5 Real-life Carpet Scams You Can Avoid

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5 Real-life Carpet Scams You Can Avoid

Just like it’s important to learn from history, it’s important to learn how people have been scammed. The only thing worse than shopping for carpet and getting ripped off is when you put in time researching the perfect carpet, but it, and then get ripped off. Fortunately, scams aren’t common if you shop from a reputable company. This article is a “mashup”. Basically, it’s multiple articles I had written on different ways people have been scammed by carpet. I thought these articles would be better off in one article, so you can quickly get an idea of the most common scams I’ve seen. The writing and transitions may not be the best, but give this a quick skim to protect yourself.

Scam 1: over-measuring

The #1 way to be overcharged on your carpet is for it to be over-measured. The cost of over-measuring is amplified because carpet is such a big purchase. Let’s use a $5,000 carpet job as an example (a reasonable amount for 1,000 square feet being carpeted). If the installer does his measurements and writes an invoice for 20% more carpet than you need, you willpay an extra $1,000! I’m sure anyone this has happened to feels sick if they find out. You might think 20% wouldn’t happen because it’s too obvious. Yes and no. Yes in that 20% would be on the higher end. No in that it likely does happen because installers can over measure more than you think without it being noticeable (I’ll explain more on why later). But even if you just get over-measured by anundetectable 5%, that’s $250 you lose.

Why it happens without you knowing

Over-measuring can be a blatant scam or a simple mistake. Installation is an art. The problem with art is there’s room for interpretation. There’s not an exact amount of carpet you need for the job, and it’s always more than the square footage of the rooms you need to be carpeted. But by how much? It depends on the dimensions of the room, how regularly shaped the rooms are, thecarpet roll size, where you want the seams, and other factors. The installer has to take into account all of these to come up with a required amount of carpet. This can lead totwo types of over measurement: the intentional kind and the unintentional kind. The unintentional kind might be the installer’s opinion, mis-measurement, or just poor installation. Keep in mind, some “waste” is normal, but exactly how much is up for interpretation. The intentional kind of over measurement can’t be defended by interpretation. It is the installer and/or the retailer scamming more money out of you by telling you they need more carpet than is reasonable. It’s hard for you to detect because you don’t know how much carpet they need. Unless you take these steps…
Captain’s clarification!Keep in mind, when buying carpet, you need more than the square footage of the room. This can vary but is usually around 10-20%. Therefore, finding out if your installer over-measured isn’t as simple is looking at the square footage of your room and seeing if the estimate has higher number.

How to not be overcharged

There are a few ways to combat over-measuring. Use one or all of these strategies, and it can pay off in a huge way. The first and simplest is to hire two, preferably three, companies to come out and measure. This gives you a comparison to check each installer’s work. To make this more effective, hint that you’re getting multiple estimates. This will keep installers honest and on their toes. One piece of advice, don’t assume the highest measurement is ripping you off, especially if it’s only slightly higher. It could be better seam placement by the installer, so give him a chance to explain. Keep in mind, you most likely won’t get a free estimate if you don’t buy from the company. This means your “insurance” of multiple measurements will come at a cost. This is a cost that will likely be worth it, but here’s another method you can use:measure the carpet yourself. It sounds difficult, but if you read our article, you’ll be able to do it yourself. This won’t be a perfect number, but it gives you a ballpark number to raise red flags if the installer is out of line. Your final option is topick a good installerin the first place. This is much easier said than done. Friend’s recommendations are one method to pick out a good installer, but I’m not a huge fan because sometimes a poor job doesn’t show up until years down the road. The article discusses this and other tips to choose an installer who’s will serve you well.

