MOHAWK INDUSTRIES & LOWE'S #410 of MYRTLE BEACH SmartStrand Carpet: Unraveling, Unstable, Uncleanable Oil Slick from Outer Space Calhoun GA

 SmartStrand Carpet:  Unraveling, Unstable, Uncleanable Oil Slick from Outer Space

I was in the home improvement industry for 30 years and selected flooring for hundreds of projects. I've never seen anything as horrible as SmartStrand. "DumbStrand" would be a more honest name although it's not strong enough to convey how abominable this product really is. Maybe "Nightmare-Strand" would be better since I'm about to lose my sanity over this misguided purchase and the total lack of integrity displayed by Mohawk and Lowe's.

I even hesitate calling it carpet because it does not respond like any carpet I ever used or recommended. As one unhappy customer wrote after being confounded by a loopy technical analysis from the Mohawk inspector: "It sounds as though our carpet exists in some mysterious domain outside the laws of physics." Try another galaxy. I couldn't have put it any better.

I've spent the past week reading over 100 online complaints and I'm angry. It looks like Mohawk and the retailers like Lowe's who push this product need a reality check and a "slap upside the head."

We purchased the patterned SmartStrand/Fashion Forward in February from Lowe’s #410 of Myrtle Beach. We ordered enough for one bedroom to start and I’m so happy we didn’t do more, although $900 for a piece of trash is still an insult. I always read reviews but I didn’t this time because I trusted our local Lowe’s. Big mistake.

I’ve been on the Lowe’s – Mohawk – Lowe’s – Mohawk claim merry-go-round for 6 weeks. When I finally got through to Mohawk Industries the girl laughed at me and connected me to a recording that said, I “ought to try Mohawk’s World Class Customer Service.” Really? And just what planet is she on? And” please don’t call us again because this is a dealer problem.”

From the very beginning it was obvious that Lowe’s has a script and you are the loser. They don’t want to fight Mohawk so they screw you and it’s a long, painful letdown. You know, rude inspector takes photos, photos get lost, case gets lost, Rep won’t return calls, Lowe’s blames Mohawk, Mohawk blames you, Mohawk’s phony “lab test” proves carpet is perfect, and then claim gets denied over some ridiculous excuse that has nothing to do with your defective carpet. Bend over. I bought the product from Lowe’s and I don’t care what Mohawk does. Lowe’s needs to put on some big boy pants and learn some ethics.

And warranties? What’s that? This whole scenario is criminal.

Like so many others, our decision to buy was based on the posted warranties and the Lifetime/25-year promise that it was recommended for pets. We wanted something low profile that was easy to vacuum and clean. So we buy for our pets and then our claim is denied because we have pets. Does that sound kind of circular to you?

I’ll break down my complaint in 3 areas:

1) UNRAVELS FOR NO REASON, BLAME IT ON THE DOGS

Within a few weeks over 50 loops popped up all over the room (even under furniture) and it took on a general frayed appearance. We had to cut some off because things were snagging on it. Again, I hesitate calling it carpet because I always thought carpet was made for wear and foot traffic. This is not. The Mohawk rep said that the Lowe’s photo of the loops and their phony “lab test” proved our dogs caused the unraveling. How did they arrive at that? Do they have a hidden camera in the carpet?”

Our previous house with more pets had carpet that was problem-free, you know, in the old days when companies cared about quality. It was 20 years old and it still looked good when we moved. If this is the best Mohawk can do, the carpet industry is in deep trouble. I read that Smartstrand is made from corn. From the way it’s turning out, don’t you think it would be better to eat the vegetables instead of walking on them?

2) UNSTABLE, UNEXPLAINED DISCOLORATION

The carpet sample we saw at Lowe’s was attractive, pristine and consistent. Of course I stupidly thought that’s what we were getting. The Nightmare-Strand looked acceptable for about an hour after installation then it started showing mysterious dark, greasy spots that enlarge over time. Other reviewers call them “dirty footprints” and “coffee stains.” My term: The Oil Slick from Outer Space. No, make that the CORN Oil Slick from Outer Space.

These are not pet stains and even if they were, the so-called Lifetime warranty is supposed to cover pet urine. The discoloration started before the dogs were allowed in the room and before we had even replaced the furniture. It seems that the yarn reacts to sunlight or air or both. It’s almost as if a black organism is morphing around the room inside the pattern. Some days it makes my skin crawl. We asked Lowe’s for a technical bulletin before purchase but were told they didn’t have any. Obviously consumers wouldn’t buy this stuff if they were tipped off about the weird discoloration.

While reading the complaints I saw the terms “Shading” and “Pooling” used repeatedly. Apparently Mohawk made up some fancy words to later cover themselves on this, to make the dirty appearance sound NORMAL.  If Mohawk had been asked to manufacture the worst looking, worst wearing, most uncleanable product imaginable, they couldn’t have done better than SmartStrand/Fashion Forward. Myself and many others were misled. And the general carpet color has darkened at least 2 shades since it was laid.

 3. UNCLEANABLE ORGANISM

 In the first 4 months I shampooed “the organism” several times trying to remove the black spots, but they don’t surrender, kind of like the original Alien. Our previous real carpet and the pile in our current house cleans easily in one pass. That’s what you expect from a good carpet! The Nightmare-Strand is stubborn and needs 8-10 passes to loosen the dirt which seems to be locked inside the pattern.

I’ve tried everything including different machine settings, various cleaning solutions, soaking it, water only and pre-treating. Spot cleaning makes it worse and leaves dirty, concentric rings. I can get it about 90% clean for an afternoon but by the next day the dreaded oil slick reappears and the whole area degrades again. It’s very unstable. I spend way too much time trying to contain this disaster.

I have successfully cleaned my own carpet for decades and never had to struggle like this. Other than occasional maintenance your flooring should not be causing perpetual stress. It looks so disgusting that we’re embarrassed to let visitors near the bedroom. Someone might think I had been cleaning deer in there.

Solutions? I will try the SC Consumer Affairs, BBB (although it’s always biased toward the corporations) and maybe a small claims suit. I wish some attorney would come forward to help us out. They won’t see the end of me until I get a refund. Good Luck to all the Mohawk survivors. Maybe we can get together and have a corn roast. Hah.