We’ve just had these blinds fitted and I think I’d like the company to do something with the way they look.

Basically we have bay windows with 5 windows. My wife and I both didn’t like the idea of having 5 blinds up so we asked for 3 blinds, with the middle one covering 3 windows. The guy thought for a while, measured and reckoned it would work. I’m fine with the bottom of the blind overhanging the windowledge as that part’s down to simple angles and shapes, but I think they could have fitted the blinds in much better.

The problem, to my eyes, is that the large blind is too wide. If it were cut to a fraction wider than the actual glass window I think the two side blinds would slot right in.

I’ve asked them to come back out after the Christmas break to have a look and see what they think. Do you think this is reasonable? Is it do-able in the manner I’m suggesting?

I THINK there’s enough space to make the central large blind narrower, and the side blinds SHOULD then fit…

And this is the other room, which is a bay with a very slight angle, 3 windows, and looks great

Is the fact I’ve asked for 3 blinds over 5 windows likely to make my expectations unreasonable?

Any thoughts would be great before I decide if I want to be firm with this company or agree to accept things if he says it’s not doable.

Thanks!

That’s bloody awful. They made it clear that this was the off the shelf option that would be bodged to fit rather than a professional fitting service, didn’t they?

Sorry but a professional company would never have agreed to that. It would always be a compromise with a bay window though.

Edit: am well aware of the price of mtm blinds, you and your wife must be distraught.

They were measured up, local company with a very good name, so I’m happy to give them time to sort it. We’ve not paid yet.

Even the side blinds could do with being half an inch shorter.

Cheers, good to get a sense check.

You wanted one big central blind. That’s what you’ve got!
If you’d gone for 5 blinds then the joint angles would have been shallower and it would have looked OK, as per the other window. I assume you saved a fair bit by having one big blind?

Nothing to do with cost saving. We didn’t want 5 sets of cords to open up the blinds!

Do you think it doesn’t look like they could be fitted in if the lengths were different?

If you’d gone for 5 blinds then the joint angles would have been shallower and it would have looked OK, as per the other window. I assume you saved a fair bit by having one big blind?

With all due respect, what a crock!
It doesn’t matter what the angle is or isn’t. In this case all blinds should have been butted as in the other room and the angle at the of the bay is totally irrelevant. Try it at home kids.
Even if in the reverse there should be extrusions available to make a tidy finish.

A quick google image search of bay window blinds show some tidy examples, you could pick one or two and send to company.

Maybe. The side blinds need to go back a bit and if the centre was a bit narrower it might work. It’ll still look shit though. I bet the fitter was cursing the salesman..!

It looks to me like the central blind is too wide and the side blinds need to be recessed a tad more to even things up. I wouldn’t be entirely happy with that as a made to measure set.

as the top box of a venetian blinds is just a hollow box, get the fitter to mark the angle of the side blinds where they currently overlap the central one, then cut a ccoresponding angle on the box section of the long blind, hopefully he will will have a hacksaw, and steady hand, the box recievers just need to be fitted on the ends and secuered.

Strange someone in chester rang this week to fit some blinds on a large bay window, when i rang back they had allocated the job to someone else, you dont live near chester do you.

thats truly shite

I fitted blinds for about 5 yrs, I know the customer is always right even when they are wrong but I would’ve advised you against doing that.

If you still wanted that I would made sure the blind almost meet at the viewable angles. I’d ask them to sort it or money back

I’m happy with the look of a big blind in the middle, function over form in that respect. Personally I think it’ll look better than 5 blinds anyway. But the side blinds sticking forward like that isn’t any use ?. I’ll ask about cutting the top box, or shortening the big blind/ordering a new one.

It’s actually two sets of the same problem as two rooms are identical.

bruneep – Member
thats truly shite

^ Mr Bruneep provided me with some cracking advice a few years ago in this area.

PS no monies paid yet

Out of interest, what could I expect to pay for a similar setup, fitted by a professional?

double post weirdness

Thanks

all you are going to do by cutting top box is bodge it! IMHO it will still look shite, slats will overlap more. Best you can salvage out of that without seeing it in the flesh is a shorter ‘big’ blind that fits correctly between the smaller side ones.

**** me If you asked on here 1st I’d come to glasgow when I drop my son off in edinburgh.

When you research a company and hear literally nothing but good reports you give it a try. And I still think they’ll sort it when the owner manages to have a look after the Xmas break so I don’t want to start sharpening any pitchforks.

Cheers for the tip on cutting the box bruneep, I see how that wouldn’t work now.

all you are going to do by cutting top box is bodge it! IMHO it will still look shite, slats will overlap more.

