General Chat

About 3 months ago, I noticed what can only be described as "tramlines" on my lounge and 2 bedroom carpets. I thought at first, it was maybe the vacuum cleaner but these are dead straight and all run from the door to opposite wall.

A friend also commented on the lines just recently.
So I rang the carpet company and a few days ago, the boss came out and took photos. He said he would get in touch with the manufacturer and get back to me.

I have just received a phone call to say, yes its a manufacturing problem and the reason the hall carpet doesn't have lines is because that piece came off a different roll.

So here is my dilemma, they have offered to relay the lounge plus 2 bedrooms with a new carpet but this brand has been discontinued so a new carpet would not match my hall!! Also to relay the 3 rooms would be such an upheaval and not sure we could manage to move furniture about to do 1 room at a time as there simply isn't room to put sofas etc elsewhere.

So they have offered me a £300 voucher to spend in their warehouse as an alternative. They sell beds, mattresses, rugs and other items.

The total cost of the carpets was £800 so is a £300 voucher acceptable?

The thought of all the upheaval plus the fact that the hall wont match is swaying me to accept the voucher.

What would anyone else do in my position?

Your thoughts and suggestions please.

Florence in the hebrides

As you say, Florence, moving everything around would be horrendous.

It's amazing that the company and manufacturer admitted they were at fault!

I think you need to assess the situation:
Will the tramlines affect your quality of life?
Will the tramlines affect the life of the carpet?
Are they in a position where, if they became a 'bother' you could cover them with a rug?
Does the warehouse sell a multitude of things - like B&Q, or Homebase?
If the above is the case, you could splurge the £300 on things you don't really need, but would like to have - and birthday/Christmas presents.
When you have your objects bought in the splurge, you can look at the tramlines, and thank them :-D :-D :-D :-D

Ty Maggie for your thoughts.
No the tramlines wont affect my quality of life or the life of the carpet.

The warehouse isn't huge so sadly not much to buy in the way of gifts. I had thought maybe a rug in the centre between the sofas would distract from the lines.

The only other thing both myself and daughter don't have is headboards for our beds. I wanted a nice pine one when we moved but never got round to buying one so maybe a possibility.
Ii really do not have the energy or patience to shift furniture or the strength. Some items like the 2 sofas need to be taken apart to move, they are sooo heavy plus the steel filing cabinet etc. Just thinking about it is giving me a headache.

Little bro who runs his own carpet business down south is ringing me later so I shall chat over with him and see what he thinks.

Shall let you know what I decide tomorrow.

Florence in the hebrides

I once had a new lounge carpet fitted which was plain. We had emptied the lounge. When the fitter finished he had left lots of the little off cuts in a strange way in a line across the middle of the carpet. He beat a hasty retreat and when I picked up all the bits, I discovered that they were covering a very obvious fault line right across the carpet. The company had to come out and replace the whole thing. That took a few days, so we had all the lounge furniture piled up in the other rooms.
I don’t know what the fitter was thinking, did he seriously think we would accept a carpet with such a bad flaw in it.

If you can live with the fault, then just take the money, if not then buy other things, but be careful with rugs in case you trip

Linda, he obviously thought he could get away with it but what a twit!!

The rug would actually go under the coffee table so wont be a trip hazard but yes have to consider that.

Florence, You could try pointing out that they have nothing in the shop you need, and cash would be appreciated!
They can only say no. :-D

As they have effectively admitted liability, my feeling is that you should push for a voucher for £800 not £300. It might be worth speaking to somebody in the know to see what you are legally entitled to - maybe you have legal cover on home or car insurance?

I actually thought that £300 was not a very generous offer.

Morning all
Well after a long chat with my brother, I have decided to have all the carpets relayed!

The lines actually catch my eye and if i'm honest, they affect the look in all the rooms.

So I rang the company today and they will see what replacement is available as this carpet is no longer available. I am going into the shop next Thursday when my friend is here to discuss. I am also going to replace the hall carpet so it will all match. That wasn't expensive, only about £140 and they said they will give me a deal on that.

The fitting charges are waived anyway.

I suggested one room at a time spread over several days or weeks to give us ample time to empty each room and they said they will work around us ,no time limit.

I didn't actually think £300 was a fair offer tbh and neither did my brother. He said although yes it will be a bit of an upheaval, it will be worth it in the long run as I don't think you will be happy if you don't replace it, in time to come.

Duncan, the warehouse isn't actually a shop as such in that they only sell carpets, beds, sofas and I don't need any of that. So that in itself made me think and led me to change my mind.

The boss has been very helpful and is keen to solve my problem as soon as possible. They are the only carpet specialists here and do have a very good reputation and keen to keep it that way.

I have had carpets from them in other properties I have stayed in and never had a problem before but this is a manufacturers fault and not the shop.

So I will come back to the thread after next Thursday and let you know the outcome.

Thanks for all your suggestions

Florence in the hebrides

Florence, if you ordered your carpet to match throughout, the company should put you back in that position and change your hall carpet for free as well. You shouldn’t have to pay to be put back in the position you would have been in if the carpets hadn’t developed a fault. I would be polite and pleasant but would point that out to them.

Vera, the hall carpet was from a different roll and doesnt have any tramlines on it so the manufacturers wont replace the hall carpet as there is nothing wrong with that one. So I'm in the position where if I don't replace, I know it wont match so have no choice but to replace it myself. I know it sounds unfair but shall wait & see what they offer next week and the cost with a discount.

But the shop said they will give me a fair deal. The refitting charges will be bourne by the shop and the boss said, they are losing out on that but that's not my problem.

I realise there is nothing wrong with the hall carpet but if it was bought to match the others and won't when the others are replaced I still think they should do the hall as well. It's like buying a 3 piece suite and having one armchair develop a fault. I am sure that if they couldn't replace that armchair with an identical one the shop would have to replace the whole suite.

However, you know your situation and your supplier best so go with whatever feels fair and right for you.