Ok, vacuum cleaners, no doubt, BOOORRRRING. But, I am a carpet guy and so yes, I am fascinated! Not just from the standpoint of what the vacuum does and how it cleans, but I have been perplexed in seeing the carpet manufacturers deny warranty claims because of the vacuum the consumer uses.
KNOWING FIRST: PROTECT YOUR CARPET AND YOUR WARRANTY
Now, that’s a scary thought, the carpet’s manufacturer will attribute the failure in the life of the carpet to the vacuum the consumer used? It’s not so surprising when you think and compare it to an automobile warranty. Automobile manufacturers require the consumer to maintain the car and use the lubricants and fluids they specify. And if the consumer doesn’t follow their care guidelines? If the manufacturer knows it, and the product failure can be attributed to the improper maintenance, they absolutely will deny the consumer repair under warranty.
CHOOSE THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT
So, I looked at the list of recommended vacuums from the two largest manufacturers and bought the vacuum that was on both lists for our showroom use and business. When the vacuums arrive, and I put them out for use and others for sale, and every time I walk by them I don’t know why they are not selling. Our price is lower than Amazon.com’s price. What’s wrong?
The vacuums are attractive, but smaller and don’t have all those hoses and attachments that seem to do everything. It has a bag instead of a collection canister for the dirt. On the internet, you see the exact model we sell priced at $399 to $499. We priced it that way not to make money but to encourage someone who has just made an investment in new carpet to buy a new and proper vacuum cleaner that manufacturers’ recommend. It’s $350, which is not cheap when you look at the offerings at Walmart.
SEEING THE DIFFERENCE
So here is the punch line: many consumers buy these duded up vacuums with all the bells and whistles, the one that the advertiser says he “just thinks it should work properly” (say to yourself with a British accent and you will get it). Many of these vacuums are not what the carpet manufacturer recommends. If you took this visually unimpressive vacuum that a manufacture DOES recommend for a test drive, you would really like it.
Its light, it’s effective, and it does not sink down and drag over the carpet. (I bet some of you readers will know what I am talking about when I write “drag over the carpet.”) If your vacuum is dragging, there is something wrong and it’s probably your vacuum, not the carpet. The bag in the Oreck vacuum we sell at Cunningham Flooring helps filter the dust and remove it from the house which is the objective, right?
PRESERVING YOUR INVESTMENT: YOUR NEW CARPET
We all, as consumers, bite on the shiny object (my fishing reference) and the big budget advertiser, but if you would like your carpet to last, and this goes for most any durable product, follow manufacturer’s guidance or care and maintenance of any product. Don’t be fooled by the shiny object!
If you want to see and test drive a vacuum recommended by manufactures, please come to Cunningham Flooring Direct and tell them you saw my blog. Thank you very much for reading.
Contact us and our skilled staff of designers will help get your home started today!