Complaint re: House of Blinds

My name is Tammy and I have been having an ongoing problem with House of Blinds. I would like to know if there are any laws out there that protect consumers from getting the short end of the stick from big businesses?

Following is the 3rd email that I had sent to House of Blinds to try to resolve issues that have been going on since November of 2005:

7/13/06

I sent an email to you a few days ago, and was then called by someone in your office to discuss my problems. When I left off with her I had told her that the only way to make me a "satisfied customer" was to come take the stuff out of my home and give me a full refund.

She informed me that you don't give refunds and she would have to get back to me.

That was 3 days ago and I haven't heard from anyone.

Let me reiterate why I want a refund………

#1. When I had my first consultation with our in home "decorator" I was told that we would have our blinds by the end of December, this was an important point for us, since we informed her how important it was to get our windows covered for the winter months. Had I known at that time that we would not get our items until the beginning of March, I WOULD NOT HAVE GONE WITH YOU GUYS IN THE FIRST PLACE. I would have shopped around a little more. So this was the FIRST lie we were told by your company.

#2. It took 4 months to get our first order finished, when we were told it would only take about 6 weeks.

#3. I was told by our home "decorator" that ALL of your Fabric Panels and Vertical Blinds have and additional lining on the back of them (to help with insulation). When the "Fabric" Vertical Blinds arrived, they were paper thin (and feel like paper, not fabric) and DO NOT have lining on them. This would be lie #2 from your "decorator".

#4. Two of the Valances that I ordered were wrong. One of them had the lining sagging down so you could see if hanging when looking at it from the front (since this valance is orange and the lining white, it looked ridiculous); the other had the stripes going the wrong way.

So, you send out a new “decorator” (which I must say, was very pleasant and helpful) to “fix” the problems with the items I ordered. Against my better judgement, and because I believe in giving second chances, I end up ordering Fabric Panels for my 3 door walls to replace the VERY CHEAP looking Vertical Blinds that you sent me in the first place. I end up spending ANOTHER $1000 with you for these replacements. And she makes notes to have a pick up of the two Valances that were not made right in the first place.

Next comes problem #5. I was once again given a date 6 weeks away for the delivery of these items. This date was changed 3 times by you guys, and they were delivered over 3 weeks after the original date given. WHY DO YOU GIVE DATES IN THE FIRST PLACE? Why not just tell your customers that they will be done when the factory decides to get around to them, and you will call when they are ready? Since this happened to me BOTH times I was waiting for delivery, I find it hard to believe it doesn’t happen to MOST of your customers!!!!

#6. I was called by your delivery person and told that he has all of my order except for one of the valances and would I mind if he waited until that item came in to deliver. I told him that I would appreciate it if he brought me the items that are in. Not 10 minutes later, your customer service dept. called me to reschedule my appt. because the delivery person wanted to wait until the full order was in.

#7. When the items FINALLY arrive, the Valance that was sent back because of the lining looks like it wasn’t even touched!! The lining is STILL sagging.

#8. The Fabric Panels look like something I would have made. I have very large door walls, and I WAS NOT informed by your decorator that the panels would have a seam every 2 feet!! So when they are closed they look ridiculous!! I consider this lie #3, since I would not have purchased them (and paid over $1000 for them) had I know this.

#9. The Panels do not close easily on the rods. I have to literally climb on a chair or the couch they are by and move each of the rings along the rod in order to close the blinds!!

#10. The panel in my office area was delivered with snags in them.

#11. The panel that was to go in my dining room was too long. I was informed that he (my delivery person, Tony) would have to take it back and have about 2 inches cut from it. He also told me it would only take a week.

#12. Three weeks pass, and I finally have to file another complaint in order to hear from you guys.

#13. I was charged ANOTHER $101 for delivery (for you to deliver the items that YOU messed up in the first place) and $24 for the Vertical Blinds to be taken down. This is unacceptable, since had you delivered quality items that were made correctly in the first place, you would not need to be delivering or taking down items again.

#14. I was told that I could not get a refund (who cares that I have been dealing with crap from you guys for over 8 months now, and I STILL don’t have the finished items in my house. But I was informed that you could do me the courtesy of refunding me the second delivery and removal charges that I should not have been charged in the first place.

Now, I am a reasonable person, and have NEVER been in a situation like this before. I would appreciate a call from you ASAP about this matter.

Sincerely,

Tammy Miller

VERY Unhappy Customer

8/1/06

I spoke to Shannon from Customer Service, she informed me that they would be willing to refund me the money for the 2nd delivery & take down fees, and give me a couple of FREE pillows.

I told her that was unacceptable, that the refund should be a no brainer, since I shouldn’t have been charged that in the first place. I also told her I was willing to meet her