Scam 2: not-getting-what-you-paid-for scam

You went through Carpet Captain’s Carpet Buying 101 Guide, but 6 years in the future your carpet looks terrible. What went wrong? There’s a chance that the perfect carpet you ordered isn’t what was delivered. Most people trust that the installer shows up with the product they paid for, but sometimes this doesn’t happen. Maybe the installer/retailer swaps it out for a cheaper product to increase their profit margins, or maybe they accidentally show up with the wrong carpet. Doesn’t matter to you. You want what you paid for. So how do you make sure you get it?

It starts with the receipt

If it’s not in writing, it didn’t happen. In other words, it doesn’t matter that your salesman told you were getting 40-ounce Stainmaster nylon. If your receipt says “300 sqft. nylon carpet: $2,000,” then your only guarantee is that you’re getting 300 square feet of nylon carpet. Three hundred square feet of generic 30-ounce nylon could show up at your home, and you couldn’t complain. Well, you could complain and would have every right to, but if the company wanted to deny your claim, there isn’t much you could do about it. The point here isget everything in writing.The easiest way to do this is to make sure your receipt or invoice itemizes everything you’ve paid for. Go a step further, and make sure every item on the receipt includes the details you discussed with the salesman.

Take some evidence

Now you have what you ordered in writing, but how do you know that it’s the same carpet as the one that shows up in the delivery truck? Sure, you can tell if you’ve received aBerberorfrieze. Thecolorshould be pretty obvious. But other things, such asface weightandmaterial, can be more difficult to determine. You might have a suspicion you gotpolyesterinstead ofnylonwhen your carpet prematurely breaks down, but how do you know before the installer leaves your home? There isn’t an easy answer, but the first step is to check if there’s a label. You can ask the installer. Some carpets will be labeled when they arrive with all the important specifications. Many may not be labeled, and even if they are, there’ no guarantee the label is correct. This is where taking a sample is useful. Ask the store if you cankeep a sample of the exact carpet you’ve ordered and keep it until the carpet arrives. This will help most in determining if you receive the correct density. Rubbing your hand through the fibers and bending the carpet will give you a decent idea of how the density of the sample and the delivered carpet compare. If you aren’t 100% sure the material is the same as your sample you kept, you can perform chemical and burn tests totell what your carpet is made of. But remember kids, don’t play with fire! In all seriousness, there is risk of serious injury and property damage if you try a chemically manipulating or burning carpet on your own. You should not perform these chemical/burn tests on your own–hire a trained professional!

Check on the padding

If you’ve read just a few pages on this site, you know you shouldn’t overlook the padding. But like carpet, just because you order the right thing, doesn’t mean you received the right pad. The good news with padding is it’s pretty obvious when you’ve got the right type. No worries here. The bad news is the density of the pad of the pad isn’t so obvious. However, here’s more good news: you don’t have to determine the density. All you have to do is compare the density of padding you receive to the sample you kept from the store. Here’s how you do it:keep a sample of padding with the density you order. Take the sample and squeeze it between your thumb and forefinger. That will be your baseline. Now take the pad you received and pinch it between your thumb and forefinger.Firmer = greater density.If the padding you receive feels softer or squishier than the sample, it’s worth considering you didn’t get the pad you ordered.

If you’re suspicious

Sometimes these tips will give you a strong a feeling that you’ve been scammed, but you’re still not 100% sure. What do you do if you’re suspicious the wrong carpet or pad arrived, but you can’t prove it? Try first calling your carpet retailer or installer. If they’re willing to inspect it for free, let them. They’ll either tell you they messed up and will be replacing the carpet, or they’ll tell you everything is just as you ordered. If they tell you everything’s okay but you’re still suspicious, the next step is to gather all of your receipts and samples, and call a carpet inspector. They can give you an unbiased and official report on what you have versus what you paid for.

