Has anyone had the problem. My carpet looks patchy and shaded from what the manufacturer call a phenomenon. They say it has no detriment to the wearing of the carpet and will not accept responsibility. I feel ashamed of how my home looks and want to take further action.
carpet pile reversal
- Thread starter wadsley
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- carpet reverse pile
Apparently carpet pile reversal is when the pile does not lie in the same direction and causes shading. It is some times called water mark and that is how my carpet looks, just as if half is wet and very dark and the other is a lighter shade and it looks very patchy. I am not talking of a small area my house is is 10+ metres long. In some carpets only a small patch is apparent but the whole of my carpet is affected. It is likened to crop circles and no one knows why it only happens in certain circumstances. The shop I purchased it from say they can't afford to replace it (we are not talking cheap) and the carpet mill say it is a phenomenon and therefore not a fault and refuse to do anything about it. An independent flooring inspector came on behalf of the carpet mill and sent his report back and their response has been negative regarding pile reversal being thought of as a flaw.
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The carpet inspector, when I asked him, advised me that my argument was with the shop and when I phoned the consumer advice centre they said the same.
I have looked on web and read about pile reversal, it says that it is not classed as a fault but a phenonimum that happens perhaps in 1 in a 100 carpets and does not deter from the life of the carpet, however it looks horrible and makes me ashamed of how my home looks. I wondered if I had any chance in taking the carpet shop to the small claims court, that is why I have joined this forum to see if any one has had any joy with a claim. We paid with a debit card.
I have looked on web and read about pile reversal, it says that it is not classed as a fault but a phenonimum that happens perhaps in 1 in a 100 carpets and does not deter from the life of the carpet, however it looks horrible and makes me ashamed of how my home looks. I wondered if I had any chance in taking the carpet shop to the small claims court, that is why I have joined this forum to see if any one has had any joy with a claim. We paid with a debit card.
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I suspect the key here is when the 'fault' became apparent, if it was as soon as the carpet was laid and had no wear at all, you have a valid argument as the carpet industry see to be using the arguments that the problem is caused by traffic areas, turning points and even electromagnetic activity in the home, however, interestingly, some manufacturers claim to have eliminated the problem or can guarantee at least two years 'pile reversal' freedom (The Office of Fair Trading: The Carpet Foundation completes first stage of OFT Consumer Codes Approval Scheme)
We first noticed the colour change in the carpet within 3 months but as we had never heard of pile reversal we thought it was shadows being thrown from lights, as the marking was more noticeable in the evening, however the colour change became more and more apparent during daylight and that is when we realised something was wrong. I would like to hear from anyone who has been successful in claiming against carpet reversal.
Have you phoned Consumer Direct? They might have experience of this. Personally, I had never heard of the term till I read your post. However, in my opinion your statutory rights have been breached as you would expect a carpet to last more than 3 months. I am not just talking about wear. Did you pay by credit card? As the credit card company will be equally liable if your did? This is what happened to me with my wooden floor:
Consumer Credit Act: Equal Liability | Consumer Information
Consumer Credit Act: Equal Liability | Consumer Information
Hi Tony
I phoned consumer direct as you pointed out, but they were not very optimistic about fighting a claim for the horrible carpet. They said pile reversal was not regarded as a fault. However I have been on Sheffield Forum regarding this issue and someone has posted a standard letter for me to ammend and send to the carpet shop so I think I will go down this road.
Thank you
Wadsley
I phoned consumer direct as you pointed out, but they were not very optimistic about fighting a claim for the horrible carpet. They said pile reversal was not regarded as a fault. However I have been on Sheffield Forum regarding this issue and someone has posted a standard letter for me to ammend and send to the carpet shop so I think I will go down this road.
Thank you
Wadsley
Pile Reversal
Hi Wadsley,
I know im a bit late but ive just joined the site. I can cure pile reversal but the carpet must be 80/20 or 100% wool. Can you tell me the brand or type of carpet you have & I might be able to contact the maker & get some business. Pile reversal is a 'local' problem so you may want to keep an eye on it as it could happen again.
Thanks
carpet tony
Hi Wadsley,
I know im a bit late but ive just joined the site. I can cure pile reversal but the carpet must be 80/20 or 100% wool. Can you tell me the brand or type of carpet you have & I might be able to contact the maker & get some business. Pile reversal is a 'local' problem so you may want to keep an eye on it as it could happen again.
Thanks
carpet tony
I purchased a saxony carpet from a small retailer in Feb 2009 for my lounge colour 'latte' cost £570. As soon as carpet was laid I was horrified - it looked a complete mess of colours - sample seen in shop measured 5" x 4". Contacted Retailer straight away - he came to see the carpet and acted as horrified as me - subsequently he/or manufacturer arranged a carpet inspector - pile reversal problems - no mention of colours - carpet showing at least 4 colours all over room - took away sample of carpet - report all about the quality. Got in touch with HSBC as I paid by card. Retailer dropped me like a stone when he knew I was going to pursue matter - he said he couldn't afford to replace carpet or refund payment. From March 2009 after numerous correspondence - nothing at all in writing from him. After dealing with HSBC for months - arranged my own independent carpet inspection - as soon as this man looked into said room - said I had a very bad case of pile reversal - in his written report he called it a mushroom coloured carpet. Sent all paperwork to Financial Ombudsman - just received letter from them - Retailer did not breach its contractual obligation to supply said carpet. Retailer did not misrepresent the colour of carpet selected by me. The carpet I have in my possession displays at least 4 different colours all over. This does not reflect the sample I was shown by Retailer - what do I do now? Advice would be gratefully received. Thank you
`Hi,just going through the same complaint with carpet right re;pile reversal.The shop requested an independant consultant from the manufacturer,who turned up to tell me that it was indeed pile reversal and that i had no redress with the manufacturer or with the supplier!! i am seeking legal advice,because like you my carpet is a through lounge/diner and looks horrendous.
Further to my last comments in Nov 2009 re: Pile Reversal or Phenomenon as the Carpet Manufacturers like to call it. Am now in process with Ombudsman re: complaint against HSBC, and am at present going through an appeal with the Ombudsman. There is no help at all against the Carpet Manufacturer regarding Pile Reversal or the term Phenomenon. They can still turn out carpets - expensive ones usually have this problem - sending the retailer small samples for the customer to view - give no information - as in my case no information was provided to me by the retailer - HSBC with whom I paid by Mastercard have been no help whatsoever. My advice - do not pay full price up front. Finally there is no persons or organisations to help the consumer against the Carpet Industry that I have been able to find. When the problem is the colouration of the carpet you have no chance.
I live in a 200 year old Cornish cottage and the earth energies are generally positive and the place is very calm and soothing. The plain carpet in the sitting room, which has now been down for 14 years, has shown signs of pile reversal since soon after being laid with several distinct areas of varying shapes and sizes that have a totally different appearance, this phenomenon was confirmed by a carpet "expert" who could not explain the cause or if anything could be done to rectify the problem.Just recently I wondered if dowsing could tell me anything and low and behold each time that the rods crossed the boundary of the patch the energy changed from positive to negative, this occurred with each and every patch that I dowsed. I also checked for magnetic anomalies around these patches but non were discovered. It would seem that this phenomenon is caused by negative earth energies occuring at the surface and affecting the carpet so even a replacement would probably not change the situation, perhaps a different type of carpet construction might work such as the Berber type! Stuart Hoskins (aka thedowser)