How To Recognize and Avoid Common Carpet Scams

How to Avoid Carpet Scams?

If you have purchased new carpet successfully in the past, buying new carpet today might seem like a super easy task for you. But times have changed and buying new carpet today is not as simple as it once was, even just a few years ago. Why? Unscrupulous carpet retailers have figured out new ways to trick you out of your hard-earned money.

But it's not just the carpet dealers you need to be concerned about, it can also be the carpet salesperson or even the carpet manufacturer that takes advantage of you.

Selecting New Carpet Wisely?

Not all carpets are created equal. Some carpets are designed for heavy traffic applications and can last for 20 years or more. Other carpets are designed for light traffic duty and might last 3 to 5 years.

Every home is different. You have to be sure that the Carpet and Pad you purchase is designed for your unique application.

There are many varying grades of carpet and you must choose the right grade of carpet and pad if you want it to last as long as you anticipate.

Above is a photo of a display rack at Home Depot. Every carpet on this display is made of 100% Polyester, which is well-known for matting down in short order. They don't tell you that.

These Polyester carpets are priced between $27.35 and $32.83 per yard for the carpet only. (no pad or install included). For that price you could select a medium-quality Nylon Frieze style at a locally owned carpet store.

Choosing a carpet made of NYLON instead of a Polyester is a smart move, especially if you want your new carpet to last years longer and avoid the common matting and crushing of the pile that carpets made from Polyester fibers are so well known for.

The Polyester Fiber Scam

Carpet manufacturers often print up new brochures that say P.E.T. and Polyester carpets are now new and improved.

They have been saying this since the 1950's and will continue to brag about the great benefits of Polyester.

Let me be frank...Polyester is a lousy fiber for the making of carpet. In fact, I think polyester is the absolute worst fiber you could ever choose if you want a carpet that will stand up to heavy foot traffic, be long-lasting, durable and resist matting and crushing of the pile!

Polyester does have some good qualities... It resists fading, it resists stains, it comes in vibrant colors and it is very soft.

The problem is, the pile "mats down" in a hurry and once it does, it will NEVER return to its original like-new appearance, no matter what you do.

In other words, in medium to heavy traffic applications, it will begin to look HORRIBLE very quickly, especially on stairs, down hallways and along your main walkways! In low-traffic applications polyester can last a few years longer.

Some uninformed, misinformed or slick carpet salespeople may try to convince you that the Polyester fiber is just as durable and just as resilient as a NYLON and that Polyester is now made better then it was in the past. This is a BIG FAT LIE!

Maybe they know it, maybe they don't. Either way, don't say I didn't warn you! Want a long lasting and durable carpet? Avoid polyester and choose a carpet made of NYLON!

The Free Carpet Installation Scam

Home Depot and Lowe's both offer low-cost installation at $99.00 or less, sometimes it's even free. This is just what they call a basic install and it doesn't cover everything your job likely needs. There's usually a hefty fee for any of the extra stuff your job requires beyond their limited definition of a "basic" installation.

Consumers often select carpet for the wrong reasons

A specific color, a soft feel or a special TV offer is often the deciding factor for many homeowners in search of new carpet. That's where most folks get it wrong.

To avoid choosing carpet for the wrong reasons, you need to have enough knowledge about carpet fibers and manufacturing specifications. Even if you have all this information available you still need to know how to use the information to your advantage. Learn more about Carpet Specifications

New Carpet Cost?

Unscrupulous carpet retailers go out of their way to make it appear simple and easy to buy new carpet. They often bundle up the carpet, the pad and the installation into one convenient one-price package deal.

They price the whole kit and caboodle by the "square foot" to make it sound very affordable. They may even offer free products, services or discounted installation to fool you into thinking you are getting a super good deal.

Nylon vs. Polyester

Let's First Consider a Medium-Grade NYLON Carpet.

If Medium-Grade Nylon Carpet, pad and installation totals just $5 per square foot, then how much will the total cost be? ($5 per square foot is the same as $45 per square yard.)

Most 2-bedroom ranch-style homes require a minimum of 100 square yards of carpet to do the living room, dining room, hallway and two bedrooms. This nylon carpet adds up to about $4500 plus tax for the complete job.

In a low to medium foot traffic setting, a medium grade nylon carpet will last about 9 to 12 years. In a moderate to heavy foot traffic setting a medium grade nylon carpet will last 5 to 8 years before it will begin to show signs of abrasion and loss of sheen.

If a Medium-Grade Polyester Carpet, pad and installation totals just $4 per square foot, then how much will the total cost be? ($4 per square foot is the same as $36 per square yard.)

Factoring 100 square yards of carpet to do the living room, dining room, hallway and two bedrooms. The polyester carpet adds up to about $3600 plus tax for the complete job.

In a low to medium foot traffic setting, a medium-grade polyester carpet will last about 5 to 8 years. In a moderate to heavy foot traffic setting a medium-grade polyester carpet will last 3 to 5 years before it will show obvious signs of matting and crushing of the pile.

These two scenarios both assume a typical family of 4 with no pets. It assumes the carpet was installed correctly, using the correct padding and the carpet was properly maintained according to the manufacturers new carpet warranty requirements.

By my calculations and using my 30+ years of hands-on experience, choosing a carpet made of polyester saved $900 but cut the lifespan by about 4 years.

Carpet Measuring Scams

Some homes are quick and easy to measure while others are more complicated and require a significant amount of time and expertise to measure up accurately.

If a carpet salesperson comes to your house to measure, they may not be willing disclose to you exactly how much carpet you actually need. They usually take all the measurements back to the store to calculate the final tally.

Some carpet salespeople prefer to keep their measurements hidden from you so you can't use their measurements to buy carpet from another dealer down the street. Although I understand this thinking, I don't think it is right for any salesperson to hide their measuring totals from you.

