Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  07/11/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I had a flooring inspection completed in April 2024 by a third party manufacturer inspector. The inspection claim came back as denied; however, my flooring is still damaged. It was noted in the claim response that it was initially installed incorrectly and that could be the cause of the damage. I was not in agreeance with the claim response and would like the issue to be corrected. I understand that the flooring may not have a manufacturer defect, but as stated, if it was installed incorrectly then the issues need to be addressed. I made all initial contact for status updates, and it took three months for a reply in the claim status, which is unacceptable.

  

  Business response

  07/12/2024

  We did work in ******************** ***** House in 2022 and there was an issue with the flooring due to not having the correct felt pads on the bottom of chairs (as stated in the inspection report).  Not having can break the tongue and groove locking mechanism resulting in a few issues including cupping.  We did go out as a courtesy and replace the area impacted.  Also mentioned in the inspection report was a high moisture reading which is caused from a home on slab.  This can cause cupping which then makes the floor expand - resulting in the expansion gap being eliminated (also noted in the report).  Manufacturer guidelines do not call for a moisture barrier which is why we assisted in reaching out to the manufacturer to get a claim started.  Unfortunately for ****************, the claim was denied.

  Everything ******** has done in this case has been by industry installation standards as well as manufacturers guidelines.

  Customer response

  07/17/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined the response would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. 
  

  The issue that was corrected was covered under the 1 year home warranty and was not related to the issue that is being addressed currently. The issue that was corrected was an improper installation of the planks (near the front door) causing the tongue and groove to not align properly resulting in a break. The issue was covered with a sort of color-matched putty. Technicians were called out twice to fix the issue that was eventually corrected and have had no further issues with it. The cupping that is happening (mentioned in the inspection report) is due to the improper installation of the panels due to the 
  expansion gap not being efficient enough to installation standards (also mentioned in the inspection report), allowing the panels to move due to the home settling. I find it hard to believe that a chair is the cause of the panels breaking. You can clearly see the floor panel bunching up at the tongue and groove. 
  Regular movement across the floor may cause the tongue and groove to crack but it is due/caused by the improper installation. I do not believe that because of the incorrect manor that the flooring was installed that Kermans has done everything in their case to correct the issue. It was handed off as a 
  manufacturer defect which I agree it is clearly not and that is more than likely why the manufacturer claim was denied. Again, the issue lies with the initial installation, and I will continue to push to have it 
  corrected!
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************

  
  

  Customer response

  07/19/2024

  The attached information is from the manufacturer stating that within the inspection report, it is noted that the issue is an installation error and that it is up to the dealer and/or installer to have it corrected.

  

  Business response

  07/22/2024

  We have been to the homeowners house a number of times in order to ensure the completion of work.  In manufacturing warranty information, it does talk to the need for proper felt pads being used on chairs in order to not break the tongue and groove - these were not present.  In addition, the floor is a "floating floor" which means it needs expansion and contraction as it is not adhered to any subfloor or slab.  During installation there is a 1/4" gap which is left around the perimeter of the room to allow this.  Once we have completed the installation a trim crew comes in and installs shoe molding.  If the show molding is too tight (pinches the floor) it can cause issues.  Also, as the floor expands and contracts (again, a floating floor), then it is possible at time of inspection there would be areas which would appear to not have expansion during installation.  No where in the report does it mention there is not expansion in every inch of the perimeter.  

  Additionally, during the time of the installation the manufacturer did not require a 6mil poly (moisture barrier) between the slab and the product itself.  This is where manufacturers have changed and moved to it being mandatory.  This would be the fault of the manufacturer providing installation guidelines (which were met at the time) but COULD lead to defects in the product much like what the homeowner is seeing today.  Again, this does NOT mean it is installation related - it is a manufacturing issue.

  Customer response

  07/30/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined the response would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. 
  
