I then proceeded to order 1 box from BD which gave a much better idea about the quality of their finishing and milling. Only after my installer was satisfied with the quality of the milling and finishing, I proceeded with ordering rest of the flooring from the same lot. At present all the flooring is lying in my house acclimitizing.

The wood is milled in Brazil and finished in North Carolina and as I understand there are only a handfull of exotic flooring manufacturer that everyone (incl BR111, Mohawk, BD and everyone else) uses and then put their label on the boxes.

The BD customer service needs special mention. They are just awesome!!! I have never seen such prompt response to all your questions and queries and they are so eager to help. I had an issue with one of the boxes and they shipped me a new box almost immedidately. I will highly recommend BD to anyone that is looking for exotic flooring.

I need to make a decision soon.

Thanks for feedback.

I bought $8,000 worth of 3/4' walnut hardwood flooring (1300sf) from them in what were supposed to be 5' widths. The flooring widths ranged from 4 7/8' to 5 1/8' wide!!! Numerous boards are different widths from one end of the same board to the other!! Problem not discovered until well into the installation. Called owner Dan Cosgrove and he at first said he couldn't believe that the widths would be off by that much, and he said to continue with the installation because we shouldn't even be able to notice. He said he would take care of it if the installation took longer, because the installers had to literally measure each piece on BOTH ends (because some pieces varied in width from end to end), and segregate them by width and install same widths in each row. Problem was that over 50% of the boards were wrong width, resulting in unavoidable situation where different width boards had to be put into the same row... But Dan said we wouldn't notice it and that he would take care of it...

Installation was a nightmare, and floor looks like crap with all the uneven widths. Dan continued to say that it couldn't be true, and asked me to send him some boards and photos, so I did. Even after sending the samples and photos direct to him and to the mill, they continued to deny the problem exists, obfuscated, ignored, and basically blew me off, after I sent them 20 sample pieces and 30 high resolution photos clearly depicting the problem, AND OVER 100 EMAILS. And the amazing thing was that I had sent them an email prior to buying it, and asked them if they GUARANTEE that the widths will be consistent, and Shannon responded 'most certainly as that is all we offer'... I have all of this in writing, and the photos below don't lie, and I have dozens more physical samples!

They refunded about $1400 that I had to pay my installers for the extra time it took to install due to uneven widths in over 50% of the flooring they sent me. However, I am now left with flooring that does not line up properly, and it is highly visible. I am going to have to tear it all out and start over.

These people will promise the world but when it comes down to it, they WILL leave you high and dry and they will laugh about it, as they did with me. I am out $16,000 because they will not stand behind their products or their commitments or their promises.

This is the first time I have ever made an effort to do an online review of a company because I just don't have the time for this. However, in this case, I am making the time (as well as preparing to sue them) because what I went through with these people should not ever have to happen to anybody else. If you are smart, you will LISTEN to what I am saying and TAKE ADVANTAGE of my NIGHTMARE experience, and FOLLOW my advice - DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH BRAZILIAN DIRECT AT WWW.BRAZILIANHARDWOOD.COM. You take a great risk if you do and, if you do, and get screwed, don't say I didn't tell you so. Upon request, I will PROVE what I am saying. Just send me an email at samburnell@verizon.net and I'll be happy to help you to understand why it is important that you NOT trust these people with your hard earned money.

Take a look at the photos at http://www.dataweb-design.com/brazilian.html. These are what I sent to Brazilian Direct. They can't be doctored. They are what they are. Ask yourself if YOU would be happy after paying nearly $8,000 for this flooring?

If someone within driving distance had the customer service, milling quality, and selection in wide plank floors that Carlisle does, I would have gladly bought from them. But there wasn't anything remotely close in my area.

You can have just as much trouble buying locally, not all companies will stand behind their product.

In the beginning of my flooring search I spent quite a few months emailing back and forth with Brazilian Direct, and not once did any red flags come up. I feel for samburnell, sometimes you can do tons of research and still get screwed.

We feel that the situation is being misrepresented on a number of issues, and want to point out that:

- The Better Business Bureau fully sided with Brazilian Direct in this situation after reviewing *all* facts.
- We advised the customer stop the installation and return the unused cartons to receive a refund after he fully explained his issue.
- We offered to ship additional material free of charge if the customer needed extra to finish installation ( only some boards had problems, and they did not require a single box to complete the installation - in fact several were left over).
- We provided a 100% reimbursement for the extra installation expense $1360.00 (without the need for BBB or 3rd party intervention - because we felt it was the right thing to do)
- We have taken steps to improve our quality control processes
- The real problem seems to have been, as noted by independent third party inspector, improper and inadequate acclimation, installation, and humidity control in the home (under 20% moisture in the house)

We are very sorry that this customer had an unpleasant experience. However, we have had 1,000's of very satisfied customers since we started in 2002, and only one individual like username samburnell.

