Would You Have Said Anything?

[kaneohe]

Apologies in advance for the excess verbiage:

In preparation for having our hardwood floors refinished, I took down the living room drapes. These cover a very large window, hang vertically, and open half to each side. The vanes in them can be rotated open to allow sunlight to come in or closed to block the sun. I have been educated (yelled at, actually) by DW to be sure I have the vanes in the open position before I try to traverse the drapes open.........otherwise the mechanism may jam up (or break?).

Instruction for taking the drapes down are to traverse the drapes to the open position (vanes rotated to allow sun to come in, of course); then remove the drapes from the snap holders on the rod. I did this and then did nothing else.

After the floor was refinished, but before the job was completed (some small fix up items), I started to put the drapes back on the rod but was surprised to find that the workmen had apparently played with the controls and traversed the drapery holders back to the closed position and rotated
the vanes back to the closed (sun blocking) position. I then got a heart attack when I found I was unable to rotate the vanes back to the normal position.

I then spent many minutes on the phone to the manufacturer looking for help. Much of that time was because of a "language" barrier. Apparently they make so many types of blinds/drapery, they couldn't understand what I was talking about until I gave them a specific "model" number. The end result seemed to be to ship the 15 foot rod back to them (w/o breaking it in shipping) at my cost and they would fix it for free or to have a factory installer come in at $99 .

I subsequently somehow managed to get things unstuck.........can't quite be sure whether I just used more force on the rotator rod of if I rotated one of the drapery hooks .

Now......finally.......the question (and you deserve a medal if you've survived this far): Would you have said anything to the workmen?

 

[calmloki]

No.

 

[rescueme]

Reminds me of when we had our current (retirement) home built.

We had all woodwork stained (trim/doors/etc) rather than painted. When the W/W carpet was laid, there were numerous scratches on the floorboards.

I complained to the builder and I said that I didn't care who corrected the marks (which would require touch-up/re-stain) but it would be done before I would advance any further $$$ to him.

I don't see the difference in this case. While you had a contract on the floor re-finish (as I did with the carpet), the actions of the "install folks" affected another part of the house (as my floorboards were affected).

Simply, make the complaint and hold the final payment. What can you lose?

You don't have to talk to the work folks directly. However, you should make your "experience" known to the owner of the company doing the refinishing. It's up to them to talk to their work folks, in this case - IMHO.

 

[calmloki]

OP fixed it. There is no problem.

 

[rescueme]

OP fixed it. There is no problem.

I disagree. How does the owner of the refinishing company know if his customers have a problem (and would not recommend his services in the future).

If there is a problem with services rendered, state your case (regardless if it is solved).

If I owned the company, I would want to know if my workers were providing less than "superior service"; it's my name on the company letterhead...

The flip side is that the current customer can say that there was a problem, but it was taken care of. That shows follow-up and concern (AKA Angie's List) rather than just have the customer stew about it and talk about the experience on a public board.

 

[easysurfer]

I would pat yourself on the back because you fixed it and call it a done deal.

Hopefully, DW won't "ask" you to complain to the workmen and put you in the middle, awkward position of having to complain, when the problem no longer exists.

 

[CyclingInvestor]

No. It works now. I would rather spend my time in enjoyable activities rather than complaining.

 

[REWahoo]

I have been educated (yelled at, actually) by DW to be sure I have the vanes in the open position before I try to traverse the drapes open.........otherwise the mechanism may jam up (or break?).

-------

Now......finally.......the question (and you deserve a medal if you've survived this far): Would you have said anything to the workmen?

In hindsight, yes, it would have been wise for your DW to have warned the workmen about the blinds.

 

[W2R]

No. It works now. I would rather spend my time in enjoyable activities rather than complaining.

Exactly. I don't see the point of complaining, when the problem is already solved. There's nothing they can do about it.

 

[lizh]

Ditto.

I'd let it go.

Liz

 

[MichaelB]

Apologies in advance for the excess verbiage:

In preparation for having our hardwood floors refinished, I took down the living room drapes. These cover a very large window, hang vertically, and open half to each side. The vanes in them can be rotated open to allow sunlight to come in or closed to block the sun. I have been educated (yelled at, actually) by DW to be sure I have the vanes in the open position before I try to traverse the drapes open.........otherwise the mechanism may jam up (or break?).

