Springs Window Fashions

Review: Spring Window Fashion/Graber natural wood blinds were ordered on 10/4/14 through their authorized representative and licensed contractor, [redacted], DBA [redacted] and [redacted]. The natural wood blinds as shown in the sample deck and online photographs show a natural wood grain pattern without unsightly dark blemishes or streaks. When my blinds were installed, approximately 25% of the slats were made up of unsatisfactory material which manifest dark black spots and streaks and blue spots. These ugly blemishes cannot be construed as normal wood grain. They are material which should have been culled during the assembly process. The SWF/Graber website states:

"We start with the basics—superior materials and craftsmanship—so you can focus on the details that will make your Graber Traditions Wood Blinds the perfect addition to your home."

I understand some natural variation is acceptable, even desirable, in a wood grain finish, however, the dark black spots and streak and blue spots are not what is expected of a normal wood grain nor are they represented by the samples and pictures supplied by SWF/Graber. The blinds which were sent to me were NOT crafted with superior materials. They are flawed and are not a welcome addition to my home.

The local representative, Dani [redacted], contacted SWF/Graber to correct the problem and they have not done so. Their offer to placate the situation with a $250 credit is contemptuous. SWF/Graber is responsible for shipping a defective, unsatisfactory product; it is fully their responsibility to correct the situation. The marred slats must be removed and replaced with a quality piece of material.Desired Settlement: As the slats cannot be replaced by the local representative without voiding the warranty, the blinds must be returned to Spring Window Fashion/Graber and remade at the factory using first quality material in a natural wood grain without black or blue colored spots and streaks. SWF/Graber is responsible for sending out a defective, poor quality product. It is their full responsibility to pay return shipping, replace the marred slats with first quality materials, and return the window blinds to me at their own expense.

Business

Response:

Dealer indicated if we approve the consumers request to remake as standard wood and if we have an issue we can use old slats from original blind to exchange. It should be understood that mineral deposits and streaks are common in natural materials like wood. This customer had indicated that the wood characteristics were more substantial than she expected.This appears to be resolved.

Consumer

Response:

My response:

Although a proposed solution is in the works, it has not yet been completed. I am requesting that Revdex.com not assume my complaint has been satisfactorily resolved until the new set of blinds is installed in my home and all slats are acceptable to me; hopefully within the next three weeks. I will notify you when this has been completed, the complaint is still open at this time.

12/17/14

Complaint #[redacted]

Review: I ordered this vertical blind through [redacted] and Costco [redacted] AZ. The window curtain cost me $771 and the quality is very poor and not worth the money I paid for it.

I was promised a $71 gift card in the mail and it has been 2 months and I have still not received it

[redacted] is refusing to deal with this issue and this curtain is NOT worth $771 more around $275Desired Settlement: Please ask them to issue me a full refund and I am not happy with the product and poor cus[redacted]er service from [redacted].

Business

Response:

I am responding to complaint above- We received the complaint (dated 3/10) on 3/15 after it was received. We are actively working to resolve- see update below. As we are having difficulty reaching the consumer through the cus[redacted]er Costco- this may get delayed a bit. I am concerned as the letter indicates to resolvein 7 daysand today is 3/17.SWF CS is working with the Costco Buying office to resolve this member challenge and we have included a photo of the product installed provided by the consumer. The product was not defective. The issue comes down to the member not being satisfied with what they ordered. SWF has offered a remake in another fabric, change to another product, or complete removal and refund to the member. As for the gift card- this is between Costco and their member.Regards,[redacted]Director of Product and Textile EngineeringSprings Window Fashions7549 [redacted] RoadMiddleton, WI 53562

Business

Response:

Below is an update on the complaint. I believe this resolves the cus[redacted]ers concerns. Please confirm receipt and that this action results in closure to this open complaint. Thank you. Springs Window Fashions (SWF), manufacturer of [redacted] window coverings has been working with the Costco Buying office to resolve this member challenge. The product was not defective (see photo). The issue comes down to the member not being satisfied with what they ordered. SWF has offered a remake in another fabric, change to another product, or complete removal and refund to the member. As for the gift card- this is between Costco and their member. As of 322/16, SWF has been in contact with retailer Dealer, and the member. All are working to get the product picked up and refunded today as the member will be leaving the country [redacted]orrow.

