Newly laid floor flexes on 3 floors and in all rooms

[Peter Petterson]

ARN can be terminated at any time, so it should probably be good to start with it considering it's a very long process.

What do you think about your chances of getting back 500K?

I think the chances are very good since it's the cost of fixing the error.

The floor is evidently defective and the cost to replace it is 2000 kr/m2 including wallpapering, painting, electrician, and all materials.

I would say that Byggmax comes out very cheaply and they don't have to find craftsmen, plan, and chase after them.

A company making 400,000 million in profit on the bottom line isn't significantly affected by such a cost as ARN also takes such things into account.

 

[Pär Sköld]

I believe the chances are very good as it is the cost of correcting the error.

The floor is evidently defective, and the cost to replace it is 2000 SEK/m2 including wallpapering, painting, electrician, and all materials.

I would argue that Byggmax is getting off very cheaply and that they have avoided having to find craftsmen, plan, and chase them down.

A company that makes 400,000 million in profit on the bottom line is not significantly affected by such a cost as ARN also takes that into consideration.

Unfortunately, they probably make 400,000 million in profit because they don't take such responsibility... and ARN is advisory, not decision-making, right? That is, what ARN says can, for the most part, be ignored by the companies (until it comes up in the media, then they are quick to react...)?

I hope you get everything back, and you are absolutely right, 500,000 for flooring in an entire house, complete, is a fantastic price. If Byggmax itself had been forced to procure and deliver it, it would have been three times as expensive. Just compare when you repair the car yourself or if the insurance company does it if something happens...

 

[ClasseClas]

Thought I would update the thread,
The last response I got from Byggmax was on October 24th, which consisted of a vague reply where they asked for more information even though the answers to all their questions, along with pictures/inspection report, were attached.

I replied again on October 24th to the questions, and since then there has been radio silence from Byggmax's side.

I have now purchased new flooring, this time Khars 15 MM oak parquet, and all issues with flexing and creaking are gone on all 3 floors. All the floors were fully laid on Friday, and now the painter only has 250m2 left to wallpaper/paint + moldings and trims.

As it stands, I'm out roughly 500K and I'm starting to consider if it's time to contact ARN and let them take over the case.

We will hopefully be able to start moving into the house we have been renovating since April 3rd in 2 weeks, which will be incredibly relieving since our initial move-in date was June 31st and has been postponed multiple times. Most recently, everything was set for moving in by September 15th, so 2.5 months delayed again due to the floors.

Yes, you should take this to ARN. Byggmax will then have to respond to your complaint. I hope and believe that Byggmax is among the companies that comply with ARN's decisions. I understand that IKEA prefers not to have cases go to ARN but instead prefers to settle before a decision is made, resulting in minimal public information.

I hope that Byggmax has a similar internal policy and that they also step up and respond to your emails within 1-2 days before you have a chance to submit to ARN.

 

[Peter Petterson]

Yes, you should take this to ARN. Then Byggmax must respond to your complaint. I believe and hope that Byggmax belongs to those companies that follow ARN's decision. I think I have understood that IKEA does not readily want cases to go to ARN, but they prefer to "settle" the case before a decision and then minimal info becomes public.

I hope that Byggmax has a similar internal policy and that they also pull themselves together and respond to your emails within 1-2 days before you have submitted to ARN.

Hi,

Yes, Byggmax states on their website that they follow ARN's decision when you read the purchase agreement, so let's hope that is true.

Contact with the municipal consumer advisor was made today, and I got a meeting with her already tomorrow. She would contact Byggmax and also help me file a report with ARN so the case is at least started there, as ARN also has a long processing time.

It is quite incredible that such a large company as Byggmax has such terribly poor customer service. As a joke, I checked Trustpilot.se and it's almost comical but mostly frightening how poorly they treat customers in general.

 

[Pär Sköld]

Hi,

Well, Byggmax states on their website that they follow ARN decisions when you read the purchase agreement, so one can hope that's true.

Contact with the municipality's consumer advisor was made today, and I got a meeting with her already tomorrow. She would contact Byggmax and also help me file a complaint with ARN so that the case is at least started there, as ARN also has a long processing time.

It's quite unbelievable that such a large company as Byggmax has such terrible customer service. I checked Trustpilot.se just for fun, and it's almost comical but mostly frightening how badly they behave towards customers in general.

They sell many crappy products that people have high expectations of. Add to that the fact that many of the products require great knowledge and skill to handle correctly and people's unwillingness to see their own shortcomings, and it becomes a toxic mix for companies like Byggmax.

But in your case, it seems you have done everything right.

 

[useless]

In this case, it has been established that there are manufacturing defects? It probably won't burden Byggmax too much as they will forward all invoices to the floor manufacturer.

 

[Pär Sköld]

In this case, hasn't it been determined to be a manufacturing defect? It probably won't burden Byggmax too much since they will likely send all invoices to the flooring manufacturer.

Maybe, it depends on the agreement with the flooring manufacturer. But since the same defect seems to exist in similar floors in other stores, I would think so.

