Carpet Scams or Just Stupid??

Let's be honest, if you were sitting at a bar and some creep walked up and invited you to have a drink...would you? NO! What if he tried to convince you he was a nice guy...would you believe him? NO! What if he attempted to "sell" you on becoming a client of his 'business", would you? NO! Even if the guy said he had a million dollars to "invest" in your gorgeous face and would be able to put you on the front of every household magazine...you wouldn't "buy" it. However, a young naive person might "buy" it...and in the end others would say "Oh, honey, you were scammed!" No, honestly, you weren't "scammed" you were "stupid".

Same goes for carpet, you can't be scammed because you are NOT stupid! You are a very smart and intelligent person who has enough common sense to know a lot of basic "stuff" without ever having to invest in a PH.D of flooring!

Common sense "stuff" you know about carpet:

1. put your fingers in/on it....does it feel like garbage...IT IS!
2. is it white? It's gonna stain!
3. is it soft? It can't be strong!
4. if the padding is paper thin, what good is it?
5. does it already look like an un-groomed poodle? It's going to look worse on your floor!
6. sunlight washes out color, don't take the sample outside or to a window to get a better idea
7. nothing, no matter what, is going to let your kids spill koolaid on it and not stain...get rid of "red" food/drinks
8. replace your padding, unless you"re a landlord
9. if you don't LOVE the sample, you won't LOVE the floor...no matter what!
10. thicker, more expensive doesn't mean BETTER...

Common sense "stuff" you know about carpet salesman:

1. If they are wearing an orange or blue vest, selling hammers...they don't know carpet...run!
2. If they remind you of the guy at the bar that you completely blew off last night, run!
3. If all they talk about is warranties, guarantees, stainmaster, traffic master...run!
4. If they have to continually touch you, or invade your space...run!
5. If you wouldn't invite them back to your house for tea and crumpets...run!
6. If you need a measure but would feel "safer" waiting for your honey to get home...run!
7. If you find yourself thinking about last nights dinner, tomorrow football game and can't hear what your salesman is saying...run!
8. If they say more than once "trust me"...run!
9. If you get annoyed, antsy or frustrated...run!
10. If you feel like you are talking to a salesman and not your friend...run!

Are there scams in the carpet industry? Absolutely! Can you avoid these scams 90% of the time? Absolutely! How? By using your common sense! If you don't love the flooring and/or trust the seller, you can't say you were scammed...you were just stupid! If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck...it's a duck! No matter what, even if the salesman says..."ah, but this is not an ordinary duck...it won't leave droppings all over your house"...PEOPLE! It's still a duck! Common sense says...you can't promise me it won't leave droppings, so find someone who will say "ah, but this is not an ordinary duck, it WILL leave droppings BUT with the proper care and knowledge we can help you avoid the duck ruining all your property". NOW you are using your common sense! Yes, the duck will make dropping but you are aware of this and how to care for the mess!

Not all carpet is created equal. If you put your "duck" in the bathroom or over your vinyl flooring, he won't run your flooring. You can still have a duck...you just have to know where to keep him. Same for carpet! You CAN have soft carpet, it CAN be stain resistant but it might not be good for the whole house. I have a gorgeous lilac plush in my bedroom, I love getting up in the morning and sinking my toes into the lush, soft carpet....but I can't wear shoes in my room, my children don't eat in my room and we have no outside doors leading into my room. My bedroom carpet is perfect for my bedroom, not for a living room.

Now, don't get confused...Big Bob Herself knows NOTHING about ducks...but if you want help with carpet...drop me a line!