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First Previous Next Last

WINDOW-PRO Digest for Thursday, December 23, 2010.

1. Re: Change of mind
2. Re: Several Items
3. To Stan @ Commercial Sales,
4. Re: Privada "No Holes" Pleated Skylight 
5. Re: Ladder Tapes and Cord for Antique 2" Wood Blinds 
6. Re: Skylight shades 
7. How not to treat customers 
8. Hunter Douglas 
9. Hunter Douglas, Good, Bad or Ugly?
10. Re:  Pleated shades for skylights
11. Re: Mini Blind Slat Repair Tools
12. Independent Reps Needed
13. Why sell Hunter Douglas, or Levolor....or Bali for that matter?
14. Lowering of Standards
15. Re: Change of Mind
16. RE: Jeremy; Man up.
17. Re: 2" Vinyl
18. MechoShade Home Systems seeking independent sales reps

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Subject: Re: Change of mind
From: Joe Gorman <wintechinc@bellsouth.net>
Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 06:48:51 -0800 (PST)
X-Message-Number: 1

For Jeremy Hoelting at The Blind Brothers: At this point, Jer, you are breaking even, money-wise. You've made no profit and have a ticked off customer. From experience, the best advice is refund her deposit and recover the shade. (I would insist on a refund from the fabric jobber) I have always told my employees: "If the customer cannot say something good about us, do whatever it takes to insure they cannot say anything bad." 
Your other option is do nothing except buy yourself a tube of KY jelly, cause you'll need it....Joe G.

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Subject: Re: Several Items
From: "HARRY HUTCHERSON" <hleehutch@q.com>
Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 08:06:34 -0700
X-Message-Number: 2

RE Several Items: 
1 ) Regarding skylight pleated manually operated shades, Graber again!   
They make a fine pleated product with a tensioner inside the rails that keeps 
the moving "headrod" even and holds it in place up or down.   We have them
all over the valley and they work--am not aware of any limitations on angle 
of the opening.    2 )   Homeowners' Associations:   Ugh!   You have to decide 
if you really want to live there in the first place, then if it is worth the trouble, 
and if all else fails, move or sue!   3 )   Change of Mind:   
Small Claims Court is the place to settle this and if you go in well prepared, 
you should win your case--again, is it worth the trouble?   
4 )   Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night  
( We're closed until the 28th )
Harry Hutcherson,
Estes Park, CO.

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Subject: To Stan @ Commercial Sales,
From: "David Phillips" <David.Phillips@castec.com>
Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 07:24:07 -0800
X-Message-Number: 3

To Stan @ Commercial Sales,
Castec can make roman style sky light shades operated from a wand. We can use any of the solar screen materials, regular fabrics that we stock, or most COM fabrics. Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Dave Phillips
Senior Account Manager
Fabritec, LLC
800/828-2500 ext 3176
801/252-2193 fax
david.phillips@castec.com

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Subject: Re: Privada "No Holes" Pleated Skylight
From: "John Fitzgerald" <John.Fitzgerald@comfortex.com>
Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 09:23:51 -0700
X-Message-Number: 4

Stan, Comfortex is offering the Privada "No Holes" Pleated Skylight...an affordable skylight option that has no light holes through the fabric. It will be available in February 2011.

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Subject: Re: Ladder Tapes and Cord for Antique 2" Wood Blinds
From: Brent Crandall <crandallbox@sbcglobal.net>
Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 08:30:28 -0800 (PST)
X-Message-Number: 5

You have made a difficult request.  However, if anyone can help you, it would be G.M. Kinney.  800-543-9058.  They are a NY-based parts supplier, and they may still have stock of the old tape spacings.  In case they don't and the new spacing is not acceptable to your customer, you can always offer new blinds. 
 It's amazing how OK with the spacing they may be if confronted with the possibility of paying for new ones.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Re: Skylight shades
From: Jack Huff <jackman78@rocketmail.com>
Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 11:14:58 -0800 (PST)
X-Message-Number: 6

Graber has the SkyTrack shade that is opened with a pole or by hand

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: How not to treat customers
From: Adam Holzsager <adam@windowwears.net>
Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 17:00:26 -0500 (EST)
X-Message-Number: 7

