Topps Tiles -Love it or hate it?

[TilersTilingTiles]

Recently priced a job in a loft conversion. One bathroom and one ensuit shower room About 50m2 total with porceline floor tiles and ceramic wall tiles. The client asked me to provide a labour only quote and a seperate quote detailing the materials needed and how much I could supply it all for. Apparently topps tiles is doing a discount on materials if you buy your tiles through them too. Anyway it turned out that I could get the materials for just under half of what topps quoted even with the discount.

Topps tiles used to be our main supplier when i was an apprentice and when they used to have their own brands of adhesive were very reasonably priced.

Now some of my clients are paying £50 a bag for Bal rapid set flexi. How do they justify that!

Topps Tiles -Love it or hate it? for more...

Tile Forums @ tilerstilingtiles.co.uk

 

[david campbell]

everyones a winner ha ha

 

[bonnietiler]

Now, when Ted Derbyshire, ran and owned it, back in the good old days, I used to sell him tiles, he managed to purloin a Direct account from Johnsons arouns the same time that Texas Homecare got one, he was a decent bloke and ran a fine company. He sold it to a couple of lads from London who had "American" ideas of how to maximise profit.
Good chap Ted was, he dressed like Arkright from Open All Hours.
BonnieT

 

[Fred]

Their in the credit crunch, and are trying to make ends meet. Like the yellow pages, I've just re-newed my package, instead of 10 months intrest free payments, they want the payments over 7 months and all different fees per month.....in other words they want the money in asap to keep afloat..............

 

[MIKE1]

I find topps staff helpful but there adhesives are getting expensive.The 1st time i used them got good discount now not so. I prefer ctd for tools . I haven't done many jobs have used either ctd or topps just because they are very easy to get to.:gettree:

 

[Mad Hatter]

I find that the a topps near me isnt very good, and the staff arent too friendly, contrast this with the nearest CTD to me, which is about half an hours drive, where the staff are very friendly, always happy to help out and have a good chat.

Im more that happy to drive for half and hour (each way) to go to the CTD where i feel welcome as apose to the topps where i dont.

Ditto, the lads at the Manchester branch are spot on. First impressions go a long way and I've not been back to Topps since.

 

[mart08]

My local topps is less than 5 minutes down the road and i pop in most mornings for a brew and quick chat. The team there are spot on. I'm on their books as a fixer and along with them recommending me to customers i get about 80% of my work from them. Only been tiling for about 6 months but only had 3 days off so far!! Theres not much in it price wise with CTD but they are bit to far away from me.

 

[westcoast tiler]

As others have said both Topps and CTD depends on the Staff

CTD just open in Inverness with the topps manager now there
so we get the best of both worlds.

All the best from the west :santa_cheesy:

 

[theyomper]

My local Topps is excellent not only for me but from the comments I receive from the customer...they can't fault the service. I am their number 1 TAF and i get first call on all their tiling,laminate and wood flooring work. Even if I get jobs from private customers who get their tiles from other local independants I will still buy all my addy etc from Topps. The old adage... 'You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours'.....I get fed up with people slagging them off...........Yes they are expensive on Bal products but you can swing this to your advantage if needs be.........on another point...where else can you return an individual tile and get a refund rather than a whole unopened box !

 

[CJ]

Topps are spot on in my area. 45min drive to nearest CTD so thats a no no

As for prices..........so so

 

[Daz]

.........on another point...where else can you return an individual tile and get a refund rather than a whole unopened box !

Only ever been able to return a full unopened box to Topps, you must have a "special" relationship????