DawnM Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 We had new carpet put upstairs. They seemed to be in a hurry. They had done one job in the am and got to our house and one of the guys had left their stretcher at their last job location, a full hour away, so a 2 hour drive. So, they seemed to want to make up for lost time. They took out the old carpet and DID NOT CLEAN the 27 YEARS' worth of dirt on the subfloor before installing new padding. I got upstairs as they were installing the carpet and asked if they had and they said no. I told them to be sure and let me know when they finished taking out the other room so I could clean it myself. But now it is really bothering me that the one room has so much dirt because I know how much dirt under the 2nd room. It is indeed just dirt, sand.....nothing gross, but still. I am calling today to complain about another issue (they tried to install new carpet over our 27 year old padding in THREE areas, two closets and a hallway) before we told them we paid for ALL new padding and we expect all new padding in every square INCH of the space we paid for it. We have had to babysit the entire process. Anyway, is it too much for me to complain about the dirt and then not cleaning the subfloor? Isn't this supposed to be done? Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted April 16, 2016 Author Share Posted April 16, 2016 We specifically went with a local store over the big box store to get better service. We even paid a little more. UGH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted April 16, 2016 Author Share Posted April 16, 2016 And please don't tell me how you would never have any carpet and that is what I get for not doing hardwood. We have specific reasons for going with carpet upstairs while our entire downstairs is hardwood. I am just not in the mood for platitudes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 I would be angry too and I would complain. That is really poor service. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 You paid for products and services you are not getting. Complain. I would demand reinstall. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 I would ask whether cleaning after taking out the old carpets is part of the service. We just removed the carpeting ourselves, and the cleaning process took a while. In addition, they'd probably want to bring their own vacuum and not rely on having access to the vacuum at the residence. If it's not specifically in the contract, then I wouldn't expect it to happen automatically. It would definitely have an impact on the time it takes them to do each recarpeting job. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 Having pulled 30 year old carpet myself, I would complain about the dirt. I would have assumed some vacuuming was included with new installation. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted April 16, 2016 Author Share Posted April 16, 2016 I would ask whether cleaning after taking out the old carpets is part of the service. We just removed the carpeting ourselves, and the cleaning process took a while. In addition, they'd probably want to bring their own vacuum and not rely on having access to the vacuum at the residence. If it's not specifically in the contract, then I wouldn't expect it to happen automatically. It would definitely have an impact on the time it takes them to do each recarpeting job. They DID bring their own vacuum. It took me maybe 10 min. tops to clean out the dirt from a rather large room. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 Huh. I never thought about this. We had a carpet installed once years ago. We weren't there when they did it so I have no idea if they cleaned or not. Either way, that seems like a reasonable thing to expect. It also seems like something they'd not do if they could get away with it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 They vacuumed when we got carpet installed in our last house. That seems like a no-brainer. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 I'd complain. I think it's reasonable to assume that at least basic cleaning would be done. Any flooring should be installed over a smooth surface, whether that be subflooring or an existing hard floor. I don't see how dirt can be smooth. Plus I would assume that any dirt left underneath could be abrasive enough to cause (over time) premature wear to the padding and carpet. Not installing all new padding that you paid for -- there's certainly no excuse for that! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 (edited) I would talk to the store manager. That's not the level of service you paid for. Edited April 16, 2016 by Annie G 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 You know, if you go about it nicely, as in, "Dear business owner, I thought you'd like it brought to your attention that your employees are doing a half-way job and you don't want that reputation," then you're really doing him a favor. Frankly, people cut corners, it's what they do. Should they? Nope. So, yes, I would baby-sit, correct as needed, have it done right. Should they replace ALL the pad? Absolutely, no question! Should they have cleaned it? Absolutely, no question! Should you call? Yes, for your sake as well as the sake of the business. The problem is, hopefully, the employees and not the owner. (I recently had a company come in and do my carpets. They hurried, they did a half-way job, it was incredibly poor, AND it was the owner. I was disgusted, frustrated, and it'll be a very cold day around here before I ever call them back.