Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:24/06/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Just like the other description of complaints on here against Build direct...my floors are commercial grade they should not be losing it's stain..the pvc is showing through the knots on flooring we are a family of 3 so we do not get lot's of traffic..the flooring is only in our great room..around 270sq feet..I called Build direct uploaded pictures as they asked for...a ****** tech man acknowledged the problem..****** stated I needed to hire a 500 dollar inspector that they would set up..I said are you kidding me..we have lifetime warranty and 10 year limited warranty as well ..I said. We paid a little over 1k for this flooring you expect us to pay 500 for an inspection...r u kidding me ..so here i am also complaining and filing a complaint

  

  Business Response

  Date: 28/06/2024

  Thanks for taking the time to reach out and provide feedback on your experience.

  In response we are uploading all the email communication to date, where we have explained the warranty process and our terms of sale, which by completing your transaction with us, you have agreed to.

  In order for us to progress this warranty claim, an on site inspection by a certified flooring inspector must be completed to validate if this is a valid product related issue or not. There can be any causes for why issues arise (aside from this just being a product issue) which is why we have this process in place.

  The customer is required to pay for the certified inspection initially, however the fee paid is fully refundable if the inspector does conclude that this is a valid product related issue. Furthermore, if the conclusion is that this is a product issue, BuildDirect will refund or repair the impacted area(s) upto the value of goods purchased from us. To date, the customer has declined to move forward with the inspection process which means we cannot progress this warranty claim.

  Outside of the standard warranty process, BuildDirect has already offered to discount any alternative product the customer wishes to purchase from us to replace the impacted area as a gesture of goodwill. This option has been declined to date also.

  We are trying to find a path forward with the customer, but unfortunately it seems the only outcome the customer will accept is a full refund / or credit for her order, without having any inspection take place to validate the claim being made.

  Kind regards,

  *********************** - BuildDirect

  Customer Answer

  Date: 28/06/2024

   
  Complaint: 21878172
  
  I am rejecting this response because: once again..the inspector will charge 500 dollars..I only paid ***** or so for product further more my flooring has been discontinued..so what I'm hearing is A. The customer who is still under warranty has to pay 500 dollars for an inspection when I already sent plenty of pictures per Build directs request...B.. the product is not in stock anymore and furthermore they will give me a discounted price for another product..we all know how this inspection will go in their favor of course..if this is how they treat their customers and warranties which in this case if it's still under warranty the customer should not have to come out of pocket 500 dollar's plus this product has been discontinued..refund my money or have an inspector come out for free since this is still under warranty...just like most businesses do..Rooms to go..Ashley furniture i can go on and on..as long as your under warranty they send a tech out to inspect or replace...

   

   

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:25/09/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We purchased pre finished hardwood flooring in May of 2021. The order numbers are ******* and *******. We followed all the recommendations and guidelines for installation and had the floors professionally installed. The flooring is also covered under warranty. Slowly over the course of the two years that the flooring has been installed many of the planks started splitting and peeling around the edges. We have contacted the company many times to get this issue resolved and they keep making it very difficult and try to blame our usage of the floor for these issues. The reason this is completely not accurate is that the damage is consistent within each plank and differs from plank to plank as can be seen in the pictures. After much contact and back and forth with the company through the course of the past year to have this issue fixed, which is covered under the warranty, the company required us to pay them over $400 for them to send out an inspector who was clearly only asking questions to try and put blame on our usage of the floor for the damage. Once he was not able to find anything, he tried blaming it on the wood cleaner we use. And since this issue is scattered across different planks throughout all of the flooring, it all needs to be replaced and reinstalled. Communication with this company has been very ****, ************* *** *************.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 26/09/2023

  Thanks for taking the time to provide this feedback.

  We aim to solve every situation possible, in cases where customer wish to execute on the warranty for a full replacement of the floor, we do require a third party, independent flooring inspection to take place.

  This inspection happened in this instance as the customer has mentioned and a copy of the report has been attached for reference.

  In short the conclusion is that the cleaning materials being used are damaging the surface of the product which is the root cause of the issue.

  The warranty does not cover this instance, as we have no control over what products the customer ultimately uses. We do provide care and maintenance guides with recommendations, but if people do not follow this there is little we can do.

