Friedenson Design

I really enjoyed the experience overall and found Barbara to be very enthusiastic about decorating and patient as she worked with me. She was never in a hurry and always wanted me to be happy with the final choice. I became a little impatient with waiting from December until March for the window treatments to be completed but Barbara told me initially that there would be a wait due to the Christmas rush. I really love the way the window treatments look and my husband and I are very pleased with the outcome. We have had custom made window treatments once before, living in another city and state, and when you have "custom made" valances, drapes, curtains etc., you can expect to pay more than "store-bought". However, Barbara has many options for windows, depending on how much you would want to spend.

This was an Angie's List coupon. When they came to measure they tracked in mud from the yard. They finally delivered the product several weeks after some calls from us and weeks after they promised. The blinds were measured properly but the installation was shoddy; the draws were all wrong. We are trying to figure out how to adjust the draws so they work properly. We won't call them back!!!!

They came to our home and had taken measurements for blinds. We then ordered the fabric from them. They would not start the work until the last $1000 out of $3500 was paid. They had at least $2500 from us and I believed they needed to come and do the entire project and get paid upon completion. I didn?t think I was asking anything unfair. I ended up paying them for the rest of the service in early April in good faith. They made appointments to come and do the installation but did not come until June. However, in June they didn't even bring the blinds that we had ordered and paid for back in March and April. They didn't come to do the blinds until early July. When the blinds were installed, the installer was not there. She just let her husband do the installation. However, we had already paid for a professional installer. Once they got them installed, one is defective. We showed them that defective blind before they even left the installation appointment. They agreed to order a new one and promised that it would arrive within a week. However, I have not even heard from them and I do not have a replaced blind yet. I tried calling them and left a voicemail but it was not returned. My desired resolution is for them to just come and replace the blind like they said they would. I am worried about the fabric and the warranty. I have zero confidence that our blinds were a safe purchase looking forward to the possibility of warranty covered wear and tear or manufacturer caused malfunctions. I would absolutely not use them again in the future. As a side note: they also lied to me. When we were talking about blinds, I asked how their blind prices compared to say, Penny?s. I went and priced the same blind and they are cheaper. I got back to them and told them. They told me that they were giving me a bunch of discounts for everything. That didn't matter because I probably wouldn't have bought the blinds from them if I would have known the blinds from Penny?s were cheaper. I don?t take kindly to lies.

It was ok. They did produce a very nice product that I’m very happy with.

It did not turn out very well. I ended up not getting anything from them.

It worked out really well. She was very professional. She was not pushy with sales and she gave me options. I would highly recommend her for window and fabric treatments, color consultation and any kind of interior design work.

There was a couple of weeks delay from the intial contact until I heard from Barbara. The appointment was set. She arrived almost on time, but, needed a second set of driving directions. She was disorganized and huffing and puffing like she was in need of medical attention. I didn't like that she took other phone calls while in my home and the fact that my project was a small job. She started packing up her samples when I said it wasn't a whole house project. I told her I would think about it and then decided to follow my first instinct to not use her at all. I paid $75-100 for her time and hardly any help.

I had multiple phone conversations with Barbara, and was looking forward to having her come out to my home. I told her we were interested in having some help with layout, design options, and suggestions on wall hangings in our living room. We scheduled an appointment for 3pm on December 18th. I arranged my work schedule so that I could be home to meet with her. She called me the evening before our meeting was scheduled to cancel my appointment. She left me a voicemail said she had a "big job with a paying client" so she wouldn't be able to meet with me. I was livid, as we had been planning this meeting for weeks, and she knew my livingsocial deal was about to expire. I left her a voicemail telling her to call me back as soon as possible so we could reschedule. I never heard back from her. I found her behavior extremely unprofessional. I understand the need to reschedule appointments - but don't act like my business isn't as important as your high-paying window treatment client. Just because I had a LivingSocial deal did not mean that I wasn't planning to spend thousands of dollars on a re-design of our living room. I would not recommend Ms. Freidenson to anyone and she will not be receiving my business, ever. Luckily, I was able to share my story with a LivingSocial executive, and was refunded.

The original deal I purchased was worded a bit differently than I think it should be. The $99 price should have been sold more as a coupon toward $99 off a more expensive job, instead of $300 worth of custom draperies for $99. I cannot recommend Barbara Friedensen Designs because we did not end up working together on any project. Thankfully, she did refund my money.