The original issue only affected some boards, and was resolved by his installers taking an extra day or two to sort the material. Ask yourself - why would he pay his installers $1,360 extra to fix a problem - if it didn't fix the problem? The fact is, the problem was fixed and a failure of moisture control resulted in gaps after the floor was down. Now, the individual trying to take advantage of the original issue (that was fixed) - and get additional compensation for the problems created later by not following our acclimation/humidity control instructions.

If you still have concerns before ordering from us, please ask and we will do whatever we can to address them. We can also show that this customer was still happy with his floor at least 80% through the installation - well after he noticed any issues. His post here came months after installation, when he turned on his heat and the moisture in his home was not maintained at needed levels. However, we cannot post customer information publicly on forums for privacy policy reasons.

There are lessons every customer looking for hardwood flooring can learn, regardless of where you buy hardwood flooring. If you fail to follow the tips and guidelines listed on your invoice and manufacturer recommendations, you could very easily end up with a problem floor, regardless of original material quality. Make sure to follow manufacturer and NWFA guidelines to protect yourself and your investment. The notes below are generally accepted guidelines but may not hold true for all products; please refer to your manufacturer recommendations and the National Wood Flooring Association guidelines for additional information.

(1) You must acclimate the flooring (in the boxes) in a climate controlled environment under normal living conditions and per manufacturer recommendations. This means the HVAC must be operational and running. Depending on your local climate, you may need a humidification control system as well. Boxes cannot be acclimated in a garage, in a house during the winter with no heat, or under similar conditions. Generally, the acclimation period is a minimum of 7 days and a recommended period of 14 days; some products may not require acclimation time. These are general guidelines for solid hardwood - please ALWAYS verify manufacturer recommendations for your specific product.

(2) Humidity control is crucial to long-term success of hardwood flooring installations. Failure to properly acclimate hardwood or maintain proper humidity levels in your home can cause problems in any hardwood floor. Typical problems include gapping, cupping, or face checking. We typically recommend maintaining 40%-50% internal relative humidity. Forced-air heating during the winter can cause a drastic drop in humidity levels, so be sure to monitor this to prevent gapping. Invest in a hygrometer for your home - they are typically less than $50.

(3) You must inspect material before installation If there is a problem with material quality, you have the power to resolve it before installing. If you complain after installing, you will be without recourse for the portion installed. Every hardwood flooring company follows the policy, a de-facto industry standard, that installation is acceptance of quality as installed flooring cannot be returned.

(4) Choose an experienced installer. Your installer has a duty to you to determine material quality before installing. We highly recommend choosing only National Wood Flooring Association certified contractors. When dealing with exotic hardwoods, try to choose an installer who has experience with exotics. They present a different set of challenges due to their hardness versus standard domestic hardwoods. The choice of installer is nearly as important as the choice of flooring itself. Going cheap on an installer to save a few hundred dollars could cost you thousands if the floor fails because of faulty installation.

(5) Choose a company with a good reputation. Preferably a member of the National Wood Flooring Association and BBB Accredited. No company will have a flawless reputation, but if they have been in business for 9 years and have only one complaint on internet forums, chances are you're making a good choice.

Brazilian Direct is a long-standing member of the National Wood Flooring Association, BBB Accredited, and we stand behind our products. We have been selling hardwood floors online for over 9 years. We gave username samburnell our full attention and resolution of his issue to the best of our ability. We did our best to help this individual, but we can't be responsible for problems he or his installers created.

We feel that the situation is being misrepresented on a number of issues, and want to point out that:

- The Better Business Bureau fully sided with Brazilian Direct in this situation after reviewing *all* facts.

UNFORTUNATELY, BBB IS NOT A COURT OF LAW. AS IS MENTIONED MANY TIMES ABOVE, IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH AN ONLINE RETAILER INVOLVING A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY - IN THIS CASE $8,000 - IT IS PRACTICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO GET RESOLUTION IN A COURT. THESE GUYS ARE IN PENNSYLVANIA AND I AM IN CALIFORNIA. YOU WILL FACE JURISDICTION AND VENUE PROBLEMS BEFORE YOU EVEN GET TO PRESENT YOUR CASE, AND YOU MIGHT HAVE TO TRAVEL ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO APPEAR IN COURT. IT'S JUST NOT WORTH IT.

