| Product: |
hillarys.co.uk |
| Date: |
07/11/07 (809 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Excellent variety - Brilliant cumstomer service - Hassle free - Qualified fitters
Disadvantages: None
No matter how nice your home looks like from the inside and outside -One of the most important finishing touches that will compliment your homes décor when done properly is the furnishing of your windows. Only then will you appreciate the full effect of your interior and exterior design - giving the room & your dwelling another lease of life. This is one area that can so easily be overlooked - there is no doubt that a blank looking window in any household is off putting. But not as off putting when seeing badly fitted blinds or curtains installed. You know the ones - either too big or too small for the window, in the hope that the gathering pleats will cover the entire length of the curtain rail. Or the lack of curtain hooks that when opening & closing, the curtain just slides off. The most annoying one of them all is the length of the curtains touching the floor, layers of fabric just picking up dust - excess material that can easily furnish another window. The same theory can apply to blinds - a badly fitted blind or a ready made blind that doesn’t quite fit your window frame will look amiss. So instead of enhancing your glass window with a fabulous image you will end up with an unfinished look - a look that will not be pleasing on the eye.
I am not one for curtains and never have been - I just don’t like them, not into the tie backs, valances, pelmets, pinch pleats, pencil pleats, curtain hooks or lined fabrics. Have no time for all that fancy stuff - I much prefer simple yet very practical stylish blinds. So, my next port of call was to find myself a company that supplied and fitted a wide range of quality made to measure blinds - and that I did. The company I had the pleasure in dealing with is called Hillarys - they are the leading made-to measure blinds company in the UK and with more than 35 years of experience under their belt. Hillarys have no showrooms or outlets that you can visit. Instead they have a national network of consultants & advisors that visit you - all contacts and appointments are done via their website or by telephone. All my negotiations with this company were carried out either by phone or in person and so there was no need for me to use their website.
[A quick overview when making an appointment by phone]
•Telephone - Initial Contact
•Advice given/questions answered
•Appointment made
•Consultant arrives @ your home - Windows Measured.
•Samples Shown - Different designs & colours
•Price quote given there & then
•If satisfied deposit paid and fitting date given
Hillarys provide a FREE home consultancy therefore if you’re not happy with the price or samples shown you just simply walk away. You lose nothing financially but gain ideas and the experience can also be used as a good marker when comparing prices elsewhere. The advisor will take care of all the measuring and fitting as well as offer constructive and on the ball advice - all you have to do is pick out a blind that will suit your decor and all this is done in the comfort of your own home. The sales consultant sure doesn’t come empty handed either as you are most definitely spoilt for choice - Equipped with a full range of designs, samples & fabrics all at the ready to be viewed and compared to your interior furnishings and surroundings. Finding the right colour/shade contrast to match your ambience is not easy when visiting department stores but when doing it at home it couldn’t be simpler - You place the blind/sample strip against the wall , the sofa , the furniture , the tiles , the floor , the bedding or even your carpet - instantly giving you a colour match image. You can play around with so many colour combinations & styles in such a short period of time - a time consuming process when visiting outlets. It’s so much easier on the eye and a much quicker approach used when making that final decision on the product selected. One does not have to imagine what it would look like because the end result is staring you right in the face. This has to be the best and safest way when picking out the perfect colour blind combination to suit your home - you just can’t go wrong.
•[I like what I have seen so tell me more]•
Once you have selected the desired design, fabric and colour then the Hillarys consultant will issue you a printed invoice. This will show the type of blind, the name of the colour selected as well as the final price. The invoice is clearly displayed and also broken down into sections so you can easily distinguish one window from another or one room from another. At this point of the consultancy you have two options - you can either mull over the information and then contact Hillarys in your own time if you plan to pursue it further. Or you can finalise the deal by paying a deposit and giving the go ahead to place the order. All consultants carry a small computer device that gives them access to verify credit & debit cards. I opted for the latter and paid a deposit there & then - once payment is authorised you are given a fitting date which can take between 3 to 6 weeks.
•[Blinds have names as well - Did you know that?]•
That’s right folks the word “blinds” on its own doesn’t really give you the full picture - you need to take that a little step further and be more specific when picking out a style. Having used blinds on my windows from my previous home I already knew all the terminology used in order to distinguish one style from another. So for all those people who are completely alien on this subject let me enlighten you. The following blinds are unique in their own way:
•Venetian Blinds (aluminium or wood)
•Vertical Blinds - Fabric
•Roller Blinds - Fabric
•Roman Blinds - Fabric
•Pleated Blinds - Fabric
•Woodweave Blinds - Natural Fibres E.g. Bamboo
The above come with a wide spectrum of colours as well as more than 200 hundred fabrics to pick from - Exclusive individual styles ranging from plains, naturals , patterns and if you really want to be different you can go as far as picking out a leather or suede fabric look - Not for me but there is always someone out there whos into leather lol - Don’t worry to much though if the different blind names have confused you because the Hillarys consultant will soon bring the to your attention all the different styles available - showing you samples and explaining the different mechanisms involved. All done in a friendly and patient manner. - Outstanding service.
