Hey there everyone.
I've been a long time viewer of the forum, but never an actual poster.
That being said, thank you for having me here.
OK - onto my problem:
A family friend referred me to a local flooring company who supposedly carried German Made laminate with an E1 emission rating, AC3 21/31 wear ratings, 30 year warranty, etc.
After meeting with the owner of the company, he advised me that he purchased bulk laminate from a German Company (Made in Germany) with all the previous listed specs, in 8mm and 12mm all glossy w/ different colors.
He continued to tell me that he purchases the bulk laminate, and then repackages it as his own brand in order to be able to sell it at a lower price than MSRP.
After talking to him for long enough, I agreed to have him come out and do a measure. At the end of the day, I needed around 1,000 Sq Ft of laminate, and he threw in some free 4 1/4 baseboards, 1/4 round, and so forth. The end cost was about $4.25 / sq ft including materials, install, disposal, waste, etc.
I gave a modest $500 deposit, and he began the work the next day, completing the whole job in roughly 2 full days.
Towards the end of the job, a family friend who is in the flooring business approached me and suggested that the laminate is Chinese Made, and that I was being scammed. He pointed out that the packaging the laminate came in did not mention a country of origin (which is required for any foreign product in the US per CBP).
Furthermore, he also showed that the laminate planks also do not have any stamp, marking, stickers, or any identifying material to show a country of origin. As a result, only the box created by the actual laminate flooring company (who repacks the laminate) is the only info that I actually have in hand.
I have not paid the company in full yet, but I spoke to the owner again today, who has now renegged and said "Well, it's German Technology, but it's probably made in China. I don't know where it's made exactly."
So now, I have a problem. The flooring guy misrepresented the product and failed to disclose a correct country of origin after I insisted on German Made product from the beginning. The owner also refuses to tell me what exact laminate he purchased prior to repackaging - stating that it would be against his "non disclosure agreement" with the manufacturer.
My questions are as follows:
1. What recourse do I have? I am NOT at all comfortable with paying anything for something I was defrauded into purchasing.
2. How can I find out exactly what this laminate is that he gave me? Is there any way to determine what company made this laminate prior to his repackaging?
3. Is it common for local companies to buy in bulk and repackage the laminate? If so, is this practice legal?
4. The laminate is giving off a very harsh chemical odor, which my USA Made laminate in my other rooms does not. Is this indicative of low quality garbage laminate?
I'm beside myself right now and have no idea what to do.
Please help.
Thanks!
-Roy
I've been a long time viewer of the forum, but never an actual poster.
That being said, thank you for having me here.
OK - onto my problem:
A family friend referred me to a local flooring company who supposedly carried German Made laminate with an E1 emission rating, AC3 21/31 wear ratings, 30 year warranty, etc.
After meeting with the owner of the company, he advised me that he purchased bulk laminate from a German Company (Made in Germany) with all the previous listed specs, in 8mm and 12mm all glossy w/ different colors.
He continued to tell me that he purchases the bulk laminate, and then repackages it as his own brand in order to be able to sell it at a lower price than MSRP.
After talking to him for long enough, I agreed to have him come out and do a measure. At the end of the day, I needed around 1,000 Sq Ft of laminate, and he threw in some free 4 1/4 baseboards, 1/4 round, and so forth. The end cost was about $4.25 / sq ft including materials, install, disposal, waste, etc.
I gave a modest $500 deposit, and he began the work the next day, completing the whole job in roughly 2 full days.
Towards the end of the job, a family friend who is in the flooring business approached me and suggested that the laminate is Chinese Made, and that I was being scammed. He pointed out that the packaging the laminate came in did not mention a country of origin (which is required for any foreign product in the US per CBP).
Furthermore, he also showed that the laminate planks also do not have any stamp, marking, stickers, or any identifying material to show a country of origin. As a result, only the box created by the actual laminate flooring company (who repacks the laminate) is the only info that I actually have in hand.
I have not paid the company in full yet, but I spoke to the owner again today, who has now renegged and said "Well, it's German Technology, but it's probably made in China. I don't know where it's made exactly."
So now, I have a problem. The flooring guy misrepresented the product and failed to disclose a correct country of origin after I insisted on German Made product from the beginning. The owner also refuses to tell me what exact laminate he purchased prior to repackaging - stating that it would be against his "non disclosure agreement" with the manufacturer.
My questions are as follows:
1. What recourse do I have? I am NOT at all comfortable with paying anything for something I was defrauded into purchasing.
2. How can I find out exactly what this laminate is that he gave me? Is there any way to determine what company made this laminate prior to his repackaging?
3. Is it common for local companies to buy in bulk and repackage the laminate? If so, is this practice legal?
4. The laminate is giving off a very harsh chemical odor, which my USA Made laminate in my other rooms does not. Is this indicative of low quality garbage laminate?
I'm beside myself right now and have no idea what to do.
Please help.
Thanks!
-Roy
