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Carpet Scams and Tricks
Every industry has them. And in the carpet industry, we have a lot of them - those "less than respectable" people selling the product. There are more than a few scams, tricks and deceptions that take place in this industry. There are probably many that we don't even know about. But we will make you aware of the ones we do know.
Bait and Switch
The carpet industry practically invented this one. If you haven't heard of this scam, you probably live on MARS. So for all of you aliens, here's how it works.
All carpet manufacturers have sample books or "deck boards" as they are referred to. These books may have one large carpet sample on the front, and all of the colors in smaller samples inside the book. Some books may have two, three or even four large samples on the front.
When there is more than one sample on the front of the book, each one is usually a different thickness or "quality". Usually these qualities differ only in thickness, and sometimes there is not much difference that you can see or feel. But there is always a difference in cost.
The scam is simple. Let's say a carpet sample book has three samples on the front - A, B and C. C is the thickest one. You are so excited about buying your new carpet that you don't thoroughly read the contract. What happened is, you picked out C. The salesman wrote B on the contract, but charged you for C. He was fully aware of what he was doing.
Or, he will write C on the contract, but send out B, gambling that you probably won't notice the difference.
It gets even worse when you add in the fact that many carpet retailers, including the biggest ones, private label the carpet styles, so it is impossible for you to shop the price or to really know exactly what you are getting. Ever try to shop the price of a mattress? If you have, then you know exactly what we are talking about.
Over Measuring
This is one of the most widely used scams in the carpet industry. The salesman measures the area to be carpeted. He shows you this big thick plush carpet and tells you he can give it to you for only $10.00 per square yard, installed over a padding so thick, you 'll be able to sell your bed and sleep on the floor.
He then tells you that you have 160 square yards, and the total job will cost you $1600, complete. You tell him you will get some other prices and you will get back to him. You go around shopping, only to find that all the carpets that resemble the carpet he's showed you are $15 or more per square yard, and you think he must be giving you a great deal!
In actuality, you only have 80 square yards. He's really charging you $20 per square yard.
We are exaggerating slightly. It's unlikely that someone would tell you that you have twice as many yards as you really do, but you get the general idea of how it works. In most cases, if you end up buying carpet from one of these crooks, they will not write the total quantity on the contract, so that if you ever discover their scam in the future, they can simply deny what they sold you. You can avoid this situation by simply getting two or three different people to measure the area or to find a measuring service and have them do it.
Shop around to compare prices and quality. In addition to the price of the carpet take into account the cost of padding and installation. To judge the quality of the carpet, examine the depth, thickness and density of the pile. Bend back a corner of the carpet and if the pile density is sparse, you'll see a lot of backing. This doesn't apply to shag rugs. Be wary of advertisements that offer fantastic bargains. Before signing a contract, review it carefully. Does it list the brand name, manufacturer's name, style, color and size of the carpet? It should also include the total square yards, the price per square yard and a full description of the padding as well as the total purchase price, including any installation, finance and freight charges.
The Private Label Scam
Not really a "scam" but more of a marketing ploy in order to prevent you, the consumer, from shopping using the old "apples to apples" comparison technique. Its kind of like buying a mattress. You can find the exact same mattress under 10 different "names", depending on where you shop. In the case of carpet, the most prevalent use of "private labels" is found at Home Depot and Lowe's stores. In this case, these large retailers will change the name of a carpet.
Here is how it works. Shaw Industries, the largest carpet mill in the world, markets a carpet under the brand name Cabin Craft- Style Rare Treasure, Color Emerald Isle. Home Depot wants to sell this carpet, but has Shaw change the name to "Under the Sea". They may even change the brand name to Philadelphia, which Shaw also owns. And now the color is called Islander Green.
Now you see the carpet at Home Depot, like it and try to buy the carpet at another dealer to see who has the best deal, but you will never find it because they have changed the name, and the brand name! Do you really want to do business with someone who is being "dishonest" right from the start? Most private labeling is done by the larger retailers because the program is expensive, and now who is paying the cost? The retailer? Now look in the mirror, they just got ya!
Remember pet rocks? Marketing guru's are very good at taking common things,
re-wording them, and raking in fortunes at the cost of consumers every year.
Buying Carpet It takes years to figure out what types of carpet are really good buys and which are junk. There are a lot of different carpet brand names to choose from. And although many of these brands are the same type and quality of carpet, they are all sold at different prices. Actually, many different carpet brands are the exact same carpet with different names. This is called private labeling. Most retailers enjoy this confusion because it helps them maintain their high profit margins. But this marketing ploy drives customers crazy. The days of being able to compare apples to apples are NOT gone! You can still go to a store, find a carpet, write down the name of the carpet mill and carpet style, and go to another store to compare prices. Some of the old names like Bigelow and Karastan are still around, but now Mohawk owns Karastan, and Bigelow is no longer a mill. Carpet One bought the Bigelow name and has it put on carpet made by other manufacturers.
