Rustico Tile & Stone

Hello everyone!
PSA for all Design Teams out there: Please allow us to help you with your clients.

95% of all post purchase issues arise when your end client doesn’t truly understand what Handmade Artisan Tile really means. The primary cause of this issue is when the account management team at Rustico is not allowed to speak to your client. We cannot overstate how important this brief call is. On the call we will explain all the small, but important details about what they are purchasing and therefore avoid so many concerns your client could come back to you about.

Why we are held at arm’s length from clients can happen for several reasons. But the one I hear most often from design teams is their concern their clients will go around them directly to us, and therefore they will lose out on their commission. Please know we will never allow this to happen. We want to work with you time and time again, where we normally work with an end consumer once, maybe twice.

So why is it so important to have that direct line of communication? Because if we don’t, you become the sales team for our product. The difference is, we have decades of experience selling our product, while most of you are being introduced to it for the first time. So even though we prepare you all as much as possible to explain the entire process to your client, and all about perfectly imperfect handmade artisan tiles. The information rarely gets passed on in a manner where the client truly understands and knows what to expect from their purchase.

So, inevitably the tile shows up, and the end client is expecting something very different. They think the tile is going to be boxed, uniformed and perfect from tile to tile. Just like you would get at any big box tile store. What your client doesn't realize is they are coming to Rustico to get something completely different. When you pick up a single tile and look at it by itself you will see imperfections. The tile might not be exactly square or planed; the surface might have variations of color and texture depending on the drying and the firing process in the kiln. But your client is not expecting these variations. So, when they start grabbing each tile and trying to pick and choose the ones that match each other perfectly, they're negating the entire point of using this type of tile. This is when they come back to you and say only 50% of the tile is usable, but what they are really saying is “I only want to use 50% of the tile”.

When the client is unaware of the process is when they come back to you for answers and to fix their issues. Then you turn to us and say our product is to blame. Unfortunately, since we were not allowed to assist you and explain what your client was buying, your client doesn’t realize the fault does not lie with the product, but in the understanding of what the product is.

We are always willing to assist you in completing your project, (as we offered many times in this situation). But unfortunately, when you sign off on the purchase and therefore bear the responsibility of educating your client, we cannot be held accountable for the missteps of others.

When all parties are aligned on the product and process, your client will understand that when they install the tile, and all the small individual imperfections blend seamlessly is when the single imperfect tile becomes the overall perfect result.

Sincerely,
The Rustico and Tile team

Thank you so much for the kind words and thoughtful review! We're thrilled to hear that your Saltillo tile arrived in great condition and that you're happy with both the product and the experience. Our team works hard to provide helpful guidance and careful packaging, so it's incredibly rewarding to know that made a difference. We truly appreciate your recommendation and would love to work with you again on any future projects. Enjoy your beautiful new floors! We love to see project photos is you would like to share with us!

Warm regards,
The Rustico Tile & Stone Team

Thanks for the kind words, Jodi! We can't wait to see photos of your floor when it's all installed! :) Blessings - the Rustico team

We're happy that you're happy, Nan!! The overage of 15% will cover all of your waste, cuts, and border so use what you can accordingly. We'd love to see photos when it's all finished!! Merry Christmas!