Free
Carpet Buying Information for Consumers
Buying
New Carpet is not as easy as you might think...
By
Alan J Fletcher-
National Consumer Advocate & 30-year Carpet
Expert
Here
are some common carpet scams you need to know about...
So
you've decided you need to buy new carpet and you are
surfing the internet to get some basic carpet information, hopefully to
gain the edge you
think you need to get a good deal. Saving money is important, but selecting the
right carpet is just as important. If you buy the wrong carpet you may be
throwing your money away. From my years of experience in this
business, I believe that being successful
buying new carpet should be defined as:
1.)
Selecting the right carpet and padding that meets
your needs and lifestyle, (that means it will last
as long as you hope it will)
2.)
Obtaining qualified installation (More than 87% of all
carpet installers are not properly trained)
and
3.)
Getting a great
price for your Carpet, pad and installation. This is not
easy to do unless you read my eBook and learn how
to avoid carpet scams and negotiate a good deal. (All outlined in my ebook).
Buying
new carpet sounds easy but it is not easy to do at all. Why? There are
dozens ways
that unscrupulous carpet retailers can trick you out of your hard-earned money. Your job is to
learn how to avoid the common carpet scams
and somehow negotiate a fair and square deal. You have to be sure that the
carpet you intend to purchase is suitable for you and see to it that your
carpet is installed properly. You can't expect carpet salespeople to educate you. If
you walk in without a clue they may take advantage of your lack of knowledge
and sell you something that does not meet your needs or goals.
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. You have found the
only website that can answer all your carpet buying
questions accurately, honestly and completely. 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 is the wise
thing to do. But the more carpet stores or websites you visit the more
confused you will become. Every carpet salesperson seems to have different
opinions and advice. Your fundamental carpet questions may not be answered
accurately or completely by carpet sellers 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?
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.
Why?
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. Why? 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 is the carpet
manufacturer. 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 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.
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 flooring installers. Home
improvement stores have had a lot of bad publicity in the past 10 years due to
their poor quality installations. They now offer low prices on their
installations to attract customers and potentially limit their liability.
Consumers
need to be aware of all these problems and know how to avoid them. That's why
I have created this website and offer tons of free information for consumers
like you ~ including , common
carpet questions and answers, how to properly care
for your new carpet and my free "ask the
expert" email advice.
For those who want to
save the most money possible, I suggest you order my ebook: The
2008 Complete Carpet Buying Guide. I've priced it very low (only $12.95)
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.
