Floor Coverings International Reviews 9

I had a very disappointing experience with this company’s franchise. After taking payment, the local team became unresponsive and failed to follow through on the agreed work.

What’s most concerning is that corporate did not step in to resolve the issue or hold the franchise accountable. Customers trust the brand name, but it appears there is little oversight when problems arise.

The situation escalated to the point of legal involvement, which was ultimately dropped — but the lack of accountability and communication throughout the process was unacceptable.

I would strongly caution anyone considering this company to thoroughly vet their local franchise before committing.

Documented $218k Verdict - Retirement Risk Warning (Case #24-001007-CI)
In 2014, my wife and I left the corporate world to take control of our future. We invested our hard-earned nest egg into Floor Coverings International (FCI) St. Petersburg, starting from nothing and building a proven successful, "Good Standing" business. Our goal was clear: execute a 5-year exit strategy to secure our retirement. For those first five years, our business was thriving, and everything worked exactly to our plan.

In 2019, we followed FCI’s corporate selling format and guidance exactly and sold our business to a buyer (Shona Holden) whom the franchisor vetted and approved. That choice became a nightmare the moment she stopped paying her promissory note within months of the sale. FCI didn’t just turn its back on us; they actively chose to join the fight against us. 16 months after we initiated legal action to recover our retirement savings, the franchisor officially entered the legal battle to side with the person who defaulted on us to fight against their own former owner.

It took 5 years of fighting a multibillion-dollar brand before a court of law finally confirmed the facts. On July 30, 2025, a trial resulted in a $218,000 combined verdict against both the franchisor (Floor Coverings International Ltd) and the franchisee (Shona Holden). As of today, that court-ordered debt remains unpaid, leaving us to foot the bill for expensive, ongoing collection efforts just to get paid.

For anyone considering an investment in this system, based on our experience, these are the documented risks you need to evaluate:

Zero Equity Protection: We spent five years building a legacy, yet the franchisor chose to protect a defaulting buyer over a proven success story. They spent years in litigation using their corporate resources to help someone who stopped paying their bills keep our retirement money.

Awards Over Ethics: FCI awarded the buyer (Shona Holden) the "2024 President’s Award"—the brand's highest honor—while she was in active legal default. The brand celebrated her with their top award even as we were fighting for our retirement. That battle ended in a verdict winning on all counts against both Holden and FCI. It has now been 184 days since that verdict, and instead of enjoying the retirement we earned, we are now in our 70s and forced back into the trenches, undergoing the process of a Sheriff’s sale just to reclaim the business we already successfully built and sold.

Conclusion: Don't risk your retirement savings on a "system" that might turn its legal machinery against you the moment you try to retire. Before you sign an FDD, perform your own due diligence on the Pinellas County court records for Case #24-001007-CI.

When you speak to an FCI sales representative, ask them directly why they haven't disclosed this. If they do admit it, ask them the real question: why would you trust your future to a brand where a successful exit ends with a $218,000 verdict and the original owner having to forcibly take the business back just to protect their equity? Ask yourself if this is the kind of "partnership" you want when it’s finally your turn to retire.

I am a real person and a former owner. You can verify every word of this via the public court records cited above. If you are a serious investor and want to speak with me directly.

Zero would be better, or a negative number.

I had hardwood installed over a slab floor. The slab was not sealed first—something I learned after about 20k for the work. Water seeps under the floor leaving brown rot in several locations. I have had multiple promises that the problem is theirs and Someone from the company will fix it. No one in management ever calls back or attempts to fix the problem.

With tongue and groove instillation, It will be quite difficult to reverse their mistakes.

NEVER AGAIN!

Do NOT do business with this company. I hired them to install vinyl flooring and they provided a one-year warranty. Just six months later, the flooring began to wobble. When I contacted the owners, Peter and Katie Haacker, they initially promised a technician would come to inspect the issue once the weather was warmer.

However, when I followed up a few months later, they informed me they had shut down the business and would not honor the warranty. They then tried to shift all responsibility to the installer, a third party with whom I have no contract. This is a clear breach of their original agreement and shows a complete lack of integrity.

The company is unresponsive and has abandoned its legal obligations. If you value your investment and want a company that stands behind its work, look elsewhere.

We agreed to have this company install Luxury Vinyl Plank in our home.
Price quoted was $15,000, with a deposit of $7,500.
We subsequently found the flooring to be installed was of substantially substandard quality.
Once we received a signed contract from Floor Coverings, we canceled the next day. Canceling within three days is an option guaranteed by law. Floor Coverings agent Danielle responded with "the deposit is nonrefundable".
In a subsequent exchange with owner Toby Taber, Toby agreed to a refund, less restocking charges, which he placed at nearly $2,000. We stated this was unacceptable since Danille stated the product was popular and in stock. We then initiated a mediation proceeding.
Toby subsequently offered a refund of $6,500 and without any agreement from us, mailed a check in that amount.
In the interest of putting this whole sorry affair to bed, we accepted the $6,500 and the $1,000 rip off.
These are very dishonest and unscrupulous people. The writers of the positive reviews I see here were very lucky not to have had an issue with Floor Coverings. It is also our understanding that Floor Coverings has been through multiple bankruptcies. There are much better options to Floor Coverings International of Vancouver, WA.
We are also considering filing an elder abuse claim as we are a retire couple.

The entire team was great. I needed 2 rooms done with hardwood and they delivered very quickly. I would highly recommend them for your flooring needs.

Randy was amazing and patient. He came to my house 3 times prior to me actually deciding to order. He was knowledgeable and understanding. I got my flooring done last August. Still to this day I love it! Every time I go upstairs, the lvt flooring makes me smile. With all the upgrade to my house last year, this was my favorite. Worth the money!
Randy and his manager was able to meet with the Shaw/cortec company and get the exact LTV flooring for me that I had wanted,at a discount. My parents thought it was real wood. The time it took to put in my floors did go a little slower than expected. They had a small crew. The head guy came in extra on the weekend to finish! The flooring with cork is actually warm enough to the feet that I didn’t have to have extra rugs in bedrooms. I just showcase the floor! Also the cork helps keep the noise down.

When a leak from a water supply pipe under our kitchen sink caused extensive damage to our kitchen floor, we contacted several flooring companies. FCI (Floor Coverings International) was not the most expensive nor the least expensive, but their representative, Ryan, demonstrated comprehensive knowledge of what would be required. He even warned that mold might be a possibility, which would require a mold remediation company.
FCI did wonderful work on removing and cleaning up the old floor and installing a beautiful new floor. Their technicians were knowledgeable (especially Iver (sp?) ) who was a master craftsman at installing the flooring, baseboards and molding, and ensuring that there were no difficult bumps in the thresholds between rooms. We would confidently urge anyone in need of new flooring to go with FCI. They do excellent work, and do everything to ensure that their customers are pleased.
John and Steffanie Haueisen,
Worthington, Ohio

This company renewed all the floor coverings in a flat which I owned and wanted to sell. I cannot praise the end result more. The flat looks beautiful. The work was done very efficiently and at a very reasonable cost. I owe them my thanks.