ComplaintsforCali Floors

• Initial Complaint

  08/22/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Started my purchase the beginning of January 2023 with a deposit as I wanted to hold the price and pay everything off in cash when I was ready for the flooring to come in. Due to my volume of order I received a discount but as i got closer to finalizing the order we added materials right around Memorial Day and made 4 revisions. Each one reflected with lower pricing and I completed the order paid off. However 3-4 days later when I requested a timeline on shipment they noted it would be 2 weeks but I still owed nearly 3k extra because they miss quoted me. Obviously that was not acceptable but held my order ****** knowing I needed it. The sales manager got involved and while they helped with that extra balance they still charged me more from my order and was left with no choice since my flooring was already torn up. I was not going to file a complaint on BBB but then after a month I followed up looking for an update they told it would be another month of more before getting my flooring. Again, not impressed but what could I do. In total It took nearly 3 months and by the time my order was coming I specifically told them I could not schedule delivery in the morning. Of course that is when they did.. when the driver arrived he couldnt even unload the pallets because they buried the jack in the back behind of the rest of the pallets. Not Cali Floors issue but when the driver returned in the evening he unloaded the pallet with many boxes damaged. I took pictures, even with the driver in them, and was told to contact Cali floors. They advised because I signed the order confirmation they would not replace any boxes, even though it didnt say ANYWHERE on the forum the option of damages so now Im stuck with multiple broken boxes that I likely needed for my order, again forcing me to purchase more of their product to match what I have. Absolutely snakey and unethical business tactics from start to finish. Would never deal with them again.

  Business response

  08/23/2023

  Hi ******, 

  Thank you for reaching out. We have approved a reship of 4 boxes as a gesture of goodwill to help assist at no charge. 

   

• Initial Complaint

  07/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On 8/26/2015 450 sq feet of Bam Deck 3G composite was purchased with a 25 yr warranty from Cali Bamboo LLC, *****************************************************************************. After 7 years of what appeared to be normal expansion and contraction of the 8 ft decking planks, contraction thus far of over .75 in per plank has become more evident in over two dozen places on the deck, leaving gaps as wide along the surface of the deck. A so called independent inspection team called "Inspect Solutions" has verified the shrinkage "The length of the installed planks ranges from 95 5/16"-96 1/8" wherever inspected." of 3/4 of an inch yet Cali determined that this wasn't a material problem, rather an installation problem. This is ludicrous because shrinkage of close to .8% on about 15 planks has absolutely nothing to do with how they were installed and second are well beyond the expected and normal expansion contraction Cali claims to be between.2 and .4 %

  Business response

  07/06/2023

  Hello, 

  Thank you. We have resolved the issue with the customer. 

  Customer response

  07/06/2023

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  05/30/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We have had issues with this flooring since it was installed a year ago. The small joints have never stayed connected. Our installer even super glued some of the joints because they were so bad. I contacted to file a wart claim. **** said it was because I used underlayment under my flooring. I showed them that their website where says I can use any padding I want under a certain threshold, which I did. They sent a flooring inspector out and the flooring inspector said it is installation and that my floors were not properly prepped or leveled. Which is not the casemy basement was professionally self leveled before the install. This has been an awful experience!

  Business response

  05/30/2023

  Hello ******, 

  Thank you for the message. Can you please provide a case number, so I may look into the details. 

• Initial Complaint

  05/04/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We had 500sf of bamboo engineered flooring installed professionally in April 2021. This included 3 steps to the upper floor. On April 15 2023 I noticed a crack forming along the grain of the lowest tread. It is in the middle of the tread and is about 15 inches long. I contacted Cali Bamboo and was told stair treads are considered an accessory and not covered under their 50 year warranty. This was not disclosed to me at time of purchase and the term tread is not called out in the warranty. I was told that the treads are made from the same materials as the floor which are under the 50 year warranty. My installer confirmed all company guidelines were followed. The cost and inconvenience of having the stairs replaced far exceeds the price paid to Cali Bamboo for stair materials even if we wanted to use their products again. Thus far we have only been offered 3 stair treads shipped to us (after 2 weeks of back and forth of being told this is a courtesy. Their tactic is to wear me down by asking for the same information multiple times etc.). I requested a refund which so far has been denied.

