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Children and Pets Determine Carpet Choice
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Homeowners often receive bad carpet buying advice from salespeople. They often fail to consider their customers needs, goals and lifestyle, including the age and activity level of children or pets living in the home.
When Michael and Beth Johnson of Bend, Oregon purchased a looped Berber carpet for their home a few months ago, they made it known to the salesman that they were looking for a carpet that could withstand two young children, a large dog and two cats for at least 7 years.
The salesman failed to mention that a looped Berber carpet isn’t a good choice for a household with small children or active pets. The Johnson’s didn’t find that out until a few days after their new Berber carpet was installed as they watched helplessly as several loops became snagged and pulled in several areas.
"We called the carpet store right away to let them know what was happening and they wouldn’t do anything about it. They advised us to not pull on the snags, but to use scissors to cut off the snags flush with the top of the carpet. But other than that, they said that there was nothing more they could do. It’s a lot like getting a run in your nylons and it looks terrible," Beth recalls. "But this was expensive carpet not a cheap pair of pantyhose.
Now I have several runs down the middle of my living room and several more in other areas around the house. My husband Mike tried to repair a few obvious snags by using hot-melt glue, but it didn’t work."
"I’ve decided to live with it for now," Beth says. "I walk around snipping the snags as I find them, still, I was shocked when surfing the internet that Berber carpet isn’t recommended for small children and pets because it can snag and run easily and is difficult if not impossible to repair."
The Johnson’s found out the truth about looped Berber carpet styles after visiting AbcCarpets.com a free consumer website founded by Alan J. Fletcher. With more than 30-years experience in the carpet business, Fletcher provides free money-saving information and advice to homeowners shopping for new carpet, including insider secrets on carpet selection, padding, and installation, how to negotiate your best deal and how to avoid common carpet scams.
"The snags in their new Berber carpet can be repaired but it would never look like new. Even so, the cost of continual repairs could easily rival what they paid for the carpet" says Fletcher.
Mary Wiseman of Sacramento, California had a similar experience with Berber carpet in her home. "I didn't realize my dogs' nails would catch in the loops and leave little "pulls" all over the place." Wiseman said. "It was like carpeting your room with a knitted sweater."
Fletcher says that Berber carpet is a popular choice with consumers because of its elegant appearance. Its tufts are looped and aligned in rows for a clean uniform look" says Fletcher. "When choosing Berber, be sure to select one with smaller loops to get the best durability. But if you have young children or pets, it’s probably wise to avoid looped Berbers and go with a plush style to avoid the possibility of snags." Fletcher warns.
Choosing Carpet Wisely
"How long do you expect your carpet to last? This is an important question in determining what grade of carpet to buy and how much you need to spend", Fletcher says. When selecting a carpet, the type of fiber, face-weight, pile density, and tuft twist are the key specifications that determine carpet price, quality and durability. Carpet dealers today are increasingly reluctant to provide carpet specifications to consumers, Fletcher admits.
"Greedy carpet retailers and lazy salespeople don't want to take the
time to educate their customers about carpet." Fletcher warns.
"Most larger carpet retailers now use private labels to prevent consumers from comparison shopping. They are purposely making it harder for consumers to make wise and informed carpet choices, and that's just plain wrong. That's why I created my website, to give consumers free access to honest and unbiased carpet buying information.
Read Your New Carpet Warranty!
Fletcher says that even the most expensive and well-made carpets can wear out prematurely if not cared for properly and that there are strict warranty requirements that must be followed to the letter to keep the manufacturer’s warranty in force.
"Few consumers take the time to fully read their carpet warranty and follow the carpet manufacturer’s instructions for care and maintenance. Failure to do so will result in a voided warranty and premature carpet wear."
