Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  06/30/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We paid in full for shutters and shades, $7,434.69 on 7/7/2022. They have not been installed. Damaged shutters were left in our garage. The owner was supposed to call us in March to discuss installation. He no longer responds to e-mails.

  

  Business response

  07/19/2023

  I have attached a copy of all email communications with *********************. There are two different parts of the job, a skylight screen and shutters.  There were production and shipping damage issues with the original shutters that were discovered during the installation in February 2023, and replacements were ordered, with a delivery timeframe of late June-mid July 2023.  Due to unanticipated accessibility/safety issues that only became clear during the installation attempt, we could not access the skylight without incurring significant costs.  On Feb 28, we sent an email offering 3 options:

  1 - Install the skylight screen and pay additional installation costs, along with installation of the rest of the window treatments;
  2 - Receive a refund for the skylight screen and have the rest of the window treatments installed; or
  3 - Receive a refund for the skylight screen and have us pick up and dispose of the other window treatments. 

  In that email, we noted that our standard contract includes the fact that additional installation costs may be incurred for unanticipated issues.

  His response on March 1 only said "I want the skylight shade installed at no additional cost".

  On June 30, we sent an email asking 2 separate questions:

  1 - For the shutters, we should have everything we need by the middle of July, and will reach out to schedule a time to complete the installation of the shutters. If you no longer want them, we won't install and will pick everything up, but there will be no refund for that portion of the project.
  

  2- For the skylight, we can either get the required equipment to install it at additional cost, or provide a full refund for that aspect of the project (we will not receive a refund on the shade that was ordered, as like all our products, it was custom made). Please let us know which option you would like to pursue.

  On June 30, we received the only communication from ***** saying

  Im sorry that we see things so differently. If youll provide the name of your lawyer and ***** him or her the authority to accept service it will prevent the embarrassment to you of having to have a process server locate you to deliver the pleadings I intend to file against Budget Blinds of the High Country and Home Franchise Concepts. 

  He did not provide an answer for either the questions regarding the shutters (do you want us to install them when we have them or do you want us to pick them up and throw them away), or the skylight (do you want to pay more to have them installed or receive a refund).

  We responded to his email of June 27 (first communication since March 1) on June 30.  Without any answer from ***** except a threat to **** there was no path for us to proceed on.  If he had just communicated to us that he wanted the shutters installed, we would have proceeded to do it (noting that we did not have the shutters on June 30).  We will provide a refund on the skylight shade - it is clear that he does not want to pay for the materials and time required to have it safely installed.  However, we require clear communication that he would like the shutters installed - that guidance has not been provided ******* requested in both February and June.

  Customer response

  07/19/2023

  Complaint: 20257061
  
  I am rejecting this response because the product has not been delivered. Its is now mid July and nothing has happened.  I have paid approximately seven thousand dollars and received NOTHING!  The only option presented by the business is-continue to wait.  That does not resolve our complaint. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************

  

  Business response

  07/31/2023

  
  In our previous email, we outlined 3 options, the ONLY 3 options available.

  1 - Install the skylight screen and pay additional installation costs, along with installation of the rest of the window treatments;
  2 - Receive a refund for the skylight screen and have the rest of the window treatments installed; or
  3 - Receive a refund for the skylight screen and have us pick up and dispose of the other window treatments. 
  

  As has been the entire time, the customer has not responded to questions/options.  All he has done is to refuse all options. The options presented are consistent with our contract, and are the only ones available - our contract clearly states that additional installation costs may be incurred for unexpected difficulties (option 1).  With no direction from the client (other than "I refuse all option"), there is no path for us to proceed.  

  Customer response

  08/09/2023

  Complaint: 20257061
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  This is a proposal for the business to simply keep my money or charge more than what was quoted.  To insist on charging additionally for scaffolding (estimated at $1,000) is riduclous when the installation area was inspected prior to the quote.  A different and more appropriate ladder, which this business should have as part of its standard installation tools would cost a fraction of what it would cost to install scaffolding.  The other blinds were afterthoughts.  The whole reason we contracted with the business was to have the skylight shade.  AT THIS POINT, NOTHING HAS CHANGED.  THIS BUSINESS HAS SEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS OF MY MONEY AND HAS GIVEN ME NOTHING IN RETURN AFTER MORE THAN THIRTEEN MONTHS OF WAITING!!!
  Regards,
  
  *********************

  

  Business response

  08/09/2023

  Only to reiterate previous points:

  1 - We have offered to install the shutters multiple times with no response.  No one forced them to order the shutters.  They asked us about them, and we provided options and and estimate, which they chose to accept.  If they had not arrived damaged (see photo), they would have been fully installed on our initial visit.  We have no control over shipping or the fact that it takes months for a remake to arrive (due to the specialty handcrafted nature of this product).  As noted in the contract, all orders are final, as they are custom made products design to fit their windows and their windows only.  Since the shutters can be installed as ordered, we are unwilling to provide a refund for this portion of the project.

