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Faulty laminate flooring - WWYD?

3 replies

MOSagain · 08/12/2011 14:13

Had wooden/laminate flooring fitted last year and shortly afterwards the house was then unoccupied for 10 months. Within a few months of it being occupied, I noticed that in one area, the top part of the flooring appeared to be chipping off/peeling away from the base. Over the next month or so it got worse and is clearly faulty. I have had other very similar flooring (from the same shop/supplier) in several other years and some have lasted over 10 years with no problems.

I believe therefore this particular flooring is faulty so returned to the shop with photos showing the damage. A member of staff I spoke to about the flooring when asked how long it would last said in excess of 10 years, probably much longer. I then showed her the photos at which point she got the manager to speak to me. He then said it was probably 'water damage' even though I pointed out that the nearest source of water was appoximately 20 feet away. He still maintained this was the case and said it looked like the flooring was a different colour which would indicate water damage. I again said it wasn't water damage and said it looked a different colour as it was a different colour as the top had come away from the base. I maintained that this was within a few months of use and that it should not do that. He therefore finally agreed to get a fitter out to have a look and do a report and the fitter came out last week. He claimed it was damaged by a chair in front of the desk near where the damage is. I pointed out that the desk was rarely used and in fact, the chair hand only been put there approximately half an hour before whilst I was doing some filing. The chair came from the kitchen next door and is one of three chairs around a kitchen table table. The floor is identical to the one that is now damaged and despite having had 3 chairs around the kitchen table for over 10 years and having been used regularly for many years, there is no such damage there. I therefore disputed that it was caused by a chair and in fact, I pointed out to him that if the chair was in front of the desk the legs of the chair were not close to the damaged area so clearly the damage could not have been caused by the legs of the chair.

I was therefore pretty annoyed to have just received a letter from the manager of the shop basically telling me to p* off and the damage was caused by a chair and it is not a fault with the produt! Angry

I strongly believe that laminate flooring which cost a significant amount of money should last more than a few months and am thinking of taking them to the small claims court on the basis that it is not fit for purpose.

Views?

OP posts:
betterwhenthesunshines · 08/12/2011 14:32

Could you not just replace that area?

What was the type of flooring - can you go direct to the maufacturer for advice? Is it ossible it was damaged while the house was unoccupied, possibly by water damage that was cleaned away without your notice, but the damage became apparent later.

I think if you've got it in writing from the retailer who states the floor can be damaged by a chair then you could argue that the floor is not fit for purpose though - after all - what do they exect you to put on it? Confused

MOSagain · 08/12/2011 14:42

No, it was not damaged by water damage. House was empty whilst we were abroad, no one else had access to it. It is wooden/laminate flooring and it appears that the one we had is discontinued (we tried to get a bedroom done in it a few months ago but had to choose a different one). Not sure if it is possible to just replace a few sections. I would have been happy with that but have essentially been told to bugger off and they are doing nothing.

LOL at your comment about putting a chair on it. They seem to have ignored my comment that the kitchen has had 3 identical chairs in it and the dining room 5 identical chairs on identical flooring for 9 and 10 years and those chairs haven't damaged the flooring! Hmm

OP posts:
MrsJAlfredPrufrock · 13/12/2011 23:40

Under the Sale of Goods Act 1979 goods must be:

'as described',
'of satisfactory quality', and
'fit for purpose' ? this means both their everyday purpose, and also any specific purpose that you agreed with the seller (for example, if you specifically asked for a printer that would be compatible with your computer).

Floors are normally put down to walk on and put chairs on and stuff. They are being ridiculous and you need to read this as to how to pursue them properly:

www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/sale-of-goods/understanding-the-sale-of-goods-act/your-rights/

Good luck.

And by the way, laminate is horrible. :)

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