Question Regarding Expectations -- Input needed

[Garage Flooring]

Something came up the other day and I am looking at it one way and my customer is looking at it another. I always like to be reasonable with my customers, so I value your opinion.

You order and install a red tile. 3-4 years later you order more red tile online -- with no mention of the previous order. What are your expectations as far as color match.

 

[ducksface]

Absolutely positively no expectations.
Color lots are something you learn in your first art class at about 12 years old.

You mention the previous order because
1 Lot number

2 I'm a repeat customer and garner a bit more service due to

3 Small talk as you develop a reporte

(I'm surprised you didn't ask what the plan was for the tile in case you could up sell or suggest borders or another product.)

 

[K13]

After 3-4 years my expectation of a colour match would be "I hope it is close but I seriously doubt it will be and zero chance of an exact match"

 

[48RON54]

agree with both comments above

 

[K13]

Absolutely positively no expectations.
Color lots are something you learn in your first art class at about 12 years old.

You mention the previous order because
1 Lot number

2 I'm a repeat customer and garner a bit more service due to

3 Small talk as you develop a reporte

(I'm surprised you didn't ask what the plan was for the tile in case you could up sell or suggest borders or another product.)

Did you read the OP's post? The tile was ordered online.

 

[ducksface]

Did you read the OP's post? The tile was ordered online.

We just ordered leather.
The on line person called and chatted us up to what was left on their roll.

My ability to discern a situation and reply in a business like manner taking into account the past excellent response of the OP and what I would expect is a normal business practice of his is not the question for your
Not the answer.

 

[jp828108]

I would expect it to be close, but would realize that there will be variation from lot to lot, and the stuff on the floor won't be the same as an extra piece in a closet or storage after wearing for 4 years. If it is the same product as before or has the same product number I would expect it to be the same size.

Ran into issues with Lowes on interior tile. expected some color variation in the tile, but the stuff was way off on the thickness and size from lot to lot. Also had a pretty distinct difference in color, a little more than I would have expected, but I live with it. The size difference is frustrating thought.

 

[mygarageone]

I agree , there is no way I would assume the colors would match . Besides that most times now it is Made clear to order all you need do to dye lots may be differant

 

[James-W]

If several years ago I had ordered a red tile, let's say I had ordered what was called "blood red" tiles, and then I ordered the same color tile today, I would not expect an exact color match. But I would expect the new tiles to be half-way close to the same color as the old ones. If the tiles were fairly close to the same color I would be a happy camper.

HOWEVER, I would certainly tell the supplier that I had purchased "blood red" tiles from them several years ago and I would ask for a sample "blood red" tile from their current stock. But no matter what, I would not expect the "blood red" tiles of several years ago to be an exact match to the "blood red" tiles of today.

 

[ddawg16]

I would expect the color of the old tile to change ever so slightly with age.....

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

I'd be pretty surprised if a plastic tile on my floor resembled anything factory after 3-4 years.

 

[four.cycle]

I don't know a damn thing about garage floors, other than I haven't seen mine in years.

If you want to re-order paint and expect it to match something you put on the wall five years ago, you better have the mix code and hope that the wall wasn't exposed to too much UV light. Even then the odds are not in your favor of getting an exact match.

If I banged up one of the pieces of this cheezy "laminate" flooring they put in here a few years ago, I would hope that it's in an inconspicuous place, because the odds of that same flooring dealer having that exact same brand color style and shade are most likely slim to none.

Apprenticing as a sign painter and graphic designer, one of the first things I learned is that red, while bright and highly visible, has a disappointingly short lifespan when exposed to UV.

I think the expectation that anything purchased several years later for the purpose of patching or repair is going to match the original tone, shade, and chroma value, particularly if it is red, is unreasonable.

Just my lousy two cents.

 

[gasserdan]

Carpet, shingles , tile are just a few of the products that you should try to buy with the same lot number. There are dozens more. To think that a tile will match perfectly after 3 or 4 years is not being realistic.

 

[PelicanPines]

There are always two sets of expectations when dealing with two sides. One side expects you to remember... while the other wishes they were informed. Who failed is a matter of perspective...

In a perfect world... expectations would be assumed and understood by all parties. It's not a perfect world...

 

[mike93lx]

Like many others, i would expect it to be close, but not perfect. That said, i can see how many wouldn't think there would be a difference. Same manufacturer, same tile, same color name.

Have you suggested the customer's mix in the new with the old? It would help mask the difference, assuming it is subtle.

 

[SJR033]

Before reading this thread. I would never have thought about it. I would have ordered more and expected a color match. When they arrived and they didn't match (assuming they were close) I would assume the older ones had aged. And I would try to make them work (placed in an inconspicuous area). If I couldn't hide them AND I couldn't live with the difference. I would ask if the company would exchange them for a different color and do an accent or change the pattern. One of the nice things about garage tiles, is the ability to pull them up. Never would I be upset with the manufacturer for a variation in color.

 

[wmblanken]

What SJR033 said

 

[Garage Flooring]

Absolutely positively no expectations.
Color lots are something you learn in your first art class at about 12 years old.

You mention the previous order because
1 Lot number

2 I'm a repeat customer and garner a bit more service due to

3 Small talk as you develop a reporte

(I'm surprised you didn't ask what the plan was for the tile in case you could up sell or suggest borders or another product.)

We just ordered leather.
The on line person called and chatted us up to what was left on their roll.

My ability to discern a situation and reply in a business like manner taking into account the past excellent response of the OP and what I would expect is a normal business practice of his is not the question for your
Not the answer.

Lots of great replies and I appreciate all the input. I am specifically quoting these two because they bring up an excellent point.

Communication is key.

There was nothing unusual about this order that would have triggered us to call the customer. Online orders come into our cart, they are imported automatically into an accounting system. They come from our site, Amazon, eBay and other sources, Our staff does pull each order and if something is odd they will make a phone call. But when someone places an order online, we assume they know what they wanted and, in the world of Amazon, we assume they want it as quick as possible.


We generally have four people answering phones here and we are open 6 days a week. Had the customer called us a sample would have been a great idea.

I never know how much my views are skewed by my experiences. I've grown up in the home improvement industry literally from the age I could work. There are times I assume things are common sense that are not common sense to others.

All of these replies are very helpful.

 

[Dave in Mass]

My expectations would be if I ordered something and didn't like it when it arrived, I wouldn't install it before trying to work with the supplier

 

[James-W]

I never know how much my views are skewed by my experiences. I've grown up in the home improvement industry literally from the age I could work. There are times I assume things are common sense that are not common sense to others.

From all the years of working in the service world repairing electronic devices, I learned a long time ago that no matter what you do it is impossible to please some people. You could walk on water and it wouldn't be sufficient. I would do what I could to try to satisfy the customer but I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

 

[Lelandwelds]

From all the years of working in the service world repairing electronic devices, I learned a long time ago that no matter what you do it is impossible to please some people. You could walk on water and it wouldn't be sufficient. I would do what I could to try to satisfy the customer but I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

I am happy if the same lot out of the same box matches. Ugh, public.