Scam 3: classic bait-and-switch scam

Bait and switch is a scamming tactic where a companygets their foot in your door (baits) with a great price, but then changes (switches) the pricewhen they arrive for the job. The reason it’s effective is the salesman knows that once they’re in your home, chances are very good they’ll get the sale even if they just pissed you off by changing the price. Why do they know they’ll still get the sale? For two reasons: The first reason is you already fit time in your schedule to have carpet installed, so they assume you’d rather accept the higher price than deal with the hassle of clearing out another day in their schedule. The second reason is that the salesman will try frame the situation as being your fault. They may claim you should have expected the low-quality product for the price quoted. Their hope is that it makes you feel too guilty to tell them you no longer want the work done.

How does bait and switch work?

Here’s an example: The salesman or advertisements states that you can get carpet, padding, and installation all for under $12sq/yd ($1.30sq/ft). They might try to persuade you that the carpet is of decent or even good quality. “This carpet normally retails for $25sq/yd.” When hey show up to your house, they’ll give you carpet options for the price quoted. These samples are intentionally so ugly or of such poor quality that no one would want them, but when you ask to see other samples, he tells you that they will cost $30sq/yd. This is just one example. Other ways they might switch the price on you ischarging outrageous prices for “extras”such as uninstalling your old carpet, dumping your old carpet, moving furniture, etc.

How do I avoid bait and switch when shopping for carpet?

All of these scams have one thing in common: they start with a very low price—often too good to be true. Educate yourself on carpet, padding and installation prices, and these scam prices should stand out. Whenever you see an abnormally low price,be skeptical. This doesn’t mean don’t buy it. It could just be a great deal, but ask yourself why the price is so low. There could be legitimate reasons that don’t affect you—the carpet style is discontinued, it’s a radical color that you like, it has a minor defect, etc. Educate yourself and stay vigilant, and you should have a great carpet shopping experience.

Scam 4: free-padding scam

Sometimes you’ll see advertisements for “free padding.” You’re smart and know there’s know there’s no such thing as free, but how the retailer “makes their money back” on these advertisements can be misleading. Here are a few things to watch out for:

Overcharging you for carpet and other hidden fees

The cost of padding adds up. Typical padding might cost you around $0.40 a square foot. If you need 1500 square feet, this adds up to $600 “saved” by not paying for padding. That may seem like a lot for the retailer to make up for in hidden fees, but it’s fairly easy to do because carpeting is such a big purchase. For instance, what if a carpets true retail value was $3.10 sq/ft, but the retailer listed the price at $3.50?Most carpet shoppers wouldn’t even notice. To make things even more deceiving, there are many other hidden costs retailers can add in. Here are a few examples: extra charges for installing carpet on stairs, extra charges for hauling away your old carpet, and extra charges for “special requirement” installation—eventually I will make a blog post covering the long list of tricky fees retailers sometimes charge. All of these little extra charges can easily total over $0.40 sq/ft without you ever realizing you’re getting ripped off. Take home point:Always ask about every charge you could possibly have with installation, padding, and the carpet before you buy. Educate yourself on carpet fundamentals, so you can determine whether a carpet priced $3.50 is better quality or overpriced compared to the $3.00 carpet you looked at at the previous store. This is a good habit to have anytime you buy carpet, but especially when you see the word ‘free’ being thrown around.

Watch out for up-selling

We have a whole article on thebait and switch carpet scamthat applies here. Free padding can be used in a bait and switch—I’ll give you an example. Let’s say you go shopping and find a carpet. The padding is free, and you are knowledgeable about carpet and installation and know that they are a fair price. You are sure you are getting a good deal. When the day for installation arrives, the installer shows up and asks you about how long you want the carpet to last. You respond, “As long as possible. At least 10 years.” The installer responds that free padding is a lower quality pad, but he gives you the option to upgrade to something higher quality. Then you’re hit with the bad news: the upgrade price is just as high or higher than the price of buying the pad in the first place. Take home point:Makesure you know the specifications of your free padding beforeyou swipe your credit card. Check out the Captain’s guide onpad density and types of pad for a 5-minute overview of what you need to know.

