I had a terrible experience this past month with Empire's Window Treatment division.
I needed to replace broken vertical blinds that came with my home when I purchased 7 years ago. I really didn't have the money but it became a necessity. I decided on Roman Shades. Since there are no good pictures on Empire's site, I checked others to make sure they are what I wanted.
Unlike when I purchased carpet and flooring, the salesperson DID NOT have a sample. What he had was a book with pictures. The picture showed a white roman shade set inside white moulding on a white wall. I didn't want white, so there were pieces of colored fabric in the book as well. From this small sample I chose the moss green.
When the installer came to measure, I told him I wanted the shade inside the moulding. He told me I wouldn't like it like that - and to believe him because he has been doing this for 20 years - and measured from the outside corners of my moulding.
What no one told me and what I could not see because there are no samples and no picture of a roman shade in a color other than white, is that the metal housing at the top of the shade is white - it does not match the shade fabric. If you look at roman shades at other websites as I had done, they all have the housing in the same fabric as the shade.
I have a deep colored wall and green fabric that goes from corner to corner covering my moulding AND AN INDUSTRIAL WHITE METAL STRIP ACROSS THE TOP. I am extremely unhappy and have spoken to many people including Maggie in customer service, Helen Brown in the "complaint resolution" dept, and Tim Sherwin from "the office of the president." I got the same answer from all of them. TOO BAD - YOU BOUGHT THEM.
I challenged them, especially the guy from the president's office, so show me where I would have known I was getting a white metal housing with a green shade and he said "I don't know that you would."
The are hideous and no one was wiling to help. I asked for my money back - no way. I asked for a different blind (one that comes with a valance of sorts) - no way. I asked them to just resize what I have so they sit inside the moulding the way that I had originally asked the measurer - I figured if there was white all around the shade I the housing would blend in - AGAIN: NO WAY.
I asked to speak to the president and was told NO. Tim Sherwin told me they are a privately held company and he did not have to provide that information. I asked to speak to his boss and he said NO.
The worst part of the whole experience - beside the 1000.00 dollars I spent on horrible blinds - is the lack of concern or understanding on Maggie, Helen, and Tim's part. They all said the same thing - EXACTLY THE SAME THING - it was obvious there is a script and no matter what I said or how upset I became (truly - like most people I do not have 1000 dollars to throw away) they all said the same words.
This was the worst service I have ever received and the worst major purchase I have ever made.
Obviously I will never again purchase from Empire Today.
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