A Tirade that Has Nothing to do with Lhasas and Some Email Excerpts and Photos that Do!

Puppy battle!

Update!!! I wrote the following tirade this morning to share a problem and get the anger out of my system. Imagine my surprise when my husband just walked in and announced that he had received a call from Hollisters Home Center and they were going to replace the entire floor! OMG...talk about happy and pleased. Lynn said the person he spoke to said they were tired of trying to deal with Congoleum. The old floor is coming up completely and a new one going down. I wanted to let you all know that whether it was just coincidence or whether my social media blitz worked, I don't care. I'm just pleased that this problem will soon be over! It seems that mid-March is the date of the new installation. Happily, that is the time I'd already planned to be out of state visiting my mom! Lucky me...I get to miss the mess!

I thought it was interesting that I've been the one calling them for months but that they called HIM to let him know their decision to replace the floor!

Now, you can either skip the tirade and go down to the photos or, if you want to know what I was so mad about, read on...
 
I like to think of myself as a patient person. I know I am stubborn. I know I am happiest when things are done "my way." My husband always asks me, "Why do you always think your way is the only way?" Hmmm…because it is??? Poor guy. He's had to live with that for almost 41 years now.

But yesterday I ran out of patience with a situation that has been ongoing since the end of August. To alleviate my frustrations and perhaps prompt some action, I am turning to social media!

Here's what happened…For over a year I put aside money each month in a savings account so we could afford to remodel our family room. In July we met our budget goal and started looking for flooring. We went out of town to Quincy, which has a Menards, Lowes, and Home Depot, but then decided that since we live in a fairly small town, we should support the local retailer and we went shopping at the Hollister Home Center. There we found helpful staff and some nice flooring. We ordered the Congoleum Duraceramic tile and it was  installed on August 23, 2012. Choosing that date was purposeful! I left for a dog show and when I came home 4 days later, the tile was installed, the mess was gone, and the new floor looked great! (That's another thing about me -- I can take only a few days of construction mess and I've had it!)

One reason we selected that tile was that it gave us the option of using grout or a sealant between the tiles. No fan of grout lines, I opted for the sealant. So…a few days passed after installation, and I found pieces of sealant peeling from random places on the floor. I called the installer. He came back, examined the floor, and resealed it. A few days passed…and I found pieces of sealant peeling from random places on the floor. This time I called Hollisters Home Center. Well, long story short, they were not going to do anything about it, saying they were not responsible and that Congoleum was responsible for any flaws. The person I spoke to assured me she would contact Congoleum to get an inspector to our home.

That was in September. October came and went. I continued to phone Hollisters on a regular basis. "What's the word?" "Have you heard anything?" "When will the inspector be here?" More sealant peeled from the floor.

November came and finally an inspector showed up. He left no name or card (I was not home; Lynn was - which may explain that oversight). Lynn said the man did a thorough job, getting down on hands and knees and looking at the floor through what looked like a jeweler's loupe. He said he'd write a report and someone would be in touch.

In the meantime, I cannot wash the floor! With no sealant between some tiles, I can't take the risk of water seeping between them. UGH…so it gets vacuumed and dusted with a Swiffer. I cover it with a big quilt when the puppies are on it for fear of random puppy piddles.

December came and went. Still no word. Phone calls to Hollisters continue. I bet they hate me by now and roll their eyes whenever I tell them who is calling.

Then in early January I noticed a dark spot on the floor between the tiles. So I grabbed a damp cloth to wipe it up. No dice. A closer exam showed that something was seeping from beneath the tiles and staining the underside of the sealant that was still there. Oh great. I called Hollisters. Same old answer…"We have heard nothing from Congoleum." Am I irked? Ya think?

The seepage continues. My assumption is that it probably is the adhesive. It's dark brown, feels oily (I pulled up a strip of stained sealant to look at it) and is really gross. It's bad enough that it has stained the sealant, but even worse when I found it oozing between tiles that had lost their sealant.

A post to the Congoleum Home Decor Facebook page and a complaint via email on their website garnered a claim form, which I filled out immediately and mailed, along with sealant samples, photos of the stained floor, and copies of receipts. Now we wait…Wish me luck!
Now, the rant is over. Thanks for reading…if you managed to make your way through it all. We're on to happier things. What follows are photos and excerpts from two emails I received recently. The first is about Oliver, one of Breaker and Mira's puppies from last year's litter. The second is about Zora, who is a litter sister to Rafe and who looks much like him in color. As I've said before, I so much appreciate hearing from people about the Lhasas they've gotten from us, seeing pictures, and reading about the dogs' personalities and behavior. I enjoy sharing them via the blog too (as you have probably figured out!)

Oliver, 10 months

"Oliver is now 10 months old. He is a very vocal and stubborn boy! But he's also very loving. He loves to lick. Most of the time we have to push him away because the licks are just too much…he's definitely a power chewer. He goes through his toys within a week or two! Lol… He's been loving the snow... He's so funny! And I have to jingle his food in order for him to come inside. That's his stubbornness! I yell for him to come inside, and he just looks at me and goes on about his business.(not coming inside)! Lol But, we love him so much…"

Zora

"Our first year with Zora has flown. She is a happy and playful dog...Here are some of the things we have learned about Zora. Don't let a cute Lhasa face fool you.  When we picked her up, she was this cute little angelic puppy.  Okay, she does look all Disney Princess on the outside, but she is Xena Warrior Princess on the inside! She tries to boss us all around, and has not figured out yet that we all (including Zeus) choose to ignore her most of the time.  Her new nieces and nephew (Maggie's puppies) have the exact same look so buyer beware. We can all learn everything we need to know about going for something we want by watching Zora.  Her self confidence is amazing.  She also shows how not to get upset when you don't get what you want the first time.  She just keeps going for it until she gets it! Every house needs a Director of Security, and she has filled that role in our household.  The monks in Tibet would be proud of her…Okay plug all other Lhasa ears for this one:  I think she is one of the most beautiful dogs that I have ever seen.  She has this beautiful, thick coat that changes from strawberry blond (inside) to red (outside) depending on what light she is in.  She has lightened since shedding the puppy coat. She has a very pretty face. She is one of those dogs who knows that she is beautiful.  I chuckle when I pick her up from the groomer or take her to the vet. Last time there were three groomers fussing over her to make her perfect.  Zora had a "Finally, people who appreciate me" look on her face.  

Zeus...it's all about Zora!!!

"The last time as the vet went on and on about how perfect she is, I swear Zeus rolled his eyes.  (See him getting bored with the Zora the Great discussion in the picture attached!). Zora feels fully dressed once she has two bows. Really. She does not try to remove the two bow look.  One top knot and braids are fair game to rip out…she shows us on a daily basis how much she loves us. If you need some help with soccer, Zora will play. She is a really fun dog. She is very good at pulling on pants of her opponents (not fair) and blocking shots (fair).  She is also very happy to spend hours playing monkey in the middle and she is okay with being the monkey. Life really is better when you have two very different Lhasas to love and to love you back.  Your words are so true.  I can't tell you how much having little Zora improves the quality of our lives."

Zora

Thanks to Ellen and Laurie for the updates and photos. And to those of you who made it through this whole blog post, thanks for "listening!" I'll post puppy updates and photos next week.

Life is better when you have a Lhasa to love you!

Joyce