To ask the fitters to stop fitting my floor today

[Ncfgjdo]

So this situation is absolutely ridiculous and I am perfectly aware that my pregnancy hormones are clouding my judgement here and I'm in an incredibly fortunate position, but I could really be doing with some urgent WWYD advice as I am so stressed over this. I am 33 weeks pregnant and have moved into a complete renovation project (not ideal I realise!). The last few weeks since I got the keys I've had to make a lot of quick (expensive) decisions re the design of the house to allow me to get in to it before the baby's born. I'd thought that would be really fun and exciting, but I'm actually really starting to feel pretty stressed over the whole thing and no longer trust my own judgement. I'm becoming quite teary and doubting every decision I make. One of the major outlays has been flooring. It accounts for a significant lump sum of the budget and the fitters started work yesterday and will complete today. As soon as I saw the flooring down it looked completely different from I had thought it would from when I saw it in the shop. I did immediately mention this to the fitters but they assured me it was the correct one. I'm not blaming anyone else here but me, as I do appreciate flooring looks different in natural/ artificial light etc but I immediately hated it. It really looks nothing like I thought it would. They are about halfway done. Should I call the shop and ask them to stop and at least try to salvage some of the unused packets of flooring? (It's herringbone design and there's a LOT of it as the floor space is massive) or should I let them finish and suck it up and not lose thousands of £?) I'm so angry at myself for making the wrong choice and of course I'm not suggesting that I don't pay for the flooring or wiggle out of fitting fees etc. I also realise this is causing me way more distress than it should- my hormones are all over the place.

@Ncfgjdo before doing anything can you go and get a whole range of different warmth lightbulbs.

Then if they have installed a different products to the one you were quoted for complain and get as much money back as possible.

It's nice in that it will suit both warm and cool tones so you can go with yellow or grey undertones for the rest of the room and it gives you optionality.

The colour is different. Clearly.

Not read the whole thread but this website describes ‘Ravello Belstaff’ as ‘pale brown’

https://www.tapi.co.uk/laminate/ravello-belstaff

So I would deffo query with the shop, ASAP.

whether or not the Kronotex is the same as what she was quoted for there is every chance that someone other than OP ordered or supplied the wrong spec. I had so many issues with Tapi ordering the right amount of beading and then replacement wood - even when they had measured twice and again when they were replacing the floor. Do not underestimate how many cock-ups can happen between customer order, store and supplier.

A friend of mine once bought a carpet from a well known chain. When it arrived she was upset to find it was MUCH darker than she remembered, but the fitters insisted it was what she bought. A few months later she returned to the store for something else, and saw a sample of the carpet she had bought - a nice flecked dark grey. The installed carpet was beside it and was clearly a flat unflecked black.

The store denied the mistake but ended up having to replace the carpet in the whole house when she took them to small claims court.

Moral of the story: go back and check what you actually bought. Mistakes happen.

It's very common practice in the flooring and furniture industries so evidently no one's told them that it's illegal. There's a limited number of manufacturers of carpets and flooring so yes the same product will be sold by multiple stores.

And again Rolex is an actual brand. It exists. Ravello does not. It's like me going to the manufacturer who makes Tesco value chocolate. I ask to buy their product and I sell it on Etsy under the name of The Fancy Chocolate Co and I don't claim to make it. I can do that. But if I try to sell it to people as Green &Blacks, an actual brand then I have a problem on my hands.

The colour is different. Clearly.

And I said she should definitely double check the colour, but also that flooring looks different in every space so it may just be that, or it is the wrong colour. Who knows? It doesn't look so different to me but she should double check it but regardless Ravello flooring does not exist as a brand.

Exactly. And it doesn't matter if PPs like it, the OP doesn't.
I'd be going into the shop with the photos, demanding to know why the fitters are laying a floor that's half the price of the flooring I paid for.

@Eattheeel Great tips, thank you.

Surely that’s deliberate Misrepresentation by the flooring company?
They’re getting away with this practice because they know that most U.K. customers won’t complain or will give up the fight quite easily.

Definitely go and and create a fuss about the fact you could have bought the Krono brand flooring for half the price you’ve paid for the Ravello.

Unfortunately, until someone takes them to court for false advertising, it looks like these flooring companies will continue to rob customers blind. Maybe phone Trading Standards fir advice?

They’re getting away with this practice because they know that most U.K. customers won’t complain or will give up the fight quite easily.

They're probably getting away with it because it's legal and standard practice in the furniture and flooring industry.

You would have thought they’d create a bit of branding for the box if they’ve sold it as Ravello - they must get a lot of complaints!

It doesn't matter. That is true for many things. There are multiple car companies that use the same chassis and engine but sell for a range of prices under different branding. You are paying for the more expensive brand name, even if the product is the same. The same happens for lots of make-up and beauty products and really all products. It is the same product but branded differently. You still get the brand name you paid for. They can't replace it with the cheap or no name brand and keep your money.

I once ordered a cream carpet from carpetright (also in late pregnancy) they delivered a blue one. And also tried talking me into keeping it as it had already been cut down.

The law that covers selling something as one thing but supplying an alternative without making it explicit to the customer is ‘Passing Off’

https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/passing-definition-remedies-and-defences#:~:text=Passing%20off%20happens%20when%20someone,causing%20financial%20or%20reputational%20damage.

I don’t know anything about selling carpets but it’s why bar staff say ‘is Pepsi OK?’ when you order a rum and coke (to ensure they cannot be sued for ‘passing off’ Pepsi as Coca Cola).

This. I googled the two brands as well and the Kronotex flooring is much cheaper than the Ravello. Definitely stop the fitters laying any more until you have spoken to your shop. Looks like they are pulling a fast one with you, hoping you just accept it. Wonder what else they have skimped on!

You still get the brand name you paid for. They can't replace it with the cheap or no name brand and keep your money.

But the brand doesn't exist in this case. Ravello is not a brand as Google will show.There is no Ravello factory or website. It's a range.

Make sure you don’t let them take all the empty boxes back, as you’ll have a much harder time getting a refund if they take your ‘proof’ away.

My experience with similar flooring has been that exposure to sunlight gives it a more golden tone over time.

Kronotex isn't the range manufacturer. Bella Cera is.

Does anyone remember a few years ago that a couple in Waitrose bought a tray of Mediterranean vegetables and it had an Aldi sticker on it? Because the same factory prepared and supplied the vegetables for both? But the Waitrose customers would have paid more. It's common practice in a lot of industries.

OP could you take an offcut of what they are fitting to the shop and compare - much better than photos and then it is seen under the same lighting conditions.

@Ncfgjdo I have the flooring that you wanted and it really does look like they’ve given you the wrong one because I definitely don’t have silver herringbone. I have a couple of extra boxes in my garage which are the same brand as your empty boxes. I’ll see what they say on them later when I’m back home

Crikey. It’s like a set of Babushka dolls or a remake of Inception set in a carpet shop!