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:09/17/2024

  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.

  In the Spring of 2020, my wife and I purchased appx 750 sq. ft. of Luxury Plank Vinyl flooring from Happy Feet International through a local distributor, **** Flooring. Within the first year after installation, we began to have issues with their product. We called the installer who came out and attempted to mend the issue, but the issues continued and worsened. The flooring was cupping and buckling at the edges; so much so that it had become a trip hazard. Both my wife and I have cut our feet on the flooring, causing us to have to place painters’ tape on many of the places across our home to prevent tripping or further injury. Earlier this year, we contacted **** Flooring again to say we had had enough and wanted to file a warranty claim. After several weeks, HFI sent someone to our home to inspect the issue. The man claimed to be a certified flooring inspector, but offered no credentials to warrant this claim. He made several observations and took several measurements. He removed one of our crawl space vents to take a moisture measurement, damaging the vent in the process. I told him that we had received 3/4" of rain less than two hours prior. He was uninterested. The area under which he measured was away from the affected flooring and under an older part of our home. The main floors had all been replaced with new floor joists, subfloor, moisture barrier, etc. I also informed him of this and stated I had photographs to back my statements. Again, he was uninterested. The moisture measurements he took were over 20 feet away from the affected area of the home, but he continued regardless. He broke our crawl space vent and left it in its damaged state. His report was one-sided and biased. Even the retailer stated there were known issues with the performance of this flooring, but HFI refused to acknowledge and accept responsibility. of $4,871.65. This is the amount I paid to have Happy Feet International’s product installed in my home 4 years ago.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/01/2024

  HFI had the consumers concern inspected by an independent FCITS inspector per the attachments from this customer. 

  The report has documentation with the photo evidence regarding the installation concerns. If the consumer does not agree with the inspector results, they can source their own Independent Inspector.

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

  They can provide the second report to the retailer, who will then send over to Happy Feet International's Claim department. HFI will reopen the claim to review and if any updates will communicate it with the retailer.

   

  Site Related Issues Observed:
  1. High moisture readings from the crawl space are migrating to the back of the flooring causing cupping due to moisture.
  2. The cupping is prompting the product to crack and then separate
  3. The lack of ventilation is trapping moisture underneath the home.
  4. By testing the wood in the subfloor it was determined there are high moisture levels present

  Installation Related Issues Observed:
  1. As stated in the installation instructions the subfloor must best tested for moisture before installing.
  2. Also proper floor prep must be done to prepare the subfloor to proper flatness. (3/16” in 10 feet). This is covered in the installation instructions.

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/02/2024

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because: this is the standard response from HFI for all complaints.  They habitually refuse to honor their warranty and provide a biased report from "independent" inspectors who rely upon companies such as HFI to continue to employ their services.  The local flooring company agrees with this statement so much so that they have removed this product from their store and closed their account with HFI.  The measurements from the inspector were taken outside on a day when we had received 3/4" of rain less than 2 hours before.  I have attached further photos of our subfloors taken immediately after the removal of HFI product.  There is NO moisture present under the flooring.  The installer took moisture measurements of the subfloor directly beneath the flooring and all measurements were well below the standard and way below the measurements taken by their inspector.  Furthermore, it has been proven that the inspector's meter was not set for the proper flooring material at the time he took his readings.  HFI claims to be a family oriented company, but they continue to sell a sub-standard product and continue to deny claims for issues they know are caused by their product.  Their local rep (******) literally told the installer to tell me to "get f*****" since they had denied the warranty claim and the installer had only a 1 year install warranty.  That is some way to serve your customer.  HFI has habitually failed to back their product from repeated claims.  Their answer is to change the installation instructions for new applications and hold prior installations to these new requirements.  That is not right.  They know they have a faulty product and refuse to stand behind it.  I have the photos, measurements, and statements from the installer to back all of my statements as well as dispute HFI's statements about moisture.  I should not have to pay for another inspection including travel over 250 miles for the next closest inspector to prove what I already have documented to be true.  I will be watching for the class action suit against HFI and will happily sign up when it does happen.  

   

  I have not heard from Happy Feet International either.  I have,
  however, moved forward and replaced the floor at my own expense.  I used
  the same installer as before.  They took photos and moisture readings
  of the subfloor immediately after the defective flooring was removed. 
  The readings were much lower than those reported by HFI and the attached
  photos prove yet again that moisture was NOT present in the subfloor. 
  It is my opinion after speaking with the installer that HFI's approach
  is to deny and ignore all claims and/or issues in hopes they simply go
  away.  They should not be able to continue to mis-represent their faulty
  product with a 25 year warranty that they have zero intentions of
  backing.

