What You Should Know Before You Buy

Caveat emptor: “Let the buyer beware”:

The Big Box Store Scam:

This involves attracting you to the store by offering a “whole house” carpet installation for one very low price, such as $39.00 or FREE. Any logic will let you properly conclude that the dealer is making up the labor cost loss by overpricing the cost of the pad, carpet, &/or various miscellaneous fees. Think about it… “highly talented installers / contractors” that truly take pride in their work are hard to find, & they certainly do NOT work for minimum wage!

When you read the “fine print” of these programs, there are lots of extra charges, however you won’t find out until AFTER you have already paid their measuring fee! They charge up to $7.00/sq yd for carpet pad. Moving any furniture ($25.00 / per piece of light furniture) , “hard access walk up” fees, step fees &/or elevator fees ($60.00), pulling up the old carpet and pad, delivery fees ($79.00), carry-in fees ($1.50 each box), haul-away and disposal of the old carpet and pad (.38 / sq ft), and even more extras for metals, tack strip ($2.00 / lineal ft), and/or thresholds. Combine this with the fact that they hire fly-by-night installers that accept the absolute LOWEST wages… do you want these people in your house? Enough said.

The Private Label Scam:

Not really a “scam” but more of a marketing ploy to prevent the consumer from shopping around, 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 in the the BIG BOX retailers, and large buying group Chain Stores. Private labeling is now so prolific, that most larger carpet dealers use some sort of private labeling to keep true comparison shopping to a bare minimum.

Tile or Laminate @ .59 per square foot:

You get what you pay for. This ceramic may have been baked improperly &/or made of clay that’s impossible to cut properly– it may also be more inclined to crack.
The laminate most likely does not have an acceptable amount of aluminum oxide, which prevents premature wear & tear. Impossible to know… until it’s too late — they have to cut corners somewhere!

Guaranteed Lowest Price Scam:

This ploy is used by many of the larger retailers who want you to think their price is the lowest. The gimmick is to say that if you can find the same exact carpet elsewhere at a lower price, “we’ll meet or beat that price by 5 or 10%”. Of course you cannot find the “SAME” carpet elsewhere because the retailer has it “private labeled”. Therefore, the only place you will find the same named carpet is at a branch or division of the same chain!

Buy a Room, Get Two More Rooms for Free:

This scam brings a new meaning to the word “unethical”. Since this is highly impossible, the salesperson sells you one room of carpet for the price of three rooms! (This price does NOT include installation)

60% to 70% OFF SALE:

60% to 70% off of an Over-Inflated price is NOT a sale!

I Can Buy it Wholesale:

We all know a friend of a friend who can get almost anything at a real cheap price. If the carpet is that inexpensive, it’s likely to be a discontinued item with “numerous leftover small rolls” of different dye lots (which results in extra seams). It’s also very doubtful it’s being purchased directly from the manufacturer, so the warranty will most likely be VOID.

Of course we’re Licensed & Insured:

All salespeople will mention

that the company they represent is licensed and insured. Yes, they probably do have a license to run a business, since it requires no training. However, do you know if they have the required “contractor’s” license necessary to do the work? Believe it or not…. even today, some local stores do not… their installers are unlicensed handymen, which is illegal in the County of Pinellas, for the customer’s protection. Carpet Barn & More, Inc. has a Finish Carpentry License and a Tile & Marble Specialty Contractors License, a requirement by the “Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board (PCCLB)”. Lic. #’s C-10611 & C-10612. It’s always in YOUR best interest to hire a licensed contractor.

“GOOD, OLD FASHIONED HONESTY…
IS CARPET BARN & MORE’S POLICY”!

THE RESULT:
Happy Customers with No Complaints.