NOTHING has been done. It's been almost a month (8/7-8/29) since install. I finally rec'd a call from Giuliano at 4:30 today (8/29) and he said they're still waiting to hear what Congoleum is willing to do. Giuliano has agreed that the tiles are, in fact, defective.
My home has been upside down for almost a month with furniture, etc., stashed everywhere since I've been left in limbo as to what action Carpet King is going to take. It's Labor Day weekend and I can't have any company due to the mess; I can't even watch TV in comfort and must sit on a kitchen table in the middle of the floor with the TV on a utility cart. Carpet King, upon acknowledging the defects, should have had a crew out to my home immediately to replace the floor and they should be dealing with Congoleum directly. This problem should not be interfering with my life at all. They created it and they need to fix it immediately. This whole debacle was not of my making in any way, shape or form. I will need to take at least two extra days off work for them to tear up the floor and then replace it, for which I expect compensation as I do not get any paid days off. I spent one whole day just for clean-up after the first install and I expect to be compensated for another day spent doing that. I expect a large discount for the inconvenience and stress they've caused and for the loss of the use of my home and my ability to enjoy it in the comfort I'm entitled and accustomed to. They obviously don't care about the customer, which I relayed to Giuliano, or they would have taken care of the problem and then dealt with Congoleum themselves. This is in stark contrast to their claims of strict customer satisfaction and bending over backwards to ensure repeat business. They should be charged with misrepresentation and false claims to the public as well which should carry with it some sort of penalty. The total amount for the job was $4,231.21 and it was paid by credit card. This is probably the worst case of customer service I've ever encountered on a project of this size. It's unconscionable that they have not been at all concerned about correcting the problem in a timely fashion and are basically holding me hostage until they get a response from Congoleum as to what they are willing to do.in other words, they are more concerned about the bottom line and their cash drawer than doing the right, ethical thing for the customer who has been severely wronged and made an innocent victim.
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