•[Venetian - Vertical - Roller - Blinds]•
Without going into too much description on what they look like - pictures on another site if interested(Ciao.co.uk), the above three blinds are the ones I selected to furnish my windows- The Venetian blinds were fitted in all of the 3 bedrooms, bathroom and shower room as well as the conservatory. The roller blind was fitted in the kitchen and the vertical blind was fitted in the living room. In total Hillarys fitted twelve blinds - the conservatory needed 5 blinds, hence sheer volume of glass. I opted for plain natural colours with a slat width of 25mm aluminium style Venetian - Venetian slat widths also come in 15/35/50 mm.
However, vertical blinds only come in two slat widths 89mm or 127mm. I opted for the 89mm as well as a natural light colour fabric. And finally the roller blind I chose was a plain dark green fabric with the traditional acorn plastic pull.
•[I control the sunlight - The sunlight doesn’t control me]•
We all know how effective lined curtains are when blocking out the sunlight but how effective are they when trying to let in a measured amount of light into a room? Absolutely not effective at all - On the other hand the mechanism of the blind gives me full control of light exposure. You simply pull or turn the control chain allowing you to tilt the slat widths to any desired angle - you can combine light and privacy or pull open completely revealing a clear view and as much sunlight exposure as you want. The roller blind however, do not have any slat widths but the mechanism used in this kind of blind is just as effective when filtering a measured amount of sunlight into a room. Roller blinds can be pulled up & down and be positioned at any level of the window thus allowing you full control over the amount of daylight entering a room. Who was it that said you can’t control nature? lol - The pull chains are safe, practical, easy to use, stylish, durable and more importantly blend in nicely within the window frame as well as you’re blind - creating an elegant look.
•[Maintaining & keeping your blinds clean]•
When purchasing your blinds from Hillarys you are automatically informed that all of their blinds are thoroughly tested to meet British Standards - rigorous tests on light , humidity and temperature are a way of making sure they are made from the highest quality as well as extending the life expectancy for years to come. Special properties such as UV - light degradation, this ensures the blind will retain it’s colour throughout its working life. The fabrics have many assets such as flame retardant, light reflective, machine washable, water resistant, heat reflective and anti-static finish that helps prevent dust. However , the aluminium Venetian slats when collecting dust are very easy to clean and wipe down - making sure the slats are fully closed you work your way from top to bottom , this can be done with a simple duster or a damp cloth. All blinds come with a 12 month guarantee.
•[How did Hillarys perform?]•
As a worker & a guest in my home the Hillarys fitter worked accordingly, politely, with ease and cleanliness. All work done and finished was at a very high standard -The work schedule was met and this was expertly executed. You couldn`t help but notice the fitter had a high level of skill simply because there never seemed to be a problem during the installation period and if there was one I was never made aware of it. Communication levels between me the fitter & other members of staff at Hillarys were excellent, one of the reasons why it all ran so smoothly. Therefore from quotation through to installation I found this company to be friendly, efficient and acted in a professional manner. They are very flexible when it comes to fitting your blinds - If by any chance you cannot make the allocated date then you can re-schedule for a day that suits you. This can easily be done as you are a given the mobile number of the fitter and you can liaise with him whenever you like without having to speak to the office. I opted for a Saturday as that was the day that suited me best - the fitter arrived around 10.00am and all my 12 blinds were fitted and fully completed in about 4 hours. - Yet again an outstanding service provided.
•[Price & value for money]•
I could easily roll out the figures and tell you what I paid for my entire windows to be fully furnished with blinds but these price figures would realistically give you the readers a false reading. Pricing a blind for a window will be different for all individuals the simple reason being they are being made to measure - hence made especially for you. We all have different widow sizes as well as different tastes and needs - additional accessories such as an array of control options, choice of fabrics, trims, poles, different style blinds make it very difficult to point you towards an exact price. However, having dealt with this company I can assure their prices are value for money and what’s more Hillarys have on-going promotions and brilliant deals that will suit all budgets & I mean ALL budgets. You will be impressed at the quality and the array of choices this company can offer. The remainder of my outstanding balance was paid directly to the head office via the phone and all paid up after the fitting was completed.
•[Company Details]•
This company is well worth noting down if you’re planning to furnish your windows with blinds - No need to look elsewhere as these people are the REAL deal.
•Hillarys Blinds
•Colwick Business Park
•Private Road No 2
•Colwick
•Nottingham NG4 2JR
•Telephone: 0800 587 6418
•Website: www.hillarys.co.uk
•[My closing lines]•
Blinds are versatile, practical and very stylish and no matter how awkward your windows are blinds are a great solution. Whether your home has tricky small windows, bay windows, bow windows or even sloped windows blinds will accommodate all shapes and sizes - creating a modern and orderly effect in your home. To be able to customise your window furnishings to suit your décor is a nice feeling but the feeling is enhanced even more knowing you have full control over how much sunlight is filtered into a room - something curtains lack. They are excellent value for money, easy to maintain and well worth the long term investment. Hillarys have done a superb job in my home and wouldn’t hesitate to use them again if ever I needed to.
Highly Recommend!!
Thanks - Written by .. © Strood 2007 @ 11.55 on 07/11/07
Summary: Hillarys are the NUMBER ONE company for blinds - One you can trust and purchase with confidence.
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