British Ceramic Tiles - They actually want our feedback

[Bill]

I confess to being @piesaregreat and I have had a direct message off BCT asking to give examples of why we find BCT a poor choice. I have asked them to join this forum and to try and receive feedback

They appear to be sincere.

 

[One Day]

I have the solution!
Whoever is in charge of quality control in BCT production simply needs a trip to specsavers.

 

[Bathfix Bob]

I wouldn't use British Ceramic Tiles to tile my worst enemy's prison cell, I'll never forget the way their Rep Nick Johnson repeatedly fobbed me off on the phone making out he was constantly rushing into a meeting and he would ring me back.
I'm still waiting for that call Nick....

 

[Jimny Cricket]

This is a really interesting thread for me! The last 2 bathrooms/wetroom's I've tiled the customer's chose a BCT tile for the walls (vinyl on the floors) and I couldn't believe the bow/'BANANA' in some of the tiles...
As to 'soft' they're like digestive biscuits!
I'm a plumber to trade but I really enjoy doing tiling as well when I have the opportunity. Setting out is always a challenge, however I get there in the end.

 

[Dave]

I've fitted loads of them, definitely not the best tiles in the world, but I would never refuse to fit them, people have budget's and I try to work within them,.
would never brick bond them, and you have to be creative with the spacing , but I enjoy a challenge .!!

I also fit loads as a comp i subby too use them lol..
I wont fit them brickbond either and otherwise as you say spacing and grout disguises the poor tile sizing to a degree.

I have some pics of truly unacceptable glaze issue somewhere , I'll upload them.

 

[Qwerty]

Well I've got their attention as they have posted this publicly and via DM. Can't say fairer than this at the moment -

I've sent them a link to this thread and invited them to view and respond here.

 

[Qwerty]

All, please please please either post your feedback to this thread if you haven't already done so or PM or email me if you would rather do that.

BCT have contacted me directly and I can assure you they are monitoring what is being discussed here and very much want to work with us professionals to rectify these issues. This is a huge step for them and for us, so let's work together to resolve issues now. I plan on meeting with their marketing & manufacturing team in person (possibly with another/ other tilers) in the near future to move this forward.

Please don't forget that I'm not being paid or asked to do this, I'm doing it for us - the tiling professionals and our future customers.

 

[Bill]

Excellent.... tell them that I started it ....

 

[LauraCTW]

Its good that they finally want feedback. The problem is with the big brand names involved people assume quality, we are stocking a small core range and making sure they are used in the correct circumstances as it is what the customer wants!

A good bit of feedback today for them though. I had an email at 8 this morning saying patterns did not match up within a batch and the tiles are on the wall and by 11.30 it was agreed that BCT would get their QC team to check the full replacement for the shower area and send out FOC to be with me on Thursday.

I think they are trying to listen and improve but the feedback needs to be constructive not just the same old "its white bodied sh*t" that you see everywhere.

 

[One Day]

All, please please please either post your feedback to this thread if you haven't already done so or PM or email me if you would rather do that.

BCT have contacted me directly and I can assure you they are monitoring what is being discussed here and very much want to work with us professionals to rectify these issues. This is a huge step for them and for us, so let's work together to resolve issues now. I plan on meeting with their marketing & manufacturing team in person (possibly with another/ other tilers) in the near future to move this forward.

Please don't forget that I'm not being paid or asked to do this, I'm doing it for us - the tiling professionals and our future customers.

I'd love to come with you. Devon is a bit far though!

 

[Bill]

The is what they messaged me....

'Hi. Thanks for making contact with us. We have seen a recent thread on Tilers Forum in regards to BCT and we have extended an invite to Geoff who originated the thread to collate the feedback so we can sit down with him and one or two others along with senior members of BCT so we can use it to move forward. We have made some strategic new appointments within manufacturing that has shown some areas of weaknesses that we are addressing. However we want to work closer with installers so we can develop the best products for installers and consumers, by firstly addressing what we are getting wrong. Thanks BCT.'

 

[Qwerty]

The is what they messaged me....

'Hi. Thanks for making contact with us. We have seen a recent thread on Tilers Forum in regards to BCT and we have extended an invite to Geoff who originated the thread to collate the feedback so we can sit down with him and one or two others along with senior members of BCT so we can use it to move forward. We have made some strategic new appointments within manufacturing that has shown some areas of weaknesses that we are addressing. However we want to work closer with installers so we can develop the best products for installers and consumers, by firstly addressing what we are getting wrong. Thanks BCT.'

