I bought and installed Bruce pre-finished hardwood solid oak flooring. This product was bought a Home Depot about two years ago. The first year the smell was expected since it was new, now after two years we both are now getting headaches and have to leave the windows open all the time. Bruce will not return any of my letters. does anyone have the same problem???? Now we have to tear it up and put something other than their product.

In July 1998, we purchased Bruce Traffic Zone Laminate flooring (in a light Maple color) for our kitchen/dining room. Last October (2002) we noticed that the flooring was turning green where the sun shown on it. We had kept a box from the flooring along with our receipt that showed that there is a fifteen (15) year warranty on all residential installations. Usually the store where the flooring was purchased would take care of any warranty issues. In our case the store that we had purchased the flooring from had gone out of business. We had to contact the manufacturer Bruce (Armstrong Flooring) to get the warranty upheld.

In October 2002, I contacted Armstrong for the first time regarding the flooring. I spoke with Tommy. First he denied that the flooring was under warranty for discoloration. When I said that I had a copy of the warranty from the box of flooring he said that is was under warranty. I faxed a copy of my receipt from the flooring. In November he indicated that someone would come to inspect the flooring after the holidays.

In February 2003, I contacted Armstrong again after having to further contact from them since November. This time I was assigned to Kristina. First she denied that the flooring was under warranty for discoloration. When I said that I had a copy of the warranty from the box of flooring she said that she would check and then called me back in March to tell me that is was under warranty.

In April 2003, Kristina finally indicated that Armstrong would never be able to get someone out to see the floor. I took a picture and emailed it to her. I faxed a copy of my receipt after repeated conversations during March and April with Kristina Garcia. I then found a separate receipt for trim moldings. I taped the other receipt to the same sheet of paper as the flooring receipt and faxed it again. She said that she had received the receipts and that Armstrong would send a fax that I would have to have notarized and then mail back to them. They would then mail me a check for the flooring materials. I called after 7 days and left a message for Kristina. After another week and no contact, on April 22 I contacted the BBB.

May 22, 2003 I was contacted again by Armstrong (Joan) and was told that the appropriate person would contact me. Two weeks later I called Joan again after no contact. The next day I got a call from another Armstrong employee I called back and left a message that day. The next week I finally got a call from Pamela. She indicated that all they had was a page with the molding receipt and no flooring receipt. Not only had the receipt for the flooring been faxed three times, but in addition the receipt for the flooring was on the same page as the receipt that Pamela said that they had. Kristina had told me in April that she had the receipts. If indeed their fax machine only printed the right half of the fax that I sent, why didn't Kristina call me on April 10, when I faxed it twice? Why didn't she call me the next week when I left a message for her? Why didn't she send me a letter until she was contacted by the BBB? Yes, the letter that was sent was just a CYA and was not to help me in any way.

On June 10, 2003 I faxed the receipt again to Pamela. She called me later that day and said that she did not have the fax. The next day, she called and said that she did have the fax with both receipts.

On June 12, I received a release that I was supposed to sign and send back. The release stated that I have received money for the flooring and that Armstrong has no further liability. I did not receive a check with this letter and no one at Armstrong signed the release. It was also vague enough so that if we had any other Armstrong flooring in our house, they would have no liability on that flooring either.

I contacted Pamela with my concerns regarding the release. She said that she would look into it. She emailed me a week later to make sure that I was getting her emails. Ten days later when she had not contacted me, I emailed her. She said that I check was being sent out that very day. I have actually received a check from them.

I was very upset that they would send a letter to me and then one to the BBB indicating that they were waiting on me. The employees at Armstrong made very little effort to resolve this complaint. Kristina never called in over a month to say that they needed more information. I initiated all of the contacts after I was left hanging for months on end, why would I withhold information? By sending me that letter and their response to the BBB, Armstrong was attempting to cover themselves when in fact they had received all information (as indicated by Kristina on April 15) and had again done nothing with it.

Armstrong did a very poor job trying to resolve this issue. If I had not called and emailed when they had stopped contacting me, this issue would not have been resolved. As it was it took me over eight months to finally get a check from them.