Don’t expect Blinds Direct to put things right!
Ordered two blinds from Blinds Direct (BD). When fitted the blind cords were too short; my 6-foot partner must stand on tiptoes to reach the cords, and I need steps. This makes it difficult to open/close/ raise the blinds.
I reported this to BD, who asked for additional measurements to those taken when the order was placed.
BD response to this problem is to:
1. Blame the customer - BD say it is my responsibility to let them know a longer cord was needed. I am not sure how I should have known that the cords would be too short.
2. Hide behind Regulations - BD state the cords are deliberately short to meet the 2014 Regulations on child safety which require cords to be at least 150cm from the floor or 60cm where a breakaway device is fitted. The cords BD has delivered are between 200 - 229cm from the floor, making the blinds impractical to use. The cords could be longer and still meet the Regulations. I have purchased 18 blinds since the Regulations and cord length has never been an issue.
3. Don’t take responsibility - BD refuse to change the cords; instead, sending a piece of cord for me to do so. If the cords lengths are correct, why would BD send a longer cord for me to make changes. I am unable and unwilling to do this. BD is a company I no longer trust. If the ‘do it yourself’ approach was to go wrong, BD would probably blame me for altering the blinds and invalidate the guarantee.
I am disappointed and frustrated with BD's response, and I resent the time that I have spent trying to achieve a fair outcome. I have blinds that I am unable to use, and that’s wrong.
BD - I do not need the company to acknowledge my feelings, I need you to take responsibility and fix the problem.
This is one for the small claims court.
Reply from Blinds Direct
Good morning, Sarah,
Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback, and I’m genuinely sorry to hear how disappointed and frustrated you’ve been left feeling — this really isn’t the experience we want for any of our customers.
Just to explain a bit of the reasoning behind what’s happened — we send out cords in line with current child safety regulations, which are becoming stricter year by year. Because of this, we follow a standardised cord length to help ensure we're compliant. These rules are in place across the industry and are designed to protect families, especially young children. That said, we fully appreciate that the one-size approach doesn’t always suit every home.
Unfortunately, we can’t assume the installation height or floor clearance of each blind, which is why we include a note on the product page (under “Important Notes”) advising that if longer cords are needed, they should be requested at the time of ordering. We understand, though, that this might not have been immediately obvious, and we’re really sorry this wasn’t made clearer.
We don’t want to leave things here — a member of our management team is currently reviewing your case in full, and will be reaching out to you directly via email to see how we can move forward with a proper solution.
We do want to put this right, and I’m sorry again that this has taken up so much of your time already.
Kind regards,
The Blinds Direct Team