Yes. That is essentially what is happening

 

[One Day]

Impressive!

 

[Bill]

Devon is too far for me too unless they are providing an overnight stop over eh @impish?

 

[One Day]

Devon is too far for me too unless they are providing an overnight stop over eh @impish?

I'll drive there, you can drive back?

 

[Bill]

I'll drive there, you can drive back?

Let the train take your strain

 

[One Day]

Let the train take your strain

Every train I take causes me a strain!
Cancellations, Bus replacements, Leaves on the line...

 

[Flintstone]

I’ll come!

 

[Ttt1601]

As has been mentioned many times now, the sizing issues are appalling, lots of issues in glaze as well, all made on very poor quality soft biscuits. Their "floor" tiles are unfit for purpose as floor tiles due to how soft they are, I also refuse to fit them as is it almost impossible to make a truly professional job with them and make sure if any of my customers are considering them that know exactly what kind of quality tiles they are. Also i have found in the past raising these issues has been like banging your head against a brick wall so I truly hope they are actually now sitting up and taking notice. But worst of it all is the use of popular brand names, which give a false impression of quality which means customers trust the brand name blindly.

 

[spooner68]

Wow! It seems the power of social media has had some effect!

I try to keep the forum Twitter account ticking over and recently the issue of how bad BCT (British Ceramic Tiles) are for us tilers.

BCT have openly put it out there wanting feedback from us.....

View attachment 96666

So please either respond to this thread with as much detail as possible and I'm happy to take this forward on your behalf, or respond to the BCT tweet directly.

I have fixed Devonstone grey and Ditto grey and cream in the past year and they were dreadful. The devonstone discoloured very quickly, the glaze is actually absorbent and is a bugger to keep clean.
The ditto tiles I now refuse to fix as the glaze chips badly with a dry cut and absolutely disintegrated with a wet cut no matter which blade I used. Very very poor. Like I said, I will no longer fix BCT tiles.

 

[Julian 'Farmer' Bonsall]

I have beige mix tumbled marble mosaics purchased from Wall and Floors in a downstairs toilet which are a BCT tile. Aside from I wish I was more able to fit them (even with a mosaic backer) I didn't spot any major issues.

Do these tiles appear in high street shops ?

 

[LauraCTW]

As has been mentioned many times now, the sizing issues are appalling, lots of issues in glaze as well, all made on very poor quality soft biscuits. Their "floor" tiles are unfit for purpose as floor tiles due to how soft they are, I also refuse to fit them as is it almost impossible to make a truly professional job with them and make sure if any of my customers are considering them that know exactly what kind of quality tiles they are. Also i have found in the past raising these issues has been like banging your head against a brick wall so I truly hope they are actually now sitting up and taking notice. But worst of it all is the use of popular brand names, which give a false impression of quality which means customers trust the brand name blindly.

Funny how after I told my rep about this thread they suddenly responded! They are fit for purpose in the right situation, just for salespeople we have to think of the customer the tiler and what everyone wants! Tough life!

 

[WetSaw]

It's a promising start that a manufacturer is listening to the concerns of installers. Hopefully there will be improvements in the areas of concern.

 

[Andrew Anaxagoras]

All of the above and a footnote.. even if you try to disguise them as Laura Ashley it's obviously BCT with the same poor quality we've come to expect!

 

[Flintstone]

Ted baker also, that’s another one of there’s

 

[tommyzooom]

I dont think I've laid a BCT tile , but I have laid Laura Ashley ones from Homebase, which I think are the same?
All the problems mentioned were evident, sizey, very soft and poorly glazed etc. There's no way I'd recommend them to anyone.

 

[GoneGuy]

I do hope they change there manufacturing process and start producing decent quality tiles.
Bit until then we have to deal with the tiles and I should imaging there are a fair few thousand in stock around the country so until all that is used up and and there new better products start hitting the shelves we will just have to suffer

 

[GoneGuy]

Ted baker also, that’s another one of there’s

The ted bakers I laid last year were pretty good.
they are manufactured in Spain and re boxes in the uk from what I’ve been told

 

[Ttt1601]

Whilst I can kind of understand that from a retailers point of veiw that if customers want them they have to stock them, those soft ceramics are unfit for use on a floor and no one will convince me otherwise, that is of course unless you happen to have room full of nothing more damaging and heavy that a teddy bear, on a solid concrete base that is.

 

[Porcelainwood]

Is this thread " Gerald Ratner Inspired"