I am all for supporting artisans, particularly Det...

I am all for supporting artisans, particularly Detroit-based craftspeople. But I am all for good customer service as well, and at Pewabic apparently you can't have both. While in the store in Sept. I left my name and number and asked for a call when a $100 tile I wanted to give as a Christmas gift was in (they were out of stock). Weeks later I popped into the store only to be told that the 20 that were made had been bought by the Detroit Zoo and my name and number had been lost in the shuffle. I left my information with them again and called a couple weeks later; the person to whom I spoke had no idea who I was and no record of my TWO requests for the tile, so I paid for it over the phone ($106) and was told that the tile would be ready in plenty of time for Christmas. During EACH OF SIX ensuing phone calls I was placed on hold for extended periods because no one could find a record of my purchase without consulting others before promising to call me back, promising the tile would be ready. At one point I was told that they would fire three tiles and that I should call the W before Christmas to be sure at least one survived the kiln. When I spoke to a representative on W, she said that they never fire just three tiles and the employee who said they would was new and just "trying to please you." Well, I was NOT pleased to learn that I was being lied to and strung along to placate me in the short-term and ruin a Christmas surprise--and my opinion of this business--in the long term. There is no clear chain of command, no effective records system and no internal communication in this business. I will continue to enjoy the Pewabic tiles in my home but I will not add any others to my collection.