I am very close to purchasing my backsplash. I know who I want to use as an installer but not where to purchase the tile.

Here is the dilemna

Vendor 1 - big box chain store has the tiles we like. Based on the recommendations here - we pretty much had it narrowed down to two patterns and wanted to order samples. The initial price gave us palpitations but you know how true love with kitchen items goes. There were some issues ordering the sample - the person told us initially that we could only order by the sheet, one of our sheets was wrong, it took me 3 visits to order the custom sheet/sample(only one person in the tile area during the weekday and always three people it seems in front of me) etc. Once our samples were in - the manager made it right. He discounted the sheets to make up for the wrong order and told us who are the best people to use to place our order when we were ready. The bottom piece and transition piece (basically off the shelf) were ordered no issues. However the installation service thru big box company - did not impress me. The main person that coordinates it wasn't on the ball - it took a five days to get measurements even though their installer sent it to them (when I prompted a follow-up) on a Monday. It was a don't call us we'll call you, and the installer left out the bottom part of the pattern in the estimate despite me showing it to him. However, the tile salesperson I had been working with all along that got the custom sheet sample wrong initially has followed up - gave me the heads up about a sale when I went in to get the measurement, making sure the installer came out for the measurement in a timely manner, getting the measurements faxed over to them once I called, and once the measurements were in the system (this took 5 days and the person responsible for entering them in was the "I'll call you when they are ready and I only enter them in the first hour of the day ...")

Vendor 2 - Went to them since they are a main distributor thinking maybe the price would be better. The design person spent maybe an hour with us and helped us pick out the bottom piece and the liner. However, when the price came, I got the prices on sticky notes and the main sheet was twice the price of big box store. My mouth dropped open and I was like are you sure - and he said he was. I said it was half the price of big box store and he said he would see if he could match it - I had the order form from big box store with me with the price. He did follow-up but they said in order to match it I would have to bring in the sample. Of course the sheet took 30 days to come in so I forgot all about it. But I called their recommended installer so I could have more than one installation price and I am always hesitant to use big box company installers based on past experiences of the little details missing. Anyway the Vendor 2 recommended installer is amazing. But the minute the installer asked about ordering materials - I mentioned how the place the installer normally works with is twice the price and the installer said they would be willing to pass along the their discount and would talk to the manager and it seemed like that the ballpark price the installer thought it would be with the discount would be at least if not lower than big box store. So after some back and forth with the installer and manager and the manager catches that the salesperson quoted me the wrong item. The correct item was 20% more than big box. Okay - so still I don't know if the pricing via the installer discount is better than price matching and I wasn't told anything else so I am waiting for the total cost with the measurements the installer sent over. I even follow-up directly with the salesperson copied on all the e-mails and sent the measurements and hear nothing back. Send another message to the installer a few days later wondering if they are supposed to place the order and the installer calls the manager again. Finally over a week later I get a call from the salesperson and a fax of the quote that only quotes the price I got from the big box store - without the measurements received from the installer. So I have to follow-up again. I still don't know if the installer discount was better and basically after all the back and forth and lots of follow-up I get the same price I can get down the road from big box store 1. Maybe cost a little more since they have a freight charge. A little frustrated I call the manager and he basically said if the installer had recommended them to me, I could get their discount but since it was the other way around it is either off the street pricing or because I have a price match that pricing. The were hesitant to go any lower because then I could go somewhere else and price match them. But would also said the price match was better than the normal installer discount. I really felt it was a take it or leave it attitude. In fact at one point he said I was welcome to order from big box store. Of course both the installer and the company talk about how great the customer service is - but honestly between the salesperson not doublechecking the item number (isn't that a red flag that it would be twice the price and wouldn't you know the ballpark of the competitor) and the multiple follow-ups to get a quote based on the measurements. And when I mentioned having a dilemna what to do behind the stove and waiting to figure that out before finalizing the order - the salesperson didn't immediately say - let me help or offered about grout and caulk etc. It was the installer that helped with that. However, the installer I love - really is pushing vendor 2 and has really followed up with them on my behalf.

So basically, I feel like Vendor 2 does offer great service if you either come to them from a designer and/or have the money to pay 20-30% more coming in by yourself or don't have to worry about something as mundane as price or budget. I had the "if you have to ask the price ..." from the minute I asked price for something we picked out and all the back and forth since then. However, I must admit they do have a big selection/warehouse so I can't say that I would never step foot in there again. Finding a good tile installer is also difficult and I don't want to burn any bridges there but I also have to think where will I be more likely to go look at tile when we have our master bedroom/bath addition or at a minimum updating our bathrooms. I don't want to go thru price matching for every little thing - I want to be able to pick something out and know I am getting a competetive price there. Basically I am choosing between two places where neither experience has been heads above the best and they both have the good and bad.

I am leaning towards splitting the order - getting the bottom piece and liner/transition one place and the 12X12 sheets the other place - with the custom order (and little more than half the total cost) going to Vendor 2.

What are your thoughts?