P & J Custom Window Coverings

so when i ordered these window covers from P&J custom window coverings, i always wait months before commenting. Love my shutters ! the guy (Rainer) that came to my house to show me the shutters in all colors and styles, I chosed the shutters that look like a flat frame. never had a problem and they are easy to clean without me removing them from the window. Rainer also informed me to save my original receipt because they don’t save in there computer which i have no problem doing this. Also he mentioned that if they need to come out to do any replacement they charge $ 35.00 which i understand. So in closing I have recommended this company to my neighbors and am very happy with the gentlemen that came over to placed the shutters up he was fast and cleaned up any mess he made. thank you guys for the beautiful shutters. i forgot to mentioned the price was good too :-)

The bottom line: I am giving them one star ONLY because they have extremely nice and professional customer service people (the ones who come to your house – NOT the ones who answer the phone). That is a good thing, since believe me, if you buy from P&J you’ll be seeing a lot of them.
If you want more details: Like others on here, I wish I’d read the bad reviews on P&J before we bought from them. My husband arranged for a salesperson to come over without telling me first, unfortunately, and because the salesperson was nice and the prices were reasonable, we went for it. DUMB MOVE!
First, quality is poor. (I will admit they look nice.) We ordered seven window shades for our house as well as vertical blinds for the sliding glass doors to our backyard. FIVE OUT OF SEVEN of the shades have had major problems, some repeatedly. These have ranged from pull cords that snap off or break to shades suddenly falling down (falling OFF the window!), to shades suddenly no longer going up, or if they do go up, not staying up. The last issue has been a problem with the cordless shades; we ordered cordless shades for most of our windows because we had read they were safer for toddlers since they can’t get caught in a cord and choke to death. We also didn’t want our kids pulling on cords and ruining them.
However, the problems with the shades haven’t been caused by our kids. One of the shades that has a cord (because it is on a window too large for a cordless shade) has had the cord snap off completely or in half probably three times when my husband or I have tried to raise or lower it, and it’s not like we aren’t careful. In fact, since the first time a cord broke, we have been ultra-​careful and only pull on them slowwwwlllyyy… and it still broke again.
:-(Another large shade has also had its cord snap off twice.
By the way, their products are supposed to have a «lifetime guarantee,» but we had to pay $ 50 one time that we needed them to come out for a service call because we’d bought the shades in 2011. I’m sorry, but I thought «lifetime» meant just that. I also would think that if a window covering has required more than one repair it would be seen as defective at that point. I was told on the phone a couple of months ago when I had to schedule a call for yet another broken shade that we «might» be charged for the repair, but the receptionist wasn’t sure.
As it turned out, we weren’t charged for the most recent service call, which required the service guys having to bring the blind back to P&J to see if it could be fixed, not that I minded that. However, P&J called us a couple of weeks later to tell us that the blind couldn’t be repaired, yet they were not going to replace it. Some «lifetime guarantee.»
Speaking of the people on their phones, the women who answer P & J’s phones sound like they’ve been forced at gunpoint to work there. (I will concede that it’s gotten better; they used to be *much* worse a few years ago.) The young woman I spoke with this last time was clearly not interested in helping me. She asked when our coverings were installed, and when I told her, she said – with no note of apology – that «I need the invoice number because we have no records for anything installed over 13 months ago.» (No, not «13 years” – months!) Have the owners of P&J ever heard of a 20^th-​century invention called THE COMPUTER?
I said I was surprised because I had had to call someone out for service only about 6 months prior to that to repair a different shade, and I was absolutely certain I had not given them an invoice number, only our last name and city. She replied, «If you bought them 3 or 4 years ago, there is no way we could have looked up the order. We have no records in the office for anything over 13 months ago.» I repeated – nicely – that somehow, whomever I had spoken to six months earlier had managed to look up our records with only our last name. She said, «We haven’t been able to do that for about nine years, at least.» I repeated (and again, I swear I was nice about it) that couldn’t be true because they’d looked up our records six months ago. FINALLY, she asked, «Did you pay $ 50 for that service call?» I replied that I thought we’d paid something. At that point, she put me on hold while she looked up our records, which she did manage to find. As it turned out, we hadn’t paid $ 50 that time, yet she was still able to look up our records with no invoice number… whatever. I can only conclude that the level of service you get depends on a combination of the mood of the person answering the phone and how persistent you are.
Their only saving grace is that the service/​repair guys have always been very nice, friendly and professional. However, nice as they are, I would not recommend P&J just so that you can get a chance to know them.