We initially bought three big deals for window treatments, only to be told that we could only use one, this was not specified, but oh well. Barb and her husband came out to consult and measure the windows. The initial appointment went well. That is about the end of it though! Dealy, after delay, after delay! It took many months, and expected delivery date after expected delivery date were missed, usually with no acknoledgement at all. My wife and i made several calls and the lateness and delays were never acknowldeged, or apologized for. Our initial consultation was in May, and the blinds were not installed until the week before Christmas, though the expectation had been a month, or two at the most! I frankly believe the only reason they got done when they did was due to repeated calls, and threats to take them to court. The finished product is frankly quite good, but the process was so horrible I could never reccomend this company.

Unfortunately this service experience is still not completed. I initiated service in August and had to call in Nov to get a status update. I called again yesterday (Dec 19th). When I talk with them they are very nice and courteous, and they confirmed yesterday that they thought the blinds had arrived. I am waiting on a call back. I will complete the remainder of my review after this service is complete and blinds are installed.

The experience went very well. Workman was prompt and did an excellent installation and cleaned up after his work.

Someone else was making the roman shades for her and what we thought was going to be 3 weeks ended up being more like 3 months. So it took longer than we thought.

They were very accommodating they have worked with me on completing this project and allowing me to make a second purchase. They are great characters.

Placed several calls as well as emails and never received a call or email. Had to get a refund on the deal.

This was in all a very frustrating and disappointing experience. From signed contract to final install, this moderately challenging project took 7 1/2 months! It should have taken no more than 3-4 months tops.Here is a condensed timeline: 1. Late February - sign contract and pay deposit. I am informed project should be done in about 12 weeks. 2. Late May - I contact Barb to see where the project is. She tells me her sewer is ready to begin and she needs to come out to make measurements with her measuring guy. Appt. is made for end of May. 3. End of June - 3 canceled appointments later (2 hers, 1 mine), measurements finally made. I ask how long will it be - end of July, August? She laughs and says, "Oh, not that long". Process of obtaining measurements reduces my confidence in the whole undertaking, as it is clear that the measurer and Barb and the assistant are completely unsure of what to do. Barb even notes that they look silly, but laughs it off. 4. Aug. 3 - I text Barb to find out how soon my items will be done. She says again that they are ready to get sewing and will call me for an install date. 5. September 20 - I leave Barb a voicemail bluntly asking when my project will be completed and installed. She calls back the same day and tells me it's done and ready to install. 6.September 25 - Install. Item #1 is too short, and Item #2 was not sewn as requested. Return to sewing for repairs. 7. October 3 - Items finally correctly installed. As a guess, I would pinpoint the problem on poor project management on the part of Barb and timidity on her sewer's part. However, as this is Barb's business, it is ultimately her responsibility to make sure projects are completed on time. Throughout the project, Barb seemed unaware or unconcerned of how behind the project was beyond an apology or two or an explanation that "this is a really complicated job" to excuse a wait of over 7 months. She also talked up her team, especially her measurer/installer. At the final install a new person installed the curtains and valance. Turns out she FIRED her ace installer because he was no good (the one she had lavishly praised). The final straw for me was when no discount was offered as compensation for the long wait, or free services offered in the future. Instead, sensing that I was very unhappy with her performance, she KEPT TRYING TO HUG ME when I just wanted her to do the job and leave. I initially had a bad feeling about this vendor, but since I had purchased a deal, and, after I had paid for the fabric, I felt roped in. I will never use Barb Friedrenson Design again, and I cannot recommend her to Angie's List members. Oh, and the valance and curtains? They are very cute, and well made, but every time I look at them I feel like I've been had.

Very good experience. I would definitely use her services again, and am glad that I purchased the coupon.

