Warranties Explained

It has come to my attention recently that a few companies that are middle men distributors are extending the original manufacturer's warranties. This is a very dangerous and risky gamble on the part of the middle man. They are basically self insuring a warranty that for all intents and purposes was given a specific warranty for a reason. On a recent poll, I verified the majority of the domestic turf manufacturers and found they all offer either a 7 or 8 year warranty, standard for the industry. Since some of these manufacturers are not fully integrated, many of the warranties only cover the actual turf yarn by the yarn producer. All of these warranties cover UV fading and some loss of pile height. It is EXTREMELY rare to hear of a warranty issue as the turfs do not fail in 8 years.

One company that has only been in business for just three years is offering a 20 year warranty on their turf. Yes, they are buying turf with an 8 year warranty and are self insuring an additional 12 years! Ask yourself if this makes sense? Is it to good to be true? What happens when this little company goes out of business? The original turf manufacturer will not handle a claim if it is beyond 8 years. Please do your due diligence and do some research on any company offering a turf warranty over ten years. All the manufacturers will tell you fading may start after ten years yet it may not be noticeable. After 15 to 20 years, it could be very noticeable and the turf may need replacing.

In summary, CAVEAT EMPTOR and please don't get fooled by a desperate sales pitch of a warranty that is not even covered by the original manufacturer. Instead, look for an installer that can provide the longest WORKMANSHIP warranty as if there is a problem, it is likely going to be the workmanship. Also find out how long the installer has been in business and how many installations they have performed. If your installer goes out of business, then you really have a problem if your turf installation fails. I have seen many from now defunct companies and we don't fix other turf companies problems. The bottom line is ... your warranty is only as good as the company that installed the turf. Please perform your due diligence.