  Business response

  05/04/2023

   

  Hello *****,
  
  We want to assist with replacing the stair treads. The issues that you are having with the 1 is called checking in the flooring industry. Checking occurs when the environment is to dry or get wet and dry rapidly. This is only a manufacturing issue if noticed right out of the box. We apologize for any frustration or inconvenience this has caused you. We however are only able to offer a reshipment of 4 stair treads that were on the order a refund for the treads is not something we can offer as this is a courtesy and gesture of good will. We are going outside our warranty to try to assist with helping ************. Please let ** know if you would like to proceed with a reshipment and I will send over a customer agreement.

  Customer response

  05/04/2023

  I thought I sent this already. The company offered to send me replacement treads prior to me filing a but I want a refund for the stair materials because it all needs to come up to replace the treads and the inconvenience, and cost is not mitigated by sending me stair treads. First they said treads are accessories so are not covered under warranty but they also claim the stairs are made from the same material as the flooring which is rated for commercial use with a 50year warranty then they said it was a manufacturer defect so it was delivered and installed cracked (not true) so not covered under warranty which means their 50 year warranty is complete nonsense. I want a refund for all the stair materials.  I have attached the invoice and the invoice

  Business response

  05/05/2023

  Hello *****,
  The trim pieces are not covered under warranty per ******** Warranty. Please see the full CALI warranty for the purchase provided for you in a link below.
  

  CALI *********************************************************************************************************************** limited warranty does not cover Flooring donated, purchased on clearance, or at auction and does not apply to Cali Bamboo moldings or trim. In the event that Cali Bamboo supplies replacement Flooring, the Warranty Period for the replacement Flooring will not be extended beyond the original Warranty Period set forth in subsections 1) through 3) above.
  
  The limited warranty for Manufacturing Defects does not apply after the Warranty Holder has installed the Flooring, and product variation or error that does not exceed the 5% industry standard is not considered a manufacturing defect for purposes of this limited warranty. This limited warranty does not extend to or cover:
  (a) any damage, warping, cupping, buckling, splits, cracks, grain raising, checking, edge fracturing, splintering, chipping, or any other defect to the Flooring caused by accidents, alterations, misuse, abuse, direct exposure to the elements, or improper installation/maintenance;

  Customer response

  05/05/2023

  The business continues to send me the same denials over and over. The crack on the stair tread is not a factory defect nor was it abused or installed incorrectly. 
  The company states that treads are made from the same material as their flooring which claims to have a 50 year warranty. Treads are not specifically addressed in the warranty. They are included as accessories on the website but were not sold to me as such through phone sales nor was I informed of the warranty exclusion at the time of purchase.

• Initial Complaint

  04/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Our ** purchased Calis Natural Fossilized Wide T&G Bamboo Flooring (Cali: **********). They attempted to install it as a floating floor. The dimensions and stiffness of the material result in air pockets when downward pressure is applied which would lead to warping and early wear. They then tried to nail the floor via Cali's product guide, the material hardness prevents level installation/uniform penetration. They then tried glue. The planks are finished on top and bottom, the coating takes adhesive with difficulty and the amounts required are huge, leading to issues with damage/removal. We were clear with the sales representative we wanted to purchase flooring that could be floated. We were also told that Calis team would work with our team to ensure proper and easy installation. The ** was passed from department to department with respect to install issues. Several attempts to reach the sales reparative were made, we a received a response only following a request to escalate to the sales manager in an attempt to resolve these issues. In addition to the promised suitability to float and ease of installation, two of the selling points informing the choice to purchase were the durability and longevity of the product - both of which are negated by the engineering issues mentioned above. Advertising and selling this product as suitable for floated installation was inaccurate and deceptive. This is further compounded by the stated intent to restock, which clearly implies resale of a product identified as defective.When we submitted a request to return the floor we were told that we would be charged shipping and restocking fees despite expressing concerns over the defects in writing, within 7 business days. We have spoken with several departments about these defects. We have not received a direct response to concerns about discrepancies between the advertised material and the actual product, the quality of the product, or general business practices.

