If you find broken tiles after transit, a refund or replacement isn’t up for debate: it’s the standard procedure. On delivery, sign the delivery note with “subject to inspection”, then send us photos of the damaged pieces within 7 days. We reship the broken material or refund that part of the order, no arguments.
How often it really happens: let’s be clear
Anyone selling tiles online who tells you transit damage doesn’t exist is spinning you a fairy tale. Porcelain stoneware is extremely hard once installed, but an 800 kg pallet travels by truck, passes through warehouses, gets moved with a forklift. Something can happen.
The good news: it happens rarely, and when it does it almost always involves a few tiles, generally those on the corners or the most exposed layer of the pallet. It’s extremely rare for a whole order to arrive compromised. That’s why the pallet leaves our depot strapped, corner-protected and wrapped: the vast majority of deliveries arrive without a scratch.
But “rarely” doesn’t mean “never”. And the difference between a small hiccup solved in three days and an endless dispute comes down to two minutes of attention at the moment of delivery. Let’s see which ones.
The 3 steps at delivery: count, look, write
Pallet delivery works in a precise way: the courier phones you, you set an appointment, the truck arrives and unloads at the kerb. How the whole process works you’ll find explained in our guide to tile delivery on pallet. Here we care about the exact moment the pallet touches the ground and the driver hands you the delivery note to sign.
Before signing, do three things. They take two minutes, no more:
- Count the packages. The delivery note states how many pallets or boxes you should receive. Check that the number matches. If something is missing, write it on the note.
- Look at the packaging. Walk around the pallet: torn wrap, crushed corners, deformed or wet boxes, snapped straps. You don’t need to open everything, just observe the outside.
- Write the reservation. Next to your signature, add by pen: “Accepted subject to inspection of goods”. If you saw obvious damage, describe it: “reservation for damaged packaging on the right side”.
Why is it so important? A “clean” signature, without reservation, is equivalent to declaring that everything arrived intact. It makes it harder to claim damage discovered later, when you open the boxes. The reservation subject to inspection, on the other hand, keeps the claim open. The driver can’t refuse it: it’s your right. If they push because they’re in a hurry, you write the reservation anyway and sign. End of story.
What to write on the delivery note, scenario by scenario
Not all deliveries are the same. Here’s how to act in the three cases you may face:
| What you see at unloading | What you write on the note | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Pallet intact, packaging fine | “Accepted subject to inspection of goods” | Open the boxes calmly: you have 7 days to report any hidden breakages |
| Visibly damaged packaging (torn wrap, crushed corners) | Specific reservation: “reservation for damaged packaging + description” | Photograph the still-closed pallet immediately, then check the contents and report |
| Serious, obvious damage (overturned pallet, smashed boxes) | You can refuse the delivery, noting the reason on the note | Call us right away: we organise the reshipment of the material |
The first row is by far the most frequent situation, and that’s why the reservation subject to inspection must always be written, even when the pallet looks perfect. Breakages, when they occur, are almost always discovered by opening the boxes, not by looking at the wrap from outside.
How to report the damage to us: the right photos and timing
You’ve opened the boxes and a few tiles are broken. No panic: the report takes ten minutes.
- Within 7 days of delivery, write to us at the address given in the order confirmation, quoting the order number.
- Photograph the damaged pieces: one overall photo of the broken tiles side by side, plus a close-up photo of each piece where the break is clearly visible.
- Photograph the box too they came from, especially if it’s dented or torn: it helps reconstruct what happened during the journey.
- Don’t throw anything away until the case is closed: in some cases the damaged material is needed for the check.
A practical tip: open and check all the boxes in the first few days, not the evening before laying. If the tiler arrives and you discover the breakages at that moment, you’re still entitled to replacement, but the job stops. Checking straight away leaves you all the time to receive the new pieces without touching the work schedule.
Tiles broken in transit: refund or replacement, what we cover
Let’s get to the point that matters most to you. For tiles broken in transit, refund or replacement is on us: the goods travel at our risk until delivery, not yours. Report within the timeframe and clear photos: that’s all you need.
Once we’ve received the report, we propose the fastest solution:
- Replacement: we reship the damaged pieces from our depot, at no extra cost. It’s the route we recommend when the broken pieces are needed to complete the laying.
- Partial refund: if you prefer, or if the broken pieces are covered by the spare stock you already have at home, we refund the value of the damaged material.
An honest caveat: the coverage concerns transit damage reported on time, with the signed reservation and photos. If the report arrives weeks later, or after the material has been laid, telling apart travel damage from installation damage becomes impossible for anyone. The full rules are in the terms of sale and on the shipping costs and conditions page: reading them before ordering saves you surprises afterwards.
The 10% waste saves you here too
There’s one more reason, often underestimated, to order with a waste margin: it acts as a buffer against travel mishaps too. Waste is that 10% of extra material over the net square metres of the room (15% if you lay diagonally or in herringbone) needed for cuts and laying breakages. How to calculate it box by box we explain in the guide on how many tiles to order between boxes and waste, and on every product page you’ll find the calculator that converts m² into already-increased boxes.
The point is this: if on a 60 m² order of a series like Athena two broken tiles arrive, with the waste at home the tiler starts anyway, and the replacement pieces arrive while the work proceeds. Without waste, those same two tiles can stop the job. We guarantee the replacement regardless: the waste guarantees you don’t lose days.
And ordering everything together, spare stock included, has a further advantage: all the tiles come from the same batch, so the same tone and the same calibre. A reorder months later can’t give you the same certainty.
In short: two minutes of attention, zero worries
Fridge-door summary: at delivery count the packages, look at the packaging, sign with “subject to inspection of goods”. At home, open the boxes within a few days; if you find breakages, photos and report within 7 days. We replace or refund the damaged material, full stop.
The rest we handle before the pallet even leaves: reinforced packaging, corner guards, strapping and wrap from our depot. If you’re still choosing your floor, take a look at the series in our catalogue: from every product page you can order a sample for €5, which we refund on your first order. That way you decide with the piece in hand, and we take care of the rest.