Poor Quality Padding

This is the most dangerous of all the “free padding” schemes. It’s similar to the previous example, but the difference is they don’t try to upsell you. The retailer just gives you a poor quality product. It costs them very little to give you a low quality carpet pad, and unfortunately, it will cost you a lot in the long run. Padding is critical to how long your carpet will last. A poor quality padding means even a durable carpet will disappoint. Take home point:Follow the same advice as above.

Scam 5: fine-print scam

This is similar to above. You hear of a great “deal,” but you need to make sure it’s not too good to be true. It should raise red flags when you hear things like “buy one room get the rest of the house free.” Sounds great, usually isn’t. Let’s use Empire Today as an example. They often have “amazing” flooring deals. This is fine print on a recent deal taken from their website on August 21, 2017:
Discount is applied to the regular price of select styles of Carpet, Hardwood, Vinyl, Tile, and Laminate; basic installation; and standard padding and materials. Excludes stairs, floor prep, take-up of permanently affixed flooring, non-standard furniture moving, upgrades, other miscellaneous charges, and prior purchases. Product may not be sold separately from installation. Residential installations only. Not available in all areas or in stores. Valid 08/21/2017 through 09/24/2017. Subject to change.
There are many concerning statements here if I’m a carpet shopper. The deal includes “basic” installation and pad and “select styles” of carpet. That may sound reasonable but the problem is many cases may not be basic, and then quoted prices have no limit on how much they increase. And what are “upgrades” and “miscellaneous charges” that the deal excludes? That leads the door wide open for a bait-and-switch (described above. The point isn’t to pick on Empire Today, but they’re a big company that has many of these extreme deals. This example is to point out that when you are priced a “flat fee” ask if there can be any extra fees, and get those extra fees in writing before signing on the dotted line.

Captain’s parting words!

Skimming these common carpet scams should give you a good idea of how to be vigilant while carpet shopping. And you probably realized, these scams really aren’t unique to carpet. There’s a variation of these in everything you buy. Buying from someone you trust or a store with a flawless reputation helps drastically reduce the chance of you getting ripped off. If you’re buying from a company you haven’t heard of, a single installer or salesman, or anyone without a brick-and-mortar business, you need to be a little more careful. Have you ever been scammed? Anything you’re worried about? Let me know in the comments.

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29 thoughts on “5 Real-life Carpet Scams You Can Avoid”

  1. I am trying to purchase carpet for entire house. I chose a sample of Shaw but I like the color of Dreamweaver Crown Garden III Crushed Pebble better. I can’t seem to find it in Shaw. I cannot find reviews on this type Dreamweaver Collection. Can you help? I don’t want packing. Don’t want to purchase a new vacuum. A lot of bad reviews on Houzz for Dreamweaver carpet. Your advice? Thanks

  2. Empire Today
    Salesman came to house w samples. He measured all rooms. Would not give us individual room measurements nor price breakdown of rooms. Samples are encased in sample pages
    We explained we wanted the exact pile as in den.
    He guaranteed the carpet would be exactly the same. We questioned the height difference from tiled entrance to subfloors. About 1.5”. He said don’t worry. Next day my husband gets phone call about closing deal and signing contract.
    Husband questioned their $958.00 service contract which is extras. Never got back to us.
    Salesman called husband and husband became confused and agreed without any of our concerns being answered
    Installers came. Husband out w dog. I let them in show the entire job. One comes back w sample of Carpet and padding. Immediately I said this is not the carpet and refused to bring it in house.
    Husband comes home and he’s shocked
    Sample is very thin cheap quality
    Husband calls salesman who suggests we install 1 room to see how nice it will look.
    I refuse again.
    Installers leave house.
    We decide to put hold on the down payment calling our bank snd explaining the breach of contract as they tried to switch carpet grade.
    We are sick about this and do not know our next step Arbitration? Attorney General?