I usually only read hear and don't post much.  But I have to say I am completely appalled at the complete lack of a sense of urgency displayed by fabricators this season.  My job as a retailer is to meet or exceed my customers expectations year round.  In general, I find there are three times a year I need to go that extra bit to make sure shades are ordered, received and installed before a holiday:  Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

This year, I've found my suppliers woefully lacking in either meeting reasonable shipping times or communicating when they can't.  I ordered motors from Somfy in November that I had to check  up on several times and then finally this Monday agree to pay for expedited shipping myself, so my customer could have his shades installed before Christmas.  I ordered a 2" metal blind from Mariak on Dec 6 that was due to ship Dec 10 and still has not shipped, despite that I've called on 4 different occasions to press them about it.  
I have honeycomb shades from Hunter Douglas that were ordered on Dec 7 that will not ship until January.  (Hunter Douglas was the only company that actually called me to notify me of delays and apologize.)

I'm a small dealer.  But this is a big industry.  A big industry that is not treating its customers well.  So the next time one of these companies wants to complain to me about their business being down, they will certainly get no sympathy from me.

Adam Holzsager
Window Wears
Washington, DC

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Hunter Douglas
From: "Roger Gober" <rogerg@allaboutblinds.net>
Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 17:34:25 -0500
X-Message-Number: 8

As everyone out there knows, Hunter monitors this site closely.  With that said I would like to state my feelings on the subject.  This is my 30th year as a retailer in this industry.  Those of us who can trace our roots back to a time when our completion came from every paint store, builder, weekend decorator, real estate agent, painter, etc. remember how easy it was to get a free mini blind deck and a couple of vertical blind decks and sell window treatments.  The going rate for an 80x84 vertical blind was $49.99 installed.  A mini blind was 80 to 90% off retail or buy 1 get 4 free.
Hunter Douglas changed all of that with Duette.

Hunters approach to the business allowed all of us to see the price of a window treatment explode.  Their cost for sampling excluded a large number of the prior mentioned group of competitors.  The business has become much more legitimate and lucrative due to their approach to marketing and the proprietary products they have developed over the years.

I also have many issues with their company but feel that the original comments that started this string are completely off the mark.  My feeling is Hunter should require anyone interested in selling their products a minimum of an initial $5000 investment in order that we not return to the days of old.  Although I agree some of their marketing material is worthless to me I'm sure we can find another retailer out there who can use it.

I do feel Hunter has created a lot of issues we all deal with on a daily basis and they intern make us feel as though they are the enemy, but who wants to return to the days where all we had to sell was the exact same product that any bored weekend decorator could offer all of their friends and family at a 10% mark up.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Hunter Douglas, Good, Bad or Ugly?
From: Rory McNeil <rorymcneil@mac.com>
Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2010 10:43:13 -0800
X-Message-Number: 9

Hi Pro's,

Where is my Ennio Morricone soundtrack when I need it? After reading Roger Gober's Window-Pro posting today I was inspired to reach back into my archives. In January 2005 I created a blog posting about Hunter Douglas called, "HD, Good Bad or Ugly! Here is a link to the article which I've regurgitated below;

http://bit.ly/cRW4fU

On the Blog page there are about 15 comments after the artlcle which also make for great reading on the subject of Hunter Douglas. Oh and for those of you not acquainted with my style of prose consider yourself lucky. I would describe my writing as tongue firmly in cheek :-P But others might describe it as foot in mouth.............

Date Created: Jan 18, 2005, 06:15 PM

Hunter seems to creep into every discussion we have on almost any subject. Well, I for one have had it! Here's a topic all about Hunter Douglas so we can hopefully rant and rave all we want:-)

Like many of us here, I have watched the tentacles of HD find their way into every nook and cranny of the Window Treatment business. The question I am asking today is this:

Is the Window Treatment business better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness or health after the last 10 years of domination by Hunter Douglas?

Conservative estimates put Hunter's share of the US custom business at 35% but if you add the wholesale supply side of their business, namely Turnils, maybe this percentage is closer to 45%.
That's pretty impressive if it's accurate but their market share is really not indicative of their place in the business.

HD has been responsible for the majority of industry product innovation throughout their history.
"Oh yeah, well they've been lucky!" you might say! Well, I remember a story I heard when Jack Nicklaus won his second Masters with a 60ft putt on the 18th green. Later, a reporter commented to Jack that he had a lucky putt to win. Jack quipped, "it's funny, the harder I practice the luckier I get!"

