"Florence M."

Meet Florence, an older lady whose husband of almost 55 years passed away not long ago.  Florence has decided that the house in Walden, New York where she had so many fond memories now feels too big and too empty so she is selling it and moving to a smaller place in Montgomery.

While Mr. M. was around, the fact that Florence never got a driver’s license was not a problem; he took her everywhere she needed to go.  Now things are different.  When it came time to select new carpet for her townhome, she remembered that years ago she and Mr. M. had some work done by Carpet Network.  She wondered if the “nice young man” would be able to help her again.

Greg Klink

Greg Klink, one of the owners of Carpet Network serving in the Middletown, NY area took Mrs. M.’s  call.  He offered to pick her up at her home, take her to her new residence so he could measure and she could select the carpet.  When he arrived at Florence’s home at the appointed time, he noticed some packing boxes.  Florence admitted she needed to have them over at the new place.   Greg answered, “No problem,” and promptly loaded the cartons into his Unicell vehicle.

When they arrived at her new townhouse, Florence was able to see the carpet samples in her rooms and envision how she would make this new place her own.  Greg advised her on performance expectations and best places for the seams so she could make the best choice.

"Frank and Martha H."

Greg’s next stop that day happened to be an older couple from Fishkill, NY.  When he arrived at their home, Mr. Frank H. greeted him at the door.   Frank promptly introduced him to his wife, Martha, who not only was confined to a wheelchair, but seemed to have Alzheimer’s.   Frank thought that if he spruced up the place a bit, Martha might feel livelier.  Frank had picked out some tester paint samples but had not gotten a chance to paint them on the wall.  He showed them to Greg and asked his opinion.  Greg offered to show him what the different testers looked like, so he painted the colors on the wall.  He patiently and confidently guided the couple through coordinating their favorite paint color with a carpet that would compliment it.  With the extra help, Mr. And Mrs. H. were pleased with their decision and are looking forward to installation.

These small acts of kindness and consideration might typically go unnoticed except to the people whose lives it touched and made a difference.  Give Greg a call at 845-342-1646.

This blog is brought to you by the people at Carpet Network.  The stories are true but the customer photos are representations to respect the privacy of the people featured.

With busy lifestyles, the ability to shop at home is a luxury service that anyone can enjoy.  No more visiting multitudes of stores and then going back several times to work out the details.  Why waste time when you can have a true shop at home professional come to your home?

A shop at home floor service makes the process simpler.   The shop at home professional will bring many samples so you can see how they look in your home with your lighting and furniture. Although brick and mortar stores often have what they consider a shop at home service it is usually limited to how many samples they can fit in their van or their car.  The shop at home professional has a special traveling “showroom” with as many samples, if not more than a brick and mortar store. They are prepared to provide you with everything from expertise on choosing the right flooring, to design advice and professional installation.  Basically a “one stop shop.”

We know that flooring is a big decision and the true professional will not only have hundreds of products but will measure and assess your site conditions in one easy step.  If  convenience and expertise is what you want, then shop at home floor covering is the way to go.

What should you look for in a shop at home?  The same business credentials that you would look for in a brick and mortar store.  The shop at home professional is prepared to earn your confidence and make your at-home buying experience a simple and enjoyable process.

When booking the appointment with your shop at home professional, be sure and ask for licensing if applicable in your area and testimonials from satisfied customers.  Shop at home professionals realize they have been invited to your home and come prepared to build that important trust factor.  Remember, since they are a shop at home service, 70-80% of their new customers come from satisfied people like yourself.  They are prepared to provide you with information such as photos from past jobs so you can see the quality of their work.   The shop at home professional will be prepared to walk you through every step of the process and be available during and/or after the installation to make sure everything goes smoothly.  They are aware that not only are they providing a service but building new friendships.

“Our business is built on one premise”, says Christine Rankin President of Carpet Network a shop at home flooring and window treatment service with over 30 years experience.  “Besides our cutting edge products, providing the best customer service is our most important product.  We realize it’s a privilege to be invited into someone’s home and we take that privilege seriously.   As we know, we only get one chance to make that most important first impression.  For the 5th year in a row, Carpet Network has been honored with the designation of being in the top 50 franchises for the past 5 years.  This honor is due to the outstanding customer service commitment of our franchisees to all of their customers.”

Want the process to go smoothly? There are things you can do to help prepare yourself for choosing new flooring.  Determine how much you want to be involved in the process, will you rip up you existing flooring, move your furniture, provide your own installation and be available to do a final walk through after the job?

What about our “Green presence?”   To Carpet Network , green is not only a color but another important part of our life.  For further information on our green commitment visit http://www.aboutgreenfloors.com/.

Want to be in touch with a Carpet Network professional in your area?  Contact either by phone
1-800-821-1635 or info@carpetnetwork.com or  http://www.carpetnetwork.com/ under “Find a Dealer.”

This blog is brought to you by the people at Carpet Network.