  3. My question is: if a carpet company says on their website that they strongly suggest all responsible parties (i.e. husband and wife) be present at the estimate appointment, because they DO NOT leave carpet or pad samples with their customers, should I definitely avoid using this company? I would prefer to be able to keep a sample of the carpet(s) and pad(s) that I am interested in buying. The name of the company is “50 Floor,” in case you have any experience with this company…

    1. Carpet Captain

      I don’t have experience with the company. It’s probably a sales tactic (companies hate trying to close a deal when they can’t talk to everyone making the decision). If you both come, I wouldn’t be surprised if they let you keep a sample.

  4. Another thing to add is carpet can be different color even off the exact same roll! Don’t buy piece by piece or you may see differences at the seams!

  5. I just had a carpet job done on our house. The carpet store gave us a quote of 96 square yards for both carpet and padding. The final terms, however, excluded padding as I bought an upgraded padding myself. Upon completion of the installation, they had used just under 2.5 of the 4 rolls that I bought. I am now questioning the seller as to how they used 75 sqyds of padding but 96 sqyds of carpet. We covered two rooms 12 feet wide, a hallway, and a set of stairs, per my house plans add up to 73 sq yds. The installers pre-cut the carpet before they got to our house. They used 12′ carpet rolls and there were only two seams for the entire job. My carpet store says they measured properly and had very little waste. Since I didn’t see how much they started with, I can’t verify, but if I hadn’t have bought my own padding I would never have questioned it.

    Am I being overcharged?

    1. Carpet Captain

      Hi Walt – it’s hard to to tell, but it seems reasonable. Lower square foot jobs can have more waste and so can stairs. This article on carpet costs should help you (look toward the bottom of the page where it covers how to measure). If you still feel it’s off, I’d consider getting a second opinion.

  6. Joyce Dillenbeck

    Here’s a good one. If you’re not watching or even there at the time. They go right over your old pad and you never even know. Truly disgusting!!

    1. That’d be pretty terrible–and you’re right, difficult to detect. I’m not one for micromanaging workers, but I do think it’s always good to have an idea of the job that needs to be done and check in occasionally for this reason.

  7. Frances Dilorinzo

    Hi!! PLEASE. Yes I need your opinion ASAP as I’m in a dispute. I ordered carpet from Lowes. The specs are all listed and I have my sample. As you said, I noticed the density was off before they unloaded it from the truck and alerted mgrs. They told me to install and if there was a problem, they would replace it. The carpet measured lower in stitch count and another area, but they claim it is within allowance. I would expect that what is sent to me as a sample should be an EXACT of what is installed. Clearly if carpet is always a little lower, and multiplied time many unsuspecting buyers this increases the profit margin. So my question is: Should the carpet specs match the specs of the sample shown in stores and/or sent to me from which I ordered? Legally, I believe it should.

    I would never buy a medium dress and have a store tell me the small is “within the allowance” of dress sizes!?!?

    1. If you’re noticing it is off, it may be at least worth having a carpet inspector come out. A small amount off (very small) could be okay, but if you’re noticing it from the fiber count, it does raise a red flag.

  8. I recently bought carpet and padding for 2 bedrooms. I purchased the carpet from Bucks County Carpet Langhorne Pa. 2 wks after the installation I noticed a smell in one of the bedrooms. I was ripping up the carpet myself in the living room and hallway. When I got to the master bedroom I lifted the new carpet and sure enough they didn’t replace the padding. Omg it smells so bad that it has come through to the new carpet. I contacted Bucks county carpets and Garland the owners girlfriend would not let me speak to the owner. She did however agree to replace the padding. When the installers were here I asked them if Garland and the owner knew that the padding was not replaced. They confirmed that they both knew. Perfect scam. Had I not noticed the smell and lifted the new carpet. I would of never known. When they first installed the carpet Garland told me I could not have furniture in the room. So, I cancelled the moving company till the following week. Then when they replaced the padding I had to move the items on the floor of 2 closets and everything under a queen size bed. I contacted the store and spoke with Garland since the owner Mike does not speak with customers. Garland was hostile and told me I had to move everything out of the bedroom. I told her I would move breakable items but I would need help with the rest. Garland didn’t agree with this and refused to replace the padding and carpet or reimburse me for the cost of the carpet. The BBB contacted them 3 times and they did not answer. They are not accredited with the BBB. So therefore dont care about customer care. Please do not fall for the same Scam. The owner has been in business for r0 yrs but is incapable of talking to paying customers. I would like the padding and carpet replaced or I would like to be reimbursed.

