Global Tile Design

I sell real estate in San Francisco — top 1% of agents. Global Tile sold me tiles that were mis labeled and so porus that 9 coats of sealant did not stop water stains. After all the coats my contractor and I realized the issue was the stone. After weeks of calling and emailing — Aldrich blew off calls and emails and tried to put me off to an assistant who further delyed. Then finally I reached the distributer who put the blame back on Aldrich and Global Tile. I am still working to get Aldrich to refund my money and pay for the tile to be re done. He is unresponsive. There are better places to get tile in SF — protect your self and find them!

We bought tile here for two bathroom projects. They (Aldrich and Anita) were very helpful and patient. We went back many times to be sure we were picking out the right tiles. I thought they would get tired of seeing us, but they were always helpful. The tiles came on time and the price was quite reasonable compared to other places we looked at.

What seemed to be a good experience went quickly south. I found Alrich helpful in the beginning. He helped me design a nice looking bathroom and we ordered the tiles. However, the follow through has been horrendous. The tiles never arrived on time and arrived broken — we waited two weeks for the replacement after he quoted me 2 – 3 days and I had to follow up with numerous phone calls and emails to get any results. Aldrich would not return my phone calls and often said he was busy with another client. In response to this delay, he simply said delays are common and he blamed the other tile company and never took responsibility of the issue. Like the other reviews, they do charge quite a bit on shipping and when the tiles do not arrive on time, it’s your problem not theirs. Very disappointing.

This is only the second time I’ve gone to Unilocal to post a negative review, but my experience with Global Tile needs to be shared with other unsuspecting customers. And at least I’ll start with a positive: throughout my unfortunate dealings, everyone with whom I dealt remained pleasant and «sympathetic» — unfortunately while failing to meet even the most fundamental level of customer service and while taking no responsibility for their several errors that cost me hundreds of dollars.
I went to Global to order glass tile for my kitchen remodel. After selecting the tile, I got two disastrous pieces of advice from the salesperson: (1) Place your order immediately and store it even if the tiling comes later in the project, so you won’t delay the completion date while the tiler waits for your material to be delivered; and (2) After providing the salesperson with the exact measurements AND a diagram of the area to be tiled, he advised me that I would need to order 3 boxes of tile.
The problem with this advice? When he suggested I place the order immediately, he failed to mention that the tile manufacturers have an absolute deadline for returning any unused tile — and that the clock was ticking for the entire time my order sat in my garage awaiting the tile work to be done (traditionally one of the final steps in any renovation). And, despite my exact measurements and diagram, he erred badly in his calculations and ordered over TWICE as much tile as I needed — even including the usual excess percentage allowed for breakage.
When the tiler finished and had used less than half the tile that I’d been sold, I contacted the salesperson immediately and expressed my displeasure. He said he’d look into it and get back to me. I never heard from him. My followup calls went unanswered. After a couple more weeks, I went into the Global showroom to be told: «Your salesperson doesn’t work here any more, you are several weeks past the manufacturer’s deadline for returns, and the customer is the one responsible for determining how much tile to order, so you’re out of luck.»
If the measurements I had provided were wrong, I should be totally responsible. Or, if the salesperson had said that it was my responsibility to decide the amount of material I needed, I would accept my fate. But he asked for the dimensions and then SUGGESTED that he calculate the order. And, he SUGGESTED that I order immediately and store the material myself. At that point, I believe that Global has to take ownership of their errors.
They were unwilling to offer me a refund, and were unwilling to make any gesture of compensation. After much discussion, they said if I wanted to keep the tile in my garage, they would try to offer it to the next client who came in wanting the same tile. It’s six months later, they still have my money and the box of tile continues to gather dust at my house.
Is this a place with which you’d want to do business?

It took 15 minutes to park. The place was empty and there was plenty of staff. But not one person asked if I needed help. I will not refer other designs or friends here. Going back to Latch Tile. They are the nicest people.

