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 Store
Scams
The Private Label Scam is not really a "scam," but more
of a marketing ploy to prevent you, the consumer, from shopping using
the old "apples to apples" comparison technique. It's 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 most carpet stores.
Example: The old Bigelow name. Some stores use the Bigelow label
as if Bigelow made the carpet, when in fact, the store just bought
the name Bigelow from Mohawk industries, and can use the "Bigelow"
label on any carpet they choose. Yes, Bigelow is an old time mill,
but they don't make residential carpet any more. And awhile-back Burlington
Industries sold the "Lee's" name to a Carpet One store,
and thus, like the Bigelow name, we will see carpets with the Lees
name on them that are really made by any mill (Mohawk, Shaw, Beaulieu,
etc.) Carpet One selects.
Another marketing ploy is Shaw Industries Trustmark buying system.
Here Shaw outfits the dealer with a number of carpet samples from
their various divisions, i.e. Cabin Craft, Salem, Philadelphia etc.
and puts the "Trustmark" label on those samples, again making
comparison-shopping impossible. This is totally acceptable for the
mills.
We do not use private labels. It would cost us to get them, which
in turn would cost the consumer. I don’t see the need for that.
This ploy is used by many of the giant retailers who want you to
think 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 will find the same named carpet is at
a branch or division of the same chain.
Someday retailers are going to learn that consumers are not stupid.
We all know a friend of a friend who can get for us almost anything
at a cheap price. Most of you know there is no free lunch. There are
plenty of “Direct” outlets and warehouse clubs where if
you know someone, you can buy carpet at close to dealer cost. I'd
be cautious of anyone selling you anything at a price that appears
too good to be true.
If you purchase your carpet “Direct” you first have to
pay for it. Then you can either go south to pick it up or down to
the loading dock who-knows-were to pick it up. Or better yet, you
can have it delivered it right to your house! You just have to take
a day off work and find a few guys to get it off the semi and up the
driveway into the garage. Sorry, the drivers won’t help. And
while you have it in the driveway you should probably unroll the whole
piece to inspect it for damage or flaws. What if it is? It’s
your carpet now. PAID IN FULL!
If your most important part of the carpet buying process is price,
you are doomed to be taken. The places where you can purchase at broker
prices do not provide any service other than selling you the carpet
at a cheap price. They will not provide labor. Furthermore, they are
under no obligation to handle warranty claims, and usually refer you
to the carpet mill rep. Why go through all the hassle of resolving
your own complaint.
Finally, if you do have a valid complaint, the broker is only obligated
to supply new carpet at the dock. You would have to pay someone to
reinstall the new, pull up and wrap up the defective piece, and haul
the defective piece back to the dock. Now that cheap carpet price
isn't so cheap. You had to pay twice for labor, move furniture around
and miss work.
Don’t be that guy. We will handle all warranty claims for
you.
You shopped for carpet and you found the perfect textured plush for
what seems like an exceptionally great price. You happily placed the
order and paid for the materials, and waited for the installers to
show up at your door. Four weeks have gone by and you are anxious
to have your new carpet installed. When the installers arrive they
go right to work removing your old carpet and pad, cleaning the floor,
moving the furniture etc. Soon they have the pad installed.
The big moment arrives, and the installers roll out the carpet in
your driveway to make the necessary cuts off the roll to fit your
home. You notice that the carpet does not look as heavy or thick as
you remembered. You even mention your concern to the installer, but
he just tells you the carpet is crushed from being in the roll. The
day passes, and the carpet is now fully installed in your home. You
still wonder if it is the thickness you remember, but the carpet does
feel good installed over the pad. “It’s better than the
old stuff!” You think to yourself that the carpet is just crushed
from being in the roll.
SORRY! You just got RIPPED OFF! Little did you know that the carpet
you selected came in three qualities, and what the dealer had done
was show you the thicker, and deliver to you the thinner. Thus, this
particular dealer just made money dishonestly, and you were the victim.
The real idea of a carpet coming in different qualities of the same
color is to save you money. Sometimes you can put the more expensive
one in the hall, and the cheaper one in the bedroom. Thus, it is in
your best interest to work with a dealer you can trust so you won't
have to worry about The Old Switchero. All carpet comes with a shipping
tag that has the style and color information on it. If you have any
doubts just ask to see it.
All of our work is by referral. No adds, commercials, gimmicks
or coupons. I couldn’t imagine loosing future business by deceiving
people for a few bucks. What you order is what you get!
You were told that the carpet on the roll in the showroom was made
of Du Pont's Stainmaster nylon. You made your purchase and had it
installed. A couple of months go by and you notice that the carpet
appears to be staining more than you thought it should. You call the
dealer, but they just say you're a poor housekeeper.
At last you call DuPont, (1-800-4-DUPONT) and you give then the "name"
of the carpet you had installed. To your surprise you are told that
the "name" you gave them is not a DuPont Stainmaster carpet.
You remembered that you never saw a sample with the Stainmaster Logo
on it, but were told by the salesperson that the roll of carpet you
looked at was a Stainmaster nylon carpet.
Chances are the carpet you bought may not have even been nylon. Sometimes
the Stainmaster Logo is printed on the back of the carpet, but more
and more mills are not doing this due to some of the ink transferring
to the face of the carpet.
So make sure you know the fiber you are getting. We can easily
write it on your invoice. Once again, what would I gain?
This SCAM is still going on in every major market area. I think this
is the worst of all scams. In the carpet business the bait & switch
works like this: A dealer advertises a carpet completely installed
for only $9.99/sq yd including padding. The dealer may lie in the
ad and even say the regular price was $19.99 installed. If you are
from earth, you know this is just too good to be true.
However there will be enough people who will believe this ad and
visit the advertiser. The dealer just accomplished his goal of getting
you in his store. You ask to see the $9.99 installed carpet, and he
shows you this sleazy rag that you wouldn't install in your garage.
You ask about the quality and you are told that it’s not very
good, but hey, what did you expect for only $9.99 installed. The dealer
now shows you some other "quality" carpets for considerably
more money.
THAT'S IT. BAIT AND SWITCH. The larger dealers tend to advertise
loss leaders in order to get you in their store.
There is a fine line between "bait and switch" and loss
leaders. Many loss leaders use the ad that states "Three rooms
of carpet completely installed for LOW PRICE!"
Same as above, this is not really a "scam" but more of
a marketing ploy. Example: $3.00 a sq ft sounds A LOT better than
$27.00 a sq yd. Let me tell you something, it is still the same overall
price in the end.
I once tried to explain to a customer who had a 10x16 ft room that
I needed to order 192 sq ft of carpet and not 160 sq ft. The reason
is because most carpet comes 12 ft wide. If I would have ordered 160
sq ft of carpet, that would have been a 12x13.4 piece. It would have
been to short. If I could order a 10 ft wide piece of carpet I would.
Unfortunately there will almost always be waste with any materials
you buy. We have always used square yards when quoting jobs. Now estimating
a job with square footage is easier when you can’t actually see
the job. It’s easier for both the salesman and the consumer.
Just remember that if you have an 1800 sq ft house doesn’t
necessarily mean you need 1800 sq ft of carpet.
All contents are the views and opinion of the author.
While most carpet dealers are honest hardworking folk, this page is
for information only and not representative of the norm. I am just trying
to make consumers aware of what could happen.
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