Consumers are frequently misinformed, over-charged or sold the wrong flooring materials. There are too many flooring salespeople that will tell you just about anything in order to convince you to buy from them. Because most are not paid by the hour, they are commissioned salespeople. This is why you should never buy carpet based solely on the advice of a carpet salesperson.

Carpet is complicated and you need to know exactly what you are buying. You need to know why one carpet will last for twenty years yet another that looks the same will wear out in five. Knowledge is power. That is how you protect yourself from buying the wrong materials. Too many people have absolutely no knowledge about the carpet or padding they have purchased. They usually know how exactly much they spent on it and the name of the color, but they don’t have a clue what fiber the carpet is made of or what density padding was selected to have installed underneath it. Why? They have trusted the salesperson to make all the decisions for them. Sometimes that works and everything turns out all right, but more often it is a very costly mistake.

·        Don’t trust a carpet salesperson to make decisions for you, do your homework. 

·        Learn how to comparison shop. Learn how to find the best deals. 

·        Learn which carpets can meet your needs, budget and your lifestyle.

 "Unless the salesperson asks you a lot of questions about your flooring needs in an honest attempt to help you select the right product to serve your needs, you can assume that they are interested in nothing more than their next paycheck. In that case they will likely applaud any selection you might make regardless of it being a wise selection or not."

The Measuring Scams

One common Carpet Scam is to OVER-MEASURE or to charge you for more MATERIALS then you actually needed. This scam allows retailers to overcharge you by hundreds of dollars and is very easy for them to get away with it. How would you know if you are being over-measured?

Rolls of Carpet displayed on the showroom floor

Buying carpet off the showroom floor can be a costly mistake. When you see rolls and rolls of carpet displayed in a warehouse type of carpet retailer, those rolls of carpet may be defective or deemed "SECOND GRADE MATERIALS". In this case, you may be buying a carpet that has visible or invisible flaws or defects. Once installed in your home, those flaws or defects may become noticeable weeks or months later. You may not have any recourse if this happens and you may end up with a carpet that does not last as long as you had hoped. 

There is no manufacturer warranty on "second grade carpet". You only get a manufacturer's warranty when you buy "FIRST GRADE" materials and place your order from a manufacturer's carpet sample. 

Buying Carpet Wholesale

Looking for a wholesale deal? Good luck. What exactly does wholesale mean? It means you buy carpet directly from the manufacturer. The only way I know to get a wholesale deal is to have an account with the mill. There are no mills that I know of that will sell to the general public. Sure you can find lots of RETAIL places that offer "Wholesale To The Public" or "Factory Direct Prices", but this is not buying wholesale. Some dealers buy "seconds" or "roll ends" at a discounted price. These are often not "first grade" carpets and these carpets may not offer a factory warranty either. In fact, you may be buying a defective carpet and not even know it. By the time you find out, it's too late. You've been scammed.

Buying Carpet From Online Sources

I seldom recommend buying carpet from an online source. Too often these carpet brokers are nothing more than a small office with an 800 number. They take your order and have another carpet company ship carpet to you. What I keep hearing from duped carpet buying consumers, is that the carpet you order may not be the carpet you get. You may order a 45-ounce carpet and a 38-ounce carpet shows up. This is the old bait and switch routine. They know that you have no idea what the difference is between the two and even if you do, it is your responsibility to prove it, and ship the carpet back at your expense if you are not happy. Scammed again.

Buying carpet not suited to your needs.

It is not easy to select the right carpet that will MEET YOUR NEEDS AND LIFESTYLE. If you rely on the advice of a carpet salesperson to make that choice, you may be making a huge financial mistake. There are many factors that determine what carpet will work best for you. See selecting carpet.