Not if the cut is made with the slats in the box, but still look shite if not cut with the right tool.

Hmmm I’ll reserve judgement on that until I see it. but my original statement stands.

Bottom line is he shouldn’t have to cut anything, that’s a very poor measuring and fitting service that the OP is expected to pay for. hey I’ve had a few measuring disasters (mostly when the customer is chatting to me whilst I was measuring) and took it on the chin and ordered another for them. But to leave that is not acceptable

bamboo – Member
Out of interest, what could I expect to pay for a similar setup, fitted by a professional

Our lot are charging £900 all in for ten blinds, 3 bay windows and one straight 8ft wide one.

Bottom line is he shouldn’t have to cut anything

No argument here, they should either cut to fit or supply new. But glasgowdan has the upperhand here, finished to an excellent standard or do one.

Wooden blinds come cheap from China in various generic drops lengths and are trimmed to drop and width. Don’t be fooled that they are made to measure they are cut to fit.

http://www.wooden-blinds-direct.co.uk/

pop you rough sizes in the the site above and you’ll see the mark up for your “professional fit”

We didn’t want 5 sets of cords to open up the blinds!

Whilst I don’t have a bay window, instead have 4 vertical blinds for French doors with half depth windows either side and it really is a quick job to open and close them.

I understand your reasons for having 1 blind covering 3 windows but it’s not worked out.

As a matter of interest, did you talk to other suppliers?

It’ll work out just fine when they remeasure and order/fit more accurately ?. No we didn’t try another company, it’s surprisingly hard to find genuine good trades around here, as we have found during the last 4 months. As I said, we did our research and I believe this is an exception for them. Just requires a bit more technical input than most of their jobs I imagine.

thats not good mate sorry, why didnt you go for vertical blinds, there washable , individualy repaceable, much nicerfitted. as you told the fitter 3 not 5 blinds well its your fault .

thats not good mate sorry, why didnt you go for vertical blinds, there washable , individualy repaceable, much nicerfitted. as you told the fitter 3 not 5 blinds well its your fault .

Could you explain why 5 and not 3 would have fitted better than that, please? Also explain why an install problem is the customer’s fault?

Never mind the blinds, I’ve just noticed the radiator! I never knew they came in anything but bog standard…

that’s five individual rads, fitted to glasgowdan’s usual standard !

With all respect that first picture looks rubbish. You clearly went to huge expense getting that radiator made to fit so I’d be doing the same with the blinds!

I suspect that radiator came with the house

Other option you could’ve went for was shutters

I much prefer the shutters above but imagine they would be 5x’s the cost of the blinds.

The shutters above look good. My brother had some of those fitted to his Windows and the do look nice.

Those blinds look pretty shocking…I guess they measured for each window without considering the overlap at the ends caused by the angle. Hopefully they’ll sort it.

We’ve used blinds2go for Venetian and roller blinds and they’ve always been spot-on.

Some very silly comments above 🙂 I am not sure you can buy radiators like that these days anyway.

The boss has come out today on his day off and must have cursed the fitter a dozen times, disgrace, shocking, can’t believe he left it like that etc. He adjusted the brackets, swapped the bedroom blind to the living room as it’s a perfect fit now and took the living room blind away to cut and fit later on today. He accepted 100% that he hadn’t measured it right and apologised.

I didn’t even have to pull out the big guns!

Personally I think the 3 blind look is a hundred times better than 5 blinds, and am perfectly happy with it. For the price of shutters we’d have been waiting another year before getting them done and just want the house sorted rather than sitting waiting for everything. Not a fan of vertical blinds at all.

I’ll pop an ‘after’ picture up if the demand is there 😉 Thanks for the input chaps/chapesses. Looks like Christmas isn’t going to be cancelled this year after all.

Not a fan of vertical blinds at all.

With you all the way. Acceptable in dentists, waiting rooms and office blocks.

The boss has come out today on his day off and must have cursed the fitter a dozen times, disgrace, shocking, can’t believe he left it like that etc. He adjusted the brackets, swapped the bedroom blind to the living room as it’s a perfect fit now and took the living room blind away to cut and fit later on today. He accepted 100% that he hadn’t measured it right and apologised.

Ypu’ll be able to name’n’praise when it’s been finished. Mistakes happen, good customer service is rare.

lets see the finished window then

I only read the first post and it’s already a candidate for thread of the year. Sorry fella. Hilarious!

Yes I know the blind doesn’t follow the window but it’s exactly as we wanted it. Cheers all!