Hosking Hardwood is the Place to buy Hardwood Flooring!
Written: Apr 09 '07
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| Full Review |
Summary: This is a great company with a solid background on flooring.
Web Site: Easy to use. All flooring is reviewed by Jeff Hosking (he gave permission for me to use his name) on the flooring; not just the marketing information released by the manufacturer. He gives each flooring a 1-5 star rating.
Delivery: Scheduled well.
Quality: Flooring was in mint condition. I was convinced it had been delivered straight from the manufacturer.
Customer Service: Excellent communication. They were always in touch with me to make sure things had gone as I expected.
Overall Satisfaction: I purchased from them twice and I would do it again. Highly Recommended!!
Hosking Hardwood (www.hoskinghardwood.com) is a solid company with knowledgeable staff and great flooring. Jeff Hosking runs the company. He is a regular on This Old House and has written extensively about flooring. An impressive resume for an owner who takes the time to personally reply to customer concerns.
I ordered flooring from Hosking Hardwood in 1999. I used the web site to browse around and find the flooring I wanted. Jeff Hosking has flooring rated from 1-5 stars… with quality and price being higher at the 5 star level. I went to a Home Depot and borrowed a sample of the flooring to bring home and make sure it looked right in the house. (Ever choose paint, then realize the color is very different once in the room?)
I placed the order through the web site then called to make sure I had done it right. The person I talked to was very friendly and knew everything about flooring. She made sure I ordered enough flooring (which included waste) and all the accessories to transition in/out of the rooms. The flooring arrive in *mint* condition as if it was delivered straight from the factory.
I was renovating the house and needed more flooring for 2006. I tried to save some money by ordering from another internet site. Wow. What a disaster. The other internet company I used (see my review Floormall) had what looked like rejects delivered then refused to take my calls. I called the manufacturer, who decided to take the flooring back. But Floormall.com has kept thousands of dollars.
I still needed flooring but was so burned by the other internet company. I went on renovation message boards and read lots of good things about Hosking Hardwood from different users. The other internet company I ordered from had posted false reviews and, even though I had already had an excellent experience with Hosking Hardwood, I was still very nervous about ordering more flooring.
Eventually, I placed another order with HoskingHardwood.com for more flooring through their web site. They called to confirm the information (the purchase was almost $10,000). I talked to the *same* person I did in 1999!! It was a large order (almost 2,000 square feet) and was told they could get half the flooring there quickly and the other half would take an extra week. Deal!
The flooring arrived as promised and the boxes, again, looked like they were straight from the factory. Both deliveries were done by guys who were very happy to bring it in the house.
I was confused because of the huge disparity between the two companies. In researching how Internet flooring companies work, I learned that:
1) Anyone can become an internet company. And joining organizations like National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) or Wood Flooring Cover Association (WFCA) make them look legitimate. My complaint about Floormall.com with NWFA and WFCA was written off.
2) The quality of flooring you receive from an internet company depends on the relationship they have with the distributor. Hosking Hardwood has their own warehouse, but it also has a solid, long term relationship with its distributors and demands that they send 1st quality flooring. Floormall.com is only a call center (no actually stock) and never spoke with the distributor and THEIR OWN distributor constantly told me it was a mistake to order from an internet company!!
Jeff Hosking emailed me and assured me that flooring sold through their company is *always* sold warranties! And they are honored by both the manufacturer and Hosking Hardwood. Many manufacturers advise consumers to NOT buy from internet companies, but it is because they do NOT want consumers to call when companies like Floormall.com abandon them.
If you are looking for hardwood flooring: FIRST, research and find a great installer. SECOND, find the flooring you want by browsing through HoskingHardwood.com. THIRD, call Hosking Hardwood or visit www.HoskingHardwood.com and order the flooring!
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
Location: Arlington, Virginia
Reviews written: 23
Trusted by: 6 members
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