THAT IS WHY, REGARDLESS OF THE PROBLEMS I HAD WITH THEM, OR WHO IS AT FAULT, I HAVE TO AGREE WITH THE ABOVE POSTERS WHO RECOMMEND NOT DOING BUSINESS OF THIS MAGNITUDE WITH AN ONLINE COMPANY. IT WAS A HUGE MISTAKE ON MY PART AND I WILL NEVER DO IT AGAIN.

YOU CAN BELIEVE WHO YOU WANT HERE, BUT TRUST ME WHEN I TELL YOU YOU DON'T WANT TO BE IN THIS POSITION. YOU MIGHT PAY A BIT MORE LOCALLY BUT, LIKE THE ABOVE POSTER SAID, IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG, YOU GET TO FACE THE SELLER IN COURT.

- We advised the customer stop the installation and return the unused cartons to receive a refund after he fully explained his issue.

THAT IS AN ABSOLUTE LIE. THE OWNER, DAN COSGROVE, TOLD ME TO CONTINUE WITH THE INSTALLATION AND THAT HE WOULD TAKE CARE OF ANY ISSUES. HE SUGGESTED GETTING AROUND THE INCONSISTENT WIDTH ISSUE BY LAYING THE FLOORING SUCH THAT ALL BOARDS IN ANY PARTICULAR ROW ARE THE SAME WIDTH. THIS NECESSITATED HAVING TO MEASURE EVERY SINGLE BOARD'S WIDTH AT BOTH ENDS (BECAUSE SOME BOARDS HAD DIFFERENT WIDTHS AT EACH END!) BEFORE NAILING IT DOWN. ULTIMATELY, WE REALIZED THAT SO MANY BOARD WIDTHS WERE OFF THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE IMPOSSIBLE TO COMPLETE THE JOB PROPERLY WITH WHAT WE HAD ON HAND.

PICTURE THIS - IT TOOK OVER A MONTH TO GET THE FLOORING SHIPPED. 1300SF OF OUR EXISTING FLOORING WAS TORN UP AND THE NEW FLOORING WAS SITTING IN OPEN BOXES IN OUR HOUSE ACCLIMATING FOR TWO WEEKS. WE BEGAN THE INSTALL, NOTICED THE BAD WIDTHS, AND SPOKE TO DAN. HE MADE THE RECOMMENDATION ABOVE SO WE CONTINUED. WE GOT THE FLOOR HALF INSTALLED AND IT GOT SO BAD THAT WE REALIZED WE DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH FLOORING WITH CONSISTENT WIDTHS TO COMPLETE THE JOB.

AT THAT POINT, HE RECOMMENDED SENDING THE UNUSED FLOORING BACK... SO NOW THE FLOORING IS HALF INSTALLED, THE REST OF OUR FLOOR WAS COMPLETELY TORN UP, OUR FURNITURE STACKED IN OTHER ROOMS OF THE HOUSE, AND HE SUGGESTS THAT WE SEAL UP ALL THE BOXES, SHIP THEM AT OUR EXPENSE BACK TO BD, WAIT FOR REPLACEMENT FLOORING TO BE SHIPPED TO US (THE FIRST BATCH TOOK OVER A MONTH TO GET TO US), GO THROUGH ANOTHER TWO WEEK ACCLIMATION PROCESS, AND TAKE THE CHANCE THAT THE REPLACEMENT FLOORING WOULD NOT MATCH WHAT WE ALREADY HAD BECAUSE IT WOULD BE FROM A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BATCH, OPENING UP A BRAND NEW CAN OF WORMS WITH THESE PEOPLE.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO? HOW WOULD YOU FEEL?

- We offered to ship additional material free of charge if the customer needed extra to finish installation ( only some boards had problems, and they did not require a single box to complete the installation - in fact several were left over).

"ONLY SOME BOARDS HAVE PROBLEMS"???

THIS IS THE WAY THEY ARE - TO THIS DAY, THEY JUST REFUSE TO ADMIT THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM AFTER I PAID THEM $8,000 IN GOOD FAITH.

THE FACT IS, NEARLY 50% OF THE BOARDS ARE INCONSISTENT WIDTHS. THIS IS EASILY PROVEN. JUST LOOK AT THE FLOOR. THIS IS SOLID PHYSICAL EVIDENCE THAT CANNOT BE DISPUTED AND I HAVE A TON OF IT.

