Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/16/2023

  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.

  We built our house in 2018 and purchased our engineered hardwood flooring from ProSource of Bridgeville. Years later (2022), the flooring is failing. We contacted Prosource to ask about what was happening to our flooring. The sent someone to inspect the flooring and take our leftover flooring back to send it for inspection to the manufacture. The inspection company stated the floor was failing due to improper "care and maintenance". The care and maintenance single page document given to use (that we signed) from ProSource was followed. The manufacture stated that is not the warranty and care information that they provided to ProSource. The manufacture warranty info was several pages long and detailed. Detailed to the point that no one would purchase it and consider the product warrantied. They claim that our cleaning method of Norwex (a microfiber cloth dampened with water) is what is causing their product to fail. Yet, the document we signed from ProSource doesn't say do not clean with water. Note: The flooring is failing in areas never cleaned, i.e. under area rugs. No one could provide any supporting evidence of the water in our cleaning method damages floors. I asked for the liability insurance company of ProSource. ProSource refused and said they spoke to them and they said this isn't a claim. I asked for that denial in writing from their insurance company. They refused. Asked for my flooring sample back (the only piece left over from installation so we could shop for replacement) they could not provide that for me. Ask for further evidence of their warranty denial. They could not. We were given incorrect maintenance/care instructions, no supporting claim evidence, withholding our flooring sample, and no claim denial documents from their liability insurance.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/17/2023

  This letter is being sent in response to the letter we received from your organization regarding a complaint filed 
  by Mr. ******* ******.

  
  Mr. ****** purchased engineered hardwood flooring from our company for his residence in April, 2018 and had it 
  installed by his own hardwood installer. In early September, 2022, Mr. ****** contacted Anthony M*****, the 
  ProSource sales representative in our Bridgeville showroom who he worked with when he initially bought the 
  hardwood, with concerns of flaking and chipping of his flooring. Anthony asked Mr. ****** to send pictures so 
  that we could submit a claim to our supplier. Mr. ****** emailed pictures of various areas of his flooring to 
  Anthony on 9/5/2022. 

  
  On 9/7/2022, our Bridgeville office filed a claim with the supplier of this hardwood, All Tile. All Tile asked if we 
  could obtain a sample of the floor from the customer to send them so they could submit to the manufacturer of 
  the hardwood, HF Design LLC. We requested a sample from the customer which they dropped off to us the week 
  of 10/3/2022. The sample was then sent via UPS to All Tile’s Claims Department on 10/5/2022 for testing.
  The manufacturer setup an inspection of the floor, which was conducted on 10/24/2022, by an independent
  Certified Hard Surface Flooring Inspector, and Mr. ****** was not charged for this. The independent inspector 
  concluded in his findings that the concerns with this flooring were due to cleaning/maintenance issues and that 
  no manufacturing deficiencies were found. Enclosed is a copy of the detailed inspection report which was 
  forwarded to Mr. ****** on 11/10/2022.

  
  Mr. ****** conveyed to Anthony that he was not happy with the results of the inspection. Our showroom 
  manager, Dave L****, reached out to Mr. ****** on 11/22/2022 to discuss further. Mr. ****** felt that the 
  manufacturer denied the claim because the flooring that he purchased over four years ago was now discontinued.
  Dave explained to Mr. ****** that the inspection companies are independent, that they are certified by the 
  National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA), and that they are not employed by the manufacturer, dealer, or 
  vendor.

  
  Regarding the improper care/maintenance identified in the inspection report, Mr. ****** stated that he followed 
  the single page document, “Important Hardwood Flooring Information,” signed copy enclosed, which is a 
  document we provide and require all customers to sign when purchasing hardwood flooring from ProSource. This 
  document is a general hardwood guidelines document explaining the following:
  • Product Verification – explains that the customer needs to verify the product meets their expectations 
  with regards to species, color, size, quality, and overall look before any of the hardwood is installed.
  • Protection – explains things that can damage a hardwood floor and steps to be taken to help protect the 
  hardwood floor from damage.
  • Care and Maintenance – explains the importance of wiping up spills immediately, vacuuming the floor as 
  needed, using the manufacturer’s recommended alcohol based spray floor cleaner with a soft cloth or 
  microfiber mop, and to avoid using “steam” mops, solvent based cleaners, and oil soaps. It also 
  recommends that the customer visit the manufacturer’s website for warranty and cleaning information 
  for the specific hardwood floor that they purchased.
  • Expansion and Contraction – explains that hardwood is a natural product that takes on and releases 
  moisture which can create expansion and contraction of the hardwood and the importance of controlling 
  the humidity levels in the home. 

