Anyone Dealing With Topps Tiles??

[swindonbathroom]

Hi

Just had a bizarre experience at Topps Tiles Swindon. Just to state that I am not a Topps Tiles Tiler ( now that's a mouthful ).

I often send clients into Topps Tiles and this was the case with Mavis - incidentially in her 70's. I usually give clients the required amount of tiles they need and point them in Topps direction. Our client then deals direct with Topps Tiles and I have no financial gain from this.

Anyway Mavis buys her tiles for her bathroom , floor & walls , but mistakenly buys adhesives /grout etc. Her daughter sees the mistake and it seems fairly simple for Mavis just to get a refund. At this point the stock hasn't left Topps Tiles.

Apparently there is some issues in store that I don't just use their materials and give the money to Mavis. Easy you might think. I objected to paying the £600 charged poor Mavis for these goods. Yes £600 !! Not taking them up on their kind offer I actually went and bought all the miscellaneous adhesives etc for under £300 !!

Now I'm a person non grata as i've "done" Topps Tiles out of a £600 sale !! I thought I'd introduced a client and they'd made a tile sale. Not in Topps Tiles eyes. I'm an out and out villian lol !

I know the last company outlook was poor but acting like this is making Bankers look downright reasonable !

Anyone else had trouble with Topps Tiles ??

 

[TT Tiling]

would never use them ,they make it up as they go , :welcome:, the guys girls on here will point you in the right direction

 

[Ceramico tiling]

the manager you get in your local store can make a big difference to how you get on with dealing with them

tile giant recognise this and our local tg manager is ex topps but has no silly rules to giving trade

Funny you should say that,,The manager of the tops in
Streatham London was just saying that to me today when I commented on how friendly the store was.Got a trade acc there no probs.Just required a few reciepts and a bussiness card.

 

[andy8758]

Been catching up after a week away - very interesting cross section of Topps Tiles Trade experience.

With a selection of tile retailers available to me within 15 miles (including Topps, Tileflair and Tile Giant) I gotta say Topps experiences are very bad. Overpriced adhesives/grouts, very poor discounts offered, little interest in cultivating trade custom, and supplying poor quality (damaged) tiles.

In comparison, both Tile Giant and Tileflair have been helpful, given great discounts - supplied adhesives and grouts at very competative prices, and genuinely seem to encourage and support trade custom.

Somebody told me that Topps Tiles shops vary according to managers. Could be true - in which case steer clear of my nearest Topps (Somerset) - thats where the most of the bad experiences happened!

 

[White Room]

Was in Topps today and was told that Bal is the Rolls Royce of adhesive, I know a few guys who would disagree

 

[mikethetile]

rolls royce prices too

a ford mondeo will get you there in comfort and in the same time, so what are we paying for

posh bags??

 

[DJS]

What wrong with MAPEI bags Mike - not colourful enough for ya? :lol:

I'll use TOPPS, but only if I'm in urgent need of something and I know my local tile shop won't be able to get it in for a few days. Rolls Royce must be a topps saying they promote nationally - the guy in Manchester said it to me when I picked up my card.

I get a reasonable discount on the add-on's, but I don't like the quality of the tiles most of all.

I try to steer customers towards my local independant shop, but I also have to accept (from experience) that some people feel re-assured by a big brand name like TOPPS!! I feel dirty saying that :lol: I take time to explain the differences in manufacture and quality, but the £££'s are all the customer care's about at the end of the day. I am more than happy to leave it as their decision, and just advise them accordingly.

I wish Tile Giant was nearer to me, is the only one in Manchester/Stockport area way out in Ashton, East Manchester?

 

[swindonbathroom]

Topps Tiles Swindon obviously didn't like my review of my experiences with them. It appears that anyone not using "Bal" is using inferior products and only doing so to make a quick buck at the expense of the customer. Anyone who questions the cost is also trying to bully their staff.
Seems like I've hit a nerve!!

 

[poynton phil]

I use topps the one in cheadle very rarely only 3 or 4 times a year, but tbh when i go in they are always chatty, and polite. Just wish they would give me a job or two.

 

[mikethetile]

Topps Tiles Swindon obviously didn't like my review of my experiences with them. It appears that anyone not using "Bal" is using inferior products and only doing so to make a quick buck at the expense of the customer. Anyone who questions the cost is also trying to bully their staff.
Seems like I've hit a nerve!!

whoops:lol:

I wonder if they liked the rest of thread😛rrr:

 

[poynton phil]

I have been told by a mate that if a store is a big earner then you dont get this sort of thing happening, but the stores that struggle to meet sales targets to try to push sales a lot more. although i dont know what sort of sales figures swindon has. I do know the store i use in cheadle is a big earner for topps.