HI Jan,

Here is my take... the decorator's visit was free to you, but any purchases that you made as a result of her visit are not free of a design charge. In order for designers to make a living they naturally have to charge for their services, either through fees, through upcharging items purchase, or some combination of the two. Good advice is, unfortunately, not usally free, this decorating board notwithstanding:-)
It sounds like she found a nice rug for you and you are interested in using it and so I would feel okay about paying her.

As for whether the rugs you have in mind will coordinate with one another I think the rule is that they have to "agree" in style, but not necessarily match in size, color, etc.

Hope this helps,

Since you're not obligated to her in any way, I'd return the rug and tell her you're going to hold off a rug for a while.
I'd then purchase the one that is less money. After all you didn't ask her to come, she had to do it.

Great advice Andreadeg!

Maybe I didnt give quite enough info so, to clarify---

Help with dimensions, room sizes, fabric etc are services they provide to all customers. Typically you bring them your information (room dimensions, photos etc) and they will try to choose the brand/size that would best fit in your space. I already knew the brand I wanted. Her employee was supposed to be helping me based on information I brought to her already. Instead, she left the company and didn't pass on the information to anyone else. Weeks passed and I decided to call to ask about it. The owner felt bad and offered to come to me for the info. To start fresh. I agreed, (instead of taking my business elsewhere) Whatever happened, I was not obligated to buy anything from her. She made the offer to try to earn my sofa business. I liked her, appreciated the effort, and liked her ideas. I spent hundreds more than I had budgeted on the sofas. I had no idea if I could buy them down the street for hundreds less, but I wanted to get them from her. The rug was a suggestion, along with tables, accessories etc that I had no intention of buying when we started the whole thing. The only reason I agreed to order it was that she told me it was completely returnable so there was no risk on my part. I thought I would see what it looks like, and if it looks as good as I think it will, we'll keep it. It took me from being several hundred over budget to several thousand. It will be a struggle for us to come up with the extra by the time the couches are in and we don't want to finance anything. We can scrimp and do it, but knowing I am overpaying by hundreds bothers me. I would prefer to buy from her but am feeling as though I filled my "obligation" for her efforts by buying my main pieces from her and the smart thing to focus on now is the money.

I tend to be willing to pay more to support local businesses and to sustain good relationships with them, but $400 is a bit of a jaw-dropping amount. Yes, I would ask, but
(a) I would not necessarily ask for the full $400 difference. After all, if she says no, you have roll up this rug, take it back or be there for someone to pick it up, order the other one on line, see if it's in stock, PAY SHIPPING, wait for it, unpack and unroll it... well, you get the idea. Depending on how complicated its removal is, $100 or so worth of your time may be secured in the fact that this rug is already in your home.

(b) watch the timing and the tone. Keep in mind that if she says no, you still have to arrange and complete the return transaction (and finish the couch transaction if I understand correctly). In fact, if it's easy to roll up and handle (negating point a), you could even roll it up, put it in the car, and go ask her in person - then if she says no, it's a quick return and clean getaway. Also remember that if the online seller turns out to be out of stock, you'll want to come back!

(c) maybe you could tie it to further purchases for another rug, if she has something in her store that you like. As in, if I buy this one and a smaller one, could you discount both of them?

Finally, rugs off craigslist - keep in mind that you probably would want to get a CL rug cleaned right away, and that usually costs a hundred or two. You also often have to spend hours on CL looking for the right size/colour combination to come up, plus arrange a time to view and drive to wherever the rug is. In other words, it's about your time again. I've pretty much found that what I save in money shopping on CL, I spend in time and gas (I have driven an hour out of town to get a $15 lamp after exchanging 300 emails trying to find a mutually convenient day and looking at lamp listings ad infinitum. Was it really a $15 lamp?). So it all depends on how important your time is.

Those are some of the things I would be thinking.

Above all, check what the online seller would charge to ship the rug. Price plus shipping is the real competing price.

KarinL

No one should feel guilty about trying to work to a budget. My feeling is that by asking for a price match (rather than just taking the rug back and ordering online), you have at least given her the opportunity to get your business. Tell her you'd rather buy from her, but the $400 can go a long way towards future purchases. Be honest and sincere. I'm sure as a business person she'll realize that compromise can lead to additional business down the road. I would rather take a little less margin now and profit later on...

When I moved to the home I currently live in, I was looking for a rug for the great room. Visited an independent rug dealer next door to the furniture store where I was shopping. Saw a rug I liked but the price was more than I wanted to spend. I found the same rug online for about $800 less. I printed the page, brought it to the independent guy and asked if he could "work with me" on price. He agreed and I saved money. Also, I supported a local business, and buying local makes things easier if there is a problem with the item. He earned goodwill and since most of his money is made by cleaning wool rugs he also earned a customer for that. I think if you are respectful and not confrontational most people will work with you if they are an independent dealer with that control.
Judy

My neighbor collects oriental rugs passionately. If it's a true oriental, they're naturally very dirt-repellent; often a good vacuuming is all you need.

when a full wash is in order, he takes his valuable rugs out on the lawn and washes them with a garden hose, shampoo (the plainer the better; you just want the sodium laurel sulfate), squeegee, and brush. you want to do this in good weather.
1) face up, wet the front. flip.
2) face down, wet the back, then rinse rinse rinse. You're trying to get as much dirt to drain out the way it came in; from the top. flip.
3) face up, wash cycle. Using soap/water solution and dish brush, dump solution all over rug and gently scrub. squeegee and flip.
4) gently scrub the back, and rinse rinse rinse. flip
5) final rinse. rinse, squeegee, repeat, until the water comes clear.
6) elevate on benches, etc. to dry
Note: do not use a high pressure nozzle; you can erode the strands of wool yarn, especially when you're working on the back.

He does this with $10K plus rugs all the time (actually not so much now that their incontinent dog passed on), and his rugs look great. I've done it with cheaper wool rugs, also with good results. If you do your own rugs, you can know how gently they've been handled and scrubbed, and that they are well-rinsed. I would not recommend it for new tufted rugs, synthetics, or anything with a backing; just traditional wool rugs. I have 2 antique rugs from the trash that came out great, and I KNOW they're really clean, bc I did it myself.

If it were me and I had 10K plus oriental rugs and an incontinent dog, one or the other would have to go. They are easy to roll up and store in a crisis. (I mean the rugs, not the dog).