Round 2 with Aldrich on our kitchen and boy he hit it out of the park again. We brought him over some sample paint colors and he suggested a stunning mosaic design which is the visual highlight of the kitchen. The Lunada Bay mosaic combined with the Porcelanosa floor tile created a warm and modern aesthetic. We simply ran out of rooms to tile. But if you want a trusted resource, Aldrich is the guy to go to. Thanks again.

Customer service at this place SUCKS! We placed an order and 2 of the tiles arrived damaged. Global tile offered to replace the 2 damaged tiles. A day later, we ordered 10 additional tiles (same tile) over the phone and were told that the tiles would arrive in 2 – 3 days.
I received a call when the tiles arrived and given the total charge over the phone. I questioned the cost and was informed of a $ 25 shipping fee (there was no mention of shipping fees when I placed the order). I went to the store to pick up the tiles and asked about the additional charge on my invoice. The girl at the front desk told me that Anita was the one who took the order and that I was informed of the $ 25 shipping fee when I placed the order. The front desk girl walked away and came back without any solutions. Anita apparently was in the store the whole time and finally came over to talk to me. Instead of trying to find a solution, she went straight to accusing me of having forgotten that she explained the charges when I placed the order and kept saying I agreed to charges over the phone.
A) Anita said she told me she had to FedEx the tiles because the order was so small — If this was true, I would have asked what the shipping costs were
B) Anita said she told me about the $ 25 fee when I placed the order — I would absolutely remember if someone informed me of a shipping fee
C) They were shipping the 2 replacement tiles at the same time so why did they charge me the shipping fee?
If I was actually informed and agreed to the additional fee, I would not be writing this review. It’s not even about the $ 25, it’s the principle and they way Anita handled (or didn’t handle) the situation. Global tile has a decent selection but I would never come back or recommend this place to anyone.

Our design consultant Christina is THE BEST. She really helped complete our new bathroom design vision. Global Tile has a great selection of domestic and import tile. We fell in love with an Italian tile that looks like falling water — a natural for a glassed in shower. She showed us a spectacular metal-​flaked terrazo we used for the floor and a great-​feeling and looking glass bead tile in ocean tones for the shower floor. Munoz Tile from Santa Rosa did an amazing installation. Very happy with the result. If you’re not sure what you want, or even if you are, like us, go to Global Tile. Maybe not the largest tile store in the Bay but definitely one of the best.

I can’t recommend Global Tile more highly! Working with Aldrich has been a real pleasure. We’re redoing a couple of bathrooms, and have never undertaken this type of project before. I did some comparison shopping in the SF Design District, and not only does Global come in with the most reasonable prices, but their tile selection is also damned comprehensive. PLUS — the customer service is amazing! I had some less than friendly experiences at high end places nearby — blah. Aldrich was super patient, detailed, knowledgeable, available (both in person and by email), and flexible. He did not change his attitude when I mentioned our budget. I’m so happy with our tile! Definitely going to come back if we redo our kitchen.

Aldrich is the man. Picking out tile can be overwhelming. Aldrich was so helpful. I took home samples, so I could see them in the room. I recommend this place.

Great customer service, especially after placing an order for bathroom tile. Good experience with the vendors and also safe shipping for the items. If anything, you can either get a knock off the expensive hand made tile, or for the real deal all in one store. Just remember that $ 10-​$ 15 is the average price for tile (per sq. foot) … especially when you see something that’s about $ 40– and it does very quickly add up.

I called them because I was too impatient for my regular tile shop to get back to me on pricing. I spoke with Aldrich. He priced out what he had on hand then followed up regarding the remainder. Prompt and courteous.
When my other tile shop got back to me I was really surpirsed that Global was 30% cheaper across the board. My current shop had helped me with design so I gave them the opportunity to match; which they did.
In the future I will call Global first.