There can be no doubt that HD works harder and spends more money on R & D than any other company in our business. This together with superb implementation makes HD the powerhouse they are today. (Okay Rory, keep it real!)

So, the question is HD, Good, Bad or Ugly? In my opinion, without the influence of HD pushing the envelope while edging the value of window coverings ever higher, most of us would still be fighting over venetian, vertical, pleated and roller shade sales for low prices and razor thin margins.

"Oh come on Rory, you're full of it!" you say, "but I offer proof" I say. Today the retail price of Luminette for a 78x84 window is about $1100. At this price there is a whole world of product options available for the smart retailer to offer the consumer. The all important point is that the value of the window covering has been raised.

I was in Heimtex, Frankfurt last week and spent some time in the window covering hall. You wouldn't believe how many companies were showing pleated shade systems and roller shade fabric collections. The majority of the European blind market is stuck in a time capsule. Sure HD is dominant in Europe but their consumer marketing across the continent has been nowhere near as effective as in the US.

So there you have it, I am convinced that HD is one of the greatest forces for good in our industry. The next greatest influence on the consumer is probably Smith and Noble pushing the new product envelope with millions and millions of their beautiful catalogs dropped in the mailboxes of the most affluent homes in the country. (Hmmm, is there anyone I have left out in my sycophantic rave?)

I know this to be true because my company exploits the nooks and crannies of the business left by HD in their mission to innovate the Next Big Thing!

So come on Pros, call me a sell out, call me a traitor:-) but tell me what you think and where you think the business would be without the HD we all love to hate.

Best Wishes to all for the Holiday Season, Rory McNeil www.Window-Pro.org

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Subject: Re:  Pleated shades for skylights
From: "Ron Peyser" <ron@gamachelessard.com>
Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 18:03:26 -0500
X-Message-Number: 10

Try Comfortex....... they have a great skylight.....

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Re: Mini Blind Slat Repair Tools
From: howard leibowitz <howardsdraperies@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 16:38:09 -0800 (PST)
X-Message-Number: 11

Brent, you might try:

Hartmeister Laboratories, Inc., M & M
1440 Brickyard Rd., #3
Golden, CO 80403

Phone:
(303) 278-9296

Company Profile: ( MA ) Manufacturer of hand tools for trimming all size  slats, hole punching tools for vertical and horizontal blinds and custom-built hand tools for the Venetian and vertical blind industry.

Howard Leibowitz
Howard's Draperies
Boulder CO.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Independent Reps Needed
From: "Jeff Mitchell" <jeff.mitchell@texton.com>
Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 19:50:03 -0600
X-Message-Number: 12

Texton, Inc. is an Independent Kensington fabricator and distributor of quality custom window covering products based in Dallas, TX.  For more than seventy years, we at Texton have been committed to providing quality window coverings to customers throughout the United States.

We are searching for Independent Sales professionals to manage business in the following areas: 
North Carolina/South Carolina
Iowa/Minnesota/Wisconsin
Kansas/Missouri/Nebraska
Pennsylvania/Ohio
Oregon/Washington

The ideal candidate will be responsible for new sales of Texton products in their existing customer base.  Preference is for Independent Reps with non-competing product lines currently calling on Window Pro's and related industries.  We are searching for a Reps who can manage multiple activities, cultivate additional business from existing customers and develop new customers.

For more information on our full product line and offerings, please visit www.texton.com.

If you are interested, please contact:

Jeff Mitchell
Vice President, Sales & Marketing
Texton, Inc.
jeff.mitchell@texton.com
O: 800-442-1540, ext. 140
C: 210-454-3707

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Subject: Why sell Hunter Douglas, or Levolor....or Bali for that matter?
From: Jay@Blinds.com
Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2010 14:19:49 +0000
X-Message-Number: 13

There seems to be constant discussions in this forum about what the major brands are doing and ways they try to control us in some way (e.g sampling).

I've been in the window treatment business for almost 25 years - originally a shop-at-home salesperson in a couple of mom and pop stores that my wife and I owned (I was the pop!). So I've sold just about every brand, through just about every sales channel.