Bayernhof Museum

Carpet Network’s Bob and Janine Klein have a stellar reputation as flooring professionals in the greater Pittsburgh market.  So, when restoration work was needed at the former home of Charles Brown III, founder and CEO of Gas-Lite Manufacturing, Carpet Network was the company selected to handle the technically challenging installation.  In his will, Charles Brown III directed that his collection of old, rare automatic musical instruments be restored and his house opened to the public as Bayernhof Museum.  This massive collection is displayed in almost every room in the house, making any work in the museum a delicate proposition.

“Our crews exercised extreme care ensuring not to disturb these irreplaceable antique mechanical music machines.  Scheduling of the work required careful planning by our office staff to accommodate the tour schedule of the museum.  In appreciation of the high level of service, our installation crew was treated to a private tour where the curator showed us the many hidden secret staircases and revolving bookcases that exposed secret passageways to an indoor cave complete with stalagmites and stalactites. The passageway eventually lead to an indoor swimming pool and gazebo.  The museum also features an observatory with a fully operational high powered telescope to gaze into the heavens,” says Bob Klein.

Hartwood Mansion

Preserved within the the Allegheny County Park system is Hartwood Acres encompassing 629 acres.  It is one of the largest and most spectacular country estates in the region. Hartwood consists of a stately Tudor Mansion (erected in 1929) which, houses an excellent collection of original English and American antiques.   In 2005 a ceiling collapsed and a major renovation was needed. Not only did the caretakers need quality workmanship but they needed a quick turn around due to their special events planned for the Christmas Holiday season.  They called Bob and Janine Klein from Carpet Network because they knew they were able to make that happen by their deadline.

Customer Appreciation Event

In addition to their work in mansions, the Klein’s also help customers who live more normal lives!  They have worked with countless satisfied customers over the years and show their appreciation of their support by holding their Customer Appreciation Event.  The most recent event, held in 2008, marked the Klein’s 10th Anniversary in business. Held at the Diamond Run Country Club, customers enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and live music.

With their expertise, the Klein’s have been able to allay the concerns of customers such as Mrs. “J” who wanted to be sure that her family would not be exposed to any chemicals as she planned for her carpet replacement.  Bob and Janine were able to show her products that helped her make the best choices for her family and also contributed positively to the environment.  They were able to provide empirical data by the manufacturers so she was comfortable with her decision and extremely satisfied with the outcome.  By providing this kind of personalized service, they are able to handle each customer’s questions and concerns individually and sensitively.

Janine and Bob Klein

It is with that same kind of sensitivity that the Klein’s work with the customers referred to them by Restoration Companies.  Janine empathizes, “These homeowners have endured a loss, and are in emotional distress.  They did not expect to have to make changes in their environment and because of unforeseen circumstances find that they need to replace what was once familiar.”  Bob and Janine take the burden from the homeowner by visiting with them at their convenience and helping the make selections that work within the framework of their insurance claim and getting them back to life as they once knew it.

A couple of local charities that the Klein’s support through personal volunteer work and also by supplying flooring materials at or below cost are:

The Lighthouse

At The Lighthouse, [Come join our community where neighbors help neighbors during times of need] people can find a variety of services that can make their lives easier.   In addition to the Transitional Housing program and  Food Bank, The Lighthouse offers used furniture, appliances, and vehicles; computer classes; and emergency monetary assistance for those in need.

Hosanna Industries new construction and home rehabilitation programs offer safe, habitable housing to low and very low income, elderly and single-parent households without regard to race or creed.  Since 1990, it has served over 1600 households and provided over 100 homes across the nation.  Hosanna Industries interests are  fundamental.  They rebuild roofs where buckets once collected the rainfall, make homes easier for elderly people to care for, paint houses suffering from years of poverty and build wheelchair ramps for the homebound.  They meet the housing needs of families living in old trailers patched together with duct tape and cardboard boxes.  They answer “Hosanna!” cries for help every day.

Lastly, Bob and Janine are active members of the Bakerstown First Presbyterian Church.

This blog is brought to you by the people at Carpet Network.

Proper methods for installing carpet are an extremely critical part of the process of replacing the carpet in your home. Don’t settle for less than the industry standards as outlined by the Carpet and Rug institute, (a well respected organization recognized for establishing benchmarks of excellence). Visit their website at www.carpet-rug.org. Carpet Network’s team of installers carefully adhere to these standards.

Carpet Craftsman

They are professionally trained and skilled craftsmen who take great pride in their work, paying attention to critical details such as power stretching, proper seam creation and placement, removal of the exisiting flooring, carefully moving your furniture and vacumming the job when they are finished.

Janine and Bob Klein

Carpet Network stands behind every installation performed with a Life Time Installation Guarantee. In the unlikely event that a seam should need repair or the carpet re-stretched, you can rest assured that the Carpet Network professionals will honor the warranty and repair the problem. In fact, following each and every installation performed, Carpet Network will contact you to ensure that every detail of the installation was performed to your satisfaction. We also mail out a survey card for you to complete; offering you the opportunity to rate our service in many specific areas. We carefully review the comment cards and make adjustments whenever necessary to improve. We are proud that over the last several years we have earned awards for Excellence In Customer Satisfaction. We also are proud to be an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau.

You can trust the team of professionals at Carpet Network to assist you in choosing the correct product for your needs and to walk with you every step of the way! Visit Bob and Janine Klein in the Pittsburgh, PA area.