We are back with our "hopefully" final Lowe's update on our Smart Core flooring install. If you missed our first post on this problem, check it out
here.
On February 16th, we got a voicemail from a guy named Jason who said that the manufacturer had rejected the claim saying that the issues we were having were from the install, not the product. Lowe's did "finally" admit that the issues were caused by their installer (Piedmont) and was therefor covered under the 1 year install warranty.
We spoke to Casey while in the store a few weeks later and asked for an update. He stated that they would come out and reinstall everything. He also agreed that they would take care of all of the demo, move all the furniture, replace all the bull nose trim as well as pull and reinstall the two toilets on that level. He said that the approval for the reinstall had been sent up to corporate because the estimate for the reinstall had come back more than the original price we had paid.
Casey called on March 28th saying that the floors had been ordered and he would call us back once it arrived and schedule the install. He said it shouldn't take very long for them to get here. We never heard from him.
On April 18th, Beau called the store looking for Casey to ask for an update but he wasn't there so Beau left a message with another guy in the flooring department. Casey called him back on the 20th and said that the flooring should be in by the end of the week and that it had been delayed a bit because they had been waiting on the rounded piece for the top of the basement stairs. He said he would call Beau back either way on the 22nd (Friday) with an update and to schedule the delivery. Now, hindsight being 20/20, we now know that he never even looked up in the computer or checked with anyone else in the flooring department about the order because at this point, that rounded stair piece hadn't even been ordered at this point. Apparently because it wasn't sitting there with the rest of the product, he just assumed that that was what the issue was. He admitted later that he had delegated the ordering of that rounded piece down to someone else in flooring to order and they never did it and never bothered to follow up on it either.
So now April 30th rolls around and guess what...no phone call from Casey. So Beau calls the store yet again to try and get an update. Casey wasn't working that day as usual so Beau spoke with a lady in the install department who looked in the computer and said that there wasn't much there under our account. She said that she would try to do some further research and let us know what she found. She called us back a few hours later and said that the flooring had been delivered, the rounded piece for the stairs had not been, and that the flooring that had been delivered had been put out as stock on the floor and sold to another customer... Rather than hold onto our product until the rounded piece arrived or offer to install it before the rounded piece arrived, they just sold it to get it out of the way. To say we were beyond angry at this point would be an understatement. Beau immediately asked for a store manager and spoke with a man named Kennith who, again, had no idea what was going on. We went over everything and he made the comment that Casey wasn't very good at making notes in the system. They tried to call Casey several times over the weekend but never were able to get a hold of him and since he was apparently the only person on the planet who had any idea what was going on with our order/account but he never bothered to answer when they called or return their calls either. Finally Kenneth said he would call us back on May 2nd (Monday) with a full update as to what was going on and what the plan going forward was. He also promised that we could have the regular flooring installed as soon as it arrived and that the new installers would then come back once the rounded piece arrived and install it separately.
So Monday May 2nd comes around and we get a call from yet another new lady who did not have any clue what so ever about what was happening. She had no idea we were angry or what any of the issues were so she was not helpful at all. She said Kennith told her to call to tell us that the flooring had been ordered and that Casey would be calling us with an update the following day. Beau said this was not acceptable and we needed real answers on what the dates of delivery and install would be. She said she would speak with Kennith and call back. She called back soon after and said that the flooring install company had been notified but no one had dates for delivery or install for us. Beau said he wanted to speak with Kennith directly. Kennith was extremely short and borderline rude with him and just said that they were trying to get enough product from other stores rounded up and that the store should have it by Thursday. He said Casey was to return to work the next day (Tuesday) and he would call us. We never got a call from Casey.
Wednesday May 4th came and Beau got fed up when we had still not heard from Casey by that afternoon so he called the store looking for him. Casey finally got on the phone and Beau flat out asked him what was going on and what would have happened had we not called and discovered this issue. Beau had a suspicion at this point that the rounded piece had never been ordered as we had had several other people at this point tell us that nothing was showing in the system for it. Casey finally admitted that the first time that piece had really been ordered was May the 2nd... 5 months after our initial complaint about the floors and 5 weeks since he had told us everything had been ordered. He said the order had been delegated down to someone else and he never checked on it. He then made it very clear that we were going to be expected to wait for that piece to come before any of our flooring would be installed. This was not what Kennith had promised and that we had little to no faith at this point that the rounded piece would ever show up so we wanted the rest of the floor installed ASAP. Casey said that it was against Lowe's policy to schedule or install any product until 100% of the order has been delivered at the store. Beau said Kennith said nothing about that policy and promised it would be installed as soon as it arrived regardless of where that rounded piece was. Casey then asked Beau (very sarcastically) if Kennith had cleared that with the installer. Beau said that that was not his problem or job to find out, it was Casey and Kennith's problem so Casey then said that he would check if that was even an option. Beau then asked about the delivery of the floor. We wanted a date and last time the floor was delivered, they simply dumped it in the driveway and we were expected to bring it all into the house for the installers so we wanted it made clear that we were not going to do that again. Casey started trying to play nice and back peddle a bit at this point (we think he started to realize just how angry we were) and he said that he would personally come out and deliver the product and that we were "not to lift a finger for the entire project" (and yet WE have to call 10000000 times to ever get anything done. Curious.) He then promised to push back on the installers to get dates ASAP.
