Consumer Homes.

Question:

oh, pulease, indeed!  you left your fifteen year old daughter home alone with strangers, and you clearly didn’t care enough to supervise the installation … i reckon you got what you deserved.

Response:

Oh for God’s sake.  I *was* there for the majority of the installation!  I was happy with the carpet itself.  It wasn’t until I closely inspected the baseboards that I saw the scratches.  What would you suggest, I hover over the whole process and be in their way?  Maybe I should have taken a refresher course in Spanish before agreeing to let them in my home as well, eh?  <rolls eyes>  Give me a break.  Oh, and before you call CPS on me, she wasn’t alone with strangers.  There were other people here–contractor friends who were working on other parts of the house. Did you even bother to really read the other issues I had with MMM?  I reckon you didn’t since you seem to care so much about this one point.  I’ll bet you just go through people’s posts looking for any little thing to nit-pick about in their life since you appear not to have one. — Jan It takes 42 muscles to frown at someone, but it only takes 4 to extend your arm and whack them in the head. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >oh, pulease, indeed!  you left your fifteen year old daughter home >alone with strangers, and you clearly didn’t care enough to supervise >the installation … i reckon you got what you deserved.

Response:

Thanks, Mike.  I have been in contact with the BBB and actually got a response from MMM.  We’ll see what happens next.  I’m not looking to get anything from MMM at all.  I simply wanted the BBB to know how this retailer is treating customers and to let other consumers know what to expect when dealing with MMM. — Jan It takes 42 muscles to frown at someone, but it only takes 4 to extend your arm and whack them in the head. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >: MMM Carpets – Santa Clara, CA >: Great service BEFORE buying.  Attentive salespeople; pleasant; but when I >: stop to think about it, quite typical when trying to make a sale. >: Along with all the gory details, I will post a summarized version for those >: who wish to read only the highlights. >Send list of complaints and what you want done in writing to manager.  Hand >it to them personally or send return-receipt mail.  Specify short date for >response from them. >1.  Call KGO radio consumer line in SF (can get number from info or phone >book).  Amazing how businesses respond when the the largest radio station in >N. CA contacts them.  Being bad-mouthed to several million folks is not >something most companies want. >2.  Might check whether the company has a contractors license … probably >don’t … but if they do, can contact board.  Not sure if carpet installers >need license … probably not. >3.  BBB … probably a waste of time. >4.  DA/lawyer/small claims court  … last resort, but don’t hesitate if >above has no effect.  Unless there is fraud or violence, DA won’t be >interested.  Small claims is probably best bet as amount of $ doesn’t sound >high enough to interest a contingency lawyer. >The carpet company will probably tell you that the installers are >independent contractors (likely true) and that the company is not >responsible for them (not true if you did the deal solely with the carpet >company). >Finally, be sure to be clear in your mind what you want out of this. In >particular, do you just want to have the work completed satisfactorily or >nearly so with no or little additional expenditure of money or time, or do >you want to punish the carpet company for their misdeeds.  The approaches >are different. >Mike

Response:

: >  - Completely scratched and damaged brand new baseboard trim (just installed : > that morning!). : This is the biggie.  I’ve had carpeting done before, as well as painting the : walls myself.  Why would you schedule new baseboards this way?  If the carpet : was in then the baseboards could have been put down and covered it perfectly. : It’s one thing if they scratched old board, but that’s like putting in new : carpet and then having a new moonscape blown onto the ceiling. : Either way, the scratches show that they don’t care. Since the carpet is tucked between the baseboard and the tack strip, wouldn’t putting the baseboard in afterwards be more difficult? I agree that the basic problem is that the installers were in too much of a hurry to take care not to scratch the baseboard. When I used California Carpets, they had a clause in their release form not holding them responsible for "minor" scratches to the baseboard. (In fact, they cracked one, which I replaced myself.) The workers (non-English speaking) just pounded the carpet in with those metal spatulas and didn’t care if they occasionally missed and hit the baseboard. I think there’s something to be said for using small independent carpet dealers who do the work themselves, as opposed to hiring day laborers. Albert

Response:

OH puh-lease!  I asked the guy how much longer he had.  He told me 45 minutes.  I was back in EXACTLY 30 minutes.  I know how long it takes to pick my son up from school, since I do it every frickin’ day. If that’s the only point on which you wish to comment, you’re missing the whole reason for my frustration. — Jan It takes 42 muscles to frown at someone, but it only takes 4 to extend your arm and whack them in the head. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >Well, let’s be fair.   You left the house, period. >You should not have expected these people to hang around after >they finished for you to finally come back home.   Yea, I know >you said 30 minutes, but really, I am sure a lot of people say >30 minutes and aren’t actually back that fast. >I believe the installers had every right to expect to leave >when the job was completed.  It was wrong for you to expect >them to wait for you to finish running your errands and finally >return back home. > The guy just wanted to get the hell out of here before I came > home, I suppose.  So he was telling her that he just had to have someone, > anyone, sign saying that the work was done so that he could get to his next > job site.  She felt pressured, so she signed.  Needless to say, we had a > serious talk about that!

