Service After the Sale by D&B Tile Completes Beautiful Backyard Fountain

The one common denominator found in every company that has been in business for a long time is customer service. Regardless of whether you are providing materials, software programs or just plain advice, customer service is the most important factor in longevity and keeping customers happy. When you consider the extreme variety in tile, marble and stone options available in today’s marketplace, there are times when supply schedules are not met, colors shift from one batch to another and sizes may be discontinued on a moment’s notice. These are facts of life in any business and dedicated attention to the needs of the customer is the only solution to problems not caused by the seller or misconceptions on the part of the customer. D&B Tile Distributors has been around for more than 50 years because they understand what customer service means. Bob Chaviano moved to Miami-Dade from Puerto Rico. When he purchased his older home, he decided to completely remodel the property - inside and out. The last project was to build an elaborate fountain in his backyard. The general contractor on his remodeling project referred him to D&B Tile Distributors and he showed up at the Doral store to meet with Ralph Rodriguez. After explaining his plans, Mr. Chaviano decided on a Mexican hand-made tile for the back wall of the fountain. He specified a 6x6 tile and placed the order. One of the features of the selected tile is that each tile is individually made by hand and, therefore, is not a mirror image of the one next to it. This was explained and the order was placed. Initial schedule from the vendor was two weeks for delivery. That was pushed back a number of times until the tile finally arrived 12 weeks after the original order was placed. To further compound the issue, the original size of 6x6 had been discontinued and only 4x4 tile was available. Undaunted, D&B salesperson Ralph Rodriguez contacted the vendor and asked him to assemble a design showing the 4x4 tile with trim and to send a photograph of that design. The customer saw the revised design and agreed on that size tile. When the tile arrived, and installation began, the contractor encountered problems lining up the hand-made tiles. Because of the complex design, a choice had to be made between lining up the design or maintaining a straight grout line. It was impossible to do both. To complicate matters even more, the adjoining blue tile design came up short by six pieces of tile to complete the job. When the salesperson was contacted about this, he informed the customer that he would have to order an entire box of 100 tiles to complete the job. However, he contacted the other eight store locations searching for samples of the requested tile. He found 15 pieces and hand-delivered them to the customer. The job was completed and the customer is satisfied with the effort made by D&B Tile Distributors and specifically Ralph Rodriguez in the Doral store. According to the customer, “I would heartily recommend D&B Tile Distributors to anyone because they went the extra mile to correct a situation that they did not cause. Everything worked out well and I am pleased with the fountain. Ralph was determined to keep me happy and I will enjoy the fountain for years.” D&B Tile reminds all customers that, while hand-made tile has a specific appeal and charm . . . it is not guaranteed to be symmetrical. That is part of the design. See these beautiful tiles and many other selections of tile, marble and stone from around the world at any of our nine conveniently located stores. Remember, the first step to beautiful design is stepping into D&B Tile. Photographs and article by G. Richard Booth