Had a customer in Springfield insist I install over their old, lumpy pad last Tuesday. Said it would save them money.

Walked into a 90s split-level, and the homeowner had already pulled up the old carpet. The pad underneath was that cheap, disintegrating foam, full of dips and hardened spots. I told them it needed to come out, that the new carpet would telegraph every flaw. They got real firm, said the last guy did it and it was fine, and they weren't paying for the extra labor. I ended up doing it their way to avoid a bigger argument. Sure enough, you can see every single imperfection in the finished floor. It looks terrible. What's your go-to line when a client pushes back on a necessary prep step? I need a better way to explain it that actually sticks.

2 comments

2 Comments

simono902d ago

Reminds me of a guy who refused to let me replace his mailbox post. Said duct tape would hold it. Next big wind, whole thing ended up in the street. Some people just need to see the crash.

hugo_moore2d ago

My buddy had a client who refused to let him level the floor before laying vinyl plank, said it looked flat enough to him. It ended up sounding like popcorn every time you walked across it, boards clicking and shifting. He had to go back and redo the whole job on his dime after the complaint, which makes @simono90's point about people needing to see the crash pretty spot on. I usually tell clients it's like painting over a dirty wall, you're just locking in the problem forever. Does that kind of comparison ever work for you, or do they just tune it out?