  Business response

  04/12/2023

  Hello ****, 

  Thank you for the information. Can you provide a sales order number? We don't see an order under your profile with us. 

  Thank you. 

  Customer response

  04/12/2023

  Hello, 

  Thank you for your response. As mentioned, our GC purchased the material. The order number is: #*******. 
  
  Please me know if you need further details.

  Best,
  ****

  Business response

  04/13/2023

  Hello ****, 

  Thank you for the information. I read the notes on your case. ******* emailed yesterday requesting information to help assist. Once we receive the information we can move forward and look into he details. 

  Customer response

  04/16/2023

  Weve communicated with ******* twice. First, concerns were ignored. After escalation to a manager, ******** follow-up stated the only resolution available was material inspection for manufacturing defect. We agreed to this. After a request for details, I received an email suggesting reclassification as an installation issue. There was no communication regarding the change.
  
  After a BBB reference we received clarification that "It looks like it is a subfloor issue or a future concern if you want to replace the flooring". Our GC confirmed level subfloor. Due to the delay in resolution, we laid an alternative engineered hardwood floor - no leveling issues or air pockets were encountered. I believe future concern refers to installation via gluing. We wanted a floating floor; prior to purchase we were assured this product could be floated. This was in the initial request to waive restocking and shipping fees: the "floating floor we were sold, was not the product received. Cali states they record calls for quality purposes - expectations, installation concerns, and interactions with support teams are clearly detailed therein.
  
  The larger concern is that the product is unusable without compromising the integrity of the resulting floor. We understand to determine this Cali's quality team conducts an inspection. Weve requested inspection details, with a singular response of "I will provide details of the next steps if needed". We are happy to provide photos and videos. It's been a month of runaround and department shuffling, with only vague reference or acknowledgment of the reported quality concerns or intent to investigate. This raises concerns of intent to conceal quality issues related to early wear of the material. It has also made us weary that **** will not honor the 30-day return window. We have thus asked to process the return. We would like to continue to investigate quality issues and seek a billing adjustment but via this platform to ensure transparency.

  Business response

  05/10/2023

  Hello, 

  We're returning the order and waiting on 2 boxes to be sent to are quality team for testing. 

  Once we receive and test the planks, we'll follow up with the finding. 

  Thank you. 

  Business response

  05/25/2023

  Hello ****, 
  
  Our quality team reviewed the materials that you sent in for review. They tested the flooring with the floated and nail down methods. They did not see any issues with the floated floor or the nail down floor. The floor was floated and walked on with out any problems. They did advise that they needed to adjust the pressure to ensure the nails were going through the flooring and attaching. This is something that is advised in the installation guide. It is the installers responsibility to find the correct pressure with the nail down method. I have provided this from our installation guide and the full guide for your reference below. I have attached some photographs of the installation for you. I can text over some videos as well if you provide me with a cell phone number. The videos are too large to attach in an email.
  
  The glue down method is considered a permanent installation method. This would mean that you can not uninstall the glue down without damaging the planks. The amount of adhesive depends on the specifications on the adhesive that you purchased. This is an industry standard that the planks will not be removed from the subfloor without damages.
  
  Installation Guide
  ****************************************************************************************
  Page 12 of Installation Guide
  5. Test the air pressure and angle of your pneumatic nailer with a sample plank to check for correct air pressure before installation. If you note any surface damage (face dimpling), tongue damage (splitting), etc., adjust the air pressure/ angle accordingly. Test until dimpling no longer occurs.
  
