Ask The Carpet Expert! A Free service for consumers

Ask The Carpet Expert!

Have a Carpet Buying Question? Need a quick answer? 

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By National Consumer Advocate Alan J. Fletcher

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“Buying new carpet is a daunting task and consumers need to be very careful if they want to avoid major headaches. Over the past ten years I have help thousands of consumers choose carpet wisely saved them hundreds of thousands of dollars . I can help you save money, avoid scams and make wise carpet choices too.”

 

Hello Carpet Buying Consumers,

My name is Alan Fletcher. I’ve been in the carpet business over 30 years, but I don’t sell carpet. I am a commercial flooring consultant, author of five flooring books and a nationally recognized consumer advocate. 

I am proud to say that my carpet buying articles and advice have been featured and published all over the world in major newspapers, national magazines, trade papers and newsletters.  

But my true passion is helping ordinary people like you select a carpet that will meet their needs, budget and lifestyle – and at the same time, not get ripped off by the many unscrupulous carpet retailers. Let me be frank, I am a consumer just like you and I surely don’t like getting ripped off or scammed. Turn on the nightly news and you will see that there are scams everywhere today. Consumers need to be on guard and be well informed. I believe that all consumers deserve a fair and square deal and I am committed to doing something about it!

Buying new carpet is a daunting task and consumers need to be very careful if they want to avoid major headaches. Over the past ten years I have helped thousands of consumers choose carpet wisely saved them hundreds and even thousands of dollars. I know I can help you save time and money, avoid scams and make wise carpet choices too. But you have to be willing to take the time to get educated. I have made it easy for you with my Complete Carpet Buying Guide, it’s available as an instant download and can be printed out, saved to your hard drive or easily viewed on your computer as often as you wish. I have kept the price very low so everyone can afford a copy. 

Most people don’t know much about buying carpet. They often trust a carpet salesperson to steer them in the right direction. This can be a very big mistake. Why? Because many carpet salespeople are not qualified to advise you on your carpet purchase. Carpet is a major purchase, you need to follow the advice of a seasoned professional who has your best interests in mind. That’s why I wrote my ebook and have created the www.AbcCarpets.com Consumer Carpet Information Network.

Consumers who select the wrong carpet stand to lose hundreds or even thousands of dollars. The wrong carpet pad can ruin even the best quality carpets, and improper carpet installation can easily cut the life span of any carpet in half! 

Let’s not forget to mention all the carpet scams. There are dozens of common carpet scams. In my ebook, I reveal how you can avoid carpet scams. It can help you save a ton of money as well as teach you how to select the right carpet, avoid scams and find a good deal on carpet, pad and installation! 

 

Check out my Carpet Q & A

There are hundreds of questions & answers posted on my website!

 

Have a Carpet Question? 

I’ll Answer Your Carpet Buying Question Absolutely FREE! 

Just send me an e-mail!

Send a question

 Carpet Buying Information. ~ Hot Tips from a Carpet Expert ~

Hi, I’m a 30-year carpet expert and based on my experience, I’ve put together a useful website for consumers about “how to buy carpet wisely” at www.Howtobuycarpet.com.

If you are considering buying carpet anytime soon, I can surely help you save time and money, and avoid common carpet scams. Read on…

• Buying Carpet Wisely.

~ Hot Tips from a Carpet Expert ~

Carpet is very expensive, you can count on that. The current price of carpet is rising based on the rising cost of oil and you know how much oil costs have been going up. We Americans used to be able to buy a decent quality carpet, pad and installation for under $15 per yard. Not anymore, now a low-quality apartment-grade carpet is closer to $20 per yard (installed with pad) and it goes way up from there.

 

What does carpet cost?

Today, $30 per yard buys a medium-grade carpet and $50 per yard is not uncommon for a high quality carpet designed to last 15 to 20 years or more, if cared for properly. Many smaller two-bedroom homes require at least 100 yards of carpet so buying a medium grade carpet will cost you at least $3000 and up. Most homes have more bedrooms and are larger so spending $5000 or more for new carpet is not uncommon. Larger homes can easily top $10,000 for new carpet these days.

