Carpet
Scams
If
you have bought new carpet in the past successfully then buying new carpet
today might seem like a no-brainer. But times have changed and buying new carpet
today is not as simple as it once was. Why? There are dozens of new ways that
unscrupulous carpet retailers use to trick you out of your hard-earned
money. Your job as an informed consumer is to learn how to recognize and
avoid the common carpet scams.
Selecting
Carpet Wisely
Not
all carpets are created equal. Some carpets are designed for heavy traffic
and can last for 20 years or more. Other carpets are designed for light
traffic and might last 1 to 3 years. You have to be sure that the Carpet and
Pad you intend to purchase is designed for your unique application. There
are varying grades of carpet, you must choose the right grade of carpet and
pad if you want it to last.
Consumers
often select a carpet for the wrong reasons. A specific color, style or low
price is often the determining factor behind the final selection. This means
that you need to have knowledge about carpet fibers and construction
specifications. Even if you have this information you need to know how to
use it to your advantage.
Unscrupulous
carpet retailers go out of their way to make it appear simple and easy to
buy new carpet. They bundle up the carpet, pad and installation into one
convenient package deal. They price the whole deal 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 good deal.
"Thank
you Alan! Your ebook has educated me well.
It really has been fun for both of us." M.
B. Dallas TX.
~
More Testimonials ~
Carpet
Measuring Scams
If
a carpet salesperson comes to your house to measure, they may not disclose
to you how much carpet you need. Unscrupulous carpet retailers prefer to
keep this information hidden from you so you won't use the information to
buy from someone else. 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.
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 and your
warranty may be void.
Get
Educated
You
can't expect any retail carpet salesperson to educate you properly. First,
they don't have enough time to teach you what you really need to know, and
second, their advice is not always good advice.
Unscrupulous
carpet salespeople will quickly know if you are a wise shopper or not. If
you walk in without a clue they can easily take advantage of your lack of
knowledge and sell you an overpriced carpet that does not meet your needs or
goals.
For
those who want to save the most money possible, I suggest you order my
ebook: The 2010
Complete Carpet Buying Guide. I've priced it very low (only $14.95) so
everyone will be able to afford it. It's worth hundreds of dollars
easily. I guarantee it. So be a wise shopper and take advantage of my
30-years of carpet experience.
After
you read my ebook and you are ready to begin shopping for carpet visit my Preferred
Carpet Dealer Directory at AbcCarpets.com to see if there is a locally owned carpet
retailer near you that I recommend. It has taken me months to put together a
short list of top-notch carpet stores that I believe will provide consumers
with outstanding service and reasonable prices.
The
Untold Truth About Buying Carpet
This
is the age of information, and misinformation. I spend countless hours
surfing the internet and I find bad carpet buying advice everywhere. It's
not just bad advice it's wrong advice. Following bad advice of these
internet hoodlums can be very costly. I can help you make sense of all the
confusion and give you the facts. Since I don't sell carpet like most
websites offering free carpet information do, you have found the only
consumer-friendly website that can answer all your carpet
buying questions accurately, honestly and completely unbiased. My goal
is to help you buy new carpet wisely from start to finish. Let me take a
moment to explain what's really going on in the carpet business and why you
need to be very cautious....
Consumers
today are well aware of the terms "scam", "rip-off" and
"con-artist" so doing a little pre-purchase research on big ticket
items is always the wise thing to do. But the more carpet stores or websites
you visit the more confused you will become. Why? Every carpet salesperson
has different suggestions, opinions and advice. Your fundamental carpet
questions may not be answered accurately or completely by carpet salespeople
that will say anything in order to sell you carpet....Which carpet style
should I select? Which carpet will last the longest? How much should a good
quality carpet cost? Which density and thickness padding should I select?
"I
purchased your online ebook yesterday and read all night! Your ebook was a
life-saver." P. Robertson
What
about carpet warranties? Which carpet fiber is best? These questions and
many more are looming in your mind... What if I choose the wrong carpet?
What if I become the victim of a carpet scam? How do I protect myself? Where
do I start? Which carpet retailers should I avoid? These are questions you
need to have solid answers to - before you start shopping around.
Consumers
are often misinformed, mislead, overcharged or select the wrong flooring
materials for their needs and lifestyle. One main problem is that there are
just too many carpet salespeople that have a fundamental lack of carpet
knowledge and experience, or will say just about anything to make a sale.
It's due to the fact that most carpet salespeople are paid on commission
only. Commissioned salespeople make no money if they make no sale, and the
need and greed to make a lot of money can easily cause some salespeople to
sacrifice integrity. That means they may tell you what you want to hear
even if it is not true, just to make the sale.
Another
big problem for consumers are the carpet manufacturers. I believe carpet
warranties are strategically worded in such a way that they are confusing
and deceptive and basically not worth the paper they are written on. Some
carpet manufacturers will not disclose their product specifications thus
preventing consumers from being able to determine the grade or quality of
the products in question. Carpet manufacturers also allow retailers to use
private labels changing the name of the style and color in an attempt to
prevent consumers from comparison shopping.
Then
there is the problem with measuring your home for carpet. Obtaining accurate
measurements is absolutely essential but few carpet salespeople have
mastered it. Inaccurate measurements can easily cost a consumer hundreds
more than necessary. Some unscrupulous carpet salespeople will purposely
over-measure your home in order to skim hundreds of dollars off the top of
your purchase. This is a common scam and is difficult to detect.
"I
would like to say that I appreciate your ebook- I didn't realize that carpet
buying could be so complicated but am glad for the information since it is
such a large financial investment" Matt Walters
50
years ago, all carpet installers were well-trained craftsmen. Not anymore.
Today it is getting hard to find qualified carpet installers. Anyone can buy
a set of carpet tools and begin installing carpet without any formal
training or apprenticeship. Many "self-proclaimed" carpet
installers are untrained and unqualified to install your carpet. Poor
quality installation can quickly ruin your carpet and void your carpet
warranty. Larger retailers and Big-box carpet sellers have a hard time
finding Qualified
Carpet Installers. Home improvement stores have had a lot of bad
publicity in the past 10 years due to their poor quality installations. They
are now offering low prices on their so-called "basic" carpet
installations to attract customers and potentially limit their liability,
but wait until you see the final bill.
