Carpet Caravan

We are very picky but this guy was perfect! Highly professional job and he went beyond the call of duty to accommodate problems. He did my whole house in Monterey in half a day.

The worst carpet installation company in the area!!!
Disrespectful in their appointments!
Never met their deadline!!!
The worst communication ever!
Be aware before making any arrangements with them!!!

I called this place at the recommendation of a business friend that had a great experience with this company. I came to my office on a Monday morning unlocked my door and water came rushing out of the building. The whole place was flooded due to a broken old pipe. All the carpets were soaked. What a panic, so I called my business friend who said to call Carpet Caravan. I was very impressed right from the get go they were courteous and helpful on the phone and said they would come out right away to asses the damage. Within minutes Frank and his team were at my office. We got the water shut off and they pulled back the carpets to try to save as much as possible and to start drying things out with their huge fans. Literally within 24 hours they had the whole mess cleaned up, dried up and then made the necessary carpet repairs and installations. We were open for business the next day. I am so thankful for their professionalism, great service, rapid response and fair prices.
Since that time we had all the carpet in our home replaced too and had another perfect experience. I’d recommend these guys to anyone who needs carpets or flooring they are great at what they do.

I was referred to Carpet Caravan very highly by my brother who had used them previously for 2 carpet jobs; and he had had a positive experience with them. My initial impressions were also very favorable; Frankie was very helpful when I was selecting carpet & Luxury vinyl tile remotely; and he was pleasant to deal with on the phone, but his communication style was a little rough around the edges and short at times. However he seemed to be on top of the job; alerted me to possibly needing to install a new subfloor in the bathrooms, and I dismissed the small red flags I sensed as maybe just a personality & style difference. In hindsight, I should have paid attention to the small red flags.
We did a new carpet install for our entire 2bd 2ba home; new luxury vinyl tile in both bathrooms and the kitchen. Our subfloor was badly damaged in the living & dining room, so I had it completely replaced by a carpenter. Frankie had assured me he would address any issues with the subfloor in the bathrooms when they installed the tile; there may be an additional charge for a new ¼″ plywood subfloor, but he’d know better once they started the install.
The carpet was fine. Not great, but fine. Edges are not secured well… there are many areas that are easily pulled up. Seams initially looked ok; but its been just over 2 months, and the seam lines are already showing signs of pulling up. Corners of the carpet are not secured very well. Paddding was placed everywhere, but not in the walk in closets and is very noticeable.
The vinyly tile installation was very poor. Seams & corners did not align. Tiles were installed over nails in the previous floor that were not removed. Tiles were curling and buckling, and were easily lifted up at the corners.
When I met with Frankie and his installer, they were defensive and argumentitive; and I felt somewhat intimidated. Two other contractors that were present expressed their concern to me about they were handling the situation.
It finally surfaced the incorrect tile had been ordered for the kitchen (it should have been click-​together, not glue down). Frankie first blamed the ‘girl in the office’ for not double checking that with him; then he blamed me saying ‘you should have told me what kind to order’. He was aware that I had no previous experience ordering flooring of any sort; and that I had no idea there were different types that could be ordered… I selected the tile, pattern & color and thought that was all there was to do.
I was given several different excuses about why the tile install was so bad. 1. The house built in 1960 is uneven. 2. It was cold. 3. I picked the wrong kind of tile… they just ordered what I told them. 4. The weather made the tiles move. 5. The installer used the wrong type of trowel, too much adhesive and walked on them too soon. 6. I should have used grout even though the manufacturer says it can be installed with or without.
They finally said all the tile needed to be replaced; and said they would make the job right. They replaced the kitchen tile with the correct type (click together); and it looks very good now.
They removed the bathroom tile; and the ¼″ subfloor they put in. I hired another carpenter to remove the old vinyl and discovered THE NEW TILE & SUBFLOOR HAD BEEN INSTALLED OVER 3 EXISTING LAYERS OF SHEET VINYL, AND THE ORIGINAL PARTICLE BOARD SUBFLOOR OF THE HOUSE. THERE WAS SIGNFICANT WATER DAMAGE TO THE SUBFLOOR THAT WAS REVEALED WHEN I HIRED ANOTHER CARPENTER TO REMOVE THE EXISTING VINYL & INSTALL A NEW SUBFLOOR. NO MOISTURE TEST HAD BEEN DONE; AND NO ATTEMPT TO LOOK AT THE STRUCTURAL STABILITY OF THE FLOOR HAD BEEN MADE. THEY COVERED UP EVERYTHING WITH AND JUST PUT DOWN THE NEW FLOOR WITHOUT EVEN CHECKING.
I was still willing to have them install the new tiles after I had the entire subfloor removed & replaced. They insisted I be present for the install, which was ok. I flew out to Monterey from Chicago to be there when they said it would be ready; only to have them tell me the tile was not going to be recieved for another 2 weeks. I suggested several different solutions; and was told I could either wait the 2 weeks, or come into their showroom and pick something they had in stock such as stock carpet or sheet vinyl.
They finally agreed to cancel the contract for the bathroom portion of the job. I paid for the carpet; and for the kitchen tile. The owner requested that I pay by check instead of credit card for the kitchen portion (I’d already paid the carpet using a credit card.)
This was an extremely unprofessional, and unpleasant experience; and at times I was keenly aware of how angry Frankie was at me for questioning the work that had been done. The installer told me that Frankie wanted to close out the ticket, and it would be a good idea if I went ahead and paid for all the work that was done. I am glad to be no longer doing business with Carpet Caravan.