The complaints tile importers raise most often are mixed shades, mixed sizes, lower grade than ordered, breakage in transit, and late shipment. Almost all of them start before the container is loaded, and almost all can be prevented by a written specification and an inspection at the factory.
Once tiles reach your warehouse, a claim is slow and hard to win. The cheapest fix is always at the factory, before the boxes are sealed.
The complaints we hear most
- Shade variation: tiles from different batches look different when laid side by side, even though the design name is the same.
- Calibre variation: tiles of the same nominal size differ by a millimetre or two, so grout lines do not run straight.
- Grade mix: boxes marked Premium contain tiles with visible defects, or Standard boxes are mixed into the load.
- Breakage: tiles crack in transit because of weak boxes, poor pallets or loose stacking in the container.
- Late shipment: production slips because of fuel disruptions, a line shutdown or a larger order taking priority.
- Wrong product: the design, finish or thickness differs from the approved sample.
- Paperwork errors: the invoice, packing list or certificate of origin does not match, and the goods are held at customs.
Why they happen
Shade and calibre problems usually come from mixing tiles made on different days. Each production run is a batch, and boxes are marked with shade and calibre codes. One order should be one batch, one shade and one calibre per design.
Grade problems come from vague definitions. Each factory sorts its output into its own grades, and one factory's Premium can be another's Standard. If the grade is not defined in writing, you have nothing to claim against. See avoiding mixed grades in a shipment for how to fix that.
Late shipments often trace back to fuel. Morbi kilns run on natural gas or propane, and in 2026 fuel disruptions led some units to pause lines. A factory that took your order at an old price may also delay it until a better-paying order is done.
Quality can also slip after a good first order, once the factory knows you will reorder. We cover that pattern in why quality drops after the first container.
How to prevent them
- Approve a physical sample and keep a matching sealed sample at the factory as the reference.
- Put the grade definition, allowed defects per box and the shade and calibre rule into the purchase order.
- Ask for the shade and calibre codes of the finished stock before balance payment.
- Have an inspector open a random set of boxes from every design and check them against the sample.
- Check box strength, pallet type, corner protection and how the load is braced in the container.
- Agree a shipment date with a written consequence for delay, and get progress photos during production.
- Check the documents against the order before the vessel sails, using the document pack your broker will ask for.
How we help
We write the specification with you, check samples, supervise production and loading, and send you photos and an inspection report before you pay the balance. We work for you, not the factory. To have your next order checked from specification to loading, book a free sourcing review.