I don’t know what all the fuss is about, I walked in and immediately received quality customer service. Got new blinds installed for the price I wanted; can’t ask for more. Thanks Butch!

Do NOT use this company! Read the reviews and believe them. I did not think to look them up on Unilocal until too late. We ordered wood shutters in November. Finally arrived in January. Salesperson, Donna, had assured me that I could open them fully to get the light during the day. As soon as they were installed, it was obvious that they did not open/​close easily, and that they did NOT fold back, but «floated» out into the room a full 4 feet. To close them one needs two hands and a foot to lift and push the middle. Donna came back to discuss our complaint. She basically said that we ordered them and would have to pay or they would take us to court in Fresno. We live in Walnut Creek. As soon as she left my husband opened one side (his first time to try it). The shutters totally fell apart –broken and crashing to the floor. The hinge piece was still attached to the window. Called Donna but she would not come back. Called the offices. Manager not in. Were told she would call us the following Monday. She did not call. I called again. Got Donna. She told me the manager would NOT be calling and that they would probably be taking us to court for refusing to pay for shutters that do not perform as promised and broke into bits on the 5^th time they were ever opened. Really??? And these are supposed to last for years?
Just received a letter that they have turned my account over to collections. This is their customer service? A broken piece of crap after 2 weeks and they are turning it over to collections? I don’t THINK so…
ABSOLUTELY no concept of customer service at this place –and their products are junk. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THEM.

This is a review from two years ago but it is still bothering me so I am going to write it after all this time. We had them do our entire house and they butchered the whole thing. We had nice trim in our new interior windows and this company just slapped their shutters on the outside of the trim which looks like a box on the outside of our windows. And then we couldn’t remove our windows as they put a barrier piece that didn’t allow the windows to be removed out later for cleaning. We had them take everything out and we still paid their costs for labor and materials. We used Windowology in Pleasanton and they fixed the damage done by P&J and used much better looking shutters than what we got from P&J. We were going to take them to court but we didn’t want to deal with them anymore so we just paid for their work just to get rid of them.

Warning! Do not do business with P&J window coverings unless you are prepared for false promises, delays, screw ups and dealing with people who just don’t give a (&*^ about customer service. They are A W F U L. They do are not on Facebook and now I know why. Check them out on Unilocal as I should have done before I called them. They don’t even deserve a one star rating!!!

I have purchased shutters from this company several times over the past 9 years. I purchased for price, not quality. The quality wasn’t superb, but I considered it acceptable, though it has consistenly gone downhill over the years. The biggest disappointment is P & J’s SERVICE!!! This company keeps no records on the computer so save your paperwork!, which I always do. But I called today because I had a part on one of my shutters break a couple of months ago. Knowing they have a lifetime warranty, and I’ve called them in past years to come out and make reparis, I was shocked to find out that i can no longer tell them my invoice number over the phone, I can’t fax it to them, nor can I email it to them, but I have to snail mail my original receipt to their Fresno office before I can even schedule a repair appt!!! And then, I have to pay $ 35 for them to come out!!! Are you kidding me, a lifetime warranty and I have to pay $ 35 for them to come out! I don’t think so!!!
Find another place to buy your shutters. Anyone else will give better service than this and I have no doubt that the quality will be better also.

The bypass shutters have been up for a few weeks now and look great. Quality assurance needs work at the assembly plant. I asked that the shades be cut two-​thirds the way up and they showed up with the cut at the half way point. The installer, who was very nice, had to dig up some tilt rods and make some custom cuts. The tilt rods looked used, but he was able to clean them up a bit. I would have given the four stars if someone would have called after the installation to verify I was happy with the shutters and probably 5 stars if the cuts were made correctly in the first place.
1÷26÷13
Met with Donna this morning. She was very knowledgeable and we have purchased some bypass shutters at a great price for our back slider. I’ll keep you posted on how the install goes.

This company has inferior products. I had shutters installed in my livingroom at the picture windows in March 2010. By April they were broken and something didn’t look right. I asked a tech to come out and look at them. When he got there he said it was an optical illusion and he fixed the broken track. By July 2010 other tracks were broken. I called the company demanding someone come out, talked to Donna, no customer service there. When the tech came out and looked at the shutters he said the installer had not finished putting in the mounting screws and it was not an «optical illusion»! It was crooked! He also fixed the broken track. By Nov 2010 another track was broken. When I called the office they said they would not send someone out but would send a handful of tracks that I could put in myself. In the 2 years I have had this awful product I have used all the tracks having to replace them every few months. Today I called and asked if a better track had been made. It had not and all they would do is send me another handful of tracks that I could put in myself. These were not inexpensive but the product was cheap. Do yourself a favor and buy Hunter Douglas, they might be a bit more but in the long run it will be a better product and save you the headache. And by all means DO NOT USE P&J WINDOW COVERINGS!

I cannot tell you how dis-​pleased I am with their service. Today I finally wrote them a letter to tell them if my issues are not fixed, I will be reporting them to BBB. I have had nothing but horrible customer serivce. First they tell you they only keep invoice for up to 13 months and anything after that, we have to fax it to them. Our salesperson told us we have lifetime warantlly on blinds, when I called them today, I was told waranty is only for 13 months. Then I’m told there will be a $ 35 service fee for anyone to come to the house. I would never shop there and would not recommend anyone to buy from them.

P & J still can’t get it right!
Please read previous review; this is another sad update. On June 1, P & J came and finally installed the right-​size vertical track blind for my sliding door. On top of the original $ 1500 I’d already paid them, they charged me an additional $ 216.I had told them they needed to repair the damage they had caused to the trim of the door with their previous installation. Their fix? The installer filled the holes with some sort of caulking (or was it toothpaste?) — and the holes are still visible. Not only that, but the valance returns — AGAIN — did not abut the wall. The installer notified Donna Spencer, their manager — and she assured me the proper size valance returns would be sent to me.
Well, today I went to the post office to pick up the package with the valance returns. I had to pay 59 cents postage due for this privilege. When I arrived home and opened the envelope (drum roll, please…) it contained 2 valance returns that are the correct size!
Unfortunately, they are a completely different material than the blinds and the valance they were intended to complete. White bamboo and woven pecan don’t look anything alike, trust me.
Four months PLUS of nothing but headaches from this company, and they STILL CAN’T GET IT RIGHT!
Incredible ineptitude coupled with their I-don’t-care attitude. And Donna had actually suggested strongly to me that they would make it right, but I would need to promise to rewrite my review to flatter them. That’s right, she tried to coerce me. Is this the kind of company YOU want to do business with?

I am a real homeowner, and am not a competitor or anyone else with issues about this company. Because of the bad reviews, I ALMOST cancelled my order. The owner was very concerned, and contacted me directly to discuss my worries about some of the negative reviews. I just had my shutters done, and they are first quality, and beautiful. The quality, price, efficiency and professionalism of this company is excellent, and I would not give a 5 star rating if this were not true. If anyone has questions about my experience, contact me through Unilocal, and I will speak to you directly. I will absolutely contract with this company for future work.

I called her up to ask her some questions now I am a potential client esp since I fall in the range of demographic that she’s targeting. Instead of hearing me out hung up on me very bluntly saying not interested. Well i’ll remember that bc there are many other blind companies. Your lost and have fun.