 

[Peter Petterson]

Byggmax has given its response to the matter so now it remains to bring it through ARN 👍🏼 Didn't expect much else, so good thing the process is already underway!! Viktor (Byggmax) Nov 27, 2023, 14:42 CET Hello again, Please see the statement from the supplier: "Given the information we have received, we assume that the floor did not show any defects during the initial installation, because if it had, according to the warranty card, the customer would likely have refrained from laying these planks during the flooring. Defects were first discovered after the floor was dismantled, which indicates that the floor must have been under significant stress during use due to lack of expansion and other installation errors. It is worth noting that individual floor planks change their linear dimensions, and this can lead to them contracting at the joint due to both the swelling and shrinking of the wood. For this reason, it is necessary to use expansion joints so that the installed floor can move freely and avoid the floor being pressed against fixed elements like walls – something that does not appear to have been considered in this case and has probably contributed to the floor lifting and the floorboards becoming warped. In the current case, we cannot refer to the floorboards which were installed without any objections, used for approximately 2 months, and then dismantled due to installation errors and reassembled. The complaint is still not approved." The only thing we can do is that you make a return of 8 packages that have not been installed to the store in Kristinehamn. If you wish this, please return to us so we can contact the store about the matter. Have a continued nice day! Best regards, Viktor Byggmax Byggmax AB - www.byggmax.se Invoice address: Box 6063, 171 06 Solna Org no: 556645-

 

[Mortsken]

And the floorboards that were defective straight out of the package in the store were just a coincidence then?

 

[Peter Petterson]

My final response to Byggmax comes here!!
Now I am moderately fed up!







Hello.

Thanks for the response. The case will be forwarded to ARN as you apparently cannot read properly.

I don’t care what your supplier says at all because I am making a complaint against BYGG MAX, who sold the floor to me. Bygg max operates in Sweden and must therefore also follow the Swedish Consumer Purchase Act, which is binding. Contact has been made with a consumer advisor.

We have an independent surveyor who has condemned the floors as the culprit in the matter.

We have installed a new floor and have none of the issues that the floor supplied by you had.

We have four different batches of this type of floor that show the same defect. The boards are convex on the short side directly out of the packages, which is not acceptable. The packages were opened in front of both the surveyor and two of your store managers in two different stores, who have also signed off on this and noted the same thing.

We have eight different floors laid for display in two of your stores from two other batches, where only the floor that I purchased has risen and is the only one with convex boards and ugly seams.

We have an independent inspection surveyor who states that this defect could not have been detected during visual inspection or installation and is not something the contractor should be blamed for. The same independent surveyor confirms that this defect leads to lifting, flexing, and ugly seams.

The floors were not used for two months after they were laid. They were covered immediately after installation for protection. Upon uncovering, the problems were discovered and promptly reported.

We have a contractor who has addressed all of his inspection remarks found in 3 out of 18 installed spaces and has had his remarks approved in inspection No. 2.

We have 15 other areas with no contractor remarks but exactly the same problems in these areas with flexing floors, ugly seams, and lifting. One might wonder what the root problem is.

Then we have Byggmax, who are completely allergic to facts, cannot read correctly, cannot understand what is stated in the report from the independent surveyor who is a specialist in the flooring area, referring to a supplier who is biased in the matter, and do not understand that this floor consistently in all batches and in display has a factory defect that has led to the problems we have encountered.

Extremely well done, I must say—it’s fantastic to be so resistant to facts without shame.

https://se.trustpilot.com/review/www.byggmax.se

This will be a joy to submit to the National Board for Consumer Disputes, which you state in your purchase conditions that you follow opinions from.

Best regards, Morga Mesetovic.

 

[Spikrätaren]

The response from Viktor is at best embarrassing - at worst; a deliberate attempt to evade responsibility and a precedent-setting case that could lead to more claims.
But the shame, in this case, is firmly anchored with byggmax.

 

[ClasseClas]

My final response to Byggmax is here!!
Now I am moderately fed up!





Hi.

Thank you for your response. The matter will be forwarded to ARN as you seem unable to read properly.

What your supplier says doesn't concern me at all, as I am lodging a complaint against BYGG MAX, who sold the floor to me. Byggmax operates in Sweden and must therefore comply with the Swedish Consumer Purchase Act, which is binding. Contact with a consumer advisor has been made.

We have an independent inspector who has identified the flooring as the culprit in this drama.

We have installed a new floor and do not have any of the issues that the flooring delivered by you had.

We have 4 different batches of this type of floor that show the same defect. The boards are convex directly out of the packages on the short side, which is not acceptable. The packages have been opened in front of the inspector and 2 of your store managers in 2 different stores, who have also signed and confirmed the same issue.

We have 8 different floors laid as display in 2 of your stores from 2 additional different batches where only the floor I purchased has lifted and is the only one with convex boards and ugly joints.

We have an independent inspector who says that this defect could not have been detected during a visual inspection or during installation and is not something the contractor should be blamed for. The same independent inspector determines that this defect leads to lifting, flexing, and ugly joints.

The floors were not used for 2 months after they were laid. They were immediately covered after installation to protect them. When uncovered, the issues were discovered and promptly reported.

We have a contractor who has addressed all its inspection remarks that existed in 3 of the 18 laid spaces and received approval for their remarks during Inspection No. 2.

We have 15 other spaces with no remarks on the contractor but the exact same problem in these spaces with flexing floors, ugly joints, and lifting. One might wonder what the root problem is.

Then we have Byggmax, who are completely allergic to facts, unable to read properly, unable to understand what is in the report from the independent inspector who is a specialist in the flooring area, and referring to a supplier who is partisan in the matter. They do not understand that this floor, consistently across all batches and in display, has a factory defect that led to the problems we encountered.

Extremely well done by you, I must say. Fantastic to be able to be so resistant to facts without embarrassment.

[link]

It will be a pleasure to submit this to the National Board for Consumer Disputes, which you state in your terms and conditions that you adhere to conclusions from.

Best regards, Morga Mesetovic.

Hi, how have things gone for you?

 

[Rickard.lj]

Was there anything more against byggmax?

 

[Vardagsrum]

I am also interested in the follow-up.

 

[Peter Petterson]

The process against byggmax continues and seems to be nearing its end.

Will update on the outcome once a decision has been made by ARN.