Empire Today Does Not Honor Warranties

In April, 2008, we invited Empire Today to our house to discuss flooring options. We were considering either hardwood or laminate and after our discussions with the Empire representative, we purchased laminate flooring. During this initial consultation, the sales representative told us that the flooring we were purchasing, Quick-Step flooring by Unilin, was water and scratch resistant.

He told us that water could sit on the floor for up to three days before it suffered any damage and that, because of its superior water resistance, it was the flooring that Empire recommended for kitchens and bathrooms.

To clean the floor, the sales person recommended Windex or a laminate cleaner. For sticky spills, he said we could moisten a rag with water and wipe the spill. For tough spills, he recommended Goof-Off.

We agreed to have our entire first floor covered in the Quick-Step product. The cost of the flooring was almost $9000.00!

Installation went smoothly.

We cleaned the floor as recommended by the sales representative, including the use of a moist towel to spot-clean. Regardless of how we cleaned, be it laminate cleaner or Goof-Off or moist towel, we made sure to dry the area thoroughly. At no time did we ever mop the floor with a floor mop or saturate it with laminate cleaner (or water).

Within one month, the flooring in the kitchen began to bubble around the edges of the planks and, after several telephone calls, Empire Today sent a flooring inspector to inspect the floor. The flooring inspector noted that the bubbling was sit-related due to water damage, but gave no explanation as to what he meant by that.

Because the product is in the kitchen, water spills occur frequently during routine use. We wash dishes, prepare food, wash hands after dinner, etc. However, we towel-dry the floor after each spill.

Empire Today has refused to honor our warranty, claiming that the manufacturer will not honor a claim of damage caused by water.

According to the Quick-Step warranty, the product ...will resist water damage. The warranty then states that it WILL NOT cover damage if the product has been ...put to abnormal use or conditions or abused in any way.

The warranty describes abnormal use to include ...water damage from plumbing, storm or flood, damage from smoke, fire or other casualty events; damage caused by negligence... And describes abuse as ...any use of the flooring that is unreasonable considering the normal and expected uses of a laminate floor in a residential environment.

Since the floor was installed in the kitchen, at the recommendation of Empire Today, it is not unreasonable to expect that it would withstand water spills, provided the spills are cleaned up afterward.

The general Manager at Empire Today (Durham, NC) does not seem to think so. He has made it clear that, despite what the sales representative told us, it was our responsibility to verify the accuracy of Empire's claims. So it is our fault that we are stuck with a damaged floor that soaks up water on contact.