  In the numerous times that the company has been out to my residence in order to complete work was from a separate issue not related to the one we are currently discussing. That issue was concerning an improper floor installation that was covered by a color matched putty. That issue has been corrected. In this case, first I understand that there is no manufacturer policy or guideline on the installation of a moisture barrier; however, it is mentioned in the manufacturer inspection report that the flooring was installed incorrectly. I trust the information in this report to be true as there is no possible way that a chair weighing less than eight pounds and not having a felt pad would be the cause of this sort of damage. From the manufacturer it is stated, "the floor is cupping/curling inward. To mitigate environmental conditions, the flooring is supposed to have empty space left around so that it can expand. This was not done when the floor was installed based on the inspection report. Due to incorrect installation, the flooring will expand, hit a pinch point and curl upward which has happened in this application. Since there was not enough space left around the floor to accommodate the expansion of the flooring, this is an installation-caused issue and should be addressed by the dealer or installer who installed the job."
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************
  

  

  Business response

  08/05/2024

  It does not matter the weight of the overall chair, it is the point load which (especially when a chair is sat in) puts stress on the locking mechanism and causes it to break.  All major manufacturers have the importance of felt pads on chairs in their care and maintenance as well as warranty information.  In addition, once a floor moves it can push against a pinch point.  This point can be a chair, walls, island, appliance, etc.  It can also be caused by shoe molding not being nailed to the baseboard but the floor, pinching the floor, and (in general) appearing the floor has expanded and no expansion gap left during installation.  

  Unless your shoe molding was removed during the inspection (which goes against any independent inspection protocol we have ever seen) then there is no way to accurately tell if there is any expansion left - let alone if there was expansion left at the time of the installation.

  Customer response

  08/05/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined the response would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. 
  
  Again, as stated in the inspection report, due to the cupping or curling of the floor, this is caused by an improper installation by not allowing enough of a gap. I can send visual pictures if need be to prove that the shoe moulding is not nailed to the flooring but to the baseboard. It seems that myself and the company will just go back and forth on the true reason of the damaged flooring. Please advise if the issue will not be addressed any further so that I can move forward and have the floor issue corrected, as I am assuming out of my own money/time. I will also say, that regardless of how the issue is corrected, I will be writing a negative review on the BBB and where else applicable on the business as I do not feel that this issue was handled in the way that it should based on the responsible party!
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  11/15/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  They installed our original flooring in our home it failed after 8 months and sheet vinyl came apart at all the seams. They installed vinyl plank last November to finally replace it honoring the warranty. During install I told them a piece at bottom of stairs was chipped . They said they would fix it next day and never contacted me or came back. I sent pictures to company rep ***** who sent people out to fix it and a gap between flooring and ****************. They slid board to fix gap but said chip by stairs would take too much time and didnt fix it. Now I have 5 boards with a 1 inch gap between them and the baseboard. I reported it to them and they sent someone out here to look at it Sept. 15th. I never heard back from them so I called and was told I would get a call right back with an answer. I never got a call back. I have called the person that is in charge of scheduling my builders appointments ************ think is her name and I have left at least 8 voicemails asking for them just to return my call so I know what is going on. I have heard nothing, Thanksgiving is next week and we are hosting with a big gap down the hall on our new flooring in our new house. I understand install issues happen but not fixing them and not even returning a phone call is a horribly unprofessional way to operate a business and is extremely frustrating for me as a customer who has a messed up floor and no idea if they are going to honor their warranty or not. I want an answer and want them to make the improper install on those 5 boards right.

  

  Business response

  12/21/2022

  I am having my staff reach out to homeowner to schedule a time to inspect and repair as needed.

  I will keep you updated of the appointment time.
  

  Thanks.

   

  *************************

  Kermans Flooring

  Customer response

  12/29/2022

  Better Business Bureau:

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this response will be satisfactory to me.  However I have tried to call so many times and never get a call back and they have not reached out to me yet so what is my path moving forward if they do not follow through on the response that they provided.  Also, they already sent someone out months ago to see the spot that needed fixed so I don't see a reason to schedule someone to look at it again and it just needs to be scheduled to be fixed.  if they need my contact to set this up it is ************, **************************
  
  
  

  Regards,

  *********************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