The Guaranteed Lowest Price Scam
This ploy is used by many of the giant retailers who want you to think that their price is the lowest. The gimmick is to say that if you can find the same carpet elsewhere at a lower price, "We'll meet or beat that price by 5%". Of course you can't find the "SAME" carpet elsewhere, because the giant retailer has it private labeled. Therefore, the only place you would find the same-named carpet would be at a branch or division of the same chain.
Don't fall for the OUTRAGEOUS CLAIMS by Home Depot, LOWES or ANY of the TV CARPET COMMERCIALS, it is like saying that a new car has an "air bag". THEY ALL USE private labels, which means they change the names of their carpet so you can't easily comparison shop. The same carpets they sell are available at other stores under a different name. To comparison shop, you would need to take their samples to the other stores in order to locate the same style and color.
Other Marketing Scams
The Fiber Face Weight Ripoff
This happens when a sales person tells you that a carpet has a face weight that is higher than it actually is. They know that if a customer wants to get an actual face weight measurement, that customer would have to spend at least $200 to have the carpet tested, and that is only if the customer could figure out how to go about having it tested. Unfortunately, it is common in the carpet industry for sales people to lie when they know you will probably never know the truth, so many sales people do not hesitate to lie about the specifications of their carpet in order to get a sale. Most recently they'll tell you TOTAL weight and no more.(The TOTAL Weight Inludes Both Backings!) It always amazes me that these people can routinely get away with lying, without any fear of legal action.
The Guaranteed Lowest Price Scam
Retailers who offer this guarantee can do so because they are private labeling the brand that is being guaranteed. That retailer is the only retailer that carries that brand of carpet, which is why they can not be undersold.
The No payments and no interest for one year Scam
Retailers use this gimmick to make you think you are getting free financing. In reality, the papers you sign when you buy the carpet are a loan agreement. The retailer pays the first year of interest on the loan with money generated by raising the price of the carpet. Then the retailer sells your loan to another company. I think you would be surprised by how much interest is actually paid (in the form of higher carpet prices). The interest rate is generally as high (or higher) than credit card interest rates.
If you are thinking about buying carpet, my first bit of advice is to get to know the person you will be buying from. The cheapest dealer is not always the best. You want to find someone whom you can trust and who understands carpet. Buying carpet should be a pleasant experience. Buying from someone who tries to sell you carpet that is not well suited to your needs will make it a miserable experience.
My second bit of advice is to do some research before you go to the carpet store. You will find a lot of useful information on this web site and sites that I have links to. So take the time to read through it. You are going to spend lots of money on your carpet. The more you know, the better off you will be.
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Here's A Few More Carpet Buying Tips
YARN TWIST - When it comes to carpet "tighter is better". In general terms, the tighter the twist the longer the carpet will perform before it begins to crush and matt. By taking lots of fine fiber strands (called filaments) and spinning them into a tightly twisted yarn and then locking them all together with heat you get a much more resilient yarn for making carpet.
SHORTER NAP - The height of the carpet's nap is also important to the overall performance of the carpet. The higher the yarn stands above the backing of the carpet the more difficult it is for the manufacturer to make the carpet crush and matt resistant. So the shorter the pile height the more crush resistant and the longer the like-new appearance of your carpet will last.
STITCHES PER INCH - Like most fabric materials, carpet that has more yarn (or stitches) per inch will also be more crush and matt resistant. Some carpets are so dense that it is nearly impossible to push your fingers in between the yarns. Obviously, the carpets where the yarns are so crowded and packed together will have a easier time resisting crushing.
CARPET CUSHION - A good quality carpet cushion will extend the life of any carpet, regardless of the quality of the carpet. Carpet cushion serves a vital purpose which is often over looked. Good quality carpet cushion acts as both a shock absorber and a spring which helps improve a carpet's overall performance. Review the carpet manufacturer's cushion recommendations prior to purchasing a carpet. Carpet cushion (padding) SHOULD NEVER EXCEED 7/16" THICK. No Manufacturer Will Honor The Warranty On The Carpet If The Padding Is Over 7/16".
CONTINUOUS FILAMENT NYLON (CFN) - If you see on the back of a carpet sample a label that says "CFN", or "BCF", that means this carpet is made from continuous filament nylon. Continuous filament nylon starts out as one long continuous strand before made into yarn. The other type is called staple nylon, which means each fine filament starts out as a short strand about 7 inches long before it is spun into yarn and then tufted into carpet. As the short, unsecured pieces of staple nylon come loose from the yarn pile you get pilling on the surface of the carpet. This does not happen with a continuous nylon carpet.
LOOPED CARPETS - From level loops to berbers there is an important factor to look for when buying a crush resistant looped carpet. This is the density of the loop and how much free space is in the middle of the loop. Like all carpets the more filaments that are packed in the yarn and the tighter the loop the better the performance will be.