Business

Response:

[redacted]- We have closure- See the additional update-The retail buying office sent the member a waiver to sign allowing to keep the product without further action, due to the timeline of member leaving the country[redacted]orrowthere was not time for any other actions. The member did not contact the Dealer or reply when Costco called him regarding any problems with his order but was willing to work with SWF cus[redacted]er service as a contact for. Again, there were no manufacturing defects shown in the photos, the member signed off on the order as complete after installation so this may have been a case of buyer remorse.Again, please confirm this has resolved the complaint.

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Regards,

Review: Ordered blinds and arch shutter from [redacted] (through [redacted].) All installation and materials are completed through the [redacted] company. Purchased on 04/29, with an estimated delivery of 14-21 days. After two weeks, I had not heard anything regarding delivery. I contacted [redacted], which in turn, contacted [redacted] informed [redacted] employee that [redacted] "missed" part of my order and they would have to start from the beginning. It would now be another 4-6 weeks before delivery. As of today, order is still sitting on hold, with no estimated delivery time. I am out of pocket the purchase price and [redacted] cannot get [redacted] to release the product on a timely manner.Desired Settlement: Produce, deliver and install product as originally promised.

Business

Response:

The store where the product was ordered had failed to provide complete information which resulted in delays. The consumer was not satisfied with the long delivery time and the store refunded the consumer in May after the consumer had filed the complaint. Springs was not aware of the cancelled order and proceeded to build and ship the items which shipped well within our stated lead times.

As a matter of reference, the complaint was filed in May but Springs Window Fashions was not formally informed until 8/20/2014.

Please see the detail summary of events from our order notes history.

The store where the consumer purchased the shutters faxed in the paperwork to place the order on 5/7. However they did not ring the order cost correctly in their system. Springs Window Fashions (SWF)can not process the order while the costing is incorrect.

The order was placed on hold pending store to contact SWF to correct the order on 5/12. SWF spoke to the store on 5/14 advising of the issue and sent 3 notifications of the hold. On 6/4 SWF refreshed the hold which sends another 3 notifications and called and left a message for the store on 6/17.

On 6/25 our account manager advised to release the order anyway with the incorrect costs. The orders were released at that time and the lead times for the blind and shutter product start at that time. Normal advertised shutter lead times are 6-8 weeks.

The arch shipped on 7/18 ( 15 business days after being released - under our normal lead time of 8 weeks for arches) and the blinds shipped on 7/3 (5 business days after being released).

We had been trying to contact the customer for installation and on 7/29 contacted the store for alternative phone numbers as the customer was not responding to the installer's attempt to install the order. We were then informed by the store the customer had received a full refund and cancelled the order back in May (SWF was not informed of this).

On 8/14 the store was issued full credit for the arch shutter and blind order and the product was field destroyed.

We have not contacted the end consumer about the order as they cancelled their order with store and the product was destroyed.

Review: I placed an order for a pleated shades through the [redacted] that was fulfilled by Bali, a brand of Springs Window and Fashions. There were two items, the shades and a module called the automated interface, in the order but I only received the shades. I spoke to [redacted]) from the [redacted] and she contacted Spring Window and Fashions, on or around 2/23/2015, to inquire about the missing automated interface. Here is [redacted]'s e-mail back to me: I just heard back from the factory and they are saying that since the shade was ordered with standard pull cord, it does not come with the automated interface as the shade itself is not automated. That statement is completely true, however, why then did they allow me to complete my order, paid for it then waited nearly two weeks to receive only part of it? Not only did Springs Window and Fashions did not ship all items in my order, they never even notified me of the problem. They simply shipped the order incomplete and charged me for the full amount of the order. I have since received a refund for the automated interface in the amount of $78.40, but I would like for Springs Window and Fashions for fulfill the order and send me the automated interface.Desired Settlement: I want Springs Window and Fashions to honor my order and send me the automated interface. For reference purposes the [redacted] order number was [redacted].

Business

Response:

We the complaint listed (our [redacted]). This was our error. The blind was entered as a standard control blind, not motorized. We contacted customer and advised him we are sending him out a new "Motorization blind" with new order number [redacted]. This can be closed.

