Flooring Headaches

We are finally ready to finish Jack's nursery. Last night our friend John came over to help us install the last little bit of flooring and hang the chair rail so that we can get furniture put together this weekend and get the map mural painted behind the crib. Simple enough, right? 

Nothing in life can be simple. I've come to expect obstacles. Maybe this is God's way of preparing me for motherhood. About a month ago John was here to finish the floor the first time. We were one box short, so Johnny and I immediately went to one of those giant home stores (it shall remain nameless) to get another box to match what we had. We were assured by the sales clerk that this is what we needed to finish the floor...we should have known better. 

When we opened the box last night to finish up, we found that while the color was almost an exact match, the locking system (it's floating laminate) was completely different!!! No big deal, right? I simply loaded up the unused box of flooring and took it back to said home store to exchange it, only when I got there I discovered that our type of flooring has been discontinued and they could not find any in their store or any other for that matter. I was told to try some of the discount flooring stores.

No need to panic just yet...maybe we could get lucky and find the ONE box we needed at a discount or wholesale store. Nope. It seems that the "home store" special orders their products from the manufacturers (apparently their own employees don't even know this...they don't know a lot of things) and no one else is allowed to sell the same product. Back to, oh, let's call it "Mowe's" one more time. This time, I wasn't taking no for an answer. They were going to find out why we were given the wrong flooring and do something to make it right.

Find out they did. The nice lady in the flooring dept. got on the phone with the manufacturer of the floor only to find out that they changed manufacturers, but the sales reps. at Mowe's didn't know that. Yes, that's right, they don't have a clue what they're actually selling. So, I did what any sane pregnant woman would do...I asked for a manager. 

"We did exactly what we were supposed to do when we realized we were out of flooring and your sales people told us the box we purchased was exactly what we needed, " I patiently explained. "I am not interested in replacing an entire room's worth of flooring because your people don't know what they're selling." There...surely he would understand. 

"Well, ma'am, we really don't have any control over what our manufacturers send us and we don't always know when they make changes" was his response. Not smart, dude, not smart.

"So you're telling me that your sales reps. have no idea what they are actually selling? It never occurred to anyone to check the very important locking system on the new stock of boxes to make sure they matched the old stock? Isn't that your job? Why am I now going to have to pay more money because your people have no idea what they're doing? I tell you what; what if I bring back the uncut boards we already have down and exchange them? At least then we wouldn't be paying for the entire room's worth of floor." Compromise...fair...good.

"Ha...How long have they been down?"

"Maybe a month but they are in pristine condition since we don't use that room...it's a NURSERY and clearly there is no baby yet." 

"Well, they'd have to be packaged neatly and resellable, but we can look into it."

"You do that." 

When I left, I immediately called Johnny. He got on the phone to corporate. We're waiting on a response. Please pray for Mowe's...evidently they have not dealt with a pregnant woman on a mission just yet.