Old Country Ceramic Tile, Inc.

Review: We went to the showroom to select tile for our bathroom renovation. The saleswoman, [redacted], showed us (myself, my spouse, and my contractor) a 3x12 inch sample of a blue mosaic tile that was special order. We liked this tile and decided to order it. We gave the dimensions to [redacted], and she told us that we needed 20 sheets of tile, and that each sheet measured 3X12. We also ordered several other types of ceramic tile at that time. We were told that all of the tile would be in on 8/**. However, the blue mosaic was not in as promised, delaying our contractor. We were then promised it by 8/** (a Saturday), and once again, the tile did not arrive. We called 3 times before we were finally given an answer regarding where our tile was. [redacted], an employee, said that it was in [redacted] and that we could go get it. However, we were unable to get it as we already had plans, and needed it for Monday, so he offered to bring it to our house on Sunday morning, and that he would call us on Sunday morning. He did not call until 9:30pm on Sunday night, and finally delivered it at 10:30 pm on Sunday night (8/**). He left the cardboard boxes of tile in the rain. Thankfully, the tile wasn't damaged because the boxes were saturated with rain water.

Upon opening the boxes of tile on Monday 9/*, our contractor alerted us immediately that the store had ordered two boxes more than we needed, because they were 12x12 sheets and not 3x12 sheets as we were told. The boxes contained 6 sheets per box. We called the store on 9/* (the store was closed on 9/*) and spoke to [redacted] (the salesperson who helped us with the order), who denied that she had done the calculations and also denied that she told us that the sheets were 3X12. We asked for a refund for the two full boxes of tile, but were told "no" and that it was our fault. We then asked to speak with a [redacted] and she (another woman named [redacted]) left a message the next day (9/*) stating that it was our fault, that they told us the sheets were 12x12, and that we could not have a refund or even a store credit. We spoke to her again on 9/*, and asked why we should be held responsible for their employee's mistake. She replied that her employee had worked for her for the past 30 years and would never make that kind of mistake. She asked us "why can't you sell it yourself" and we replied that we aren't in the tile business. I asked her why she couldn't take it as a business loss to satisfy a customer who had spent thousands of dollars on this order, and she had no answer. The only thing she said she could do was to add us to a list of people who wanted to sell extra tile, which we said was an unacceptable solution.

As of right now (9/*), we have two boxes of tiles sitting in the garage which we have no use for.Desired Settlement: A refund of $431.26 for the 2 full boxes of tiles that were ordered incorrectly due to the salesperson's error. The cost of the tile was $33.20 per sheet = 12 sheetsx$33.20 = $398.40, plus 8.25% sales tax = $431.26f

Business

Response:

First I’d like to say that I speak in behalf of my entire family when I say that we regret to hear, that you feel you did not receive the type of service that we are so well known for at Old Country Tile. We are a family owned business since 1978 with an unequalled reputation in our industry. I’d also like to point out that since we do not actively advertise like so many of our competitors, we like to take pride in the fact that the majority of our business comes from the referrals of our many satisfied customers.

In regard to this particular incident I would like to point out the details as far as they are known to me. The material was late in arriving which unfortunately happens from time to time and we try our best to minimize the impact to our customers. The salesperson in question did deliver the tile on a Sunday, his day off, with his own personal vehicle on his own time with no expectation of any additional compensation from the company. As instructed by the customer, via text message, he left the material outside the front door because the customer claimed not to open the door to strangers. Once he delivered the tile he replied to the text message to let the customer know that the material was left outside as instructed. I can’t understand what this employee has done that can be construed as wrong, if anything he was commended for going above and beyond his responsibility.

As far as the confusion regarding the other employee calculating and ordering special order tile is concerned, I’d like to address that as well. The company policy regarding tile calculations which is printed on our order policy and posted throughout our showroom is as follows:

As a courtesy to our customers we will calculate quantities for the purposes of ESTIMATES ONLY, under no circumstances will an Old Country Ceramic Tile employee be held responsible for measurements. Please verify all quantities with your contractor prior to placing your order.

A condensed version of this is printed on every sales ticket we print. This policy is necessary since we do not have the luxury of going to an individual’s home to measure the quantity of product necessary for every individual project. For this reason we rely on the quantities provided by the customer or contractor. Not only is every employee well versed in this policy but the employee in question which has been with us for three decades is very familiar with company policy and would not deviate from this norm.

At Old Country Ceramic Tile it is always our primary endeavor to provide our customers with an exceptional purchasing experience. We hope to have the opportunity to prove to all those who share an experience with us that through our continued efforts we strive to provide a positive experience to all our customers.