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

We recently ordered, through Costco, the white motorized Solar Roller Shades for our home. Our two-story family room has very high windows all along the south and west side of the room, which makes for a hot room in the summer. We ordered these shades after speaking with the customer service rep about our needs. These shades are BEAUTIFUL and AMAZING! They keep out the heat (this is truly unbelievable), but allow the light in...AND we can still see out so our view isn’t impacted! I can’t wait to see the difference in our electric bill this summer. The installation was so easy (even installing while on a ladder- very high up!). The motorization works perfectly...and so smooth! Their customer service is the best! Thank you, Springs Window Fashions!

Review: I have been installing Bali grab-n-go blinds throughout my home. This could be a nice product if there was better, if any at all, quality control. Previously I have installed 8 blinds, most of which I had to return or exchange. In fact I had to exchange half of them more than once until I found ones without defects. I had purchased 8 more to finish my home but ended up returning those as well due to defects. The quality is very poor. In my opinion, the defects are manufacturing related. They include bent slats. stained slats, and slats with pinholes. One blind looked yellowed from age. I reached out to Bali via email back on 11/7/2014 and all I received was an automated message confirming receipt of my email. It has been 2 weeks and still no response from Bali. This is unacceptable. I even told them that down the road I would consider purchasing another brand. They don't seem to care. Due to the lack of response, I returned the last 8 blinds and purchased a different brand. I have only installed 3 blinds but so far so good. They are whiter than Bali's, which look more like an off white and have not had any defects. Please note that the other brand 's prices were exactly the same as Bali's. There is no excuse for selling a product of such poor quality. People work hard for their money and they deserve better.Desired Settlement: I would like some compensation for all inconvenience of going back and forth the retailer to return or exchange the defective blinds. I am currently unemployed and gas is not cheap. At the very least they could acknowledge my original email and apologize for for their poor customer service.

Business

Response:

We are working to resolve this issue as well- We are in process of reaching out to the customer to offer compensation for the inconvenience he experienced and also provided this information to our Product Specialist. This is a "Grab N Go" product that is branded Bali but is purchased directly by the retailer and we are making them aware of the quality related issues.

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

I purchased and had installed Graber Plantation Shutters thru Lowes and was assured that the proximity of my home to the beach (1 mile) and the frequent wet weather and fog would not cause problems with the plantation shutters. After 3 yrs there were some discoloration/rust on the plantation shutters. When I contacted Springs Window Fashions to report the problem and present pictures of the rust to their customer service department I received the following response "A normal amount of moisture will not cause the components on a shutter to rust. Living on a beach or foggy weather will not contribute to issues with our shutters. Leaving windows open during bad weather where the shutter comes into direct contact with moisture, during rain storms, or if condensation can build up on the shutter does void warranty." There's no reason I would leave the shutters open during a rainstorm especially when those shutters are for my living room area. They were not very helpful and I would not do business with them again.

Review: Per documentation that came with purchased BALI Window Cellular Blind. Product has Lifetime Guarantee and Limited Warranty. Specifically per documentation that came with the cellular blinds "Spring Window Fashion warrants the product against original defect in materials, or workmanship as long as you own the product".

I purchased 6 of these blinds in 2008 and in one of the plastic retaining washer broke (knotted to the center string) resulting in blinds not properly retracting center portion of cellular blinds (results in bowing). SWF wouldn't have had a defect on this product had they not used a brittle plastic washer to retain center string.

I contacted SWF customer cr and stopped by original retailer ([redacted]) where I had purchased and I was told by both that warranty will not be honored.Desired Settlement: I would like Springs Window Fashion to replace defective cellular blinds per documented warranty and how [redacted] sales represents. Specifically if I can drop defective cellular blind in [redacted] and be issued a comparable replacement or full refund.

Business

Response:

Thank you for contacting Springs Window Fashions in regards to your six stock cellular shades purchased through [redacted]. I apologize for the issues that you are having with your blinds, and we would like to work with you to get this resolved to your satisfaction. We would like to discuss offering you six replacement shades from our Bali Essentials line at no charge to you. Please contact [redacted] at ###-###-#### to discuss size and color options. Sincerely, [redacted]