The Pushback
Over the years we have heard many stories and have been involved with many cases of “pushback”. What do we mean by pushback? The manufacturer who immediately sends a decline letter to the dealer instead of sending an inspector to investigate. Or after sending an inspector, the manufacturer does not agree with their findings and still declines the claim . The installer who does not know how to fix something and instead of talking to the customer about it, never calls them back, AKA ghosting. The customer who wants something done a certain way, which is against the installation instructions and standard industry practices. In all these cases, someone is left trying to figure out what it is going to cost to fix the issue.
Recently we have been on inspections where there is an obvious manufacturing issue. Instead of the manufacturer accepting responsibility that there is something wrong with the product, hung their hat on one sentence out of a 6 page report from the previous inspector and said the entire floor was failing because of one small installation issue, which was not around the areas of concern in the first place. On another, they came back with they were replacing the floor because of the “relationship with the dealer”, it had nothing to do with our report that said the same curling concern was occurring to the uninstalled planks. In one case the installer is left trying to help the customer and pay out of pocket for the replacement; or get lawyers involved and end up paying more just to get the product to replace the floor. In the other, the dealer gets what he needs, but at what cost? The supplier may not be as friendly on future jobs to cover the cost for this replacement material.
Another instance is the homeowner who didn’t want to pay the installer for the job because he used shoe mold to cover the expansion space around the laminate floor. The homeowner wanted the flooring to go directly up to the baseboard. The installer refused to install it that way, showing her the installation instructions that stated how the floor was to be installed – with expansion space. The homeowner then refused to pay the installer for the rest of the job and the installer who did a significant amount of work for the homeowner was out money on that job and on doing other jobs for them. It can take a lot to stand up for what you know is right. Especially when money is on the line. But in this case, he didn’t want his name on a failed installation that he would have to either go back and continually fix or risk a tripping hazard and someone getting hurt.
Then there are the customers who don’t complain. I have had customers come in a year or so after an installation was completed to say “we don’t really like it” or “it seems like there’s something wrong with it and we just want to replace it.” I will ask if they had gone back to where they purchased it from. Some of the responses are “we don’t want to bother them” or “we did, but nothing happened.” When I get deeper into the issues they’re having, some of them are manufacturing issues. I will try to insist that they file a claim and try to get the manufacturer to pay for the flooring that isn’t right. Sometimes the customer just wants to move on, they don’t want the hassle. They know they are going to be out another couple thousand dollars to do something else.
As an inspector, a consumer will call because they are getting pushback and not the satisfaction they deserve. I will listen to their story and then with that information, find things or phrases they should try to get through the pushback. I will gladly take their money, but ONLY IF I CAN HELP THEM. I always encourage them to go back to the dealer, the general contractor, or whomever is giving them issues to try and settle it before hiring me.
What can you do about the pushback? Someone ends up paying, how do you make sure it isn’t you? As a dealer, if the manufacturer declined it without an inspection, get it inspected. If they declined it after the first inspection, get a second inspection. Many times, we can consult with you on the report if they sent you a copy (insist on getting a copy, if they are declining a claim, you are deserving to see why) and let you know what to lean on. Push on your rep, they don’t want an upset customer as much as you don’t want one. As an installer, push back on your dealer or supplier. Ask to talk to the rep or get the dealer to push for you. As a consumer, go back to where you got it or contact the manufacturer directly. Don’t let up on no answer. In these cases, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, be as squeaky as you must be to get an answer. Be assertive, but kind, and tenacious. “They” want you to tire and go away. Also document every call or person who stops to look at the issue. As Inspectors we are like detectives, we need a timeline of what transpired since and sometimes before the flooring was installed.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Sometimes the answer isn’t what we want it to be. Sometimes what you thought was manufacturing related was really specification related – the floor should have never been put in that area to begin with. Sometimes you have to fix the installation related thing first to realize it was locally caused. And sometimes it hurts when you have to fix it out of your own pocket.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions – and keep asking questions. Pushback yourself until you get an answer you’re satisfied with – even if you don’t like it. The more knowledge you have, the better prepared you can be in the future. Don’t let one bad report, answer, pushback, set you back.