If you don't know exactly how much material you need, you will have no way of properly comparing other bids or estimates. It also allows them to charge you as much as they want without you knowing the true itemized cost for each of the products and services involved in the deal.

Inaccurate Measuring Can Cost You!

If they say you need 100 yards of carpet, then you will also be charged for 100 yards of padding and 100 yards of installation. That means if the carpet is $20 per yard, and the pad is $6 per yard, and the installation is $8 per yard, then you will be charged $34 X 100 yards = $3400

However if you actually need 91 yards of carpet then you would be charged $34 X 91 yards = $3094

This is a difference of $306.00 You could easily save this amount or more just by getting accurate measurements. This is just one of many good reasons why you need to get more than just one or two free bids/estimates. How to Measure for Carpet in 4 Simple Steps

Carpet Installation Scams

It is your job to be sure that the carpet installer is qualified and installs your carpet according to the CRI 105 installation guidelines. You cannot trust the carpet retailer to do this for you. If your carpet is not installed properly it will not last as long as it was intended, you might develop wrinkles and your warranty may be void.

Free Information and Sound Advice

You shouldn't expect any carpet salesperson to spent the time needed to educate you about choosing carpet. First, they don't have enough time to teach you what you really need to know, and second, their advice is not always sound advice. What grade of carpet should I buy?

Unscrupulous carpet salespeople will know if you have not done your carpet homework. If you walk in without a clue they can easily take advantage of your lack of knowledge and sell you an overpriced carpet that might not meet your needs or goals.

What About Carpet Warranties?

Earlier I said that carpet manufacturers can try to scam you too. Carpet warranties are one way they can do this... You should know that all carpet warranties are worded in such a way to make it almost impossible for homeowners to substantiate a valid claim when something goes wrong.

Carpet warranties are so confusing because they use wording designed to confuse and confound you. Other than the part that covers obvious manufacturing defects, most carpet warranties are not worth much at all.

Rarely do I see a carpet warranty cover anything other than an obvious manufacturing defect and even then it is quite limited and often takes some time and effort to get a remedy. Never buy a new carpet based on the warranty alone. Buy carpet based on you needs and goals. What grade of carpet should I buy?

Carpet & Flooring is a Big Ticket Item

Just like roofing, siding and replacement windows, all floorcovering is now considered to be a major re-occurring expense for homeowners. Consumers are often misinformed, mislead or overcharged when it comes to selecting appropriate flooring materials.

One main problem is that there are just too many pushy salespeople that are real good at closing the sale but have a fundamental lack of product knowledge or hands-on floorcovering experience.

I think this is especially true with shop-at-home retailers like Costco or Empire Today. Many of their contracted salespeople have been known to say or do just about anything to close the sale while they are in your home. They may not care if the product they recommend is incapable of meeting your needs, budget, lifestyle or goals.

This is due to the fact that most of these salespeople are paid on commission. Commissioned salespeople make no money unless they make a sale, and their hunger to make a paycheck or their greed to make lot of money can easily cause some salespeople to sacrifice integrity.

That means they may tell you exactly what you want to hear even if it is not true, just to convince you to buy from them today!

My advice? Do not buy anything from pushy or strong-arm salespeople! They are trained to wear you down by overcoming any objections you might have! Some homeowners have a hard time saying no to pushy salespeople. So if you are not ready to buy today, or you are unsure, then you need to say no!

I have been confronted by many pushy salespeople in my life and I fully understand how hard it is to say "no thank you." Say "thanks for stopping by" and escort them to the door. Do not write them a check. Do not agree to buy no matter what they say.

Tell them you need to take a few days to think about it and you want to do some comparison shopping. Tell them you want to sleep on it.

Trust me on this, even if they tell you that this is a "Today Only" super special deal and is only valid for today, do not believe them!!!

I guarantee you that their price will be lower tomorrow and be even lower next week! After you get them to leave your home, plan on getting two or three estimates from locally owned carpet dealers near you. See Who I Recommend Near You!

Where to Find Carpet Specifications?

Some carpet retailers and manufacturers are reluctant to freely disclose their product specifications thus preventing consumers from being able to determine the grade or quality level of the carpet in question.

Carpet manufacturers also allow retailers to use private labels, changing the name of the style and color to help prevent consumers from comparison shopping at the store down the street.

How to Get Qualified Carpet Installation?

50 years ago, most carpet installers were well-trained craftsmen. Not anymore! Today it is getting hard to find a well-trained and qualified carpet installer. Most installers today have no formal training whatsoever. They started out as a carpet layer's helper and within six months they bought some carpet tools and put a free advertisement up on Craigslist or in a local newspaper's service directory.

Any carpet layer's helper can buy a set of carpet tools and begin installing carpet without having any formal training or completing an apprenticeship. Many "self-proclaimed" carpet installers are untrained and unqualified to install your carpet.

Most homeowners don't know how to recognize a mediocre installation job from a great installation job. You end up finding out about a year or two later when wrinkles appear. That's also when you discover that your installer has move on to greener pastures.

Large national carpet chains and Big-box stores have always had hard time finding and keeping Qualified Carpet Installers. Most now farm out all their installs to an independent carpet installation company.

Home improvement stores have had a lot of bad publicity in the past due to their poor quality installations. They are now offering low prices on their so-called "basic" carpet installations to attract customers and limit their liability. Free carpet installation is not as free as most people think.

What Is Basic Carpet Installation?

Consumers need to be aware of all these problems and know how to avoid them. That's why I created this website and provide tons of free carpet information for consumers including over 200 Common Carpet Questions and Answers.

Learn how to recognize and avoid common retail carpet sales scams, carpet installation scams, carpet buying scams, carpet measuring scams, Carpet fiber scams...