Instruction for taking the drapes down are to traverse the drapes to the open position (vanes rotated to allow sun to come in, of course); then remove the drapes from the snap holders on the rod. I did this and then did nothing else.

After the floor was refinished, but before the job was completed (some small fix up items), I started to put the drapes back on the rod but was surprised to find that the workmen had apparently played with the controls and traversed the drapery holders back to the closed position and rotated
the vanes back to the closed (sun blocking) position. I then got a heart attack when I found I was unable to rotate the vanes back to the normal position.

I then spent many minutes on the phone to the manufacturer looking for help. Much of that time was because of a "language" barrier. Apparently they make so many types of blinds/drapery, they couldn't understand what I was talking about until I gave them a specific "model" number. The end result seemed to be to ship the 15 foot rod back to them (w/o breaking it in shipping) at my cost and they would fix it for free or to have a factory installer come in at $99 .

I subsequently somehow managed to get things unstuck.........can't quite be sure whether I just used more force on the rotator rod of if I rotated one of the drapery hooks .

Now......finally.......the question (and you deserve a medal if you've survived this far): Would you have said anything to the workmen?

You noticed it while the workmen were still there, but did you fix it while they were there as well?

I would have mentioned it to them as soon as I noticed, not accusing but hoping one of them would know what to do. If fixed while they were still there, I would have shown them the fix as well.

When people work in your house stuff gets damaged.

 

[JPatrick]

I can picture trying to explain the problem caused by the workman and getting in return a very blank look that says --what is she talking about All we did was blah, blah, and blah.

Kind of sounds like their actions were not malicious or a result of sloppy work, so if you mention it, make it lighthearted and educational.

Then celebrate the fact that you actually got someone to come to your house to do (apparently) decent work..Minus the drapes of course.

 

[Meadbh]

The outcome is good, but there is something to be learnt.

I would wait a few days until you've calmed down, then call the manager of the flooring company and nicely explain what happened. I'd frame it in terms of a new hazard to be aware of. If they are interested in quality, the manager should be grateful for the information. He/she might introduce a new policy for the workers not to touch such mechanisms in the future, for example.

Next, I would talk or write to the manufacturer of the blinds. Maybe write to head office to explain the difficulty that you ran into. Seems to me this is a very complicated window system. Maybe the design could be improved.

I do this all the time and I find that good companies generally want to improve.

Third, next time I want curtains, I would keep it simple.

Luckily, my new condo has amazing unobstructed views and complete privacy, so drapes are completely unnecessary!

 

[ERD50]

The outcome is good, but there is something to be learnt.

I would wait a few days until you've calmed down, then call the manager of the flooring company and nicely explain what happened. I'd frame it in terms of a new hazard to be aware of. If they are interested in quality, the manager should be grateful for the information. He/she might introduce a new policy for the workers not to touch such mechanisms in the future, for example.

Exactly (and dittos to the others who made a similar comment).

If you don't mention it, nothing ever changes. You might save a future customer (and the business) some grief and money. Of course, present it constructively.

I actually get a bit aggravated at those who say "Don't say anything, what's done is done, etc". Imagine that I'm the next customer, and my blinds get damaged and I've got to deal with all this. If you would have said soemthing, it could have all been avoided. What if the customer before the OP had this experience, if he would have said something he would have saved the OP this grief.

Yes, it bothers me that people are so accepting of sub-standard work and quality. It just lowers the bar for everybody.

Next, I would talk or write to the manufacturer of the blinds. Maybe write to head office to explain the difficulty that you ran into. Seems to me this is a very complicated window system. Maybe the design could be improved.

I do this all the time and I find that good companies generally want to improve.

Yep, same thing. Constructive criticism helps everyone. BTW, we have had some blinds like these. It does help to slide them when they are in the open position - but if they do jam, the ones I've seen can generally be straightened out pretty easily. There is kind of a gear-wheel mechanism on each vertical blind to rotate it, and they end up just skipping over a tooth or two. Carefully rotate it back to where it is aligned with the others. Sometimes this happens just from opening and closing again - they get forced back into the right position.

-ERD50

 

[calmloki]

Sub-standard work? Someone, presumably a worker, moved the vertical blind slider to a different location. The slats weren't on the blind for the worker to be aware that anything was amiss afterward. The OP states he needed training to get it into his head the Wife-approved method of opening and closing. So complaining for constructive effect would be, for the business owner, "don't touch a damn thing other than the floor. Nothing. If the strings to adjust the slats of a blind are in the way of your sander or drape onto the floor stop work and call the homeowner for proper instruction". Gimme a break. Work needs to get done. It doesn't get done in a vacuum.