  I am sorry to say since this is not a valid warranty claim we cannot offer a free replacement of the floor, along with installation costs, nor can we offer a refund on the inspection fee (this is only refundable if the inspection concludes that there is a valid product issue).

  We would be happy to work with the customer on discounting replacement material as a possible solution, but this wouldn't be free material, we would simply offer a slight discount vs the advertised price.

  Please let us know if there's anything else we can do to help.

  Kind regards,

  BuildDirect

  Customer Answer

  Date: 29/09/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  Firstly, we were not given any choice of inspectors and were actively warned about using an inspector other than the one recommended and provided at a 'discount' by the business, although they say they have no affiliation with the inspection company.

  Second, I was not home at the time of inspection and the inspector spoke to my wife who does not understand or speak English very well. When asked about the cleaning product, she tried to explain to him that the cleaning solution in the bottle was NOT ****** Oil Soap. It was a water based cleaning solution as is recommended by the manufacturer and builddirect. She was only using that old bottle as it was a spray bottle that made it more convenient to use. This was explained to the inspector but all that made its way into the report is just that picture (which you can see the liquid in it is NOT consistent with the color of ******** Oil Soap. 

  Third, we use the same water based cleaning solution for all of the flooring. This is inconsistent with the damage that we are observing and that can be seen in the pictures. Some planks are completely unaffected while others are splitting and peeling around the edges. This is more consistent with having received a few defective boxes of planks and since they were installed in a mixed fashion throughout the space (as per the installation instructions), this is why we see many instances of planks side by side, one affected and one not at all.

  It is only fair to have the floor replaced completely and installed at no cost in addition to being reimbursed for the inspection fee.

  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:21/06/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased ******* square feet of ****** flooring on February 14th of 2022. The product comes with a 5 year retail warranty, which is why I purchased it. In May of 2023 we noticed the floor begin to chip, warp, ****, and disconnect from itself.We contacted Build Direct to inform them of the issue and begin a warranty claim. They have refused to honor the warranty despite the following: It was installed by a professional contractor to the specifications on their installation instructions. Pictures detailing the damage being given.They require us to pay a company they work with on a regular basis $400 to inspect the flooring and believe they will render an unbiased opinion. I don't believe that.We have had two sperate contractors come out and verify the flooring is the problem and it was installed to specification.I am now out $4003.88 for the flooring and even more for the original contractor that installed it. I now have to pay for a new floor and a new contractor to install it

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/07/2023

  Thanks for reaching out to us.

  A member of our Customer Success team has been in touch with the customer regarding this complaint.

  In short, the warranty on all our products covers the product itself, but it doesn't cover things outside of our control such as how the product is installed.

  We don't employ any installers ourselves, we only provide the product itself. Customers are responsible for sourcing installers or installing themselves.

  In warranty cases such as this one, we use a nationally recognized company / network of professional flooring inspectors (******* *********) to review these claims and provide an un-biased report on what is causing the issue at hand. 

  If the conclusion of the report is that this is a product issue, the warranty is absolutely valid and we will work with the customer to resolve the issue.

  If the conclusion of the report is a install or site issue, then those outcomes would not be covered under the warranty. 

  In this case as per the inspection report attached, this was found to be an install related issue and a copy of the report has been sent to the customer for their records so they can work with their installer to find an appropriate solution.

  Kind regards,

  Ben from BuildDirect

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/07/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Included below are two videos depicting the issues they deem are warranty voiding. Allow me to outline why they say they are installation issues and why I can prove they are not.

  The first "Installation Issue" they claim is that the flooring was installed with too much force, the video below shows the contractor installing the floor without the use of a hammer, and only applying as much force as is necessary to get the tiles to click.

  The second issue is that the floor is 7/16 in 6' out of flat, but the second video shows the inspector manipulating the results by lifting the level and setting it onto the measuring step.

  The third issue piggy backs off the 2nd.

  The inspector who performed the work even commented to me that "It is strange that only the area that is heavily trafficked is having the issue" Later saying "He doesn't make the decision if it is an installation issue"

  The warranty should be valid, and I had two separate contractors verify that it was a product issue, but that was not good enough for Build Direct. They required we hire a floor inspector of their choice who THEY work with on a REGULAR BASIS. One that obviously would have some level of bias towards them, if the company returned too many floors to them why would they continue to get hired. Build Direct provided no other options, only to use their inspector or we could not file a claim. 

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

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  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************