Friedenson Design

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She did a fine job.

I had contacted Barbara before the holidays and she was over whelmed with getting jobs finished before the holidays. We agreed to meet in January. Because of a time delay in getting the fabric, a flaw in the fabric and illness I did not get the shades until the end of April. I do have to say they look great. It just took a long time to get them.

It went very well from start to finish.

Barbara and her husband Larry came out to measure the blinds in early November 2011. I ordered identical blinds for two windows, one included with the Big Deal and the second one purchased separately. They indicated that the order should arrive around Thanksgiving or slightly after. I didn't hear anything by mid-December, so I called to check on the status. They said that the order had been delayed, but should be in soon. I finally received an email from them in late January that the blinds were in and to let them know when I wanted them installed. I replied to the email with a range of days and times that would work. A couple weeks passed and I didn't hear anything, so I called them. They said that they were waiting to hear from me, so apparently they didn't read the email. I setup a day for the installation and Larry came out to install them. Unfortunately, one of the blinds was the wrong color, so Larry had to reorder it. He called a couple weeks later and came out and installed the second blind. The process took approx. 3 months in total. The blinds seem fine, but the box was marked "Sunland Shutters", which is apparently a Chinese manufacturer, not the Graber brand name that was advertised. I'm not sure what will happen if I have any problems. I don't like filing this negative review, since Barbara and Larry are such a pleasant couple, but I think they are way over their heads with the volume generated by the Big Deal and other mass offers they are using.

Very nice couple, but had difficulty getting responses to my calls or had to reschedule several times. They were late for each appointment and I was supposed to initally have blinds installed before Christmas. It was February before the job was completed. Couple seemed a little disoriented. Again, very nice, but I wouldn't recommend them and can't imagine how they would be with a large decorating project. I hate to give them such a negative review, but I have to be honest.

The special offered through Angie's list. Timely on measuring and ordering, but little later than expected for delivery.

Barb was very professional and punctual. I felt she understood what look I wanted for my living room. On our second meeting she really worked with me to reduce the overall cost of drapes/hardware. We had a very large picture window that was going to require quite a bit of fabric. This was the first time I had looked into custom drapery. We decided not to do the project due to the overall cost even though she actually gave us a very good price for custom drapes and even some alternatives to bring the cost down. We already had some custom fabric shades; therefore, it wasn't dire that we add drapes to the window at this time. I highly recommend her services and would consider using her in the future if needed.

She came out and measured, and gave a couple ok ideas. She called several days later with a ridiculous rough estimate. When we told her we weren't interested, she said "I was afraid you couldn't afford them." I thought that was a remarkably rude thing to say, and I wouldn't buy from her if the product were free.

Barbara was prompt in returning my initial and all follow up calls. There were some unavoidable issues with appointments however, she always called to advise me in advance. I have not received the final products but do not expect to be disappointed

She seems a little out of touch. One of the companies she works with she stated was very reasonable because they offered a curtain rod for $600. Generally speaking the fabric for curtains was in the $40-$50/yd range for fabric alone and she claimed this was a lower price point. I was very specific in what I was wanting for fabric, but even ones that I felt were lower quality were still too expensive for what I wanted to spend. In addition to that the fabric I was wanting she did not have in stock. I felt her pricing was extremely high for an average consumer. I know she doesn't use email much, but it would be nice to hear back from her within 24 hours and that has not happened, it was more like three to seven days. Calling her does work better. I also had problems with her showing up on time and being able to find my home. She does not use GPS and I thought I had given her very clear directions. She did miss our first appointment and showed up 45 minutes late to our second. At the third scheduled appointment she did arrive promptly. In general, this was not the kind of experience I was expecting. I did really want window treatments, but was not able to use this service for my needs.

More than once, he didn’t get back to me when he said he would, and I had to contact him to plan the next step. The last time, I contacted him to see when he could come out for the install (more than a month after he said he’d contact me) and he said I never called to schedule the measurements. I had, and he had come out, and did do the measure, ordered the blinds, and they were supposedly in. The worst part is that all this was in the email chain of our coorespondence, and had he just read down he could have saved himself the embarrassment. On install day, he used no shoe covers even though it was raining, bumps things with the blinds as he walks through the house, throws his coat and hat on my bed, complains its dark in my bedroom and can’t see, complained the blinds were heavy, complained that the cords are all tangled up, and when he looked out my window said “nice view of nothing here”. He needed my help with the blinds, but did not ask - he just said "Come here!". He had the bracket in wrong place and had to take it out and move it about 1/8 inch. I hoped it was still stable since my windows are not framed in wood but in metal. He kept complaining that my curtains were in the way and he couldn't see – even though he determined initially they’d be ok and I showed him how he could move them out of the way. It was pretty humorous if nothing else. Also used the bathroom and left the seat up. Inspecting the work after he left, I noticed the blinds do not snap into the right bracket like they should, so they could potentially fall out.

There was a manufacture's delay, but everything went smoothly.

The service went very well. On their way to my house, they were involved in a car accident. After dealing with the accident, they came to my house anyway, and took the measurements for the blinds. I thought that this was above what was expected, considering what had just occurred. After the blinds came in, Larry returned to my house and installed them. They look very nice.

If you use this company, you really need to oversee the install. Larry was ready to leave (had put his tool kit and stool in the truck) when I said that the blinds were not hung evenly across the top. He agreed (and, I thought, if I hadn't been here he would have just left it that way...) and after several attempts to fix it in a rather Mickey Mouse way (put a small nail under the valance to hold it up even with the other ones...) I convinced him to totally take it down and re-do the brackets. He did it and said he would not leave until I was happy, so I will give him credit for that. In the end, they are all even, but I feel like that should have been a given at the outset, without my involvement and needing to convince him to re-hang them. Overall I am happy with the blinds, but am not sure I would use them again. He also needs to work on his professionalism, eg. no personal calls during the job, asking to use the bathroom, dressing so when you lift your arms nothing is exposed.

We took advantage of the Big Deal and Barbara and Larry were great to work with. They were quick to respond and complete the job. Barbara took my request over the phone, Larry came out to measure...helped select the perfect color of blinds...and returned to install them professionally. I highly recommend these two good people. They care about their customers satisfaction.

They measured for 3 new blinds for my front window the end of November. They said the blinds would be in the middle of January and they were. They were on time for their appts each time and finished the job quickly. Definitely worth the price! Hope hey have more specials to come!

Our experience was excellent and Barbara worked with us over a period of time. Barbarba constantly has her eye on items that will look good and bring an area to life.

The drapery looks really nice and the carpet is perfect. She does a lot of legwork; she evaluates what you need and she goes out and brings together a good selection. She is very good at making combinations that fit.