  
  Mr. ****** stated in his letter to the BBB that this document he signed did not specifically state to “not clean with 
  water.” We cannot possibly list everything that should not be used to clean the floor, but it does state to use the 
  “manufacturer’s recommended alcohol based spray floor cleaner,” to “avoid steam,” and to “visit the 
  manufacturer’s website for warranty and cleaning information for your specific floor.” In addition, we confirmed 
  with our supplier, All Tile, that installation, warranty, and maintenance instructions would have been enclosed in 
  approximately every 3 cartons of the product, see enclosed letter from All Tile. Mr. ****** ordered a total of 
  1,616.5 square feet, or 61 cartons.

  
  Knowing that Mr. ****** was not satisfied with the inspection results, Dave reached out to the regional manager 
  of our ProSource showrooms, Tom Norris, to discuss the claim. Tom reached out to Mr. ****** on the phone and 
  informed him that we could provide him with contact information for additional independent Certified Hard 
  Surface Flooring Inspectors that Mr. ****** could contact to get another inspection/opinion, and that if it is 
  concluded by another inspection that the floor is defective, that we would not only reimburse Mr. ****** for the 
  cost of the inspection, but that we would also have the floor replaced at no cost to him. To date, Mr. ****** has 
  not taken us up on this offer.

  Regarding the sample board that was sent to the manufacturer for testing, Mr. ****** reached out to Anthony on 
  1/3/2023 to see about getting the flooring sample back. We reached out to the supplier who informed us that the 
  manufacturer stated that due to the testing process they go through which includes breaking apart the board, 
  that there was not anything left to send them. 

  
  Regarding liability insurance, Mr. ****** did reach out to us requesting who our insurance liability was with and 
  asked that we submit a claim with them. We did not believe that this was in any way applicable to our insurance 
  and this was confirmed by our insurance company. Mr. ****** pressed this issue and, in an email dated 1/6/2023 
  he requested the following: “File a claim on my behalf (based of my claim and your inspection results) and let the 
  insurance company deny the claim. Not your owner. Send me a copy please. Like a car accident.” We reached out 
  to our insurance company again and they agreed to submit a claim and let it be denied, which it was, copy 
  enclosed.

  
  Please feel free to reach out should you need anything else.

  
  Sincerely,

  
  Thomas M*****
  President

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/20/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  I completely understand the response from Donegal, let it be known that their Adjuster (attached business card) stood in my house and said that she has being using Norwex for years (that is the method we used) and that this damage is not from cleaning with Norwex.

  My point is that the methods and reasoning for denying our claim is what the problem is. The reports claim damage from cleaning with water, yet could provide no visual evidence of how cleaning with water can damage this floor. That we should of used the manufactures "recommended" method, not required. The the method we used led to "elevated moisture levels" in our floor when inspected. A level of 12%. When I tested it days later, it averaged 6%. Then in your report it states that the moisture reading is in no way considered accurate due the the extreme changes the flooring undergoes on a daily basis. 

  So stated my moister levels are elevated because we cleaned it with Norwex days earlier makes no sense.

   

  Look, I realize this is all a waste of my time and that it all comes down to how reports are worded. No matter what the customer will lose in these stituations, but it the principal of it.

   

  Everyone knows that cleaning it with Norwex didn't cause it to fail but it all comes down to the language in the warranty and care documents.

   

  I'm done with this complaint and these companies.

  
  Regards,
  
  ******* ******