On one of my trips, I had the opportunity to visit a high-end retail carpet dealer I know. During our conversation, one of the sales staff came into the office and asked if I’d like to look at a piece of defective wool carpet which was just unwrapped. It had cost the dealer $55 per yard.

PATTERNED CARPET WHICH WAS RIBBED

When we walked into the warehouse, the carpet was laid on the floor with its wrappings beneath it. The product had a pattern across the width which I’ll describe as a 1/16 raised rib repeating about every inch.

This rib disappears for about five inches in the length, reappears as a singular line and then disappears for the balance of about five feet at the end of this 29-ft long piece. There was a black grease mark on the carpet’s face. On top of this, there was some shipping damage at the end of the roll.

The kicker here was the inspection certificate. It said, “This carpet was inspected by the quality control department in manufacturing. It was inspected a second time prior to leaving our warehouse.” Where it said, “Inspector,” the name Fred appeared.

Now, Fred may be a very nice guy, and I hesitate to cast any aspersions on him, but one thing I know for sure is, Fred can’t see. If he could, this product never would have left his custody.

The flaw in the broadloom was so obvious, it could have been detected with the Braille method of inspection-especially since there was a raised row of tufts across the carpet which we five could easily see, and which didn’t exist in about 20% of this product. And the grease spot certainly did not get there by a grease laying bug which got into the roll during transportation. That’s further proof Fred can’t see.

There’s more. This company is very quality conscious. It sent detailed installation instructions and, on the bottom of the second sheet, it says, “Be sure to inspect this product for color, condition, or any defect BEFORE (their exact emphasis) installation.” Another sheet, which has WARNING in bold, 3/4 inch capital letters, has this advice: “Do not cut until you have checked for: correct pattern, correct color, flaws or misweaves, straightness of weave, correct measurement. No returns or allowances after goods are cut.” This was followed by, “*Note: Carpet must be inspected within |five| days of receipt of merchandise.”

My question is, who was doing this before the carpet left the mill? And, is Fred a figment of our imaginations? Or, did someone we can’t see kidnap him and forge his name?

This problem has gotten out of control. Who is supposed to assume responsibility for a flawed carpet leaving the mill if not its manufacturer? In this case, so much information is told to the dealer that apparently, the mill forgot its part. That is, to ship defect- ree carpet. The weaving machine operator had to have seen this and the product should never have been shipped but, obviously, no one cared. That’s the only explanation for this.

How will this case get solved? The dealer has to now look at the floor plan to see if he can lay the job out with this carpet-if he can remove the grease spot. If not, the product must go back to the mill and the client will be left in a lurch until Fred can see to send a defect-free product.

This type of thing happens too often. I get calls from inspectors across the country asking me why we are again seeing so many visible defects, side match problems, fuzzing and pilling issues-you name it. Don’t try to tell me quality is increasing because it isn’t, especially in the case of residential products.

How can this industry increase the consumers’ trust if it keeps this up? Isn’t this embarrassing to you? And dealers aren’t guilt- ree. Certainly, the dealer in this case wasn’t guilty, but retailers contribute to the problem by dickering for a lousy two cents.

This case highlights the problem of defective goods escaping the mill, and I say escaping because that’s the only way this carpet could have gotten out-by escaping. You have to put a stop to this. It’s sickening.

We aren’t in an industry which should be known for flaws. You should be known for business professionalism, attention to detail, providing real value, and being able to beautify every dwelling your carpet goes into. Otherwise, the consumer will continue to say (as I’ve heard many times), “My next carpet will be hard surface flooring.” Is this what you want?