  We have processed a credit memo request for the 2 boxes sent to our quality team for a total of $300.86. This generally takes 2-3 days to fully process and **** business days depending on the bank to reflect on your account. The restocking and return shipping charges will still be applied to the return of the other materials. 

• Initial Complaint

  03/31/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We ordered 65 boxes of the Eucalyptus solid flooring on Feb 27, it was delivered March 2. We opened it and let it acclimate in the home for 10 days as per installation instructions. Installation began on March 22, we discovered that the boards were incorrectly milled, there were 8 boards in the first 6 rows that were defective with varying widths causing cracks and gaps so we stopped installing and notified our salesman. He set up a warranty claim, they asked us for photos and moisture readings which we sent them . They kept coming back asking for multiple moisture readings and asked if we were still in the progress of installing. I told them several times that we couldn't install defective wood. And as a side note, their warranty policy states installation as acceptance. Meanwhile our homeowner was supposed to be moving in their new home this week . This has delayed the completion of this home considerably since it takes 1 week for shipping and 10 days of acclimating the wood before it can be installed and they still have not sent out a replacement. They have now told us we have to send back a full box of the flooring for them to inspect and we have to shrink wrap it and box it up. They said they could commission a third party certified inspector to make the determination but this could take 3-4 weeks. I asked them to send someone out the day I called to notify them of the product defect and the claims specialist said they don't do that, meanwhile my salesman had already told me that was an option so they have been knowingly untruthful and resistant to providing any timely resolution to this problem. They sent out defective material that cannot be used and has now caused a major delay by not getting us what we ordered. The won't refund our payment or take back the flooring. We offered to box it all back up and ship it back to them but they refuse.

  Business response

  04/03/2023

  Hello *****, 

   

  I apologize for the inconvenience, this is our claims policy and process and our quality department would need to review materials for warranty purposes. Without proper evidence of our product being defective, we are not able to provide you with replacement boxes.
  
  While our quality department reviews the planks, please go ahead and proceed with the installation and set aside the irregular planks and if our quality department determines the irregular sized planks are indeed defective, we can go ahead and replace those for you.

   

  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  03/31/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We were told by the Cali Bamboo representative that this product would work perfectly for us. It has been almost 3 years and after many calls and emails back and forth with them, they continue to tell us it is our fault, the flooring was not installed properly. The professional that we hired to install it has done so for many, many years. It was installed properly.There is horrible gapping and shrinking to the point I could place a pencil inside the separation down the middle of my room. This company should not be allowed in business. No one should be using them. They lie and will only offer to pay $500 for their inspector to come out. Please do whatever you can to stop this business from selling this product to anyone.They also told me before I purchased that this was such strong material, will hold up to pets and children. Not true. Scratches show up daily. I and others would never, ever recommend them to anyone.

  Business response

  04/03/2023

  Hello ***, 

   

  Please let us know if you would like to proceed with our claims process and we can commission an 3rd party inspection company to help assist. The inspector will look at the site, installation and product to help determine what the root cause of the issue is. 

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  10/19/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a large quantity of CaliBamboo Luxury Vinyl Plank PRo flooring in White *** to cover all living areas in my homes except for bathrooms. Some was purchased through Lowes and is fine, the rest was directly through CaliBamboo and was meant to cover my master bedroom. As my contractor opened the boxes we noted that many of the planks were damaged along the long edge of the boards and the damage was related to the tracking that interlocks the boards. The tracking was crumbled on some boards and strips missing on others. I contacted Cali both by phone and email (kept emails) and was told it was discontinued and that I should have my contractor install it anyway and he'd know what to do with the damaged boards. I called every Lowes and HomeDepot distributor within 200 miles trying to get a few spare boxes to enable me to finish the job and none was available. My contractor called Cali and was told there were 40 or so boxes remaining in another warehouse. When I called to secure those, I was told by my salesperson it was a mistake. Ultimately Cali offered to send me two boxes of their newer line to use in areas where it would not be obvious ( new line is wider planks but same tracking). When they didn;t materialize, after months I started pursuing it and was told they were sorry for delay and they were shipped through logistics. Have this in emails. Still - no flooring. Called repeatedly and emailed and now they have gone silent. I wanted my whole house to have matching flooring and I now am faced with installing something else. If that is the case, I want to be reimbursed and have the unusable flooring picked up. **** will not respond to emails or calls.... and I will not let this matter drop. Product is defective and my contractor should not have to put down damaged planks - which would effectively void a warranty Very disgusted with their business processes and need them held accountable,