    1. Wow! If you have the receipt showing you paid for padding and they didn’t replace it, I would push for the to make it right 100%. I always like to give people the benefit of the doubt, but it’s hard to not know you’re installing over old pad, and as an installer, it’d be unusual so you think you’d verify that’s what the homwoner wanted.

  9. Beware of the Empire Pad Swapping SCAM: If you order anything other than the cheap/basic/economy padding, the installers won’t put it in. Instead, they put in the cheap padding. I didn’t pay attention when they installed, but had to cut back some carpet to install flooring and noted that the padding put it was NOT what I had ordered — I had the premium spill-proof/pet-proof padding. Then the resolution is that they’ll replace the padding, but YOU need to move everything out of the room for the installers to replace… or give you $100-150 refund on the “difference in price” for the padding. Which is BS. I warned my friend about it (whom I had referred to Empire unaware I had been ripped off) and they were doing the SAME THING, except he caught it the day of the install. But the installers were like, “well, this is what the warehouse gave us. We can either install it today or reschedule.” My friend was moving in in two days and needed the carpet, so he caved and let them install the crap padding and would then work out something with Corporate. THIS IS A SCAM. Do not buy from Empire unless you only buy the cheap stuff. And stay strong with your conviction of them wronging you. They try to frustrate you until you just give up (like Comcast). Take to the review pages. Take it to their Facebook page, bbb.org. Keep up the good fight.

    1. Carpet Captain

      Seems like there should certainly be some compensation in your case for an extreme inconvenience (and without extra due diligence on your end, you would have paid them a significant amount of money for something you didn’t receive. I would clarify that even though I don’t have direct connections to Empire–I doubt/hope this isn’t a regular practice of Empire’s. Either an isolated bad salesman/dealer or a mistake, but it does make you wonder. Glad you caught it.

  10. There are these numbers on the bottom of my carpet 08\58\T5. I suspect i did not get the carpet installed that i picked out in the showroom and i am trying to verify. It’s supposed to be See the World (iii) Parchment, but i haven’t been able to truly verify that is what they laid down. Seems like it would be VERY easy to switch it out for a cheaper carpet, especially when it’s a color like beige.

    1. Sometimes you can call the manufacturer of the carpet and see what indications they use to indicate the specific carpet you purchased (sometimes there will be markings that will tip it off). Otherwise, you can use the tips above to narrow down how the carpet compares from the sample: estimating density, fiber type, etc. Hope that helps, and that you just received the correct carpet in the first place.

  11. I had carpet and padding installed and it wore out quickly. After a long argument, it was replaced. I suspect they switched the original pad. They refuse to show me invoices on either the first or second pad. They said the invoices have proprietary info I can not see. They also said if I persued the issue they would seek any and all financial restitution to costs to them. Am I not entitled to the information on the pads I paid for>?

    1. Carpet Captain

      Good question. I’m no lawyer, but my guess is they don’t have to give it to you. However, if you were to bring it to court, they would have to present it. Either way, hopefully, doesn’t get to that point. Depending on how much you suspect it and the difference in pad you think they might have given you, you could pull an area of the carpet up to inspect the pad.

