Sippy_south, you may want to start a new thread with that question so everyone sees it. Otherwise only people reading this countertop thread can see it. As for the various brands of quartz - I don't know that there's really any difference, other than the various colors available and what each manufacturer considers a quality or warranty issue. One person on this forum had problems with Cambria - there was major "resin pooling" on her countertop (do a search for that term), and Cambria wouldn't replace it. I bought Zodiaq because I liked one of its colors the best.

I agree that a decision should not be based on that alone, however it is what it is, and should not be completely discounted. There are only a handful (no more than a dozen on the list that I saw) of the hundreds if not thousands of companies nationwide that were singled out by the FTC. The actions must be pretty egregious to warrant such a response, and it raises an eyebrow at the very least. I believe that several of the other companies on that list are now out of business. Often times there may not be one big hairy issue that indicates the way a company does business, but an array of smaller things that can fly under the radar can often establish a pattern. Take it for what it's worth.

Way to many variables in your post for anyone to answer.The first being no location. What is your field of expertise in estimating?

Our dealer (in Maryland) has been amazing. They’ve ordered us a box of four different floors we’ve considered, which has greatly assisted our decision making process. I don’t think this is “the norm”, but I’d highly recommend it if possible. The first floor we considered looked very nice based on the showroom sample, but the box we received had multiple boards with defects (PanTim Palladio). Even if it extends the process a bit, I’d try to get a box of the flooring before making a final decision - you get a much more representative view from 20 SF vs the small showroom sample.