Called this company because of Angies List - Big Deal. Larry (husband of owner) came out. He irritated us right off because when seeing what we had in place he referred to them as junk. He measured three windows. They all had vertical blinds. We changed the bedroom blind to horizontal. He kept trying to talk us into horizontal blinds in the TV room. We held out for vertical and he finally relented. When Larry came to install the blinds, the one in the bedroom went ok. The ones in the TV room was a different matter; one was six inches too long. He said he would check with the factory about reordering another or cutting the one he had to the right length. He ended up cutting it. He came back to install the blind. He had one heck of a time getting it done. This guy is not particularly mechanically adept. He's like a bull in a china shop. He finally got it done to all our satisfaction and left, having cleaned up and taken all the old blinds and various packing material away. A couple of weeks later when the hot sun was shining through the west-facing window, several of the vertical slats became warped and distorted. I called Larry and told him what was happening and he said he'd call the factory and talk to them about it. He called back and said the factory was sending another set of slats. They did and he installed them. I commented that they looked exactly like the other ones. He agreed but said that's what the factory sent him and we'd just have to wait and see how they performed. He assured me that he and the factory would stand behind them. This business seems like a post-retirement endeavor run out of their house. I asked him how long they had been in business and he said five years. All-in-all, not the best experience we've had with home decorators. They proved rather difficult to communicate with. I left voice mails that went unanswered. If I couldn't reach Larry, I would call Barbara, whose name is on the company as the owner, and she might give her phone to Larry, if he was there, or tell me to call Larry again.

Overall, it went well. Barbara was very responsive to my disappointment with an installer who came late once and didn't show at all another time. She quickly resolved the matter to my satisfaction and I would recommend her to others.

Ms. Friedenson called and scheduled an appointment and asked what we wanted to accomplish. We told her that we were looking for ideas and shared with her our ideas regarding style and colors. She arrived about an hour late and had virtually nothing in the colors and styles that we told her. After making several trips to her car for more samples, we agreed with Ms. Friedenson that it was best for her to come back when she had some more samples. She called us to schedule a follow up visit. During that phone call, my wife gave her some more ideas of what we were looking for. Her response was "I've already made another trip to get your samples. I'm not sure when I'll be able to go back again." It is quite possible that Ms. Friedenson received so much business from her Angie's List Big Deal coupon that she just didn't have time to accommodate us or maybe there was just a personality conflict between Ms. Friedenson and us. Regardless, we decided to just kiss our $99 investment away and take our business elsewhere. This is what we did.

It went great from the beginning. She came out on Feb. 8th, and we talked about what I wanted. She was such a fun person. We really hit it off, and even hugged when she left. She came back on Feb. 21st with samples, and was wonderful in guiding me in a selection, as I didn't know about the materials, etc. I told her I had a party on May 30th, and I really wanted them done by then, and she said there was no problem. Then the installer came out to measure, and she told him I wanted them by the 30th also. On May 29th, I called her assuming they must be coming that day, but she had completely forgotten. She apologized profusely, but obviously I didn't have them for the party. In fact, I didn't get them till July16th, and that was after another reminder phone call. I would have definitely rated her an "A" if they had been delivered on time.

I was on a budget. The final bill was a little more than I had anticipated. The draperies and the designer curtain rods are very nice. I am very pleased with the results. Next time I will make sure what my total bill will be.

Over all I would rate it C-. Mr and Mrs. Friedeson were open, friendly people. They also knew there business. We talked, picked out color of blinds and measured windows. Mrs. Friedenson said blinds would be ready in 2 weeks. After the 2 weeks, I had not heard from them, so i called a left a message. It took a day of so before Mrs Friedenson called me back. She said the manufacturer was backed up. She was curt and unapologetic. To me, she was concerned with immediate sale and not repeat sales

Use fiscal caution before using this designer! I purchased her services through a charity auction. Barb is a nice person. The finished product is nice - not great. The biggest problem we had with Barb is she 'sold' us furnishings in October and took over $4000 in deposit. The first item arrived nearly 4 months later and was of lesser quality than paid for. The error was not discovered until the blinds were installed. Larry shrugged this off, but Barb insisted on making this right. The first set of blinds took 4 months, but the correct ones arrived 2 weeks later. Eventually the rug, chair and cornices arrived at over 6 months from our payment. The ottoman never arrived. I have never worked with an interior designer. Barb's design process started with a layout. Then, she brought dozens of catalogs and fabric samples. It took two hours to just look through them. I don't think the chair fabric fits the rest of the furnishings. The cornices and rug are beautiful. I would have preferred fewer options or even complete room designs offered.

I bought the big deal. We met in March and I paid her in full in April. It is June 29th and I still haven't had a measurement despite being told my four custom shades would be installed by mid June. We had an appointment scheduled for last night but they were a no show. When I told Larry I wanted my money back Barbara called threatening me. She said she already had the fabric (no measurements yet) and our contract had no time limit so she was going to "come after" me if I "tried anything funny" This was a message left on my voicemail. All I have gotten were excuses, she even said she had talked to Angie's List and they assured her they would never refund my money, although they very promptly did (thank you Angie's List).