Our home's previous owner had all of the flooring replaced before we purchased the house in 2021…read more He provided us with the Abbey Carpet & Floor receipt, and when we completed our final walkthrough, the floors looked beautiful.
Unfortunately, after only six months, the flooring in our kitchen began peeling, bowing, and separating. Before long, the same issues started appearing throughout the house. We contacted Abbey Carpet, and multiple representatives came out to inspect the flooring. They confirmed there was no water damage and appeared to recognize that the installation had not been done correctly.
I spoke with the manager, Gary, several times. During those conversations, he acknowledged that the installer (who I was told had since passed away) had installed the flooring without a vapor barrier at the previous homeowner's direction to save cost. However, the flooring manufacturer clearly states on the packaging that a vapor barrier is required and that the flooring should not be installed without it. He verbally attempted to me that they had installed it incorrectly.
Despite acknowledging the issue, the only resolution offered was approximately 50 square feet of replacement flooring, with no labor included. That amount wouldn't even cover a single bedroom, let alone address the damage throughout the house.
For months, I tried to work with the company, making phone calls and pleading for a fair resolution. Eventually, I sent a formal demand letter, but I never received a response.
To make matters worse, I learned the company did not have the required CSLB bond coverage in place at the time of installation, leaving us with virtually no recourse. We are now facing approximately $16,000 in losses because the flooring was installed improperly.
This has been an incredibly frustrating and disappointing experience. We have small children, and the damaged flooring has created raised edges and separated planks that have caused them to trip and get hurt. I expected a company to stand behind its work, especially after acknowledging what went wrong. Instead, we are left to bear the full cost of correcting a preventable installation error. It's been 5 years and are still dealing with this. It's very disappointing.
If I could give zero stars I would have to. That's how heartbreaking this has been for our family. To pay for our floors to be done again is a huge financial burden.