 

[ERD50]

Sub-standard work? Someone, presumably a worker, moved the vertical blind slider to a different location. The slats weren't on the blind for the worker to be aware that anything was amiss afterward. The OP states he needed training to get it into his head the Wife-approved method of opening and closing. So complaining for constructive effect would be, for the business owner, "don't touch a damn thing other than the floor. Nothing. If the strings to adjust the slats of a blind are in the way of your sander or drape onto the floor stop work and call the homeowner for proper instruction". Gimme a break. Work needs to get done. It doesn't get done in a vacuum.

Those types of blinds are pretty common. That problem exists with every vertical blind I've seen that twist to open/close the view and also slides to open for passage. If workers are going to move them, they ought to be familiar with how they work.

If you have something really unique, I do think the owner should be proactive in telling the workers - do not touch, or do it himself, or something.

-ERD50

 

[ksr]

I normally don't say anything unless I am requesting a specific resolution. If you hadn't been able to fix it yourself, then I probably would have asked to be reimbursed the $99.

 

[Brett_Cameron]

If the workmen were coming back to the house I would make sure they knew not to touch the drapes because they have to be operated in a certain way or they may break.

 

[pb4uski]

Ditto.

I'd let it go.

Liz

+1, especially since you indicated that you only "suspect" that the workmen fiddled with the blind. If you knew for sure, I might feel differently.

 

[LOL!]

I don't understand what the problem is or was. kaneohe, you write about drapes, but then go on at length about vertical blinds. Nobody knows how to use vertical blinds, so they should always be destroyed and removed from every place that you find them. That's the rule and it seems that the workers were only following this universal rule.

 

[kaneohe]

Thanks to all for your thoughtful replies and suggestions. Looks like the poll was pretty evenly split, just as here at home, between the 2 camps of:
1) DW....leave it alone; water under the bridge; no harm done; and
2) OP.....need to improve the world for future generations.

In the end , because of the remaining small tasks yet to be done, I opted not to risk poisoning the atmosphere and said nothing. I know it can be done by those who possess the relevant skills but, since I am not especially blessed with them and because the reaction is also dependent on the mood of the receiver (which I cannot control) , I thought the best tactical action was to do nothing.

My natural instinct, however, nurtured by years of corporate culture, tells me that I am missing a chance to improve the world. At work, we were taught that most folks want to do a good job and that usually what prevents them from doing that is lack of knowledge or training. Since I actually was yelled at twice (by DD in her CO apt and DW at home; same type of blind mechanism) , I want to think that I am not the only ignorant person around. We also had managers who could not understand how the same mistake could be made more than once and insisted on having us write abnormality reports detailing root causes and short and long term fixes to permanently take care of these issues. Perhaps that will be a future action when any emotions will be long defused.

I actually thought of but dismissed any need to discuss the matter beforehand on the grounds that the drapes had been removed and the operating rod/control was 4 ft above the floor and (at least in my mind) nowhere close to interfering w/ the refinishing of the floor. Same bad decision as not mentioning that the dryer in the garage was gas. Found it
later moved (hopefully only slightly) so that they could plug in their heavy-duty floor sander, I imagine. When we had the kitchen remodeled, the workmen moved the dryer until the gas flex line constrained them. Considered putting a permanent sign on the dryer then but dismissed it.
I am reminded by a co-worker's philosophy that it is impossible to idiot-proof life because there are too many of us (idiots) around

I also had already put up a note telling the workers to close the sliding glass doors( where the drapes were) vert slowly and to be guided by the black line I had marked at the center of the track since a normal unknowing person would cause the end plates to be knocked off......we've already made us of the lifetime warranty once already. Plus another note telling them that a bookshelf was earthquake-bolted to the wall and not to attempt to move it..........so I already felt like I was micro-managing.

The workers were not physically here when I discovered and eventually fixed the problem. They did come later to finish up but we were there to observe until the original problem when we had gone on a trip.

The good news is that DW is happy to be rid of the old worn carpets
and when DW is happy, so am I. Thanks again to all for your input and wisdom .

 

[obgyn65]

No and I am a male.