Hillarys Blinds www.hillarys.co.uk

Unhappy

0 reviews

GB

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Nightmare. While they were quick to take our money, getting some fundamental issues resolved with faulty blinds and faulty installation has been painful and hugely time consuming. We were told to purchase natural wood for south facing windows, as they are more heat resistant, but they warped in weeks. I believe we were just upsold the most expensive blinds not the most suitable ones at almost £3000. When you send an email for help, you get different staff responding to the issue, usually just asking for photos, or the same information and there is no continuity. You have to chase continually to get answers. When they remade a blind because it was faulty, it took over a month to get someone to even agree an appointment to replace it, and when they did they said they were doing me a favour otherwise I need to wait until the new year. When they installed the front blinds, they did it so badly people can see in from the street. There is no privacy. After asking for help, even after an installer said it was done wrong, they then ask for more pictures rather than accept their own installers opinion or pictures. When I ask to speak with a manager I am fobbed off. For my lovely new house this has been beyond stressful and I will never use them again - think carefully if you are willing to struggle like I have after they have taken your money and 6 months later still struggling to get it sorted......off to court we may go....

TL;DR: Do not expect a custom colour to be the colour you want. Hillarys does not care.

Recently, I bought a house and had it remodelled. So I ordered several shutters (for 4 rooms), roller blinds for 2 rooms, pull-down blinds for my kitchen doors, and Velux blinds for 3 Velux windows. The quality is good - with one small caveat which I’ll get into later. The installation was fantastic. However, I chose a custom colour for the shutters and it came out all wrong. Hillarys has chosen to do nothing about it.

I wanted to match the Farrow & Ball paint I chose for the trim around my windows and baseboards and general trim around the whole house, Wimborne White. For those unfamiliar with it, Wimborne White is a warm, creamy white. The Wimborne White Hillarys gave me is a cool-toned white. In fact, it is so cool-toned that it looks almost grey. And I spent a large sum of money eradicating all grey from the house. It looks just “off” inside the windows that have Wimborne White all around them. In fact, on the day it was installed, 15 March 2024, my builder called me in a panic and said the installer should stop as it looks completely wrong. Today is 1 June 2024 and I received my final “We are choosing to do nothing about your issue” email.

I want to pause here with the negative and give a positive review for the installer. He was great! The installation was great and he worked very quickly. I have nothing but praise for him.

Back to the Wimborne White… I emailed Hillarys immediately with my concern about the colour. I emailed multiple photographs. Their response was that I had ordered Wimborne White and I received Wimborne White and thus there is nothing that they would do. Yes, this is true on the surface level. But their factory’s Wimborne White is not the same as the one that comes out of the F & B paint can! I understand that matching colours can come out a shade or two different. This would be fine. But to go from warm to cool is totally different. Furthermore, for some reason, the cool-toned white makes the shutters look cheap and plastic-like. I was assured that I had bought the top of the line wooden shutters. Sadly, they do not look it.

There were numerous emails back and forth regarding the colour. Finally, they sent someone to come look at it in person. The person they sent is 1. an independent contractor who could not make any decisions about what to do because independent contractors cannot do this (not his fault - completely Hillarys fault for sending an independent contractor) and 2. colour blind. I find it laughable that they sent a colour blind person to check on the nuances of a colour! By this point, I just had to laugh at everything that was happening. The independent contractor did bring samples of their standard white shutter colours and my shutters match one of those standard white colours more than it matches the F & B Wimborne White.

The last insult was being addressed as “Mr” in an email. How careless. In fact, that sums up my experience: careless.

The irony of this is that the only compensation I requested was the price difference between standard white shutters and custom colour. This request is more than reasonable. Considering the multiple thousands of pounds (£7k plus) I spent on the shutters and blinds, a few hundred pounds is nothing. And I requested it only for the two front rooms, as those are the ones that had the very obviously-different F & B trim around the windows. It was not so obvious in the other two rooms so I was happy to let those slide. It is not about receiving the reimbursement itself; it is the principle that their colour is wrong and having that acknowledged.

I feel every single person at Hillarys I contacted (email and telephone) failed miserably to understand that *their* Wimborne White is not the same Wimborne White that comes from the F & B paint can. (I had Wimborne White throughout my house and the builders used a lot of cans so it’s not as if this varied from just one can.) They kept saying the shutters were free from any defect. I never claimed there was a defect with the actual shutters. My claim is that their version of Wimborne White is not the same as the original. Every single visitor I’ve had to my house agrees that the two colours (the F & B Wimborne White and their version of it) look completely different.