- We provided a 100% reimbursement for the extra installation expense $1360.00 (without the need for BBB or 3rd party intervention - because we felt it was the right thing to do)

"BECAUSE WE FELT IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO"???

HOW HONORABLE! WOW...

AGAIN, THIS IS SO DISINGENUOUS THAT IT'S NOT FUNNY. I HAD TO PRACTICALLY BEG THEM TO DO THIS AFTER DAN PROMISED ME HE WOULD. THEY TRIED TO BEAT ME DOWN AND DIMINISH THE EFFORTS OF MY INSTALLERS AND IT LITERALLY TOOK OVER TWO MONTHS TO GET THIS MONEY.

BOTTOM LINE - WHAT THEY MADE ME DO IN ORDER TO GET THE EXTRA MONEY THAT I HAD TO PAY THE INSTALLERS WAS SIGN A DOCUMENT GIVING UP MY RIGHT TO BRING FURTHER ACTION AGAINST THEM IN THIS MATTER, OR TO PURSUE WARRANTY CLAIMS WITH THEM WHICH, IN AND OF ITSELF, IS ILLEGAL. I HAD TO GIVE UP MY WARRANTY TO GET THIS MONEY. HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT? I GUESS THEY FELT THAT "WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO" ALSO...

I KNEW THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE FUTILE TO PURSUE THIS IN COURT, AND I KNEW AT THAT POINT THAT THEY WERE NOT GOING TO STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT OR THEIR PROMISES, SO I HAD NO PROBLEM SIGNING IT.

I RESIGNED MYSELF TO BITING THE BULLET, TAKING THE LOSS, AND LEARNING A LESSON - DON'T DO BUSINESS OF THIS MAGNITUDE WITH AN ONLINE COMPANY, AND PARTICULARLY BRAZILIAN DIRECT, NO MATTER WHAT THEY PROMISE, BECAUSE ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS LIE TO YOU, GET YOUR MONEY, SELL YOU GARBAGE, AND THEN TELL YOU TO GO JUMP IN THE LAKE, WHICH IS WHAT BRAZILIAN DIRECT DID, AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT.

THINK ABOUT THAT.

MY RECOURSE IS TO TELL MY STORY IN THE HOPES THAT SOMEONE ELSE DOESN'T GET SCREWED BY THEM LIKE I DID.

- We have taken steps to improve our quality control processes

WHAT? REALLY? WHY? IF THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG, WHY IMPROVE YOUR QUALITY CONTROL PROCESSES? PLEASE EXPLAIN THAT TO ME AND TO EVERYONE ELSE WHO IS READING THIS. YOU DID SAY AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR ABOVE POST THAT THIS PROBLEM WAS CAUSED BY ME AND MY INSTALLERS, RIGHT? HOW COULD ME AND MY INSTALLERS AFFECT YOUR QUALITY CONTROL PROCESS? I THINK THE TRUTH FINALLY CAME OUT...

FOLKS, NOTWITHSTANDING THE FACT THAT THIS IS A BLATANT ADMISSION THAT THEY SOLD ME FLAWED PRODUCT, THAT IS NOT THE PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM IS HOW I WAS TREATED AFTER TRUSTING THEM IN GOOD FAITH, IN MAKING ME SIGN AWAY MY WARRANTY IN ORDER TO GET REIMBURSED FOR A PROBLEM THAT WAS THEIR FAULT, AND IN LITERALLY LAUGHING AT ME WHEN I COMPLAINED, AND LYING AND DISTORTING THE FACTS THROUGH THIS WHOLE PROCESS, UP TO AND INCLUDING THE PRESENT. THAT IS THE PROBLEM.

AND THAT'S WHY YOU SHOULD RUN, NOT WALK AWAY WHEN CONSIDERING DOING BUSINESS WITH BRAZILIAN DIRECT.

- The real problem seems to have been, as noted by independent third party inspector, improper and inadequate acclimation, installation, and humidity control in the home (under 20% moisture in the house).

BULL***T. I ACCLIMATED THE PRODUCT BY OPENING ALL BOXES AND LETTING THEM SIT IN MY CLOSED HOME FOR TWO WEEKS, WHICH IS WHAT THEY TOLD ME TO DO, AND WHICH WAS WITNESSED BY MY WIFE, MY KID, AND MY TWO INSTALLERS WHO, INCIDENTALLY, ARE PROFESSIONAL INSTALLERS WHO HAVE INSTALLED HUNDREDS OF FLOORS LIKE THIS OVER THE COURSE OF 20 YEARS. AS FOR HUMIDITY CONTROL, THE HUMIDITY IN MY HOME IS MAINTAINED BETWEEN 35 AND 45 PERCENT, DUE TO A WHOLE HOUSE HUMIDIFICATION SYSTEM WHICH I HAD INSTALLED IN THE FORCED AIR HEATING SYSTEM IN MY HOME AT A COST OF $700.