    2. You were treated shabbily, I apologize for the store that did this. You don’t really need invoices, the proper way to handle this situation was for the company to simply make a claim with the mill over the wear issues and replace the whole thing. You could be present during the removal and replacement to satisfy your concerns about pad, but remember, pad does change color a lot, it may not look the same as the old stuff. They should provide you with a sample you can recognize before this process for the new pad. You would be responsible for furniture moving, but should not have to pay for anything else. Be aware though, that once a carpet is replaced under a claim there is not another warranty. But a happy customer is a good customer. Also , you need to regularly clean carpets professionally to maintain warranties. FYI

  12. You forgot one of the most important scams: the added 5% that does not show up at your home. It works like this: you measure the room and they measure the room. Their measurement shows between 5-7% extra carpet than your measurement. You question the carpet seller and they say it is necessary for a decent installation, so you agree to the extra yardage. The carpet arrives and you measure the linear feet you should be receiving and it’s too short. They didn’t sent the additional amount the seller insisted on selling you. The piece of carpet is 5% less than what you bought because the seller knew you would only need the amount measured for, but required you to buy 5% more, then didn’t order that 5% more so they could pocket that money.

    1. Carpet Captain

      Thanks for the addition! Could throw that in with the #1 “over-measuring.” However, I’d warn people don’t assume that an installer/store is scamming you if they say they need more than 5% measured; most times they do need extra flooring for pattern and seam matching (can read more here: https://www.carpetcaptain.com/carpet-buying-guide/measuring-and-budgeting/). But like the “carpet shopper” said, if the right amount doesn’t show up (which would require you to measure it when it shows up), you could bring it up.

      1. No, you are doing honest business people a disservice here. You are making people suspicious of flooring stores without good cause. The majority of American business owners sell a great product at a fair price and do a good job. Word of mouth eats your lunch in a small town if you cheat people, and who wants to live with that? I have explained figuring carpet patiently to any customer who asked for 20 years. I always offer to order whatever amount they want, and when I have they are short, house torn up, and have to wait for more product. As far as switching pad, I only stock 2 types and they are visually easy to tell apart. I show the customer samples of both so they can recognize the one they paid for. I also have the guys show the shipping roll tag to the customer so they do not need to measure. Also it has the name and color, which corresponds with their invoice, unless it’s stock, then I give them a sample to keep until after the job is done. I have a great deal of happy customers, with only the occasional one who reads this sort of stuff.

        1. The goal of this article is to make shoppers aware of possible ways to be scammed, not be skeptical of honest floor sellers, so I apologize if that’s a side effect. If you read through much of the site, you’ll see I give local stores the benefit of the doubt the majority of the time. Even on this page, I say “Fortunately, scams aren’t common if you shop from a reputable company.” So I agree with you that most businesses are honest. Sadly, I’ve also seen multiple cases where people have been ripped off and left with nothing in flooring and other home improvements, so I think it’s still important to have this article. The hope is your good reputation in your local community will lead to people trusting your expertise even if they shop with a little more skepticism.

    2. You don’t understand how to figure carpet. It is not figured in exact sf times 5%. It is figured in cuts off a 12′ roll, or 15′ roll, not to mention pattern repeat on some carpets.. You will have waste, you will have seams, and sometimes you have a lot left over due to the layout of the room. You will need the amount of lineal feet that your layout requires. If you want a ton of seams in bad places do it your way. Figure square footage wall to wall and take it to the store you want to buy from. Tell them that is what you want to order, and YOU will be short product! By the way, most stores figure 10% on hard surface. There is no such thing as zero waste on any flooring. You are misleading people to think they are being cheated. Don’t believe me? Figure it yourself then have an installer come to install it and tell you your’e short.

      1. I don’t know if this was directed toward me or to “carpet shopper” (the original poster), but I agree with you and you can see that in my response to the poster. Also, most carpet shoppers are reading are carpet buying guide where I highlight the fact that you need more carpet than the actual square footage of the room. I’m clarifying it in the “waste” section of this article as well just so it’s clear.




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