  Business response

  10/20/2022

  Hello, 

   

  Thank you for reaching out a Manager will be in contact with you shortly. 

   

  Regards, 

  Calibamboo

• Initial Complaint

  09/06/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Cali Bamboo LLC sold our company "*****************************" on a wide plank Hickory Flooring product. They told us this product was meant for high traffic/high moisture environments like a Bar/Restaurant. We read thru their manufacturers warranty and discovered it claimed itself to be 100% waterproof with a min 15 yr warranty.This information was also shared by the Cali Rep.3 months after installing the 100% waterproof commercial warrantied product- we noticed boards that were delaminating. We then noticed boards whose edges started popping up at the seams. We called our professional installer who replaced floor boards on two occasions within. The first 6 months of operations.The product continued to get worse and worse to the point we filed a warranty claim with ********* took response of the claim by emailing us back.We sent pics.They eventually went silent.We've been chasing them for going ok two years now.They won't give any answers nor will they back their warranty. We noticed someone within Cali got mad at the Warranty Rep we were talking too, as this higher level rep told the warranty rep to work with us asap.This rep claimed he'd tried so hard to work this out with us, yet no one was available on our end.We responded this was nonsense and asked when we could expect our **** Sq ft of waterproof material to arrive?Still to this day- they ignore us and our warranty claim.It's put us in a very bad position as our Bar/Restaurant is open 7 days a week.We have no time or money to replace our newly installed floor.Meanwhile the floor looks horrible and is becoming a trip hazard.

  Business response

  09/06/2022

  Hello,

   

  Thank you for reaching out. There are multiple known issues with the job site that the installers confirmed themselves in statement. The subfloor is not flat to industry requirement, many areas are lacking expansions space causing bulging, and it was unknown if a vapor barrier was used as required. 
  

  The floor is not performing due to these installation errors. However, we have offered to cover 30% of replacement material. Conversely you can get your own vinyl certified inspection and if it states the cause of the failure due to a product defect we would honor your report under warranty. We would also cover the cost of the inspection up to $500. 
  

  thank you

• Initial Complaint

  08/28/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We purchased Cali Bamboo flooring (approx. 700 sq feet) from Nebraska Furniture Store on 03/21/22 and recently had it installed professionally in the beginning of July 2022. Directly after installing, the flooring began separating and buckling and we immediately contacted Nebraska Furniture Store and filed a complaint. They directed us to file a warranty claim directly with Cali Bamboo, which we did. We submitted the claim and all the requested documents, purchase order and pictures and they have yet to be in contact with us. We have contacted them numerous times and left messages but with no avail. On one occasion, we actually got to speak to our claim rep but she stated that she would look into our claim and give us a call back but she never did. Our case number is ****** and we would like a resolution as our floor continues to separate and our contractor has no idea how to fix/correct the problem as he has never seen anything like this before. We are currently out almost $5,000.00 and the company refuses to acknowledge/correct or contact us concerning our issue.

  Business response

  08/29/2022

  Hello, 

   

  Thank you for reaching out. Based on the case notes we have been speaking with ******* at the Dealer location and the warranty claim representative has offered to send out some replacement material at no charge as a courtesy. I would recommend following up with ******* for next steps. We look forward to resolving your concerns. 

   

   

  Thank you, 
  CALI 

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