
Dawn of Sacramento, CA on May 19, 2009
As background, I purchased and had installed Armstrong Gunstock Springdale hardwood floors through Home Depot in Natomas, CA. These floors were installed throughout the lower portion of my home (front entry, living room, and kitchen) on April 22, 2002. As time went by, I noticed gradual deterioration and fading of the surface lamination of the floors, and began to question the integrity of the wood.
In 2007, I contacted a Customer Service Representative at Home Depot in Natomas named Michelle Beck. I told Ms. Beck about my concerns with my flooring, and she started the process of opening this up as a Claim/Inspection Report. After numerous follow-ups with Ms. Beck, she stated on one occasion that the paperwork was lost, and did not show any motivation whatsoever in further facilitating this claim. My dealings with Ms. Beck were extremely frustrating, to say the least, and I found myself unable to make any progress with Home Depot in addressing the problems with my floors.
On November 28, 2008, a new Claim/Inspection Report was filed by Ms. Beck, and I was told that within approximately 2-weeks that I would receive follow-up. This time passed, and I once again had to take the initiative to contact Home Depot to receive a status on my claim. Ms. Beck stated that another Customer Service Representative (named Mike) would be assisting me with my claim from that point forward. I spoke with Mike, and he stated that an Inspector would need to come out to my home to inspect the floors before next steps were to be made.
Recently, this Inspector came to my home, and spoke with my fiance, Eric, as I was unable to be at home due to work (which the Inspector said would be fine). Amongst the first tasks that the Inspector conducted was to measure the moisture content throughout various points on the floor using a moisture dome test. He discovered that many areas of the floor had excessively high moisture content, and concluded that this type of hardwood flooring should have never been installed on a foundation with moisture content this high.
It was the Inspector's opinion that the laminate and integrity of the floors would continue to deteriorate due to this moisture problem. Furthermore, the Inspector stated that a moisture dome test should always be conducted prior to installing any hardwood floor. He went on to add that if a dome test would have correctly been done at our home, it would have become apparent that this type of floor was unsuitable for our foundation.
The initial claim that was filed with Home Depot (back in 2007) was done so due to my belief that this flooring was defective, or was installed improperly. It has become apparent though this claim that the installers used by Home Depot to professionally install this flooring did not follow basic protocols. First and foremost being a dome test to measure the moisture content of the foundation.
Home Depot responded with a phone call by P. Evans stating that he had no proof that the installers did not do a dome test, but could not provide me with the proof that they did, nor would they give me the name and information of the installers they contracted out to me. I am still researching and trying to find a solution to the "shady" loop holes that have be used to deny any liability through either company.
I am sickened by the fact that there is $5,000.00 worth of real wood flooring in my house that is buckling and has lamination that is stripping away, and there is no responsibility being taken for not following basic installations on a cement slab, the dome test. The floors should have never been put down. The 10 yr warranty does not require the installer to follow basic professional protocol.