Custom window treatments are one of those purchases where the company matters as much as the product. The same shutter can be a long-term upgrade or a recurring problem, depending on who measured it, who installed it and who picks up the phone in year three. These are the ten questions worth asking anyone who wants the job, along with the answers you should hear.
The measuring and quoting questions
- Who takes the measurements, me or you? The right answer is the company, in person, at every opening.
- What happens if a measurement is wrong? You want remade and reinstalled at no cost, in writing.
- Is the quote written, and does it include installation? A number that can move at install time is not a quote.
- Will you match a competitor's written quote on the same product? Companies confident in their pricing say yes; ours is called the Apples-to-Apples guarantee.
The people questions
- Who actually shows up to install? The team that measured should be the team that installs, not a subcontractor seeing the job cold.
- Is the company locally owned? An owner whose name is on the work answers the phone differently than a call center.
- Can I read your reviews by city? Any established company should be able to point you at hundreds of Google reviews from real local addresses.
The after-the-sale questions
- What does the warranty cover, and for how long? Factory defects should be covered for life.
- What if something breaks or I just stop liking one? Ask about service guarantees; ours covers service visits for four years at no cost, and our GuaranTEN replaces one treatment free for every ten purchased, no questions asked.
- Does the warranty transfer if I sell the house? A transferable warranty is a real line item when a buyer's inspector starts asking about the shutters.
Why the answers matter more than the price
Any two quotes can be made to look alike on paper. The difference between them lives in these ten answers: who is accountable for the measurement, whether the number moves, and who you will be talking to in year four. Ask all ten.