  2 - We have already installed one of the two flexpanels that were ordered.

  3 - We have offered to either provide a full refund for the skylight flexpanel, or install it but at additional cost due to unforeseen difficulties in accessing the skylight (a matter of a few inches offset in stairwell versus skylight well), and to ensure that the installation can be done safely.  As documented in the second sentence of the Order Notes of the order confirmation that is attached, "Additional installation charges may apply for unexpected installation challenges, moving furniture, or programming of automated shades to hubs."  This is one of those situations.  With only one person at the initial consultation, it was impossible (not to mention highly unsafe) to try to set up a ladder to confirm the ability to access the skylight.  This is typical for most of our projects - it is done visually.  

• Initial Complaint

  10/06/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On 5/24/21 We sent a check to Lee R******* of Budget Blinds of the High Country for $14536.95 which is the full price for the exterior shades. He required us to write a check for the full amount . That was our first mistake. The product did not arrive until 9/30/2021 When it did arrive , i had no communication its was coming. The box was ripped open. Lee shrugged his shoulders and said he wasn't surprised. Lee and i miscommunicated to each other . I did not understand what he wanted me to do in terms of should an electrician come first and then he would install or should he install and then have an electrician come. That was one delay .Then I told him I wanted the install first. He said he was busy and had a health crisis come up. Covid delays etc When I tried calling, I was chewed out for using his answering service to leave a message because it cost him. I repeatedly asked him to get these shades installed . In april 2022 he finally has a crew to come out and install the shades. This is when they realized that they measured incorrectly . So its a year after our money has been given to this company and we still do not have any product that we bought installed as promised . They reorder It is now october 5 and I happened to ask when the shades were coming. He is like "call the shippers yourself". I did and found out the delivery truck put them on our driveway. This is a second home , we have this home in a resort community. We are not there full time. I would have liked the courtesy of planning ahead so I could have arranged the delivery of this 300 to 500lb box . My management team is not physically able to carry this to a safe indoor space ie the garage. I am not able to get a hold of Lee or the company. They need to return calls and i am ready to say they need to repay me my money and time for the hassle this is been . This is not legal to take full payment and not carry through with promised product as their customer anticipated.

  

  Business response

  11/07/2022

  We all wish this project had gone better – this job has turned out to be far more problematic than expected, and has had a negative impact on our operations.
  
  Regarding shipping, due to size, the shade had to be shipped directly to the client’s home via *** semi-truck.  We discussed very early in the process that we can’t co-ordinate access to someone’s home (and that dealing with shipping companies is frustrating at best).  For both shipments, there were instructions for the shipping company to contact the ***** directly (as well as us).  Unfortunately, the *** shipping companies tend to ignore shipping instructions – we routinely find *** shipped shades outside of our shop that have been delivered with no notification of any kind.  For the second shipment, we were never even formally notified that the shade was in transit.  In both cases, we provided contact information for the shipment to the ***** when we had it, so that they could try to co-ordinate delivery.  For the second shipment, we didn’t even find out the shade was in transit until we sent in an inquiry that turned out to be the day it was being delivered.  On that day, everyone in the company was fully booked with appointments (we do not have office staff).  In spite of being on the road, I obtained and sent the delivery info to the ***** so they could get a faster response time if they wanted to pursue it.
  
  As is commonly the case, there was significant damage to the packaging on both shipments.  These long, sknny boxes are being shipped in semi trucks, handled multiple times through high volume freight warehouses by forklift – they are highly p***e to damage (I’ve received shades that shade been sheered off during shipment).  Not sure how ***** can say “Lee just shrugged his shoulders”, since all communication was by email and phone, but I certainly wasn’t surprised that the boxes were damaged. 
  
  Anyway, we have zero control over shipping companies responsiveness or degree of damage to the boxes.  In both cases, the shades themselves were OK, so not sure why there is an issue over box damage.
  
  When the first shade arrived at the end of Sept 2021, we contacted the ***** to schedule installation.  She asked us to wait until her electrician was back from vacation.  We warned that with this installation being up in the mountains and outside, the later we went into the fall, the higher the risk that snow would prevent installation.  When she contacted us in early November, my main installer was unable to do ladder work due to an injury with pending surgery.  We are a 3 person company, and due to the size of the shade, this installation requires all three of us.  With my installer out (not to mention planned vacation by other staff), we were unable to install prior to snow shutting things down.
  
