Shipping, Delivery and Return Policy
POLICIES OF SHIPPING, DELIVERY, RETURN AND CLAIMS
As Otto Tiles and Design, we ship our products to any destination in the US from our Miami, Florida warehouse. International shipments and some US orders can be dispatched from our warehouse in Istanbul, Turkey, or our warehouse in Kent, England, UK, directly to their destination; we may dispatch some large orders directly from our factories in Turkey, Vietnam, Morocco, or Italy.
Please contact us at info@ottotiles.com or call +1 (786) 460 9098 for more information regarding international shipping.
The lead time for production and delivery will depend on your chosen product and the quantity you order.
Some tiles, such as Moroccan zellige/bejmat tiles and encaustic tiles, may be available for US Express Delivery with a 7-10 day lead time.
Produce-to-order tiles may have a lead time of up to 12-24 weeks (even in some holiday seasons like religious holidays, bank holidays, etc., it may take a few weeks more) for delivery; please check our website for current lead times and check with the team via email at info@ottotiles.com
The expected lead time is shown on the product pages. Please read the product summary and description carefully. When you proceed to the checkout, the delivery cost will be calculated depending on your exact location and the quantity of your tile order. We may use different shipping companies to deliver different products in varying quantities to distinct locations.
Please be aware that delivery and lead times are only estimates and do not guarantee delivery within this time. We do our best to get your chosen tiles to you in the fastest possible time, in perfect condition, and at the best price.
To avoid complications, we advise you to book your tile installation only once the tiles have been delivered. Please note that we will not be held responsible for any cost incurred by you for contractor fees related to any project delivery delays.
There is a minimum square meter/ square foot and box order for all tiles. This can vary depending on your chosen tile, and full information will again be clearly displayed in the information about your chosen product.
Also, please get in touch with us if you would like to order a sample of your chosen product to ensure that it is the ideal tile to meet your needs.
AFTER PLACING YOUR ORDER
Once you have placed your order, we will get started on preparing it. When it is ready, we will ensure we employ the best delivery option for you. We will contact the chosen delivery service, who will pick up your order. They will contact you to arrange a convenient delivery time when they have it in their control. It would be best if you were prepared to set this appointment within 24 hours of receiving the call to avoid paying any storage fees. If this is not possible, you may have to pay return shipping costs and face the additional expense of rescheduling the delivery.
Missed delivery appointments are costly, and if you miss more than one scheduled appointment, you are likely to incur heavy charges from the delivery company which would be billed to the customer.
Otto Tiles and Design employs a third-party service for our deliveries and is not responsible for their policies and charges.
Any change to the delivery address or any other consignment will incur a charge that Otto Tiles and Design must pay and approve before the third-party carrier will deliver to the new destination. These charges will be billed to the customer.
Someone must be present at the delivery location to sign for and receive the tiles. Under no circumstances will tiles be left at a destination without a responsible person being there. If the actual purchaser of the tiles is absent, the person who receives and signs for them must show the respective paperwork to receive them.
It is your responsibility to ensure that the contractor, installer, agent, or family member who will receive the shipment has full details of your order and shipment details to be able to receive them correctly. Otto Tiles and Design accepts no responsibility for the reception of materials that have not conformed to these policies nor for any claims as to missing materials or damage to tiles that are made outside of these policies.
Your tiles will be removed from the delivery vehicle using a lift gate. They will be deposited on the pavement in front of your home if nearer access is unavailable. You will be responsible for passing the tiles from the pavement into your property.
Be aware that tiles are heavy and could weigh as much as 50 lbs for each box, so please be prepared with people and ways to move them. The delivery driver will not be able to break down boxes or assist with passing the tiles inside.
ON DELIVERY DAY
Your order will be delivered in various boxes, and you should inspect each and every box of your order. The delivery person will allow you time to examine the state of each box.
Any external sign of damage, such as torn, wrinkled, or open boxes, could indicate damage to the tiles within. You must report any damage to the exterior packing of your tiles before accepting the delivery.
Even if there is no obvious external damage to the boxes, please open two or three boxes to inspect the content. This ensures that no “hidden” damage could go unperceived.