Response:

Well, let’s be fair.   You left the house, period.   You should not have expected these people to hang around after they finished for you to finally come back home.   Yea, I know you said 30 minutes, but really, I am sure a lot of people say 30 minutes and aren’t actually back that fast. I believe the installers had every right to expect to leave when the job was completed.  It was wrong for you to expect them to wait for you to finish running your errands and finally return back home. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > The guy just wanted to get the hell out of here before I came > home, I suppose.  So he was telling her that he just had to have someone, > anyone, sign saying that the work was done so that he could get to his next > job site.  She felt pressured, so she signed.  Needless to say, we had a > serious talk about that!

Response:

: MMM Carpets – Santa Clara, CA : Great service BEFORE buying.  Attentive salespeople; pleasant; but when I : stop to think about it, quite typical when trying to make a sale. : Along with all the gory details, I will post a summarized version for those : who wish to read only the highlights. Send list of complaints and what you want done in writing to manager.  Hand it to them personally or send return-receipt mail.  Specify short date for response from them. 1.  Call KGO radio consumer line in SF (can get number from info or phone book).  Amazing how businesses respond when the the largest radio station in N. CA contacts them.  Being bad-mouthed to several million folks is not something most companies want. 2.  Might check whether the company has a contractors license … probably don’t … but if they do, can contact board.  Not sure if carpet installers need license … probably not. 3.  BBB … probably a waste of time. 4.  DA/lawyer/small claims court  … last resort, but don’t hesitate if above has no effect.  Unless there is fraud or violence, DA won’t be interested.  Small claims is probably best bet as amount of $ doesn’t sound high enough to interest a contingency lawyer. The carpet company will probably tell you that the installers are independent contractors (likely true) and that the company is not responsible for them (not true if you did the deal solely with the carpet company). Finally, be sure to be clear in your mind what you want out of this. In particular, do you just want to have the work completed satisfactorily or nearly so with no or little additional expenditure of money or time, or do you want to punish the carpet company for their misdeeds.  The approaches are different. Mike

Response:

>>  - Swearing in Spanish during the entire installation process. >Should have recorded that for playback later.  Maybe some customers actually >speak spanish and would be offended?

That was my point to the sales manager when I called and reported it.  I told him that he should be aware of the people who are representing the company. >  - Completely scratched and damaged brand new baseboard trim (just installed > that morning!). >This is the biggie.  I’ve had carpeting done before, as well as painting the >walls myself.  Why would you schedule new baseboards this way?

Our contractor was here when the installers showed up.  They were going to wait until after the carpet was laid.  The installers requested that it be done BEFORE they put in the carpet.  Our contractor said that he never understood why carpet installers request this.  Apparently, it wasn’t the first time it happened to him. >If the carpet >was in then the baseboards could have been put down and covered it perfectly. >It’s one thing if they scratched old board, but that’s like putting in new >carpet and then having a new moonscape blown onto the ceiling. >Either way, the scratches show that they don’t care. >  - Had a 15 year old minor sign for the work–I think they thought they > could leave before I noticed all the problems. >I didn’t think 15 year olds were legal for documents in california.

They’re not.  The guy just wanted to get the hell out of here before I came home, I suppose.  So he was telling her that he just had to have someone, anyone, sign saying that the work was done so that he could get to his next job site.  She felt pressured, so she signed.  Needless to say, we had a serious talk about that! >– >Joe

– Jan It takes 42 muscles to frown at someone, but it only takes 4 to extend your arm and whack them in the head.

Response:

>  - Swearing in Spanish during the entire installation process.

Should have recorded that for playback later.  Maybe some customers actually speak spanish and would be offended? >  - Completely scratched and damaged brand new baseboard trim (just installed > that morning!).