After many promises from Donna the Office Mgr at P & J, I am STILL waiting for my shutters to be completed. The Sales Rep that measured them, measured wrong. I was told that they would be installed this week. I called, and Donna said she only said that she would «try» to have them installed this week. NOT TRUE. I called yesterday, and Donna said she would look into this and get back to me yesterday. NO CALL. I called this morning, and Donna said that she would keep in contact with me regarding this Another false promise/​lie?. I threatened to sue, and still may.
I have done a complete home addition and remodel, and this is the only company that HAS NOT been true to their word… pretty sorry situation.
I hesitated contracting this company because of their bad reviews. However, they did an OK job on the other half of my house, and thought they would be fine on the other rooms I needed done. I should have paid better attention to their reviews. More to follow…

HORRIBLE customer service. I spoke with Donna (the manager, i think?) and she basically told me to go pound sand regarding my broken shutters. I asked if I could pay for someone to come fix them and she said she will have a technician call me to se if he could come by on his own time. Yes, that is exactly what I want, to have someone come into my home on his off hours so if he damages anything the company is not liable and if he gets hurt he can sue me, great idea Donna.
The product is cheap and has fallen off my wall and damaged my newly finished wood floors. STAY AWAY!

Stay away! Hands down one of the most frustrating customer service experiences ever! Damien (sp) our salesman was kind and polite, so were all the many service people who have been in my home installing, fixing, and fixing several more times, but that’s where it ends. The price was cheap for shutters and you get what you pay for here. I have my shutters over a year and they are still coming out to fix stuff. I am not overly picky, I don’t take my fine tooth comb and go over details but the mistakes made here are huge. The shaved chunks off the corner of the shutters, shutter that were in the same room where mounted differently so one was flush mount and one was about 3 inches off the wall. The panels were measured wrong and to be remeasured and replaced, because they wouldn’t close, etc. But for every mistake is a 2 – 4 week waiting period for new parts, the days waiting for them to show in the 4 hour waiting period. I have wasted to much time on shutters. Next time I will pay more and get it done right.

User Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
by richard 09/​22/​2010
Subj: Vinyl Shutter Install… Richard G… Invoice #43 043
To: Frank Charles Spencer IV… RMO/​CEO/​PRESIDENT
Matthew Everett Carlton… OFFICER
Dear Mr Spencer
Today, September 21, 2010 installation was completed on a single shutter I purchased for my handicapped son’s room… the «on sale» vinyl shutter measures 4′ X 6′… the shutters that were currently in this window were wood shutters that opened completely in four sections on hinges allowing access to the window that is opened with a crank handle at the bottom… they became damaged over the years and I was unable to find an individual or company to repair them. I virtually had no idea that the new replacement shutters that I purchased from P & J was ONE, large 4′ x 6″ panel that has no way of opening or providing access to the crank handle. My son is used to opening and closing his window DAILY… I had to bend and remove a couple of the slats and use a high speed Dremel tool and bit to hollow out a large area of the frame so that the crank could go around… there is virtually slight to NO room to get a hand under the shutter slats to use the crank to open the window… I cannot believe such a shutter could even be manufactured like this… the shutter is large and heavy to remove by one person single handedly… the salesman (Russell Morris) that came to our home never explained that this is what we would be getting. he should have known full well that installing this shutter would not allow for the operation of the window behind it. this is what he does for a living. this shutter should be mounted ONLY against a window that was NEVER meant to be opened… this shutter is a complete and utter waste of our money…
Even the installer never explained how to remove this monstrosity… left my son’s bedroom floor covered with installation debris… and left the whole area that the previous shutters were mounted in, with the surrounding molding now gone… with gouged out drywall, nail holes, etc. I can’t believe this install… under the circumstances, the installer should have had a matching molding to go around the outside of the newly installed shutters to hide all the mess after the original molding was removed… this has got to be the worst $ 406 I’ve ever spent with a contractor ever… and quote, this was advertised as a 50% off sale!
I guess I’ll have to live with this horrific mistake… but, I will post horrible reviews on Yahoo and any other consumer review sites I can find to go along with the many other 1 star reviews that are continuing to mount against P & J Custom Window Coverings for poor products and installation.
P S… my son is now virtually a prisoner in his own room