What I find is that people look to us as experts, so they want our advice and guidance. If you FIRST sell yourself and your company BEFORE selling any products, if stated with conviction, in almost every case you can sell a customer ANY brand YOU want.

We control our own success when we stop taking orders and start selling.

Jay Steinfeld, CEO/Founder
Blinds.com

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Lowering of Standards
From: Alan Prostick <prostick@optonline.net>
Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2010 09:46:25 -0500
X-Message-Number: 14

Dear Rory,

Imagine my surprise seeing that  the "Old Man" is back. I was under the impression that his lofty standards precluded his allowing the "Crap" (my posts) from crossing the threshold of his business and or house. I can only say that I am shocked and disillusioned to find that he has sunk so low.

Alan Prostick

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Subject: Re: Change of Mind
From: Jeremy Work <theblindbrothers@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2010 10:07:23 -0700
X-Message-Number: 15

Thank you Judith and Larry for your input. The fine print on  my contract
reads:

Terms & Conditions: By signing below, Buyer has read and understands all terms and conditions contained on this form and agrees to be bound thereto.
Cancellations, changes, or returns will only be accepted in writing. Buyer approves of size, design, color and material listed above. Buyer has a three
(3) day right of cancellation and understands that by signing below, that right of cancellation is waived to expedite the order. A 50% nonrefundable deposit is paid upon acceptance of the order with the balance to be paid upon completion. Buyer will pay for all collection costs including court costs, attorney's fees and/or collection agency fees. All unpaid invoices over 180 days will be sent to collections and may affect your credit status.

The client's business is not conducive to "popping" in so dropping off the samples without an appointment wasn't an option. I did inspect the blind the day it was installed. I compared my sample book fabric to the installed fabric and it was obviously different. I called the manufacturer on the spot and they told me they switched suppliers. The client was very upset that I couldn't tell it was the wrong fabric by just looking at it without my sample deck. I told them I would take care of it as soon as the new sample book came. They called me two days later saying they didn't want a new fabric but wanted me to either take it down and give their money back or leave it and they wouldn't pay the balance.

This customer was a "special" customer from the start, demading I move other appointments to accomodate their needs and such. Even if I gave them all their money back they would not have a change of heart and see what a great guy I am. I have a feeling they will be filing a small claims court suit against me shortly which means I will have to file a counterclaim. I assume it's a numbers thing and eventually it comes your time to go to court no matter what kind of business practices you adhere to.

--
The Blind Brothers
Jeremy Hoelting
www.theblindbrothers.com
Become a Fan on Facebook

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Subject: RE: Jeremy; Man up.
From: "Patricia Doody" <pdoody@peninsulagallery.net>
Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2010 10:42:44 -0800
X-Message-Number: 16

Jeremy; Man up. You've lost the trust and cooperation of your client because you didn't deliver the product as specified.  You're lucky this was a one  shade lesson and not a whole house.  Give them their money back and apologize for the error.  In the future, you should ALWAYS use a CFA (cutting for
 approval) which comes from the exact bolt your order will pull from. Have the client approve the CFA.  No errors and you look professional. As an aside, you may want to talk to your contact with the fabric supplier.  They may be willing to share in the loss. Merry Christmas

Patricia Doody
Peninsula Window Fashions
Menlo Park CA
650-853-9000

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Subject: Re: 2" Vinyl
From: "Ron Peyser" <ron@gamachelessard.com>
Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 18:10:20 -0500
X-Message-Number: 17

Graber makes 2" vinyl blinds...... I just installed a few of them , and they look pretty good!

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Subject: MechoShade Home Systems seeking independent sales reps
From: Jesse Fried <jessef@mechoshade.com>
Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2010 16:37:03 -0500
X-Message-Number: 18

MechoShade Home Systems is seeking, experienced independent commission based, territory sales representatives to sell and service retail window treatment dealers in their territory.  MechoShade Home Systems supports our dealer program with regional training, on-line seminars, innovative sampling and marketing materials, and valuable consumer leads.  MechoShade Systems is the innovative industry leader in the contract shading market and the Home Systems division was created to specifically target residential consumers using our manual and motorized shade systems and controls.  If you are interested, please contact Jesse Fried at jessef@mechoshade.com

Jesse Fried
MechoShade Home Systems
National Sales Manager
C: 917-886-7367

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