There's much speculation about what caused carpet to topple in popularity.  "De - select" is the bureaucratic word coined to describe this phenomenon. How about just telling it like it is? Bad business practices have finally caught up. 

Shoddy installation is the worst offender. Failure to power stretch causes seams to peak. We see some really bad jobs that have puckering ridges an inch or more  high and up to eight inches wide running right down the middle of the room. They not only look bad, they're dangerous because a person could trip and fall over them.

Delivery schedules that have gone awry and warranty papers not being delivered cause consumer discontent.  Fiber blends introduced for economy rather than performance have left many bad memories. Product substitution, a variation of bait and switch, offends carpet buyers. But the worst scenario is for a retailer to take a deposit after filing bankruptcy and not deliver the carpet. That really makes people angry.

On the cleaning and maintenance side, complaints seldom involve equipment, chemicals or methods which makes me doubt the validity of the CRI's testing program. Bait and switch advertisers cause more ill feelings toward carpet than any other cleaning related complaint. After one experience with these guys the consumer can grow to hate their carpet.

They'll stop "De - selecting" when the whole industry starts treating them right.