Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:15/03/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Date of transaction was Nov 29, 2018. Amount paid was $1907.85. Budget Blinds committed to supplying us four Norman Smart (LF) shades with a limited lifetime warranty and a 5 year no questions asked warranty. The lifetime warranty states that for the honeycomb shades "cords are warranted for fraying for seven years". Our issue is that the cords on one blind are frayed and the shade will not operate correctly. The lifetime warranty, states "Repair or remake of defective products is the sole remedy under this warranty" and in small print goes on to state "All other warranties, both expressed and implied are explicitly disclaimed" That would mean this lifetime warranty is the only one that stands, although Budget did also give us a no questions asked 5 year warranty.
  
  Budget refuses to honour the warranty for repair of this one blind. Instead they insist on replacement, with a different product that will not fit in the way that we purchased the original product to fit. They gave us a contact number for a repair facility, but will not pay for that repair. They try to confuse the issue due to corded shades no longer being allowed in Canada. I have contacted the relevant government inspector for his direction as to whether this prevents the repair of existing products and he has said no, repair is fine. I have sent that decision by the regulator to Budget. They still refuse and insist on replacement.
  
  The set of four blinds are side by side and all blinds must match, which cannot be done with Budgets current products. They accept if we want that same look, repair is the only option, but the cost is on us. Replacement and disposal of this perfectly serviceable product also goes against our environmental sensibilities. Cost for us would also be considerably more as Budget would charge for service calls, shipping etc where if they honoured their warranty we would deliver to the repair facility and reinstall. I will try to attach supporting documents. ***** *** * ******

  

  Business Response

  Date: 15/03/2023

   

  Hello BBB,
  
  What you will see is the client has non compliant window coverings in their home, with some cords fraying. They want us to come repair the strings. We are not a repair company, we sell custom window coverings and assist clients with their warranty work. In this case, the vendor has offered to replace the window covering with a compliant one. If Mr. W. wants to keep his non compliant window coverings, he can hire an outside source repair company. As stated in the warranty, unauthorized repairs are not covered. We have offered the client the replacment window coverings under warranty and he is refusing. 
  
  
  

  The “5-year NQA Warranty” provides consumers a one-time repair or replacement, at Norman's discretion.
  
  In this case, the product is being replaced as it is no longer compliant in Canada, and under Norman (the vendor) discretion, they are choosing the replace it with a compliant option.
  
  Repair or remake of defective products is the sole remedy under this warranty and in no event shall Norman® or its licensed distributors or dealers be liable for costs to remove and/or reinstall the product. Repairs will be made with only like or similar parts. This warranty does not include shipping charges, costs of labor for measuring, installation, or trip charges. This warranty does not cover any conditions caused by normal wear and tear or unauthorized repairs. Repairs will be made with only like or similar parts. 
  
  This product's parts are no longer available as the product is unavailable. That is why at Norman's discretion they are replacing it with a compliant comparable product under the warranty. As you can see, it also states that this warranty does not cover unauthorized repairs, which is what the client is asking for. 
  
  If the client wishes to get work done on their non-compliant window covering by having the cords fixed by a blind repair company, they are welcome to do that outside of the warranty. If they wish for Budget Blinds to assist with warranty work, it is through a compliant replacement product that is covered under the warranty.
  
  Thank you,
  
  
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 16/03/2023

   I am rejecting this response because: It is dishonest in some aspects and totally ignores the warranty with which Budget Blinds sold the product to us.  We have never asked Budget Blinds to come and repair the strings themselves.  On our first warranty call to Budget Blinds we were given an option to have our shades replaced with a different product or repaired by a shade repair business  My wife, who initiated this first call naturally got the impression from Budget Blinds that the repair would be reimbursed by Budget Blinds as a way to honour the warranty.  It wasn't until I called the repair company that we were told that we would have to pay up front and likely have a hard time getting reimbursed by Budget Blinds. 

  
  

  Budget Blinds have stated in a email that the replacement product will not fit like the product they originally sold us. We cannot accept that because the product they sold us under warranty can be repaired, thus allowing us to keep the fit we paid for. Budget Blinds states in their reply to BBB that they "assist clients with their warranty work" yet for us they only insist we accept a product we do not want.

  
  

  Budget Blinds tries to hide behind the fact that they cannot bring in the same product. That is fine with us, to repair the product is around $100 so the best option. Even though we would use a repair business they referred us to, they have dug in their heels and done everything they can to convince us we need to pay them, in addition to the $1907 already paid to them for the product we want, to come in and look at the space they originally installed our shades in - to install a new unwanted product. I have asked for a detailed account of the total of what they will charge for their unwanted new product, but they have not given me that. Budget Blinds has also been ambiguous in letting us know if they will replace all four shades or just the one with frayed cords. All would have be replaced as they are side by side. That is a ridiculous option as it is a waste of perfectly operational product, at an expense to us we will not pay for. 
  

  
  

  In Budget Blinds reply they refer to wording in the lifetime warranty where it stipulates that "repair or remake of defective products is the sole remedy....." It also states that cords are warranted for 7 years. That is the specific part which we need replaced.  That statement in the warranty is exactly what we want - and Budget Blinds refuses to honour!  

  
  

  Note that we would need to pay shipping, labour, installation and trip charges on accepting a replacement vice repair. Anyone can see why they don't want to honour their warranty and hide behind the fact that the product can no longer be sold by them. But can be legally and in full compliance - repaired.

  
  

  Budget Blinds goes to great detail that the product we have is non compliant. As the government inspector has pointed out, it is only the sale of the product, due to cords that children may get entangled in, that is not allowed. Repairs are compliant. We are not asking for installation of a non compliant item, we are asking for them to pay us for the repair of the warrantied item they sold us, in compliance with the lifetime warranty. I have explained to Budget Blinds that we are seniors with no children and that children will never see these blinds. In the USA they are actually advertised as a good choice for families with children. ****** ** *** ** **** ***** ***** *****
  

  
  

  In Budgets reply they state that our installed shades parts are no longer available as the product is unavailable. Norman is an American company that still sells these shades (on the Norman website) so the cords are available.  In Budget Blinds reply they say that the warranty states it does not cover unauthorized repairs. What it actually states in the lifetime warranty is "does not cover any conditions caused by unauthorized repairs". In the no questions asked warranty it states "or upon which unauthorized repairs have been made" There have not been any repairs made upon our blinds yet so the warranty still applies. We are asking for them to pay to be repaired since they cannot replace with a product that will fit the same. They as a business can authorize a repair to be done by the repair facility they referred us to.

  
  

  In the no questions asked warranty it stipulates it provides consumers a one time offer of repair or replacement, so after the repair is completed the warranty is useless anyways. Unauthorized or authorized it does not matter. It can not be repaired or replaced after that one time repair. This is a one off Budget can easily manage, they just need to accept responsibility for their warranty and do the right thing. Their Norman/Budget Blinds  warranty highlights "Enjoy unprecedented peace of mind with the  5 year NQA Warranty, If something goes wrong, we'll offer a one-time repair or replacement - for free. No questions asked"  Although it states the repair or replace is at Normans discretion in the NQA warranty, in the lifetime warranty repair or remake is the only option from Norman. I am sure that if Norman is informed of the customer that is very happy with their product and wishes to keep them, they will go with the $100 repair vice the replacement of four blinds unnecessarily.  The repair would always be the top choice and is why it is listed as the only choice by the Norman lifetime warranty. In the NQA warranty replacement is mentioned in the event repair cannot be done and the only option is replacement. 

  
  

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