How Important is a Warranty When Considering a Carpet?

[VKoenig]

Today's question: If one carpet has a 20-year warranty, and another has a 10-year warranty, does that mean the 20-year carpet is significantly better? What if the warranties are different for different manufacturers? If Stainmaster has a 10-year warranty but Anso has a 20-year warranty, does that mean that the Anso is that much better? And would it justify the higher price?

[Tandy Reeves]

In my opinion warranties are primarly a selling tool. Most warranties are for fiber loss and I have never seen a carpet 10 or 20 years old that has been replaced for warranty issues.

Usually the carpet with the longer warranty time cost a little more. The carpet in most homes uglies out and does not wear out. The consumer then purchases new carpet because it is ugly.

Do not hang your hat on warranties.

[ortiz34]

Don't let it be a deciding factor at all IMO
Ten years plus and they aren't gonna do squat for you IMO
Stainmaster is one of the most reputable companies for warranties on their fibers from my experience.
Shaw owns anso fiber company, draw your own conclusions as to why they put 20 yrs

[Paul L]

Tandy Reeves said In my opinion warranties are primarly a selling tool.

I agree.
The only 'real' warranty we (My wife and my business) can offer is on the installation. We know that has been done right!

[Taurus Flooring]

I wouldn't worry about the warranty as much as the retailer. Fly by nighters can leave you with a nightmare.

[Jeff Short]

I tell customers that warranties are, at best, an indication of how much confidence the manufacturer has in the material. The most important thing is what will the retailer do if the mill won't stand behind an obvious problem. At our store, we take care of the customer, even if the manufacturer won't, up to and including replacing jobs that they wouldn't.

[Incognito]

Jeff Short said I tell customers that warranties are, at best, an indication of how much confidence the manufacturer has in the material. The most important thing is what will the retailer do if the mill won't stand behind an obvious problem. At our store, we take care of the customer, even if the manufacturer won't, up to and including replacing jobs that they wouldn't.

*******************
Hi Jeff. That sounds like a great policy and I believe most retailers do TRY to follow that concept. But it leads me to an obvious question. What is the largest cost you've ever had to absorb from replacing a job that the manufacturer refused to stand behind?

[Ben]

I think warranty adds additional value into the product. I have seen plenty of warranties be honored by manufacturers, and plenty not get honored. The trick is understanding (and actually reading) the fine print. There are all kinds of exclusions and most are prorated after a certain amount of time. If a manufacturer puts a certain amount of warranty on a product I think the amount of warranty directly reflects the manufacturer's confidence in their product, though in some cases it's slapped on there to try to make inferior products look like they can compare to better ones.

[Demonseed]

This is a tricky topic. For carpet, I would say a warranty is not important, and adds little to no value to the product. It may help with a sale, but not because the actual warranty is important, only because people make flawed assumptions about it.

For most of the Country, when we think of a warranty on a product, we generallt think of a warranty on a vehicle, 10 years/100,000 miles (etc), and we have a good understanding about what is covered, the importance of factory scheduled maintenance, and everything else involved, and in our minds, we try to translate that type of warranty to other products, even though they are not even remotely related. A prime example would be (solid state) electronics, many people purchase extended warranties on those items, when for all intents and purposes it is throwing money away, because they follow a reverse exponential curve when it comes to failure rates over time.

When you look at carpet and the relevance of a warranty, what is it really protecting or insuring the consumer from? Most major manufacturing defects or flaws will be apparent in a very short period of time. And at best any of the wear/crushing-matting warranties are pro-rated even if proven to be a product issue. So at best, what is the end value to the consumer?

[Barry Carlton]

I think most carpet warranties were created to compete with wool carpets....which they could not do....and still cannot do.

[FlooringGirl]

I have seen warranties upheld by Stainmaster and Carpet One Lees. For both texture retention and staining. Therefore, I believe in them. You just have to know what you're buying and the warranty. Too many people don't pay attention. When I get new siding, gutters, roof, I pay so much attention. So should people on flooring. Fortunately, I don't have to pay so much attention to floors, as I know they'll be done right, Although, I have had people come back and redo. Even my own husband. I'm the worst customer in the world.

Tia

[Daris Mulkin]

FlooringGirl said I have seen warranties upheld by Stainmaster and Carpet One Lees. For both texture retention and staining. Therefore, I believe in them. You just have to know what you're buying and the warranty. Too many people don't pay attention. When I get new siding, gutters, roof, I pay so much attention. So should people on flooring. Fortunately, I don't have to pay so much attention to floors, as I know they'll be done right, Although, I have had people come back and redo. Even my own husband. I'm the worst customer in the world. Tia

No you aren't the worst! My wife is! She is complaining before it done. Her favorite saying is "you aren't going to leave it like that are you?"

Daris

[FlooringGirl]

Daris Mulkin said No you aren't the worst! My wife is! She is complaining before it done. Her favorite saying is "you aren't going to leave it like that are you?" Daris

Haha! I had to have Tommy "come back" and reinstall a portion in the bedroom because the carpet wasn't fully attached to the tack strip when I swept up. And, we had our tile guy do us a foyer and fireplace hearth, and when we opened up the front door, the light shone across the tile and there was a high corner. Made him rip it out and redo. In his defense, his grandson laid that part.

Tia

[Capiii]

Daris Mulkin said No you aren't the worst! My wife is! She is complaining before it done. Her favorite saying is "you aren't going to leave it like that are you?" Daris

Hah! Guilty here...I once left the last four upholstered steps un-upholstered at my house for almost a year. Then our install coordinator was trying to call a customer to get me in and check a flight of steps on a job, when she mistakenly dials my home number. My wife answers the phone and Mary proceeds to tell my wife how she would like to schedule a time for ME to come out, inspect, clean-up, and finish her stairs.
My wife say's "Mary, you probably don't realize who you dialed, but PLEASE send Trey out to finish my steps."
I get a work order with my address on it the very next day.
I'll never live that one down.

On Warranties...I lost faith and any sense of understanding them when Mohawk started putting 20yr warranties on their "Kid-Proof" PET SKU's.
I mean really.

[Jeff Short]

Incognito said ******************* Hi Jeff. That sounds like a great policy and I believe most retailers do TRY to follow that concept. But it leads me to an obvious question. What is the largest cost you've ever had to absorb from replacing a job that the manufacturer refused to stand behind?

Good question, Brian. I don't know right off hand. Fortunately, a good rep will usually find a way to help with a killer price when needed, even though the company has walked away.