If you discover any “hidden” damage, please make a note to that effect on the delivery receipt that you will be asked to sign.
The packing slip containing the full details of your order will be attached to the shipment. Please take the time to carefully count all the boxes in your delivery and check that these tallies match the number written on the packing slip. This number should also be the same as the number on the Bill of Lading, which the driver will ask you to sign.
Should there be any problems with your shipment, such as damaged boxes or missing tiles or boxes, you must also note this on the Bill of Lading and/or receipt of the delivery document. This must then be given to the driver, who will be involved in processing the claim for damaged or missing items.
You must take receipt of both the undamaged and the damaged items and must clearly state the number of items damaged and the nature of the damage to them. If you are unsure about what constitutes “damage,” please take a photo to send us with your email so we can assess the situation fully. Please do not begin the installation of any tiles that you think could be problematic in any way.
Do not refuse to receive the shipment or to not take any damaged items. This will only delay the process of replacing the items and may result in you having to pay additional shipping fees. You could be charged the cost of returning the tile to us. Also, returning the product will make your claim take longer to process.
CHECKLIST
– Ensure that you have the correct number of boxes.
– That the correct product has been sent.
– Note any external damage to the boxes.
– Make a written note of any damaged products.
We require you to contact us directly as soon as possible so that we are informed of any problems and can take the necessary steps to resolve the issue as quickly and simply as possible.
Please email us at info@ottotiles.com within 48 hours of receiving your delivery and provide full details of the missing or damaged items.
IMPORTANT NOTE
It is considered “normal” and “acceptable” that between 5 and 10 percent of tiles in any order may arrive damaged.
Most of our tiles are handmade, selected with care, and packaged by hand to minimize the chance of damage. However, tiles are fragile items and can suffer damage during transit.
We advise buying at least 15 percent more than what you calculate that your project requires to cover any losses through damage, breakage, and installation cutting losses.
With handmade tiles, slight variations in the surface texture and colors are completely normal and should be considered part of the charm of a skilfully crafted tile, not as a defect or damage.
If you did not notice any damage initially, and so did not note any on the delivery receipt but later did discover some damaged items, you must email us at info@ottotiles.com within 48 hours of receiving your delivery and report this concealed damage. We will then initiate the claim for you and send you replacement tiles.
If you fail to report any concealed damage to us within 48 hours, you will have to pay for any replacement material needed, and you will have to negotiate a claim with the delivery service, which can take up to 30 days.
Otto Tiles and Design will not be able to file any claim on your behalf that is made outside of the 48-hour window, and we will be unable to process any refunds or replacements for you.
INSTALLING YOUR TILES
Installation should not be started until you have your completed order at the project site. If you are waiting for replacement tiles, we advise that you await their arrival and ensure they are in good condition before commencing the installation.
RETURNS AND REFUNDS
Otto Tiles and Design DO NOT ACCEPT RETURNS of tiles, whether opened or unopened. This policy is necessitated by the inherent challenges of ensuring immaculate transportation once the tiles leave our warehouse. Furthermore, the post-delivery storage conditions of the products are also beyond our control. Any damage or issues stemming from improper customer storage conditions may result in the tiles becoming unsaleable.
We suggest that you order various samples of your chosen tile before placing your order so that you are aware of the variations that can occur within the same product. These inconsistencies make our handmade tiles unique and special, so please ensure that you are aware of their individuality before placing an order.
Otto Tiles and Design may issue a partial or full REFUND after a detailed inspection in cases like;
– Severe shipping and handling damage born before delivery and caused by third parties,
– Wrong product delivery,
– Faulty productions, like severe differences in pattern, color and dimension, beyond the nature of handmade tiles.
– Some unusual and unpredicted cases not caused by the customer.
CANCELLATIONS
Cancellation requests can only be made within three hours of receiving your confirmation email from us. We advise ensuring your order before placing it, as cancellations requested after this timeframe cannot be considered.
Your cancellation request should be sent to info@ottotiles.com
OUR RIGHT TO REFUSE AN ORDER
Otto Tiles and Design reserves the right to cancel any order with or without reason. In the event that this is necessary, the client will be advised with 24 hours notice.