Really — ZERO out of five stars.
Horrible, terrible, awful customer service. The woman — a co-​owner I was advised — is one of the rudest people in the «customer service» business, period. Even the initial sales person said the customers were always complaining to him about the poor manner with which she dealt with customer phone correspondence.
The quality of the shutters is just average. However, it took more than three attempts at installation, over the course of several months, for them to get it right.
Standard 4 hour window! They won’t give a heads-​up call to narrow down the time window. Of course, I had to stay home from work and absorb their ineptitude — it was reflected in my loss of income.
I will NEVER EVER have anything to do with this firm again. I will tell all my neighbors and friends NOT to do business with these sub-​par «business» people.
Better Business Bureau is my next site to log a complaint.

Three months ago I ordered shades from this company. It was the biggest mistake I ever made. The installer showed up and spent the entire time complaining how the sales agent did not measure my windows correctly. This resulted in my black out shades being off center and too narrow. What good are blackout shades if the do not cover the windows?
I called Donna in P&J’s office and she was incredibly rude. She insisted that I pay the full amount and then she would take care of the problem. I refused to pay until the shades were properly installed and she turned me into a collection agency! She threatened to call the prosecuting office and report me for theft. I posted a review on Yahoo warning of my experience.
Donna called and said she wanted to fix the problem. She asked me to take the review off of Yahoo. I told her I would when she called off the collection agency. She set an appointment with Spenser-​their «best installer.» Spenser came out and after looking at the shades agreed they were not acceptable. He claimed that the shades were measured right but the manufacturer, Scandia, had made the shades the wrong size. I was so thrilled to get an acknowledgment that from Spenser that the shades needed to be replaced that I agreed to give him money towards the total cost as a show of good faith. What a fool-​I never saw him again.
Instead, I got a call from Scott, Scandia’s manufacturing rep. Scott said that P&J told him that his company Scandia-​a Hunter Douglas subsidiary– were to blame for the defective shades. He made arrangments to come and look at the shades. He was to be accompanied by Spenser who-​surprise-​did not show up.
Scott did show up. He measured all the windows and while admitting that some of the shades were defective due to manfacturering, he claimed most were not measured correctly and the fault was P&J’s. He assured me that I would get new shades and that he would personally see that I was a satisfied customer. He came on a Wedensday and promised I would hear from him no later than the following Monday.
Well, 3 ½ weeks have passed and no word from anyone. I have made numerous calls to Scott, Spenser and Donna and no one will return my calls-​let alone let me know when I can expect black out shades that cover the entire window and will not fall on my head because they were made too small.
These 2 companies are the biggest flakes I have ever dealt with. Neither is willing to step up to the plate and admit responsibility. They just blame each other while I am stuck with their defective product. The only conclusion that can be reached is that P&J is a scam company that takes your money and runs. Scandia is no better.
I will be posting this review on every web site I can find so others will not be ripped off by these companies.
P&J monitors this and other web sites. Both Spenser and Donna made numerous requests that I take down my first review on Yahoo. I encourage each of you to post your experiences with P&J. It seems that bad reviews are the only thing that gets their attention.
STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY!

You will see their advertisement in the newspaper with BIG page!
Bad.Bad Service. Quality overall acceptable, but can you imagine… they can made a mistake on a custom part. Of course don’t forget they will take at least 90% of deposit even they can provide you the part on time. They will not take any responsibility, but they will take it easy and of course no discount even they are late. If you are the customer, then you pay for their delay!!!
Terrible service… and I notice only one (1) operator that handle multiple call that can be more than 5 call at the same time! I have not dig out more detail on who the onwer and how they operate yet. Will update my review again.