Lastly, I kept requesting that their factory be informed of this error, as I do not want other people to be as gravely disappointed with their shutters as I was. There was zero acknowledgement of that, either.

I have more Velux blinds to order but will never return to Hillarys.

I should have researched the earlier as having seen all the negative reviews, I would not have ordered from them. Incredibly disappointed. I expected sooo much more when I ordered expensive (£674) made to measure roman blinds. The quality of the blinds was shocking- they were stained, had threads hanging off of them and lacked interlining (so light comes through the blind itself at the seams). They were made to measure, but measurements must have been wrong as 2 did not even reach the window seal and light streams in from the sides and the bottom. Installation was not much better as 2 were crooked (not sure if due to installation or how badly they were made.) And the pull cord that goes through the safety latch that was drilled into the wall is so tight, you struggle to close and open the blind. I called Hillarys and was asked to email photos and my complaint. It took them over a week to respond. After chasing, finally spoke to someone who offered a full refund or 20% off if I keep them. I think we can all agree that these blinds are not worth £505..... Regardless, the holes will need to be filled and the window areas will need to be re-painted and I have now have no window coverings and need to start the process all over. Customer service is minimal and they do not give the impression of caring about customer satisfaction. Would NEVER recommend and would give no stars if possible. Save yourself some time and money and go elsewhere- Hillarys does not care about you.

They took £1000deposit in Oct 23for the 3 blinds and shutters for the bay window three blinds okay but the shutters were the wrong size finally got the refund in April although the girls at customer service were polite ect the time for the refund was abysmal I suggest as they are overpriced don't bother ????

Do not be fooled by the glossy T.V. advert.They take your money and then give false installation dates.The final straw is having to dispose of ALL rubbish yourself...Customer service is a joke...

I had used Hillary's blinds in a previous property,so was confident enough to use them again.What a disappointment.The roller blind is OK but the vertical one is terrible.I have to adjust it by hand every time because the slats are not evenly spaced so do not act as a blind.I have to space them out manually.A part has already broken twice.It all seems very cheap.

Spent over £1300 on blinds that only lasted a couple a months had to call the out 5 time and still no outcome did not fit child safety clips with is against the the health and safety act I’m left with blinds I can’t use and refuse me a refund am now seeing legal advice with the small claims court do not wast ur time and money not good

I was so happy with my new blinds today The quality the new features , child safety fittings , a new and much easier way of opening and closing the blinds are so much easier . I recommend Hilary’s to my friends and family . And will always buy from Hilary’s as I have over the last 20 years . A friendly service from the fitter who also cleaned any mess he may of left . Thankyou so much .

Sadly what started out to be a good experience has unfortunately turned into a nightmare. I had Hillarys to do my entire 4 bedroom brand new house. The fitter arrived on the 15th December 2023 with everything and got straight to work. When it came to fitting the last curtains in the dining area the wrong tracks had been sent. The fitter said that he could temporarily put up some track so that the curtains could hang but we couldn't close them, we agreed that would be ok until the new tracks arrived.

The fitter spoke with Hillarys who reordered the 2 tracks. We were advised that the tracks would be fitted after Christmas. Fast forward to today we are still waiting for the correct tracks, allegedly the tracks either don't turn up they arrived wrong or damaged. We have paid Hillarys over £4000 in November 2023 and still waiting for the job to be finished. My kitchen patio doors/windows look awful with the makeshift track, that is in 4 pieces, everyone remarks on it, it's embarrassing really let's my new home down.

I am tired of messaging the fitter and calling and emailing Hillarys, nobody calls me back, one girl called over a week ago at the fitters request as he has had enough aswell and quite frankly she was very rude and abrupt. I am really upset and I have just been again that the tracks were not on the fitters delivery today. I don't understand why it is so difficult to get 2 x 3.5 uncorded tracks.

15th March 2024

This response to my review is the quickest I have ever received, to be honest I haven't received many responses.

It's sad that it has taken this to wake someone up. All I want is my dining area curtains finished.

Date of experience: 15 December 2023

They mis lead customers saying shutters will arrive in February when I placed the order in December.

Then they say won’t come until April.

They just take money and then arrive way later date than they say.

Also others I know say they are of very pool quality and fitted wrong