  
  

  Best regards,

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

  Business Response

  Date: 10/02/2024

  Mr. ********,
  Happy Feet International takes pride in our products as well
  as our customers. We do honor our warranty if it were a manufacturing defect.The documents that you have loaded show this was not the case.

  FCITS is a leading team of individual inspectors that hold
  no ties to Happy Feet. We source the closest one in your area. You stated, “it
  has been proven that the inspector’s meter was not set for the proper flooring
  material at the time he took his readings.,” however, the photos show this
  is untrue.

  
  Even though moisture was an issue, subfloor deflection also
  contributed to this failure. All these leads back to HFI installation guide not
  followed during the time of installation. Furthermore, we do not change the
  installation instructions for new applications and hold prior installations to
  these new requirements. Again, this is a false statement.

  
  You mention the installer only warranted his install for a
  year, even with the proper documentation that stated this was an installation
  failure? They should honor the mistakes made at time of installation.
  I did not see any pictures regarding the photos of the
  moisture reading of the subfloor immediately after the defective flooring was
  removed. I did see the photos they took where they are correcting the deflection
  in the subfloor.

  
  Thank you,
  ****** ********
  Claims Analyst
  

  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/03/2024

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because: the statements made by the business continue to be false.  If HFI DOES warranty their product, then why did **** FLOORING close their account with HFI due to continued warranty claim denials?  The letter from **** ******* is in my documents and states this.  Surely, if HFI products are a valuable product and backed by the company, this installer wouldn't kick your company out of his showroom.  A local business would not remove a valued supplier from their line of offered products over a single warranty issue.  Rather, even from his own words, HFI's continued denial of claims have led to this action.  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  **** ********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/18/2024

  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.

  I had Happy Feet luxury vinyl tile flooring installed in my home in 2021. The flooring immediately had issues and the installer tried to fix it. This was not resolved and so a representative from Happy Feet was asked to review the situation. Happy Feet determined that it was an installation issue and not there product. I had a second opinion that determined the installation was correct. All of this process has taken several years. I have reached out to Happy Feet international who said they would open a claim but they did nothing. My last call with there claims representative ended with the Happy Feet representative hanging up on me. Evidently they don’t deal with home owners.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/18/2024

  I contacted ******, the claims manager for Happy Feet most recently on March 15th. She hung up on me. I’ve attached the wording of the distributor’s warranty (Happy Feet). The warranty states a lifetime limited residential and a 30 year commercial warranty. Happy Feet contacted the retailer today regarding this claim after I threatened to complain to the BBB but they refuse to take responsibility for this flooring product on the grounds that it was installed incorrectly despite errors in the inspectors report. 

  Business Response

  Date: 03/20/2024

  Happy Feet International finalized this claim back in 2022. An
  independent inspector was hired to document the concerns this customer was
  having. The inspection report with photo evidence was sent over to the retailer
  that this customer purchased from on Sept 26, 2022. If the consumer is unhappy
  with the inspector results, they can source their own Independent Inspector. They
  can provide the second report to the retailer, who will then send over to Happy
  Feet International’s Claims department. HFI will reopen the claim to review and
  if any updates will communicate it with the retailer.  

  
  FCITS certified inspector can be located here: **************************************** 

  
  The consumer has made several phones calls to the
  distributor regarding the first outcome of the claim decision. The customer has
  been advised several times to reach out to the Retailer for assistance. HFI has
  discussed this claim with the Retailer in Feb and March.

  
  “The flooring receipt, all moisture/relative humidity
  testing documentation, and the professional installers receipt will be required
  to file a claim. If one should arise, please contact the original purchaser to
  complete a claim form. In the event that you have a flooring concern Happy
  Feet International will cover the cost of hiring an independent inspector, but
  if the inspection report comes back deemed that it is an installation error or
  on-site issue, the inspection fee will be charged back to the
  dealer/distributor/homeowner.” 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/23/2024

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  I am pursuing another independent assessment of my flooring issues. I have unused product still packed in boxes that shows warpage. I believe this is a product issue not an installation issue. 
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  **** *******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/18/2023