HOW ARE MY TILES DELIVERED?
Otto Tiles and Design uses third-party carriers to deliver tile orders and is not responsible for or able to change the policies of said companies.
Once your order has left our premises, you will receive a phone call from the delivery company to coordinate a convenient delivery time. This must be within 24 hours of receiving the call. If you do not schedule the appointment within this timeframe, you may be liable for storage fees and possible further costs for return shipment and arranging a new delivery time. You must pay any storage fees and additional shipping costs before the delivery can take place.
Missing a scheduled appointment will incur a cost for which you will be responsible. Any further missed appointments will also be charged to you.
You must note any damage you find on arrival on the delivery receipt. If you did not report any damage initially but later discovered some, contact us at info@ottotiles.com within 48 hours of receiving the delivery. We can then initiate a claim on your behalf with the shipping company and will ship your replacements for the missing or damaged tiles.
Please do this within the required timeframe to ensure that Otto Tiles and Design is able to assist you in the processing of the claim, and any replacement tiles needed will have to be purchased by you. You will have to negotiate directly with the delivery company for the compensation or refund due, and it could take up to 30 days to resolve the issue.
DAY OF DELIVERY
You must be ready to receive your delivery within the delivery time window as agreed upon with the delivery company. Failure to be prepared to receive, inspect, move, and sign for the order could result in storage, return, or redelivery fees.
Your tiles will be delivered in large, heavy boxes within a palette. These are removed from the vehicle using the tail lift and placed on the pavement. You must have the people and the tools necessary to move the tiles into your property ready. If you require help, you should contact the delivery company as they may be able to assist for an extra fee.
If, for any reason, the shipping company is unable to reach the indicated delivery address, you will be asked to provide another address to which your order will be delivered.
PRODUCT INSPECTION
Inspect each box as it is delivered for any obvious signs of damage. This could indicate that the tiles within are not in perfect condition. You will have time during the delivery to check the outside of each box.
Even if the boxes appear to be intact, you should try to open as many boxes as possible before the driver leaves to confirm that the tiles inside are intact.
The driver will ask you to sign the delivery receipt.
Before signing, check the following.
• Is the number of boxes on the receipt the same as those received?
• Is it the correct product?
• Were any boxes visibly damaged?
• Were any tiles damaged?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should note the details in full on the delivery note before returning it to the driver.
You should proceed to open all the boxes within 48 hours of delivery. If you encounter any more broken or damaged tiles, you must inform us at info@ottotiles.com as quickly as possible.
Failure to notify us within 48 hours of receipt will result in you having to negotiate directly with the delivery company for any compensation for missing or damaged products.
WHAT IS DAMAGED?
Tiles are fragile. All are handmade of breakable materials. We select and pack all of our tiles by hand, but during their journey to you, some breakage might be expected.
In fact, we expect that between 2 and 4 percent of your order may arrive in less than perfect condition. For that reason, we recommend that you order 15% more than you think that you need to cover these losses, as well as breakage during installation and loss due to tile cutting.
Breakages within 5-10% of an order are considered to be expected and acceptable and will not be replaced or compensated.
Extensive damage during shipping is rare. However, please be aware that only a loss of more than 10% of the product will be liable for replacement.
You must receive both the damaged and the undamaged goods in your shipment. Please do not refuse the shipment or try to return the damaged items, as this will only serve to slow down and complicate their replacement. Refusing a shipment could mean that you must pay additional fees for returning the products to us.
Finally, all our tiles present slight variations as they are handcrafted. These do not constitute damage and should be embraced as part of their beauty. No replacement will be made for slight variations in texture or colour. These are what make our tiles unique and wonderful.
Our Moroccan zellige and bejmat tiles are labor-intensive. Each one is hand-chiseled, dried and kiln fired before an enamel glaze is applied by hand. This process means that each Zellige and bejmat tile has a unique, irregular finish, and no two are the same, which will add attractiveness and unique style to any interior design. Since every batch is different, there might be more variations in their glaze colors. This will be expected and will not be considered as damage.
To avoid any disappointment, we suggest that you request several samples before placing your order so that you are aware of the kind of differences that are likely to be found in any larger order.
