neorayezInteresting case, not uncommon, Ever tried to fit smoothedge to a floor that has had the old stuff removed Ash?
Yes Neo, I've not only "tried" but have done so on many occasions. Bugger of a job! Yes, it can be quite time consuming, but part of the job if it needs to be done, and YES it should be paid for. But the outcome reported here was entirely predictable, and the contractor should have advised the customer, so as to avoid or solve the problem.
It's simply not acceptable to do nothing, and expect the customer to accept it just because its not convenient!
If the contractor had done their job properly, they would have inspected the site, and where a significant difference in carpet is involved, advised the customer of the expected outcomes BEFORE proceeding with the new carpet. They could have recommended a carpet closer in thickness to the old carpet. Or worked out a quote to R&R smoothedge as required if they really wanted the thin stuff. Another solution I mentioned might be to fit a small timber bead to the edge of the smoothedge with liquid nails to produce a narrower gully. Bottom line is, solutions should have been looked at BEFORE the problem arose. I reckon its bloody poor form to do the job expecting the customer to live with it.
Other possible outcomes with fitting thin carpets can be painting of skirtings. Sometimes where a thick carpet is fitted, the skirtings are painted only to the carpet line. The astute contractor would advise the line may be visible, so the customer can have the skirtings painted before the new carpets are fitted. Obviously the painting is the customers' job to do, and I would think they would be thankful to be advised (= happy customer).
Similarly, if a customer goes from a thin to a thicker carpet, the bottom of doors may need to be cut higher to stop them scraping on carpets. The contractor should advise this BEFORE the job, so the customer can make arrangements (or the contractor offer this service at extra charge). Again, the customer will be won over by the contractor offering solutions BEFORE problems arise. The other possibility would be doing & saying nothing until the thick carpets are fitted. Then the customer cannot even open doors without risking damage to both the doors and carpets. This would mean pi$$ed off customers having an unexpected inconvenience,and and job that they could have sorted beforehand if they had known.
Really, some people need to learn what CUSTOMER SERVICE is all about!
Ash.
