Anyone used Hillarys blinds?

[sheeplikessleep]

Any experiences, good or bad?
We need 4 blinds putting in and the guy is coming out tonight to give us a quote. I don't know anyone myself who's used them, so just interested in anyone else has used them,
thanks.

Sheeplikesleep I would be very interested in your experience as I need new blinds and have thought of using Hlliarys but worried that I'll be subjected to a strong sales pitch

I shall post up later Mirry! I hope he doesn't stay too long, as we're having tea after he's left and I'm hungry already. I'll let you know

I have - we wanted opaque but not blackout blinds on all our front windows. Very happy with them, although not cheap compared to getting them yourself from JL/Habitat etc. We are clueless at DIY so it was worth it to us to have them professionally measured and installed. There wasn't a strong sales pitch - the rep was the same person who installed them and he was very straightforward - but there is the usual 'fake' discount thing - I could probably have got them cheaper if I had haggled.

Well I'm prepared to pay for the convenience of getting them professionally measured and fitted.

My friend works for them and obviously I am biased but she is lovely! No hard sell, just knows her product really well, yes you may pay a little more but they are very good quality. Disclaimer - I don't have any but I have seen her samples and all very nice!!!!

I used them a few years ago as I have very unusual windows in my house and I wasn't confident to do the measuring myself and needed advice about what was needed. I needed 14 blinds in total for two rooms!

I found the rep helpful and knowledgable but the process was quite hard sell. The first quote seemed high and when I said I wanted to think about it she immediately offered a huge discount which I had to agree to there and then.

As far as the blinds were concerned they were no better than the blinds I ordered through blinds direct for my more simple kitchen window.

It was good to have the fitting service but they are simple to put up and any handy person could do it.

With hind sight I wouldn't have used them as I could have done it more cheaply by going through blinds direct but at the time we didn't have any window coverings at all because the previous owners had taken everything and I was a bit panicked.

I did use them a long time ago for a very high velux window. They were fine, on the expensive side, but no over bearing sales pitch. They did a good job with the fitting too.
However you will find a local company who will likely do it cheaper. We used one to do our conservatory blinds, service just as good but much more reasonable.

We got 3 vertical blinds for £149 a couple of years ago but am no good at DIY and they were fine. It was a local blind business also operating as hillarys. I've just had some blackout blinds made by a local company and they were similarly priced to what hillarys quoted.

I have - love them, well made, well fitted - the Hillarys rep is the same person that fits them. Just got DS's bedroom blind done now it's decorated too and again, very pleased. Took a week from order to fitting.

Rubbish as lots of people agree - search old threads for this subject (sorry, on phone so can't link)

Had good experience in old house, the rep was good and fitting good.

Moved to new house and used them again, but different rep as moved 10 miles away. I was a bit desperate so used them even though I didn't warm to the rep. When he came back to fit them he brought a 'friend' to help and I really didn't like either. They didn't do a great job, and two blinds have fallen down at one end.

Would use independent company next time, as found fab curtain company locally who also do blinds.

Have had 2 quotes from Hillarys - both times the chaps were pleasant, no hard sell. In both instances I also got a quote from another (independent) company a few days later, and in both instances Hillarys rang me back to offer me a further discount (without any contact or prompting from me).. But the independent companies were still over £100 cheaper, in one instance, £170 cheaper. And in the 2nd instance the advice I got from the Hillarys chap, in hindsight, wasn't good - I would have regretted going with what he said was best.

Good but not cheap.

Mirry2 - just to say that the guy was good last night. We've had a quote for 4 roller blinds (range of sizes) at £400.

We have another company coming out Tuesday, just as a price comparison really and to see what they say. I'd be surprised if it came in much cheaper to be honest, but I don't know.

He didn't put on the hard sell at all, just talked through the options really and advised us on what to go for (benefits of roman versus roller versus venetian etc). Was with us about 45 minutes in total, but most of that was me umm-ing and aah-ing with the catalogue.

I'm still undecided whether to go for venetian or roller though!

Thanks for letting me know sheeplikesleep. I thik I'll try a local blinds company and maybe get a quote from Hilaries for coparison. it's good to know their sell isn't too 'hard'. I remember having a salesman for well know bath and kitchen fitting company (now bust) in and he spent about 3 hours with us. ruined our Sunday afternoon and lost all credibility for us when his quote for a new bathroom went from about £6000 to about £3000 during the course of the afternoon.

Used Hillarys last year when we moved into our new house last year. Rather awkward windows and asked for 5 blinds, 3 of which to be blackout blinds. No "hard sell" here - in fact the guy pointed out to me that i really didn't need to bother with a blackout blind for the spare room, seeing as it would only be used VERY occasionally for sleeping in. HOWEVER... The blackout blinds we ordered are rubbish compared to the ones we had in our old flat - gaps up the sides that let loads of light in (as I said, windows are a bit awkward but still...) and we had to wait AGES between quote and fitting (our guy was going off to his son's wedding in South America and therefore we had an untypically long wait until he got back from hols...) Finally, the cord in our bedroom was fitted wrongly, still works fine but has a twist in it - not a big deal but a bit irksome. In summary, I wouldn't especially recommend tbh.

Just been through this process for shutters. Smaller or Local companies win every time for me - no stupid starting prices, managers specials etc and better customer service.

Don't whatever you do go anywhere near Thomas Sanderson blind unless you like being spammed with 9 or 10 phone calls a day until you threaten them and make them stop. I don't care how good or not their product is, their prices nd hard sell tactics are shocking.

I would most certainly not recommend using Hillarys to anyone, as they have had the most appalling and disorganised customer service I have ever experienced. I wanted to order a blackout blind for my 1 year old's bedroom - it has been over two months since I first contacted Hillarys and nothing has been sorted, due to a ridiculous number of confusions with appointments, lack of record keeping, differences between the website and reality and crossed wires between their staff. I have decided to go with a local blind company, even though the blinds are twice as expensive, as the lack of stress will be worth it!