Why Shopping Online For Flooring Just Doesn’t Work….

Why Shopping Online For Flooring Just Doesn’t Work….

Matt Capell here blogging again.  Today we continue with the topic of Costly Misconceptions About Flooring. 

By knowing about these, you can help insure that you'll invest in the best flooring for your taste and lifestyle.  Also, you'll get years of enjoyment from floors you love, rather than have to live with a decision you'll regret.

 

Misconception -- The best way to buy flooring is to shop online

Not so.  One of the worst places to go for floor covering is to the internet.  There are several things that make the internet an extremely undesirable place to look for a flooring. 

1.  You have no idea if the person on the other end of the line is ethical. 

We have many clients who, before coming to us, used an online dealer and were promised certain prices and products, only to have something different installed or have the price change. Not to mention endless delays. 

2.  You have no idea if the “sales person” is experienced. 

On the Internet, you’ll be working with an eighteen-year-old telemarketer in most cases. Floor covering transactions are very complicated, and online dealers are notorious for causing delays and making mistakes. 

3.  They do not care about developing a long-term relationship with you. 

They will treat your purchase as a one-shot deal, with no consideration given to providing good service so they can earn your referrals and repeat business. 

At Capell Flooring, most of our business comes from repeat and referral clients. We depend upon repeat and referral business for our livelihood, so we have a vested interest in making sure that you are head-over-heels thrilled with the service you receive

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5.  Warranty claims are a nightmare. 

We all hope that making a warranty claim won’t be necessary.  But when it becomes necessary, you really need the warranty to be honored. 

Getting most online dealers to honor their warranty is a time-consuming, frustrating ordeal.  You will most likely wind up playing the “Delay Game.”

6.  They have no relationships with installers. 

Because online dealers sell to anybody living anywhere, it’s impossible for them to keep control of the installation.  They might say they have “trained installers in your area,” but these are nothing more than sub-contractors. 

These sub-contractors work for many different dealers, so they have no real loyalty to the online dealers.  And since the online companies lure consumers in with “cheap price” offers, they cut corners by underpaying their installers.  This causes the installers to “rush” through the job, and makes them very reluctant to return to correct mistakes.  They simply can’t afford it.

7.  Also, the Internet is not regulated.

These days anybody can put together a website quickly and easily using the software that’s available. Sometimes these “businesses” are nothing more than installers working out of their garages to create a “company” via a website. Many of these are fly-by-night, here-today-and-gone-tomorrow dealers. 

This platform is geared toward perking interest. These are people who don’t have existing relationships, and who don’t work via referral. Unfortunately, they try to commoditize the industry.

Choosing floor covering is the largest decorating decision you will make in your life, and it needs to be taken very seriously. It’s not like shopping for the best price on a table lamp.

You need to consider that the lack of regulation on the Internet allows them to offer anything they want to you, the consumer, just to get their phone to ring.

If you have any questions, or if you would like to schedule a free Design Audit, please call us at 208-288-0151.

Thanks for reading,

Matt "Shop Local" Capell

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