We've been very disappointed with our service from Speers and wouldn't recommend them. We chose to have a large portion of our home installed with Torlys Cork flooring since Speers had a very large area of their store laid with the same product. We asked MANY questions about it, from maintenance and wear and tear - and we were assured it would be easy to care for.
The first issue started with the 'professional' installation - while we cannot prove it, the installers managed to nail through an electrical wire and we had to have a large portion of our upstairs rewired. We contacted Speers to discuss and they never returned our call. While we understand that accidents can happen with unseen wiring, we were disappointed that there was no effort made to remedy the situation.
While we love the look of the floors, we have since had severe "bleaching" of the cork. When moving furniture within two rooms, on two different floors, and in two different ends of the house, we noticed that there was distinct lines of the original colour and the areas not covered. We contacted Speers who brought Toryls in to inspect. They refuse to acknowledge there is a problem with it and blame the sunlight - however, we have new UV coated windows (which they suggest), curtains and blinds (which they suggest) and indirect sunlight.
They have basically said it is stated in their product line catalogues and on the packaging that bleaching can occur. We were never given a cataloge as we picked the colour based on their store sample, and we paid for the installation so we have no packaging (and never saw it)
It's so severe, it would make a future sale of our home difficult.
We had been to Speers (and other flooring companies) on a number of occasions and at great lengths to discuss what type of product to purchase. We thought we had done our homework diligently and made the right decision. Obviously we didn't choose a product that would work well in our home, and unfortunately wasted money on what we thought would be a great investment. We will not be returning to Speers Flooring.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $800,000.00
- Company Response
Hello Mr. & Mrs. Romanov
Thank you for taking the time to post your review. We welcome and value our customer’s feedback – whether it is positive or negative. Your comments as of October 2014 pertain to a cork floor we installed back in July 2012. There are 2 negative components to your review, in which I would like to respond to.
The first being an electrical issue – in that you allege we nailed through an electrical wire & you had to rewire a large portion of your upstairs. This is the first time we have heard about this. We installed the cork using the recommended floating Uniclic system with no nails and used small trim nails to install the base trim. We asked a local certified electrician and he said, “wires should be centered in a wall to a point that a small trim nail should never reach”. Your electrician likely found wiring that was not to code in some areas. We would gladly discuss this issue further .
The second being that the cork flooring has faded in an area that receives indirect sunlight, that is covered by blinds & curtains & UV coated windows. A representative from Torlys & Speers Flooring did come out to view the floor in question in September 2014. The bulk of the flooring was fine including the upper hall, 2 bedrooms and part of the family room. There were 2 areas that showed significant fading – the family room in front of a glass sliding door & in front of a window in a bedroom. Both these area are in fact exposed to direct sunlight – resulting in the cork flooring fading. Keeping in mind, the sun does cause fading & discoloration to many flooring products – whether it being cork, hardwood, bamboo, carpeting, linoleum… The sun not only affects flooring – it has similar effects to kitchen cabinets, furniture, painted walls, doors. Unfortunately the manufacturer does not warrant claims regarding fading issues as outlined on their warranty guideline & website at www.torlys.com/cork/warranty. I assume that the 0 rating you posted is in direct response to your displeasure in being informed by the manufacturer that this is not a warrantable claim (given that this review was posted over 2 years since your floor was installed).
Like many products that are purchased, there is a certain degree of responsibility that each party must be held accountable for. The manufacturer must ensure the product is produced without defects & performs to the degree in which it was designed for. Speers Flooring has ensured that this product was installed properly and to the guidelines as per the industry standards. The homeowner is responsible to maintain & protect the floor from site related damages. This includes protecting the floor from dents, scratches, pets, high heels, improper cleaning and exposure to direct sunlight. We try our best to provide clients of all the dos & don’ts – but unfortunately not every scenario can be outlined.
As a goodwill gesture – Speers Flooring is here to help you out even when the warranty falls short. We would like to discuss some possible shared remedies to this issue – including offering you some material to replace sections that have been affected by the excessive sunlight. Keep in mind that it is imperative that you address the issue – to prevent this from occurring again. You mentioned you have UV-coated windows – I would suggest you check with the window manufacturer as to the degree of protection you are really getting. In addition please ensure that the window coverings are in fact used to diffuse direct sunlight.
Thank you
Speers Flooring Management