Richard Renouf points out that he cannot avoid the fact that on pretty much every job he attends,
he’ll upset at least one of the parties.

I’d like to choose only the stories that put me in a good light for the articles I write for CFJ. But I have to be honest and include stories that might raise the occasional eyebrow, or which show that I’m not as good as I’d like to think, especially if this will help others.

I’ve had to wait a while to ensure this matter was closed before sharing this story with you. And, of course, I’ve changed some basic details to ensure no-one in the dispute can be identified.

A major retailer had a problem. They’d supplied a large quantity of carpet for a prestigious home somewhere in the home counties.

When the first bedroom was laid the customers stopped the floor layer and raised a complaint because they felt the carpet was not the same as the sample. I was asked to check the colour and give my opinion about whether the carpet was a reasonable match or not.

Opinion was the right word in this case, as there is no objective way to assess the colour of a carpet in a property. It’s difficult enough in laboratory conditions where you can accurately measure the colour, but who sets the range of tolerance that could be considered acceptable or not?

I insisted on picking up the shop sample before I went to the customers’ home so I could directly compare this to what was laid. The customers hadn’t done this, so I was under strict orders to make sure I didn’t leave the sample with them.

What the customers had done, however, was to visit various other retailers and online websites and obtain as many samples of the ‘same’ carpet as they could. I was presented with a selection of 100 mm squares of the carpet from different batches and with various levels of handling and exposure to light, so each was a slightly different shade.

I also discovered the customers had changed their language slightly. It wasn’t just the colour, it was the texture and density (not their exact words, but my interpretation) as well. I asked the customers to define what they felt the differences to be, but their responses were vague and unspecific.

I carried out various observations and the customers watched me like hawks. I was able to tell them what I was doing and why, but strictly without giving them my opinions.

They learned why carpets must be turned to the right orientation before comparing colours, that comparisons are not made at floor level or with a magnifying glass, and various other important factors that reduce the subjectivity of my opinion even though it is still just my opinion by the time I write up my report.

I had no doubts that the carpet was a reasonable match to the shop sample and I said so in my final report. I also pointed out that each one of the samples could be distinguished in some way from each of the others, and that as there were many variables in the production of a carpet, this is perfectly normal.

It’s not right to compare a random sample rather than the shop sample when your complaint is that you haven’t been supplied with what you ordered.

The reaction to the report was unexpected. My opinion was challenged, and the information the customers had gleaned from my inspection was turned to support their arguments. They had complained before they knew any of this, and now were trying to make their case more compelling. What is more, they made a formal complaint to two of the professional bodies to which I belong and subscribe.

Both bodies, one an industry body and the other a body for expert witnesses, conducted their investigations which took time. Being under this kind of suspicion was not a pleasant experience. My opinion was upheld, but I was given some words of advice for the future (okay, I admit, that’s a polite way of saying my knuckles were gently rapped, my photography skills are basic and better pictures would’ve helped in this case) and I didn’t hear from the consumer again, nor did I hear the outcome from the retailer’s point of view but I expect this to have been a commercial decision to close the matter down before the persistency of the consumers ran the costs out of all proportion.

I cannot avoid the fact that on pretty much every job I attend, I’ll upset at least one of the parties. I came to terms with this a long time ago when a wise friend pointed out that as long as I am doing my work carefully and impartially, I’m not responsible for anyone’s reaction to the opinions I provide.

But this doesn’t stop me from reconsidering a case whenever it happens, just to be sure I am sure.
And it doesn’t stop me from being encouraged when someone who has been at the wrong end of a report in the past asks me to do an inspection for them when another situation arises because they know I’ll give my true opinion and not simply kowtow to the party paying the bill.

That has happened a surprising number of times, and it’s great every time it happens.
www.richard-renouf.com
Richard Renouf is an independent flooring consultant