This is the biggie.  I’ve had carpeting done before, as well as painting the walls myself.  Why would you schedule new baseboards this way?  If the carpet was in then the baseboards could have been put down and covered it perfectly. It’s one thing if they scratched old board, but that’s like putting in new carpet and then having a new moonscape blown onto the ceiling. Either way, the scratches show that they don’t care. >  - Had a 15 year old minor sign for the work–I think they thought they > could leave before I noticed all the problems.

I didn’t think 15 year olds were legal for documents in california. — Joe

Response:

MMM Carpets – Santa Clara, CA Great service BEFORE buying.  Attentive salespeople; pleasant; but when I stop to think about it, quite typical when trying to make a sale. Along with all the gory details, I will post a summarized version for those who wish to read only the highlights. Summary:  - Nearly left job site without leaving the remnant pieces that were supposed to be cut into area rugs; then threw the carpet at me when I ran out to the van and requested them.  - Dirty handprints and pieces of masking tape all over freshly painted walls.  - Swearing in Spanish during the entire installation process.  - Completely scratched and damaged brand new baseboard trim (just installed that morning!).  - Had a 15 year old minor sign for the work–I think they thought they could leave before I noticed all the problems. – Rude attitude on the telephone when calling to check status on the cut remnant pieces that were given to them over a month ago. – Remnant pieces were not cut according to customer specifications.  I had clearly marked with black felt pen where to make the cuts.  One piece was 6" off and when I told Steve Boardman (Sales Manager) about it, he didn’t seem to care. Detail: Asked the installers if there would be time for me to leave for 30 minutes to get my son from school, they said that that would be fine.  I arrived home and saw the installers getting into their van.  I went inside and my 15 year old daughter told me that they made her sign for the work and that they were leaving.  I ran outside and caught them before they drove off because they did not leave the remnants that they were supposed to leave.  The installer basically threw the rolls and me and drove off.  When I went back inside to look at the new carpet, I noticed that there were dirty handprints all over our freshly painted walls.  There was masking tape stuck to the walls from where they had moved the cable wire out of their way.  In order to make the tape adhere, it had been rubbed onto the wall with dirty hands so there was a very dirty smudge on that area. The baseboard trim along the entire room, which had been installed that morning, had scrape marks all over it from the installation equipment.  My daughter, who is taking Advanced Spanish in high school, said that the whole time the installers were here, they were swearing in Spanish.  Unfortunately, she didn’t tell me this until they had left. I immediately called Steve Boardman, our sales person.  He apologized for everything and said that I could bring the carpet remnant rolls to the showroom and they could cut and bind them on the spot into the 4 rugs that I wanted.  2 days later, I took the roll down to MMM.  Unfortunately, Steve was not there, and the other sales person told me to leave the carpet and they would send it out to the binder.  When I told him that Steve said it would be done immediately, he snapped, "You must not have understood him. We don’t do that here."  They said that it would only take a couple of days, so I didn’t make a big deal about it.  That was on April 24th.  A week later I called and spoke directly with Steve Boardman.  He apologized and said that the binder had taken a few days off and it would be ready May 4th or 5th.  I called on Friday the 5th and the person answering the phone said that it was on the shelf ready for us to pick up.  When my husband went down to get it, they handed him the same uncut roll that I had dropped off!! Once again, Steve Boardman apologized and said that they would rush it through and have it delivered to our home.  On May 23rd, I called and asked what was happening with the carpet.  The person on the phone said that it was all cut and ready to be picked up.  When I told him that Steve said it would be delivered to our home, he said, "Well, I’ll have to check with Steve about that."  Click–he hung up on me.  For the second time, my husband went down to pick up the 4 pieces and they handed him 2 pieces of the cut carpet and the rest of the roll!  Steve said he didn’t understand why they didn’t cut the whole roll to our specifications, but once again he would "rush it through and have it delivered to our home".  The 2 pieces that were actually cut and ready to be picked up weren’t even cut according to our specifications!  I had taken a black Sharpie pen and had drawn lines so they would know exactly where to cut.  One piece is a good 6 inches off! When I eventually talked to Steve about it on the phone, I sensed that he was shrugging his shoulders and rolling his eyes. After nearly 2 months and many phone calls, we received the other 2 pieces and I am glad to be rid of these people.  All I can do is hope that nothing goes wrong with the carpet during the warranty period, because I sure as hell don’t want to deal with MMM ever again. Thanks for the vent! — Jan It takes 42 muscles to frown at someone, but it only takes 4 to extend your arm and whack them in the head.

Response: