Tile Sensations

My experience started off very positive. The staff is very helpful at assisting you in picking out tile. They have a great selection, but the prices are on the high side and nothing is in stock and must be ordered. When you order your expensive tile, you then have to pay shipping which is very expensive (to do a shower and bathroom floor, mine was over $ 300) and it take about 10 – 14 business days to come in. Also, after shipping and restocking fees you may as well keep any tile you don’t use unlike another larger store in Knoxville that takes full returns and has no shipping charge.
All that aside, they had the tile I wanted. So I was happy. I picked up all my tile and my tile guys layed different tile on different days. Shower walls, then bathroom floor, then the issue came when we got to the shower floor. This was 12“x12″ mesh sheets with smaller 2“x2″ tiles attached to it at $ 21/​sqft. I have no problem paying a high price, but I expect high quality. The first 3 sheets that were used in my recessed cubbies all looked great and were installed. Then we lay them out on the floor and there is a big issue. Some of the sheets look like the ones already installed (great), some of the sheets looked like a checkered board, some of the sheets were all brown with no variation of color and one sheet was all tan. I looked at the boxes and none of them have lot numbers (what that tells me is someone hand boxed these from different lots and possibly the wrong lots even though they were very expensive for ceramic tile) I cut some of the sheet up to see if I could make a pattern with them. The tile I want in the center and the darker tile as a boarder. I finally decided for what I paid, I should be happy with this, not settle for low quality tile.
At this point, I can’t even have them re-​order me some, because what will I get… the ones I like, the mostly brown, the checker board… I don’t know. So I decide it is best to just return them. So I called Tile Sensation and they asked me to bring them back so they could look at them, I said how about a picture because that is an hour drive round trip. (and I needed to get new tile ASAP) I sent a picture and the picture demonstrated how bad all the tile looked side by side… it was horrible. My tile guys said it was the worst he had ever seen and has been in the business for a long time. Tile Sensations by the picture alone agreed that the tile was horrible. Tile Sensation says they will have to call the distributor to see if they can get me a refund… what? I say it is horrible, my tile guy says it is horrible, Tile Sensation says it is horrible and we need to call someone to see if I can get a refund. What great customer service. So it is nearing Christmas and it is hard for Tile Sensation to get a hold of people, so this drags out past the holidays. Tile Sensation had called me several times that they were working on it and after Christmas they said I could bring the tile back and they could give me a refund for the whole sheets of tile I had left, but were still working on getting me a refund for the ones I cut. (I only cut them to try and salvage my project due to their poor quality tile). I say, it is an hour drive and I will bring them back when I am offered a full refund for all of them.
After this, I thought about it and it really bothered me. Everyone, including Tile Sensation says my tile is absolutely horrible and yet they are dragging me along for a refund. At this point, I am out the tile I wanted (and have this tile already in my recessed cubbies which now doesn’t go with my $ 20K remodel), I wasted the better part of a day finding new tile, my tile guys were delayed a day and had to re-​work me in to theirs schedule later (delaying my project), I was probably out shipping because they never mentioned refunding that, I was going to have to waste over an hour returning this product when they were ready to give me a refund, plus my time wasted for each phone call and later a long email. Tile Sensation at this point is out nothing, even though this is an issue that is not my fault. I am not returning because I changed my mind, I am returning because someone gave me tiles from different lot or wrong lots and we all agree looks horrible.
So I write them a letter stating this and how this is absolutely horrible customer service. That the second they saw the pictures and agreed it was horrible tile, they should have issued me a refund and dealt with their distributors to get their own refund. Instead, they wanted to make sure they received a refund before issuing me mine. That right there tells a person lot about a company. After the letter they gave me a full refund for all sheets and that portion of shipping. That is what they should have done first thing, not drag it out, waste my time and not take responsibility. That did not make it right for me! I am still out, not them. They profit and I have the wrong tile in my cubbies.

The selection at Tile Sensations is amazing! I could spend hours walking around the showroom finding all of the little treasures they have in stock. The service was great — I felt just as welcomed with a tiny mosaic project as customers who were designing entire houses. If you’re in need of great tile, definitely give this place a look.