As a member of the marketing committee for D&B Tile Distributors and a freelance photographer I have produced more than 100 case studies for the weekly e-blast that appears on your computer each Monday morning. I interviewed customers, architects, contractors and photographed the installations. A few months ago, I found myself in their shoes ... Richard Booth
It all started on a fall Saturday afternoon. My wife and I were watching college football on TV and we heard a cracking sound in the hallway of our home. Our 20-year-old 14" x 14" tile had finally given up. There were a few cracked grout lines and loose tiles. More appeared within the next few days. The next move was obvious. We were about to become customers of D&B Tile Distributors.
I've known the Yarborough family for more than 20 years.About 15 years ago, Harold Yarborough invited me to take part in their marketing and advertising planning. I worked with them on their newsletter and print advertising and eventually began producing their e-mail blasts.
Up to this point, everything I had written about jobs, people and the company was in the third person. This time it comes from me. I travel regularly to all nine stores and know most of the managers and many of the sales staff personally. They are all focused on one thing ... customer satisfaction and service after the sale.
We rented a U-Haul truck, parked it in the driveway and moved all of the furniture in the living, room, dining room, kitchen, hallway and family room into the truck and our garage. We gave Jerry Weiner and his crew a clean palette to work with.
Tearout took only a day and the crew started laying tile the following morning. The job was completed on time, within budget and we were very satisfied. The tile contractor estimated the job perfectly as we ended up with only three extra pieces of 8" x 48" planks. Cleanup was efficient and we are on our way to getting our house back to normal. All the furniture is not yet back in place because we re
alized that it may be time for some new furniture as well.
I have photographed all of the stores at least twice and am well aware of the wide variety of porcelain tile, marble and stone on display. I have been in sessions where vendors present their products to the management team in hopes of finding some space in the D&B Tile stores. In each instance, D&B Tile thoroughly considers the company, their production process, quality control, shipping procedures, pricing and overall appeal. Then they make a decision. I knew my wife would be overwhelmed with the selections available and that's exactly what happened.
"There's so much to pick from, I don't know where to start ... I had no idea there was this much variety in tile..."We settled on a high-gloss wood look porcelain tile and placed the order. We were given a list of qualified tile contractors and obtained quotes from a few of them. We decided to retain JW & Associates to do the job.
In 15 years of working with D&B Tile Distributors, I always knew their sales staff was knowledgeable, their prices were fair, and their selection was amazing and service before AND after the sale was their trademark. However, seeing it all unfold in your own home puts an entirely different spin on things.
And, I'm quite certain the number of neighbors, family and friends who have walked through our home would probably agree. As they say in their advertising, "The First Step to a Beautiful Design Is Stepping Into D&B Tile."
This tile and many other "wood looks" are on display at all nine locations and authorized dealers of D&B Tile Distributors in South Florida