BRAZILIAN DIRECT KNOWS THIS. THEY PAID AN INSPECTOR TO COME TO THE HOUSE. THEY HAVE USED THIS INSPECTOR MANY TIMES IN THE PAST AND THEY PAY HIM WELL. I GUESS THAT'S UNBIASED, RIGHT? EVEN AFTER ME AND MY INSTALLERS POINTED OUT TO HIM DOZENS OF EXAMPLES OF THE INCONSISTENT WIDTH ISSUES IN THE INSTALLED FLOORING, AND PRESENTED AT LEAST 20 BAD PIECES TO HIM ALONG WITH A TAPE MEASURE, THE INSPECTOR COMPLETELY IGNORED THESE ISSUES IN HIS COMPLETELY BIASED AND PREJUDICED REPORT.

MY INSTALLERS COULD NOT BELIEVE HIS REPORT. NOT ONE MENTION OF THE PRIMARY ISSUE THAT HE WAS BROUGHT OUT THERE TO ADDRESS - INCONSISTENT WIDTHS.

WHATEVER. I SUPPOSE I COULD PAY SOMEONE TO FALSIFY THINGS AND GIVE ME AN EQUALLY BIASED REPORT IN THE OTHER DIRECTION, BUT THAT WOULD BRING ME DOWN TO THEIR LEVEL AND I REFUSE TO LOWER MYSELF.

We are very sorry that this customer had an unpleasant experience. However, we have had 1,000's of very satisfied customers since we started in 2002, and only one individual like username samburnell.

UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE? HARDLY - THIS WAS A NIGHTMARE AND, DON'T KID YOURSELF, THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT SORRY.

WHEN I COMPLAINED ABOUT THESE PROBLEMS, THEY ASKED ME TO SEND THEM SOME PHYSICAL SAMPLES OF THE INCONSISTENT WIDTHS. I SENT THEM ROUGHLY 20 BOARDS, AT MY COST, MEASURED AND LABELED. EVEN IN LIGHT OF THIS UN-CONTESTABLE PHYSICAL PROOF, THEY REFUSED TO ADMIT THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG, CLAIMING THAT, OF THE 10 OTHER CUSTOMERS WHO BOUGHT FLOORING FROM THE EXACT SAME BATCH AS MINE, NONE OF THESE OTHER CUSTOMERS HAD A PROBLEM. I THEN ASKED THEM TO PUT ME IN TOUCH WITH THESE OTHER CUSTOMERS. CAN YOU GUESS WHAT THEIR RESPONSE WAS?

BOTTOM LINE - BRAZILIAN DIRECT IS A VERY NICE, POLITE, HELPFUL COMPANY - UNTIL THEY HAVE YOUR MONEY IN THEIR BANK ACCOUNT. THEN, YOU ARE AT THEIR MERCY. THEY WILL LIE, DENY, MAKE FALSE CLAIMS, BREAK THE LAW, BLAME EVERYBODY BUT THEMSELVES, AND NEVER ADMIT WRONGDOING EVEN IN THE FACE OF INCONTROVERTIBLE PHYSICAL PROOF.

AGAIN, DO BUSINESS WITH THEM AT YOUR OWN RISK. YOU HAVE CERTAINLY BEEN WARNED.

My figure is, if it is those really hardy wood, like brazilian cherry, ordering from them should be OK (still should be your call, not because I said so). Their price is good. You just need to be picky about the wood you are picking and make sure you are ordering the EXACT amount. My guess is, those people are trying to help while also try to make a living. I would say my experience with them was good and pleasant. But thanks for the above comments from Samburnell anyway, it made me a lot more careful.

I bought about 500 sq ft of cumaru from BD in 2010. I had the same problems Sam B did, the widths of the flooring were different, mine was supposed to be 3", but varied about +/- 1/8". With wood flooring, ANY width variation makes it look terrible really fast. I had a table saw in the basement, and I hand selected the ones that were close, then ripped them all to the width of the narrowest one, then sanding the cut edge to smooth it out.

A tedious operation that I would not do again. The flooring turned out looking good, and the finish seems to be holding up well.

Hopefully by now BD has fixed this width problem, the only reason I ended up posting this review was a friend wanted to know where I got the flooring, so that led me down memory lane...

Seth