Hi, I purchased a carpet from SCS 3 years ago, still on sale today its an associated weavers proxima carpet, 100% polypropylene, £51.99 per square metre. 3 years on and there is what I would class as significant colour change apparent. It also had silver flecks in it which are no longer visible. I have contacted SCS who say that it is just standard wear and tear and whilst it is a deep pile carpet and I would accept some wear I'm not sure that the amount of wear seen is reasonable. I wonder if anyone here can give me an opinion, see the photos attached. The area seen was under our sofa which we have now replaced so it is "out in the open". SCS's reply which I think is just a standard response states " With reference to your valued order and our recent inspection of your order. We have now investigated your concerns and can confirm that there are no manufacturing defects present and your carpet is reacting normally. The change of appearance of your carpet is due to the way in which the pile has settled unevenly with use and can show in some areas more than others. This is caused by the heavy traffic concentrated onto a small area coupled with the twisting of feet as you turn. All carpets have places where it is walked on more than others. This is a normal characteristic of any carpet and pile reversal and pile compression is not considered a manufacturing defect and is a natural occurrence in any carpet with some showing the effect more than others In way of a more detailed explanation it is the sides of the tufts of your carpet that appear a lighter, more silvery shade than when the tufts are viewed end-on. As the pile settles, lighter and darker patches develop depending on the angle of the pile. It is quite common for pile to settle in different directions to the normal pile lay as foot traffic bends the pile different ways and this will dull the appearance and will distort very slightly the appearance as you must appreciate. The angle of the pile has no effect on the durability of the carpet and we are confident it will continue to give you many years of satisfactory service. This effect can be rejuvenated to a degree by regular use of a vacuum cleaner with a rotating brush mechanism on the head In conclusion, we would confirm there are no manufacturing defects present with your carpet and we hope our explanation will further clarify your understanding of the carpet’s characteristics. " If the wear is unreasonable is there anything you can suggest I respond to them with to rebut their arguments.
Looks like Associated offer a 20 Year wear and stain guarantee, you would probably be better off approaching them if SCS are unwilling to take your complaint on for you. There is a difference between wear and appearance retention, if the colour change is associated with pile pressure rather than wear then you probably don't have much come back, all long pile man made saxony carpets suffer from pressure. If its fading, then again, it may well not be covered by Associated's Wear and Stain guarantee although as it's bleach cleanable, there may be some discussions as to how colour fast the pile is in the batch that you have been supplied. Are your photos taken after a decent hoovering with an upright vacuum with a beater bar?
