Pro Floor Services, Inc.

What you don't know about the process is usually what gets you in trouble.

    Very few homeowners have a proper understanding of the process they are about to get involved in.

   Most homeowners are trusting by nature.

   Most dealers are good people, too.

The overwhelming majority of people who file a floor covering claim without hiring their own inspector will be dissapointed.

This is a fact proven by years of experience.

What happens when you call your dealer to complain about your floor?

1. The dealer files a claim with the manufacturer
2. The manufacturer decides if they should get involved, based upon the information supplied by the dealer.
3. The manufacturer may hire an inspector to look at your floor.
4. After looking at the floor, the inspector files a report which answers the manufacturer's questions.

   Sounds simple enough until you realize that the manufacturer does not have the same questions about the floor that the homeowner might have.

   The manufacturer only wants to know if there are any product defects or if there are issues which are covered by a specific warranty.

   The inspector is not allowed to talk to any party who is not paying for his expertise.

   The inspector is only allowed to work for one party on any claim. He cannot answer your questions if you aren't the one paying for his services.

   If the flooring isn't defective, by industry standards, the claim is denied.

Here's where people go wrong

   Most homeowners will simply give up and live with their flooring problem after the claim is denied by the manufacturer.

   They don't realize that the manufacturer may be right in declining the claim but the homeowner may still be entitled to some justice.

   What if the installer caused the problem? The manufacturer isn't concerned with that.

    What if the dealer caused the problem or listed the wrong problem on the claim paperwork?

The manufacturer doesn't care about that.

   What if the homeowner or building caused the problem? The manufacturer doesn't care about that either.

   One hardwood manufacturer says it well, "We make flooring, not floors." As long as their product is up to their expectations, they have done their job and anything beyond that is someone else's problem.

On these 2  installations, the sheet vinyl had buckled areas throughout all of the rooms. Both manufacturers say you can install it loose lay only in simple floor plan rooms. The doorways, islands, and hallways make these floorplans anything but simple. These flooring failures were caused by the dealer's failure to select the proper installation method. Both claims were correctly declined by the manufacturers.

   The top picture shows the build up left on a laminate floor after the homeowner used the dealer supplied care products. This claim was declined by the manufacturer since the flooring had no defects.

   I wonder if the dealer ever told the homeowner that the problem was caused by the dealer?

   The second picture shows that the dealer's installers used a patching compound that is not allowed by the flooring manufacturer. This claim was declined since there was nothing wrong with the flooring.

   I wonder if the dealer ever replaced the floor that their crews ruined?

There is nothing wrong with this flooring but there is definitely something wrong with this floor.

Once again, there is nothing wrong with this flooring but there is something wrong with this floor.

This is one of the cases where the carpet fibers actually were defective and the homeowners got new carpet.

The carpet on top is new while the bottom piece has been used for several months.

 This carpet yarn has a manufacturing defeciency yet the claim was originally denied by the mill. The dealer listed a complaint which had nothing to do with the construction of the carpet yarns. The carpet was only inspected for what the dealer stated was the problem and was rightly declined for that issue.

   Only when the homeowner hired their own inspector was the carpet replaced by the manufacturer.

A very satisfied customer wrote:

To whom it may concern:

I would like to take this opportunity to recommend Mr. David Horan of Pro Floor Services, Inc. I retained Mr. Horan's services to help me defend litigation of a suit filed by a local flooring company who sold and installed a cork floor that had many defects. Mr. Horan came to my home and did a thorough evaluation and subsequent write up as to the defects surrounding the installation of the floor. His analysis was so thorough and professional that we were able to prevail in court. The money that we were charged by Mr. Horan was probably the best I have spent in many years. I would highly recommend that anyone with flooring issues contact Mr. Horan. Further, if you have any questions concerning my experience with his company, I have given him permission to share with you my number.

Ted Kozak

Baltimore,Md.