I called later that same day to try and get dates for the delivery and install. Beau had gone straight into a work meeting after talking to Casey so I didn't know they had spoken. The lady in customer service said the computer showed the order was not to be delivered until the 12. I said that can't be correct and I want the flooring department. I got a guy in flooring named Bill (very nice man) who said the computer showed that the flooring (not the rounded piece) was showing to be delivered on the 12 but then happened to notice a large pile of product int he back room next to the computer that had our name on it. He confirmed that it was the correct product and the correct number of boxes so he went over to the delivery desk to try and sort out a delivery date for me. While I was on hold waiting, Casey got on the line and said that they were still waiting for the installers to set a date and that would dictate when the product would be delivered. He then spent a long time going on and on about how the install company was very busy but how they were going to be bringing out a team "just for you from North Carolina" and so on. I told him I really didn't care, I just wanted my the floors that we had paid for a year ago. He promised to call back as soon as they had a date. Now bear in mind, we still didn't have the rounded piece but apparently the rest of the floor could be installed anyway. We knew this was the case after speaking with a family member who works as a delivery manager in another state and she said while they don't like to do that, they can/will.
A few hours later Casey called back saying that they would deliver the floor Friday afternoon and the installers were sending a team from New York the following Monday. He didn't have any times but said he would call back the next day with times. Never called back.
Beau got a call about 15 minutes before Casey and his assistant showed up to deliver the floors and luckily I just happened to be at home. They brought all the flooring in the house, stacked it up and left saying that the install guys would be there by 9am Monday morning. This was the last time we saw or spoke to Casey.
Now let me just say, the install guy (Service Pro's) were amazing. They did a fantastic job with everything, worked as long as they needed to to get it done. They were more than happy to work around our schedule if need be and make sure we were put out as little as possible. Every day they did a great job of cleaning everything up and making sure everything was back in its place before they left for the day. And the install itself was just perfect. You could visibly see the difference between the old floor and the new floor as they worked. The new floor looks and feels like one, flush, seamless piece where as the old floor was clearly many individual pieces. They even made the comment after they started that the old floor wasn't installed correctly at all.
And best of all... We still had the round piece for the one stair on the basement stairs that we had saved to show the inspector because it had been installed so badly that it actually cracked on the underside and came off. The main installer of the new floor, found it in the basement and was able to fix it and reinstalled it. That way we don't have to wait for the new piece which we still aren't convinced was even ordered. And you can't even tell that it isn't brand new. The previous guy that installed it told me that because of how it set, we should never step on it. This guy not only fixed it but got it on there correctly so we CAN step on it. He was very surprised when I told him what the previous guy had said about it.
Here is Jordyn cleaning up their "dirty, dirty, dirty" boot prints while they were working in the master bedroom the 3rd morning they were here.
At the end of the day, this entire process was just absolutely ridiculous. The fact that the ball was dropped by multiple people at Lowe's, primarily Casey, was just crazy. We had been planning on using this Lowe's for new windows and counter tops but after this experience, we will be taking that business else where. This entire process should not have taken more than maybe a month or two. I understand it took a while for the product to originally get delivered to the store and it took some time as well for the manufacturer to get back to them after the inspection report was received but the rest of the process should have happened much, much faster.
As for the product however, we LOVE it. The floor has held up very very well to the dogs and to Jordyn. It has also held up very well against water, which was one of the top features we were looking for when we selected the floor. Jordyn is constantly spilling cups or dumping the dog bowls and the water comes right up without any damage to the floor even if it was left to sit for a bit. It also cleans very easily as well. I've been using an old fashioned sponge mop and a spray bottle of Pledge Hard Floor Cleaner and everything just wipes right off.
This review is in reference to store #
0437 at 8216 Timberlake Road in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Original Post:
Lowe's: Smart Core Laminate Flooring Install
Lowe's Fence Install