  We tried to install in late April 2022 once the snow had melted out, and discovered that the shade did not fit.  We offered to either install the existing shade (which would have prevented opening of the windows), or to reorder.  The ***** chose to reorder.
  
  The shade arrived (with no notification to anyone) on Oct 5.  On Oct 6, ***** threatened legal action.  We told her we could try to install on October 25, which is what we did, even though one member of the team should have not been on a high ladder due to a knee injury that would require surgery.   This shade is a new design (to span wider windows as a single shade), and is twice as heavy per foot compared with previous models.  Due to the weight, we were unable to complete the installation, as the webbing on the lift system stretched too much to allow us to complete the hoist to the top of the window (needed 6 more inches and we would have been able to finish.  We discussed the situation with the husband ***.  We told him that we would have to rent a skylift to get to the door, and that one member of our team had surgery scheduled that would keep him out of work until after Thanksgiving.  If we don’t get too much snow or intense cold, we will try to install after that, but if conditions aren’t workable, it will have to wait until spring.  He was understanding, and verbally said OK.  The old shade was removed, and only the shade that is awaiting installation is in the ***** garage.
  
  There is a clause in the signed contract saying the “Additional installation chargers may apply for unexpected installation challenges…”.  This job has had it’s share, with two full days of the entire team spent trying to install and close to 1000 miles total for the multiple vehicles installed.  We have not asked for any additional payment.   We are happy to proceed on one of two paths.  1 – We will complete the installation, most likely in the spring given that we are getting a lot of early snow.  2 – We will offer a refund, minus manpower and travel costs already incurred.  
  
  Tell us why here...

  Customer response

  11/17/2022

  Ww have reviewed the response from Budget Blinds of the High Country.  We really just want to get this settled and are willing to wait until next spring to have the blinds installed.  We are willing to pay up to $500 for the lift (We have researched this and a lift that can raise up to 24 ft can be rented in Silverthorne for $500/day or less.)  The extra labor costs were incurred because of miscalculations by Budget Blinds of the High Country  that resulted in wasted trips by its employees.  Therefore we, the customers, will not be responsible for those additional labor costs. 
  A phone message to Budget Blinds of the High Country has not gotten a reply, therefore please forward this to that company.
  
  *** and ***** *****

  

  Business response

  12/15/2022

  Hi Marcy,
  
  I’m glad to finally have ***ald ***** email – our direct communication has been via his wife’s email. 
  
  Their solution is fine by me.  We weren’t even asking for them to pay for the additional time.  Am glad they are willing to pay for the scissor lift. 
  

  I am sending an email directly to the *****md@comcast account as well.
  
  Thanks,
  Lee
  Lee and Eliana R*******
  Budget Blinds of the High Country

  Customer response

  07/13/2023

  ***** ***** ***** ************************ *** ******************* ***** *** *** ***** **** ** ******** ** ********* ******** ****** ******* **********

  Hello
  I filed a complaint on 10/06/2022 against the Budget Blinds of the High Country.
  They responded that they would correspond with us and place the remote shades in place. The date of that was 12/15/2022
  We hav been very understanding that the snow lasted until late April. I contacted them in June 9 2023 to inquire when
  they would complete the work. They have our $14,536.95 and have had it for 2 years plus.
  They continue to ignore our questions and respond with a multitude of excuses to get this shade up.
  We want to know what we can do.
  
  Please advise
  ***** *** *** *****

  

  Business response

  07/13/2023

  Hi *****,

  We responded with the scaffolding solution on Friday, July 7th, so that you wouldn't have to incur additional costs and we don't have to fight with the equipment companies for rentals. You approved of this same day. The original response to that email was drafted on the 7th, but not sent until the 13th. I sent an additional email response on the 13th after realizing that did not send. We are in the process of purchasing scaffolding to finish the job. 

  Thanks

  Customer response

  07/14/2023

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I need a date within 30 days or August 14 2023 that job will be completed.  The remote shades will be installed as promised in May 2021 . If job is not completed by this date , we will insist on a full refund. We would prefer no necessary legal action but will pursue litigation if our terms are unmet 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** *****

  

  Business response

  07/28/2023

  We have found a company in Leadville that can provide scaffolding rentals. We are arranging a pickup day with them, and then will formally schedule an install.  

  Customer response

  07/28/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** *****

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