Tiles with cracks in glaze, request for replacement denied

housebuyer7

Hello

I ordered some tiles for my fireplace which come with a 5-year warranty. Out of 16 tiles, two had some cracks in the glaze. I emailed the company to request that these two tiles be replaced. The response I have received is: "Its quite normal it is the glazing effect on the tiles and unavoidable its part of the look of a glazed tile". However, none of the other tiles have these cracks in. Am I entitled to not have these replaced?

km1500

You cannot force them to replace the tiles, but since you bought online you can return the lot for a refund.

housebuyer7

Unfortunately I have exceeded the 28 day return policy.

Aylesbury_Duck

Did you order online, and is it more than 14 days since you received them?  If not, you can do as km1500 suggests.

I quite like the effect, personally, but you're the customer.  It comes down to whether it's considered a defect or not, and that's a subjective thing.  How much would it cost to buy two tiles?

housebuyer7

I am not sure if they sell them individually unfortunately but I estimate about £10 per tile. It's been more than 14 days since I received them so it looks like my only option is to keep them. I believe it is a defect and I think they know that too but are trying to wrangle their way out of it. A shame as I spent over £1000 with them on a few fireplaces.

Jonboy_1984

Looks like very minor delayed crazing, where the glaze and tile expand and contract at different rates during the kiln firing. It can develop over a number of weeks or months after production on any ceramic item. Those with multiple colours or depths of glaze (such as the piping between colours on this tile) are slightly more susceptible due to the multiple “fits” of the different colour glazes.

It is unlikely to cause any long terms issues in a decorative setting. 

If it were to be going somewhere where it was to be exposed to a lot of moisture e.g. sink or bath surround I would reject as it may absorb water and discolour, otherwise just enjoy the antiqued look to it.


(From an environmental perspective certain high end ceramic producers used to write off up to 60% of production to achieve a consistent high end look, which is an awful use of resources and a horrendous carbon footprint)

HillStreetBlues

IMO If they have photos of tiles on their website and every photo is a perfect tile then you should be getting a refund for the two.
If some are cracked in photos, then no refund.

housebuyer7

HillStreetBlues said:

IMO If they have photos of tiles on their website and every photo is a perfect tile then you should be getting a refund for the two.
If some are cracked in photos, then no refund.

The photos are perfect with no cracks. But is this your opinion on what is morally the right thing or a legal obligation for the company?