What makes one carpet better than another?

Some carpets are constructed better than others, but which ones are they and how can you tell? There are many many factors involved, so many in fact, that you practically need to be a carpet expert to really know what is going on. Since you are not an expert you need to seek out the advice and wisdom of someone who is. Someone who is not trying to sell you carpet. That someone can be me. Why? Because I am a consumer Carpet buying advocate. I have dedicated myself to helping people make wise and informed carpet buying choices. I have already helped tens of thousands. I can help you to.

How do I select the right carpet?

You need to do your homework before you buy new carpet or you could make costly mistakes. You must make informed decisions based on what you expect from the carpet you select. There are many grades of carpet and you need to select the right grade or “quality” FOR YOU, based on YOUR needs, goals and lifestyle. Don’t expect ANY carpet salesperson to make these choices for you, most carpet salespeople ARE PAID ON COMMISSION and lack knowledge and experience. To them, you are just another unsuspecting customer who will help them make $500 in commission.

What should I look out for?

Many consumers make the mistake of having a carpet budget. Don’t buy carpet based on cost. If you can’t afford to buy a carpet that will meet your needs and expectations, then either wait until you have more money or replace your carpet in stages. Do half of your home now and the other half when you can afford to.

Don’t buy a carpet JUST because it fits your budget. If you do, you will regret it. It will wear out faster than you anticipate and then you will need to buy new carpet AGAIN much sooner than you had planned.

The carpet you select should be “mainly” based on how long you want your carpet to last and how much foot traffic you have. So, if you have lots of friends and family over then your grade or quality level needs to be higher. If you live alone, have no kids and never entertain, your quality level can be reduced if you want to save some money.

What carpet is best for pets?

However, if you have pets that have occasional accidents, that will bring in another concern that needs to be addressed and you might want to figure on replacing your carpet more often. Maybe selecting a lower grade might be a wise move for you at this time, again, to save some money because pets that have accidents can ruin a cheap carpet just as fast as an expensive carpet.

Where do I get more information?

The longer you want your carpet to last the better quality you need to buy, and that goes for the pad too. How do you know what grade or “quality” a carpet is? How much should I spend on carpet, where is the best place to buy and what pad should I select and so on… That’s the hard part…

It’s all based on the manufacturing specifications. What Fiber is used, what the Face-weight is, what the Density is, what the Pile-height is, what the Tuft-Twist is and so on. The same goes for padding… Density, Thickness and Materials used in manufacturing determine the quality of the product, AND that’s what determines the price you are going to pay. Or so you hope. Some carpet dealers charge more than others for the exact same products. This is where it gets real tricky.

You have to know how to deal with all these things and we haven’t even mentioned how and where to find a good deal or qualified installation. And then there’s the carpet scams. Some carpet retailers are just out to take your money and sell you carpet that is unsuitable for your needs.

This is why I wrote my carpet buying ebook for consumers. Buying new carpet is not as easy as it once was. There are a lot of ways to get ripped off and many things to look out for.

 

There are 6 main Issues you need to take very seriously when buying carpet:

 

1. Selecting a Carpet that meets your needs, goals and lifestyle.

2. Choosing the Correct Padding.

3. Obtaining Qualified Installation.

4. Getting a Fair and Square Deal.

5. Avoiding Common Carpet Scams.

6. Finding a Reputable Carpet Dealer

 

Visit my website for more free information you can use. Consider buying my ebook. You’ll spend thousands buying new carpet for your home so take the time to learn how to avoid costly mistakes. Thousands of satisfied carpet buyers have already saved time, money and avoided headaches by using my 30 years of knowledge and experience available in my ebook “The Complete Carpet Buying Guide”.

My ebook costs much less than one yard of quality carpet but can easily save you hundreds. It’s only $12.95 and available for INSTANT download on my website at www.howtobuycarpet.com

Thank you!

Alan J. Fletcher – Consumer Advocate