A Word of warning...

[xactive]

Had to buy some primer for a sand cement rendered wall prior to tiling, usually I buy things like these off the internet... do my research, try and get the best price etc. etc. but I was in a hurry.

I kind of got the impression that BAL products were half decent and I could purchase these products from my local topps tiles, so off I pop and wait in turn at the counter, told the mild mannered assistant what I required and he promptly produces a small container of "BAL SBR". Having read the reverse I questioned whether this was correct for what I required as it seemed like (amongst other things) primarily an admixture.
The aforementioned assistant re-assured me it was then told me the price... £14.99 , as I needed this in a hurry I felt I had no choice so said I'll take it.

Whilst waiting for my receipt I noticed a small bottle of "BAL Primer" and asked if I could take a look, reluctantly he handed one over, I promptly asked why this wouldn't suffice, he said it wasn't as good as the SBR and it wasn't suitable for dusty walls even though it says on the bloody front of it "Stabilises dusty tiling substrates". I asked the assistant to humour me and tell me how much it was to which his reply was "err umm arrr about £11.00", I replied "I'll umm err arr take that instead of the one he suggested" and when he gave me the receipt it was £9.99

I'm sure there is a moral to this story and it re-affirms my hatred of these big shed type places, their rubbish advice, and rip off mentality.

Vent over.

[blocko]

I'm sure there is a moral to this story and it re-affirms my hatred of these big shed type places, their rubbish advice, and rip off mentality.

Vent over.

Dont tar them all with the same brush........ some are much worse than others. I personally share your thoughts with regards to Topps, however I cannot praise Tile Giant highly enough. I know many tilers who buy alot from Topps, it really does depend on the store you visit and the staff member who serves you on the day. I have found the prices at Tile Giant far superior for trade (especially if you have a premier trade account- via this forum) compared to Topps

Rely on this forum for the advice in the future though

[whitebeam]

Sbr would have been fine thinned down and used as a stabiliser but do see where your coming from..

[ms.tiles]

have to admit it can depend on who serves you at these shops.
theres a lad in my local topps that i try to get to serve me or my customers as one of the others is a nightmare.
got order amounts wrong, my plumber was ordering a lot of tiles and he got all the measurements mixed up,once sorted and price changed (i have a friend in another topps but miles away) after getting a £500 difference between shops he then managed to take over £8000 from my plumbers account instead of the £2500+ which was the actual cost.
They have no tiling knowledge and work on for commission so if they sell you a more expensive product then they'll earn a little bit more.
The prices are stupid in there as i can get ardex and mapei grouts cheaper than the bal at topps trade prices just down the road from topps.

[doug boardley]

a chain is only as strong as it's weakest link....the "topps chain" does seem to have a lot of "weak links" imo

[Yorkshire Tiling Services]

Many of the people on the counter do not have an idea what they are talking about.. lack of training and lack of care,,, minimum wage,short term job,who can blame them,get you advice here before you purchase if unsure

[tfs]

have a nightmare with them every time I go in.

They always try to charge me retail, they do eventualy give me trade but the reciept always has another tilers name on it.

They say Im not in enough to get full trade automatically but how the hell can they say this based on transaction history when they put most of my sales through other accounts. Last week I went in and they put it through on a tiler account who I know. The worst thing is that this guy has been away from the tiling game for at least a year now. Im in every other month an have put some decent sales there way.

[tfs]

unfortunatly Tile Giant seem to be going down the same route, in my opinion foccusing to much on retail in a bid to increase margins.

In my personal experience I can honestly say CTD seem to be on top for me. They look after trade more than TOPPS AND TG.

[doug boardley]

have a nightmare with them every time I go in.

They always try to charge me retail, they do eventualy give me trade but the reciept always has another tilers name on it.

They say Im not in enough to get full trade automatically but how the hell can they say this based on transaction history when they put most of my sales through other accounts. Last week I went in and they put it through on a tiler account who I know. The worst thing is that this guy has been away from the tiling game for at least a year now. Im in every other month an have put some decent sales there way.

why not ditch them and go to an independent?

[kilty55]

agree,some stores seem to be run ok and others are bad


rarely use them

[tfs]

The only independat that I would use stock norcross and I preffer, Mapei or weber Doug

[IvegotsTILE]

The guys at my local Topps are good at service to me and dont try it on with me but its usually me giving most of them advice when a customer is in. Wish had a CDT or Tilegiant closer to me though. The only independant is unreliable when it comes to delivering tiles on time.

[Bathfix Bob]

My independant sells Ultra adhesive, primer, grout etc.

I never hear of Ultra on here much, is it good stuff? Well its been okay whenever I've used it.