We recently finished a complete bath re-​model and purchased our travertine tile from Global Tile Design. They have a great selection of various materials and sizes, and with Anita’s help in choosing the wall/​floor tiles and trim pieces, our bath room looks fantastic! The whole process was easy, the tiles arrived as anticipated, and when we needed some extra pieces due to a few changes made during installation, they were delivered quickly.
If we ever have need tile again for other projects, we will go to Global Tile and see Anita.

the place has displays and samples to make you drool. With my design scheme and price point the staff here was so helpful and accomodating with a wide range of options and advice to help me fulfill a vision and stay on budget. I appreciate their help endlessly now.

When you come here, make sure you work with Aldridge! He is super knowledgeable
and had some great ideas. He took his time, and was willing to work within our budget!
I would suggest making an appointment first, so that you have him to yourself while you make your decisions.

I was impressed when I walked into Global Tile Design with the amount of styles of tile they carry, but none of the salespeople acknowledge me at all! I had to ask for help after 30 minutes of looking around :(

Well-​worth a visit. Prices are competitive, and they have a great selection across a wide price-​range. They pack quite a few samples into a small floor space, compared to the competition.
I worked with Anita and Aldrich — both were extremely friendly and helpful. Providing me with loaner sample pieces to take home for no charge, and taking time to help me figure out what my needs were despite my inability to articulate them.
Also — about the negative-​nancy reviewer below: You’re tacky. Demanding a discount because of some faded social connection years past then coming on here and calling the owner a b*tch is pretty low.

Just got back from Global Tile Design and got great advice and help from Candice.
I was greeted immediately and got started working on my project. She pulled tile to match my countertops and cabinetry, while I looked around and made my picks. Her choices were soo much better than mine, (and I thought I had a good eye!) Her suggestions were not only elegant and classic, but clean and contemporary too. (Can it be all that?)
Anyway I’ve got a pile of tiles in my trunk and I can’t wait to see how they look in my kitchen.

We went to a bunch of kitchen and bath stores around the city, and it seemed like they all had the exact same selection of faux-​Tuscan, faux-​stone and earth tone mosaic tiles. We weren’t renovating a villa in Siena. We were trying to remodel the bathrooms in our 1950s house. We wanted clean and contemporary.
I went in to Global Tile late in the day, and fell in love with all their gorgeous, creative tile displays. They have tons of stuff. I was close to losing my mind, completely scatterbrained, flinging receipts and papers around and losing my cell phone (remodelling and moving can do that to you). Aldrich calmed me down, got me to tell him what I was looking for, and made me an appointment for bright and early the next morning before work.
The next day I came back and he had laid out a beautiful selection of tile for each of our bathrooms. We liked just about everything he picked for us, which was totally unbelievable (I am über-​persnickety.) It’s like he has a sixth sense for your aesthetic goals and just taps right into them.
Anyway, long story short, our bathrooms are finished and they are everything I wanted. We had some snafus along the way but they were our fault (bad measurements = not enough tile, too much tile, etc). Do make sure your tile guys have the skills to cut and lay some of the fancier stuff — our guy couldn’t handle the beautiful shell accent strip we picked out and basically destroyed it, then made us order something else to replace it.
Perhaps sensing my extreme level of desperation, Aldrich happily advised us on paint colors for the walls and stain colors for our vanity. He is really good at what he does. Make use of his expertise, because it’s a rarity to find someone that knowledgeable nowadays.

This showroom is fantastic! Aldrich rocks!
I have been to Galleria, Best, Ceramic, and a couple stores in the EBay. We found our tile and best service here at Global. I wasnt looking for anything obscure just subway tile in larger size 3×8. Aldrich helped us pick out the our trim to match our carrara marble floors. They had more selection than the other stores and had the bull nose and ¼ round we need. Ordered it on Monday and was ready for pick up on Thursday.
This place will spoil your tastes as I wanted everything in the store. Prices are very competitive