Our first indicator that something was friendly to the brand name products we all trust should have been the recent lead paint scandal. China is the latest society that we have decided to use and abuse. It’s funny how the abuse always seems to go both ways when “we want our cake and eat it too.” Large brand-name toy companies have had to pull countless products from store shelves due to substandard (even dangerous) quality issues. Who can we blame for this? Big brands wanting to make a higher profit using cheaper Chinese labor and materials? Should we blame China for having low quality control standards? Should we blame the consumer, because it seems that they are only willing to buy products that are “CHEAP” (in every sense of the word)?
I believe it is the responsibility of every reputable company or business person to educate the consumer on what constitutes a quality product and what will give them the best value for their money. I refuse to sell inferior products, which has probably cost me many sales over the years, because if I don’t sell the “cheap stuff” the dealer down the street probably will. There are cycles in the flooring industry where people seem to be satisfied with the cheapest product and service they can find. Even if the guy down the street has no sense of moral obligation and will sell whatever products people buy, that doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do. Consumers need to be well informed about what constitutes a bargain. Me; A bargain is a good to excellent product or service that is sold at a reasonable or discounted price.
It is my responsibility to ensure that my clients are well informed about the products they are considering. If they choose to ignore my tips and advice, well… that part is out of my control, but at least I can sleep at night knowing that I did my best to make sure they got good value for the money they spend. There have been many occasions where I have refused to introduce a certain product to my customers simply because I knew it was not up to the standards it claimed to be. However, can we really blame the consumer for being stingy and buying low-quality products, when we are the ones who offer them? If a product is of low quality and we know it, we should not offer it or suggest it to the consumer, regardless of the brand that is on the label. My dumpsters have been overflowing with flooring products that I absolutely refuse to endorse. They just don’t give a good value for the price people have to pay. I could tell many stories about how we’ve had to repair or replace what another dealer was willing to pass off as “good enough,” but I’ll keep my comments about the company’s brand and brand name products we should be able to trust.
What does it say about our society and our values when a Brand Product cannot be trusted?
This is what happened recently… I came home one afternoon and saw a new rug in a bag from a chain store hanging on the dining room chair. It was a typical “cheap” area rug. Since I sell area rugs, I was wondering why it was even in my house. I was informed that my daughter bought it for her room because it was a good price for a brand-name rug… (“Not a big deal,” I thought, because I could clearly see the tag and price). Then I realized something else. Something strange and disconcerting. The label on this cheap fuzzy rug had the brand name of one of the best known manufacturers of good quality flooring, specifically Carpet. I won’t name the company, but it has the same name as a Native American Indian tribe (you can probably guess that easily). When I saw the brand name and noticed the quality of the rug, I thought it had somehow been mislabeled or some other mistake had occurred. But when I read the details on the label, I was shocked and shocked. As I said before;
The rug in question was a cheap (inferior) rug that had a cheap latex backing (supposedly to keep it from slipping on a hard surface floor – you can read more about latex or rubber backed rugs on our website). This type of carpet backing is notorious for damaging linoleum, vinyl, and even laminate or hardwood floors (they can cause discoloration, discoloration, or worse, they tend to absorb moisture through the concrete slabs). Anyway, as I read the label further, I noticed the type of fiber this rug was made from; It was Olefin. Olefin fiber tends to stick to oily or greasy things (even body oils from the bottom of your feet), and can have a tendency to squish and cause the rug to deflate. Olefin rugs of this quality do not usually last very long. Six months to a year depending on traffic. This is the cheapest fiber that carpets are made from, so it’s no wonder. The wow factor for me was that this, Brand Name Company, had allowed their name to be prominently displayed on the carpet.
A large manufacturer of high-quality rugs is making or promoting a cheap Fuzzy Bath Mat! Needless to say, I informed my daughter that despite the mark on the label, she had been robbed. Even a negligible sum of money is wasted on a rug of this quality. Brand names used to mean something… It used to mean quality and integrity. I guess we should expect situations like this in today’s global economy. But as for me, from now on I’ll be reading labels and ingredients, I don’t care what brand name is on the package (or the mat).
I guess it’s just disappointment that a name I’ve trusted and suggested to so many customers for so many years could allow such a deterioration in quality and craftsmanship.
When tempted to buy a rug from a chain store, ALWAYS READ THE LABEL! Or, to quote Mr. Gump, “you never know what you’re going to get.”