Topps tiles

[Fred]

Are they a 'under the counter' payer?

I've had an account with them for over four years. I spend alot of money in my local topps, but, even though they have my cards, I never get work via them! OK, its ok to buy their gear, and every time I go there, they say their handing out my cards, which cost myself money, I never get a call from punters who say they have been to topps.

So, all I can presume is that the topps I use, maybe others, have their preferred tilers/tilers who throw them a bung! I was told, several times, an area manager would call me..................

where I go , in London, the staff are mainly Polish, no problem, unless, they are sorting themselves out..............know what I mean................

 

[GazTech]

Topps now have TAF's...Topps Approved Fixers, usually no more than 5 tilers...Gaz

 

[grumpygrouter]

My Topps in Inverness do not use (yet) approved fixers. i have had referrals from them too.

 

[Grace'sDad]

Hi Fred, I've been dealing a lot with Topps since middle of last year and I had nadda from them all that time, although they too told me that they were handing out my cards. I was getting impatient because I worked out that I had spent over 4k with them on materials and sent over 5k worth of business their way!

They recently started this Approved Installer scheme, where each store has 2 or 3 approved installers. (see all the new POS in store advertising this?)
I asked about this before my store had even heard of it and I got invited onboard. There is a bit of paperwork and commitment required but I am now getting LOADS of enquiries and jobs from them.

My advice would be to contact their area manager and speak directly to them. Ask to get onboad and outline your history with the store.

 

[White Room]

We'll do it at the weekend for you type of thing or our mates can do it

Is that what you refering to

Allegedly

 

[Fred]

thanks for the replies, just getting frustrated seeing polish vans x 10 and mine outside my topps and getting no work from them................headbutt..lol

 

[White Room]

Grace's dad put in a nutshell ring the general manager

 

[Fred]

Grace's dad put in a nutshell ring the general manager

Please, just give the lads a chance to earn.................

 

[CJ]

I'm one of my local Topps approved tilers.............get quite a lot of work from them.........and there Insurance work as well.

 

[White Room]

Have I missed something here, You where saying you getting no work from topps and complaining about a bung. If your not happy about the situation tell the staff, Thats why I have stopped putting my cards to a supplier so I'm not beholdent to them and can shout if I'm not happy about the service I receive and I can go to another supplier who wants my money and not worry about the work I don't get from them

 

[Fred]

I'm one of my local Topps approved tilers.............get quite a lot of work from them.........and there Insurance work as well.

good for you....................live in London mate...............

 

[CJ]

good for you....................live in London mate...............

Different ball game...............but then again, I spose I'm lucky in as much as the foreign workers don't seem to have got down my way....................................YET

 

[tiler burden]

gaz is correct, then have their own approved fixers now.

be careful how you approach this one mate. if you complain to the manager, then its going to **** the staff off and they will never hand your cards out!!

ask how you become a approved fixer???

ask how your spending compares to the other approved fixers ie more or less??

Get a rapport going with one particular person. find out what makes them tick and start dropping them a few quid...money talks more than cups a tea!

try and have something unique to the competetors. ie say you specialise in wetrooms for example. something that they can specifically recommend you for rather than just tiling...in other words find something that stands 'you' out from the rest!!

hope this helps

 

[faithhealer]

If you are a TAF, who negotiates the 'rate', shop or tiler?

 

[penno]

If you are a TAF, who negotiates the 'rate', shop or tiler?

The Topps i am a fitter for i negotiate the rate.
As a fixer you basically get paid for labour, you don't make on adhesives and grout.
You basically have a check sheet you take to the customers house. You tell them exacly how much adhesive and grout is needed and what price you would charge for fitting.
The customer then pays Topps for all the materials and pays you the tiler on completion for the labour.

Manager in my Topps knows roughly what prices i charge so before i go to the customer to price he gives them a very rough figure of what it will cost so they get no nasty surprises and also cuts down on time wasters.