I’ll let you in on a little secret: I follow a Facebook page where customers post their complaints about the UK’s biggest blinds retailer.
Not because I enjoy seeing a blind company struggle. But because it’s one of the best free lessons any company in our industry could ever get.
Hundreds of angry posts. Thousands of comments. And the same frustrations repeated over and over again. If you pay attention, you quickly see the patterns. You quickly see what customers hate.
And at Barlow Blinds, we’ve built our business around making sure those same mistakes never happen here.
Here are the four complaints that come up the most and how we do things differently.
1. Silence When Things Go Wrong
Customers place an order… then something slips. A delay. A mistake. A missing part. And suddenly? Radio silence. Calls unanswered. Emails ignored.
At Barlow Blinds, we refuse to hide. If something changes, you hear it straight from us. If something goes wrong, we pick up the phone, explain what happened, and tell you how we’ll put it right.
Bad news isn’t the problem. Silence is.
2. Missed Appointments
One of the most common complaints and this one really annoys me. Customers take time off work, sit in all day, and the fitter never shows.
We made a simple rule: if we book an appointment, we keep it. If something beyond our control ever stops us, you’ll get a call not a no-show. Because your time is worth as much as ours.
3. Poor Fitting and Quick Exits
Customers show photos of blinds that don’t fit the window, brackets that rip out of the wall, rails that drop down a week later. And to add insult to injury, the fitter is often out the door before you even notice the problem.
That’s why every fitter at Barlow Blinds is employed directly and trained “the Barlows way.” No rushed subcontractors. No corner cutting. We would never let someone drill a hole in your home unless we were 100% confident in their skills.
4. Expectations vs. Reality
So many posts are about products sold on promises they couldn’t keep: “blackout” blinds that let in streams of light, fabrics that fade quickly, products that don’t perform as advertised.
At Barlows, we’re honest from the start. If a product can’t do what you expect, we’ll say so. Sometimes that means recommending a different option. Sometimes it even means walking away from the job. What it never means is overpromising just to get the sale.
Why This Matters
That complaints page is full of people who feel let down. Not because blinds are complicated, but because the basics weren’t done right:
- Communicate
- Show up
- Do the job properly
- Tell the truth
At Barlow Blinds, we study those complaints to make sure we never become the company on the receiving end of them.
Because our goal isn’t to sell the most blinds.
It’s to sell the best blinds, installed with care, by people who respect your home.
That’s the Barlows difference.
About Phil Coleman
Phil Coleman is the fifth generation of his family to run Barlow Blinds, a Leicester business that has been making blinds since 1887. With over 30 years of hands-on experience, Phil has played a leading role in shaping industry standards including being part of the team that wrote the only NVQ qualification for blind and shutter installers. He also serves on the Management Committee of the British Blind & Shutter Association (BBSA), helping to set best practice across the trade. Under his leadership, Barlow Blinds has remained true to its founding principle: “It’s not our job to find customers for our blinds, it’s our job to find the right blinds for our customers.”
