"I lived with it because I couldn't bear going through this again." These were the words spoken to me by a consumer who had purchased a significant number of yards of high-end carpet. This consumer lives in an affluent area of the South and purchased a high quality broadloom from a reputable dealer thinking it would be the last carpet she would have to purchase for the house. There is very little traffic in the home, being that only she and her husband live there.

The problem is as follows:

She and a friend, who also bought the exact same broadloom, experienced buckles in the product within a fairly short period of time after installation. Her friend complained to the dealer first, and the retailer sent his installers back to re-stretch the carpet. They had to do the same thing again at a later date as well. Since this lady's friend had gone through this so many times, to no avail, she said she was not about to subject herself to the same.

She told me the ordeal of having to tear her house apart for the initial installation was tough enough, and she could not bear going through the same thing again so the broadloom could be stretched only to wrinkle again. She felt since the same carpet in her friend's home had wrinkled so many times- it was the exact same product, off the same order and run—she shouldn't have to go through the trouble of having her carpet serviced to what was proven to be, no resolution. She wants the broadloom replaced, but she is being told she must first allow the installers to try and fix it.

Her question was, did she really have to allow them access to her home to attempt a repair? Since this is an extraordinary situation and extremely unique, she could actually ride on the coattails of the friend's carpet complaint, even though this could be legally argued. It is well documented that these two ladies made their purchases at the same time, ordered the exact same broadloom and that it was from the same run, in fact, the same series of rolls, provided by the carpet manufacturer. Why should she have to endure the pain of the wasted time and energy and imposition to attempt to fix a condition that obviously was not fixable, as proven by repeated attempts at the friend's house? I might add that the cushion was the same, the installers were the same, the carpet was power stretched initially (and on the re-stretches) and all things were virtually the same except the homes in which the broadloom was installed.

This lady wants her carpet replaced without having to go through the hassle of any repairs. She is disillusioned with the dealer, the manufacturer and the broadloom industry in general. She purchased what was represented as high-quality carpet- which I can assure you it was- from a manufacturer whose name elicits quality in the industry. She is willing to fight this out if need be, and she has the wherewithal to do so. She wants broadloom that will not buckle and wrinkle.

I explained to her why such a thing could happen and what she would have to do to prevent this from happening again if she decided to get new carpet, which she actually wants and is expecting.

Don't let this happen to you. We have talked about this subject repeatedly. You have to understand why broadloom wrinkles, what to do about it and, most importantly, how to keep it from happening. If you have questions, concerns or need help please contact me. By the way, check out our DealerFloors.com Web site for exceptional deals on carpet.