Maryland

Maryland Man Says Pet-Friendly Carpet Failed to Protect Against Aging Cat's Accidents

A Maryland man who bought a pet-friendly carpet because of his aging cat’s accidents said he found its protection fell short.

“We were mainly replacing the carpet because our older cat had used the carpets as a litter box, basically,” said Jason Folliot of Frederick County.

Mittens' frequent accidents sent him searching for new flooring options.

“We were going to go with laminate or hardwood or something like that, but when the salesperson came out, he explained that they had this new carpet that was pet-friendly,” he said. “The acronyms were PUP -- pet urine protection.”

He hired Empire Today and thought his odor and stain problems were over.

“About a month after they put it in, the cat used the floor again as the litter box,” Folliot said. “My wife caught her the second she did it. It did not bead up at all. It soaked right in as soon as she went.”

“My wife thought she got all of it out using the regular cleaning method, trying to soak it up, but a couple of days later, we smelled it really strong again,” Folliot said.

He hired professional cleaners as recommended in the warranty.

“No help at all,” he said. “We spent the money to have them come out, and they sprayed, I forget what it's called, some kind of enzyme on it, and it didn’t help, either.”

Stunned that their pet urine protected carpet wasn't holding up, Folliot reached out to Empire but was left with only more questions.

“Their first reaction was, ‘Oh, well, your cat peed on it, that voids the warranty,’” Folliot said. “I said, ‘Um, but I bought a pet urine protection carpet specifically because of that.’”

The warranty does not cover odors, and Folliot said he understands that, but he said the carpet simply didn't perform the way it should have.

“They basically said any kind of urine or water liquid would just bead up on top and be easily wiped off,” he said.

But instead, the urine immediately soaked through, he said.

“It didn't easily clean up and it really smelled,” he said.

Over the next six months of back and forth with Empire, Mittens passed away but the odor remained.

NBC4 Responds reached out to Empire and immediately got results.

“About a day after that, their corporate office contacted me, said that whether the manufacturer or the company honors the warranty or not, they would go ahead and replace the carpet for me,” Folliot said.

In a statement to NBC4 Responds, Empire said, "The warranty excludes 'odor resulting from the covered pet urine stain' and states that while the 'carpet is inherently stain resistant, some staining may still occur.'”

It went on to say, “We are sorry for Mr. Folliot’s loss of his cat and are hopeful that Mr. Folliot will be pleased with his carpet replacement.”

Despite the ordeal, Folliot still had some kind words for the company.

“In the long run, I probably would go back with Empire again,” he said. “The people that they send out are great. They did a great job on the carpets and the other floors.”

When purchasing a product that comes with a warranty, make sure you understand what the requirements are in terms of maintenance to make it easier and faster for the company to respond to your concerns.

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