  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 am a general contractor and have installed vinyl flooring a few customers over the past few years, so this job was not a new thing for me.
  I installed vinyl flooring for a customer the week of march 27 2023. 3 weeks or so latter, customer complained about small chips in some of the flooring. Happy Feet sent me a new box of flooring. I spent 7 hours on a sat pulling the floor up to replace the pieces with the chips in them.
  I spoke with manager of the store where I purchased the flooring to find out about filing a warranty claim. He referred me to the salesman. We spoke and the salesman sent me a form to fill our. On June 16 2023, I emailed the form along with pictures documenting the issues. It took a month before he acknowledged that he recieved the email.
  During this time, the customer called and said there is another issue.
  Again, I contacted the rep. It took emails, calls, and texts over a 2 week period before he replied.
  No response .
  I finally called their customer service department and spoke with a lady in warranty. She said she was going to check into it. After 3 more calls to her over a few weeks, I was told the paper work had not been filed properly. Everything had to go through the store where I purchased the flooring.
  The store manager quickly filled out the paper work and sent it in. On Sept 11 2023, I received a phone call from an independent inspector to schedule a time to inspect the floor. He inspected the floor on Sept 12 2023
  I waited until the week of oct 1st 2023. I called the factory and spoke with lady in warranty and she said I will have an answer on Oct 6 2023.
  As of today, Oct 16 2023, I have not heard from them.
  I contacted the store where I purchased yhe flooring to order 2 boxes of flooring at my expense to take care of my customer.
  The company refuses to stand behind their product.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/27/2023

  HFI has had this claim inspected and has emailed the dealer the information on Oct 10, 2023.This consumer will need to contact their retailer regarding this matter. 

  Happy Feet International warranty can be located on our website.

  On our Warranty it states:  
  The flooring receipt, all moisture/relative humidity testing documentation (if applicable), and the 
  professional installers receipt will be required to file a claim. If one should arise, please contact the 
  original purchaser to complete a claim form. In the event that you have a flooring concern 
  Happy Feet International will cover the cost of hiring an independent inspector, but if the 
  inspection report comes back deemed that it is an installation error or onsite issue, the 
  inspection fee will be charged back to the dealer/distributor/homeowner. 
  

  This was the delay to the consumers installation claim. Happy Feet International apologizes for the confusion from our customer stating Mr. **** had to contact Happy Feet's local sales rep to file this claim. 

  We have issued some cartons as an accommodation for this customer inconvenience. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/17/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore 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.

  Purchased happy feet flooring in May of 2020. The floors were installed 2 weeks later. Within 9 months of installation the flooring started separating. I filed a claim to the company February 2021. The company I purchased from told me to contact happy feet customer service claims department. Happy feet refused issue a claim unless I paid $250 for one of their inspectors to come check the flooring to see if it was an installation defect or product defect. I told them it was ridiculous I have to pay for them to inspect a defective product. It was installed by my father who is a retired contractor. They also said because he was not a “current professional contractor” the warranty was void. My neighbors also ordered the same product in a different color. They have had the same issues. It is now January 2023 and we are constantly seeing new pieces coming apart everyday.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/23/2023

  Upon further investigation this claim has been filed with Happy Feet International. We have reviewed this complaint and the consumer will be hearing from Georgia Carpets regarding the consumers concerns. All claim information will be provided to them in regards to this customers purchase. Please contact your retailer for further updates.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/23/2023

  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/09/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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.

  After researching a LOT of flooring products we chose Happy Feet Flooring based on their promise for high wear, 50 year warranty, and longevity in a commercial setting. The flooring was purchased through a local reputable and trusted company. Their installer was not available to install in a reasonable timeframe so we hired an installer through another local reputable and trusted company. The floor was delivered and sat in the room it was to be installed in for acclimation and later installed in May 2021. Within a few months, the floor started peeling, buckling, and creating tripping hazards by coming apart at the seams. The installer was notified by email in September that the floor was defective and causing hazards. The install company assessed and responded with "After taking a closer look at the photos, it appears as though the locking system of the material is failing. That type of material locks together like Lego bricks and the only way it can lift like that is for the locking mechanism tabs to break apart from the material. That looks to me like a material failure but I will still send the installation crew that did the install up to take a look and fix it if it can be fixed." and "The installer informed me that the end joints were failing across the entire floor and suggested that I get the manufacturer of the material involved." After several months of going through the claims process, including testing, removing, and replacing sections of the flooring, Happy Feet offered to replace the flooring with another product. No compensation for the initial cost of the floor. No coverage for the labor. Over $15,000 combined for labor and materials spend and currently have a floor that is dangerous and defective with no responsibility taken by Happy Feet. The process went well into May 2022 with no resolution.