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 I had new carpeting put in last month and the installers swept all the floors after pulling everything up in order to catch stray tacks/nails/whatever. I can't imagine just leaving it there. And really? Not having a backup for any tool is silly. My guys used two stretchers so they could work in two rooms at once, but they would still have the use of one if something happened. Definitely send a letter or phone call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 (edited) I would definitely call and complain to the store. the dirt under the carpet isn't just yucky - it will significantly reduce the life of the carpet. I would be clear what I wanted them to do to make it right. (for me, I'd demand they take it up and clean underneath in those areas before relaying. I'd demand NEW padding be used.) if they refuse - I would contact the BBB - and an exact detail review yelp. eta: and follow up with an e-mail/letter so there is written documentation. does the store have a website with a customer "contact us" form? use it. when I've had employees be lazy and misyognist and told the owner . .. the owner bent over backwards to make me happy. Edited April 16, 2016 by gardenmom5 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 Yes, I would call and talk to the store manager. I would also ask them to come out and redo the room where they didn't vacuum. If you paid for carpet removal, you paid to have that cleaned up. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamakelly Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 That's gross, I can only imagine how much dirt would be under there! I'm curious...we will be having new carpet put upstairs in the next month... Did you have to move all of your furniture downstairs? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 Definitely complain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted April 16, 2016 Author Share Posted April 16, 2016 I have spoken to the owner. She was a bit defensive but did talk to them. The guys came back and said they DID sweep, but claim I asked if they vacuumed, which they hadn't. They further said that the one guy commented that it was fine, because he knew the other one had swept. Ok, whatever, maybe they are telling the truth. But that doesn't dismiss that they tried to use the old padding for THREE areas, and they certainly hadn't swept under those first! Thankfully the installation itself seems to be done well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 (edited) I have spoken to the owner. She was a bit defensive but did talk to them. The guys came back and said they DID sweep, but claim I asked if they vacuumed, which they hadn't. They further said that the one guy commented that it was fine, because he knew the other one had swept. Ok, whatever, maybe they are telling the truth. But that doesn't dismiss that they tried to use the old padding for THREE areas, and they certainly hadn't swept under those first! Thankfully the installation itself seems to be done well. given the blame shifting going on (including blaming you for asking the "wrong" question.. re: you didn't ask if they "swept".) - but they tried to reuse old padding - and considering you have to *remove the padding* to clean the floor - which makes it very difficult to relay used padding, and more time consuming - I *seriously* doubt they cleaned the floor! I'd probably still leave a nasty review on yelp. including the fact when you contacted them to fix it - they tried to blame you. if the owner had been apologetic, etc. - I'd have been more forgiving. Edited April 16, 2016 by gardenmom5 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 We had new carpet put upstairs. They seemed to be in a hurry. They had done one job in the am and got to our house and one of the guys had left their stretcher at their last job location, a full hour away, so a 2 hour drive. So, they seemed to want to make up for lost time. They took out the old carpet and DID NOT CLEAN the 27 YEARS' worth of dirt on the subfloor before installing new padding. I got upstairs as they were installing the carpet and asked if they had and they said no. I told them to be sure and let me know when they finished taking out the other room so I could clean it myself. But now it is really bothering me that the one room has so much dirt because I know how much dirt under the 2nd room. It is indeed just dirt, sand.....nothing gross, but still. I am calling today to complain about another issue (they tried to install new carpet over our 27 year old padding in THREE areas, two closets and a hallway) before we told them we paid for ALL new padding and we expect all new padding in every square INCH of the space we paid for it. We have had to babysit the entire process. Anyway, is it too much for me to complain about the dirt and then not cleaning the subfloor? Isn't this supposed to be done? Dawn I would have been there to make sure this didn't happen, but only from experience. You need to be standing there with a shop vac, as you now know. If you paid for new padding and didn't receive it, I would contact the seller and demand the job be redone, correctly. You are right; you have to babysit. There are few contractors I let loose without my supervision, but they are never ones I don't know well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 Having pulled 30 year old carpet myself, I would complain about the dirt. I would have assumed some vacuuming was included with new installation. We just pulled carpet that old, at least, and maybe older. I cleaned over AND under the pad. It was a mess - and on top of gorgeous hardwoods! I'd go hardball on this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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