Ever since Mohawk started offering “beyond belief” warranties, the other mills have been racing to catch up with warranties of their own. First one to do so was Shaw Industries. They (Shaw) over a year ago began offering “Lifetime” stain warranties on many of their carpets. Shaw even came out with their own marketing to counter the “Smartstrand Challenge” from Mohawk. After Mohawks Ricky Rhino campaign , Shaw and Anso kicked in their “pie fight” video. Both of these promotions started the “stain wars”. Not to be out done, Invista just this month (July of 2012) began offering “Lifetime” stain warranties on most of their Stainmaster carpets. The difference is that Invista is not a carpet producer, but a fiber supplier. Thus, any mill can use the Stainmaster Lifetime stain warranty as part of their (the mills) advertising program, providing the mill meets the guidelines required by Invista in building the product.
All of the stain warranties, when you read the fine print, require the consumer to take care of spills quickly themselves, then, if the stain persist, call a certified professional, then, if the stain is still present, file a claim with the mill or the fiber maker. In this process, you the consumer must keep all receipts for cleaning and for proof of purchase of the carpet. Carpet must be purchased from a dealer authorized to sell the product. Buying carpet out of the back of some guys pickup will not get you a warranty. Also, effective Sept 1, 2013, Stainmaster requires their carpets be cleaned every 18 months by a professional carpet cleaner. The 24 month cleaning has been abandoned.
Finally, remember that most warranties are written by talented lawyers, whose best interest is the corporation and not the consumer. Thus, the warranties are written to protect the Corporation from you; not the other way around.
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