MOORESVILLE, N.C. — A Mooresville family says they spent thousands on new floors for their home, but less than a year later, the flooring started coming up. When they tried to get the flooring company to fix the problem, they say they got the run around, so they contacted Action 9 investigator Jason Stoogenke.
Donato Shook says he bought new flooring from Empire Today.
“It cost me about $5,300 for the whole thing,” he said. “We were so excited. We got the floor and it looked great.”
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But Shook says over time, he noticed problems with the flooring.
He reported the problem to Empire Today, but they told him there must have been some sort of water damage, which voided the warranty.
Shook told the company there was never any water damage at his house.
“They just kept on saying it’s our fault,” he said.
“They just didn’t want to help us, so that’s when I contacted you guys,” he told Stoogenke.
Action 9 emailed Empire Today.
“Once we got in touch with you guys, they called me up and they were like my best friend … They wanted to help now,” he said.
Shook says six days after Action 9 reached out to the business, a supervisor from Empire Today came to his house.
“(The) supervisor was really nice. He said that should have been taken care of a long time ago,” Shook said. “About three weeks later, they put a brand-new floor down.”
Since May, Action 9 has asked Empire Today for its side of the story three times.
Statement from Empire: “Empire offers a one-year installation warranty in addition to the manufacturer warranty for the installed product.
“Mr. Shook purchased South Gate laminate scratch-resistant flooring. The homeowner advised us that furniture had been dragged across the room by a third party leading to scratches in the laminate. When we returned to inspect the flooring, in addition to these scratches, the moisture was excessive.
“Ultimately, Empire agreed, for customer satisfaction and goodwill, to replace the flooring while under installation warranty, and installed a vapor barrier as well to guard against moisture concerns. We understand that the Shooks are satisfied with their new flooring.”
Stoogenke offers this advice to customers:
Things such as water damage could void a warranty.
If the warranty is voided, you may still be protected by an “implied” warranty, which ensures the item or product you purchased should do what it’s supposed to do.
If you purchased a product and think it should have performed better, like the Shooks did, be persistent.
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