Integrity Plus Floors John Kautz/ ownerTri West ltd./Michael Barczak - Representitive Disabled Seniors Suffer! Flooring Company Sells Defective flooring! Refuses to Refund..Falsely Blames licensed installers! Murietta California

On 5 December 2016, my husband and I purchased nearly 1800 sq.ft. of laminate flooring from Integrity Plus Floors, in Murrieta CA.

Shortly thereafter, our fully licensed contract installers opened (as is proper) several boxes of the product and began the work of laying it in our house.  They had laid ONLY about 80 sq.ft. of laminate flooring, when they stopped work and informed us that an ususually large number of boards were coming (right out of the box) with small chips in the edges; AND that even those boards edges that were unchipped, may be more liable to easily chip AFTER they were installed! We also noticed that the edges were unusually sharp.  Given the uncertain quality of the flooring that they had already opened, they did not feel they would be able to warranty the floor (as required by law) for even a single year!

When we contacted the store owner (John Kautz), he commended the installers for NOT continuing with the                     installation.  We even took some of the boards to his store and sent him photos of the chipped flooring from the boxes, not installed.

In 3 days, Michael Barczak (a Manufacturer's Representative) came to our house to personally view the situation.

Like John Kautz, he ALSO commended the installers for stopping the installation when they did. We showed him many boards taken right out of the box that were chipped, as well as 1 or 2 that were in the flooring already installed. He said that it looked like there was something wrong with the "run" of product that we had purchased, and that he would send out another batch. When (however), after conversing with Mr. Barczak for a while and we had stepped out of the room for a brief time (to attend to other business), we returned, and Mr. Barczak was gone; taking with him (without our permission) our sample boards of chipped flooring, which have never been returned.  We did not receive the new batch.  After he left, we looked thru more of the boards and found over 30 more chips.  We called the store owner and requested a refund.  

We got an email from the store and a letter from Tri West saying that there was nothing wrong with the flooring. They maintain that since the installers used a mallet to install the flooring, it was the fault of the installers. The flooring's installation instructions make clear (however), proper installation includes the use of a tapping block AND a MALLET! Again, The chips in the boards were NOT the fault of the installers.  They are licenced contractors that know their business. The chips in the laminate, came that way directly from the boxes.   

Integrity Plus Floors NOW say that they will NOT give us a refund!! They offer (instead) "store credit" ONLY on the boxes that were not opened. I need a refund on all of the flooring so I can get floors back in our home.  We have been living with concrete floors and furniture scattered everywhere around the house since the middle of December.  Both, my husband and I are disabled seniors and it is very difficult to live in these conditions.  

I have sent complaints to the BBB, contractors Board, and CARE; yet the store refuses to budge from their position!  We don't know what to do.  I don't know how a business can get away with selling defective products and not taking responsibility for protecting the consumer. I asked the owner of the store to come out and he refused.  

If we would have paid with a credit card, we wouldn't have this problem but they would have charged me $200.00 more.  We spent our savings!  Never trust a company who wants to be paid in cash!!!!

We would appreciate any help or advice.  We have been told that this company also has not paid contractors and workers.