The Shade Store Reviews 

I wish I had read the reviews before working with The Shade Store. Our experience has been one of the most frustrating and disappointing home improvement projects we’ve ever undertaken.

After months of careful planning, showroom visits, and design consultations since July, we placed an order totaling over $9,000 for custom roller shades. The installation (October 2025) was a complete failure. Several shades were defective, broken, or measured incorrectly, and none fit properly in our windows.

Here are just a few examples:

The hallway roller shade arrived with a broken mechanism, installed crookedly, and now blocks access to our home’s alarm system. The window cannot even open or close.

The kitchen valances were mis-measured and installed using incorrect brackets, leaving large gaps and exposed hardware that look cheap and unfinished.

The office shades could not even be installed because they were the wrong size and would block the alarm sensors.

The sliding door shade was made too narrow despite clear discussions and measurements, allowing significant light leakage.

We immediately contacted The Shade Store — both the showroom and corporate offices — requesting a refund and removal. Despite multiple emails, phone calls, and in-person visits, no one has followed up or taken responsibility. Our messages to the designer, showroom manager, and even the SVP of the company have gone unanswered.

We now have broken shades hanging crookedly, others lying on the floor, damaged walls, and no usable window coverings — after paying more than $9,000. The company has offered no solution other than to “remake” products that we were told by their own designer will not fit due to the window depth and alarm placement.

This is not an isolated case. After researching further, I discovered many similar complaints from other customers online about The Shade Store’s poor quality control, lack of customer service, and refusal to issue refunds.

I am now filing a formal dispute with my credit card company to recover the funds. The Shade Store’s handling of this situation has been irresponsible, unprofessional, and deeply disappointing.

If you are considering this company, please read the reviews carefully and proceed with caution. Once they have your payment, communication and accountability disappear.

Our experience with The Shade Store was very disappointing. While the sales process started well, the installation and post-sale service was horrible. We spent approximately $72,000 on 33 motorized shades, 2 draperies, and 3 blinds; installation was rushed and incomplete. Most shades required adjustment or replacement due to various issues: misalignment, noise, loose cables, and missing hubs. Resolving problems was slow and required us to document each issue, with wait times of up to 8 weeks for service. Draperies were uneven and needed additional visits. Now 7 months after purchase (from February to September 2025), our last repair/adjustment was done. We still have some minor issues but are settling with current sub-optimal result since we have used countless hours already and don’t want to waste more time. Other problems included noisy motors, storage requirements, misaligned seams, automation misses and low production quality. Based on this, I cannot recommend The Shade Store and wish we had chosen our previous house shades from Hunter Douglas.

I live in West Los Angeles, and I can't speak highly enough about Michelle who came out to give me a quote for my blinds. You won't regret meeting her. She was very helpful.

650$ for 3x1.5 window and came without a valance. Designer, Jennifer Amos says oh thats extra. Waited 6 weeks for an installation appt. Poor communication. They flat dont care about the quality of their product.

Got a defective solar shade for 2x the market price.
Asked for a replacement got no response

Zero response to issues. Awful customer service. It’s been almost a year since we paid for product without installation. Unbelievable.

Extremely poor customer service. Took 3 months to get a broken shade picked up, fixed, and returned. Phone calls and emails not returned and when I finally did speak to someone they would give incorrect and conflicting information. Their lifetime warranty seems to be irrelevant if they can't even provide reasonable service to fix a problem.

It has been an ongoing terrible experience with getting shades and curtains for my brand new space. The product took five weeks to arrive. The installer botched the job, damaging my brand new walls by drilling unnecessary holes, smudging dirt on my new paint, leaving debris all over the floor, scratching the wall, and failing to remove unused materials. Additionally, none of the curtains worked as they should have, either from damaged/defective parts shipped or due to poor installation.

Brandon, the project manager took a week to file "a report" and went completely silent. He provided no updates, no check-ins, and no follow-ups; he went completely silent after a site visit to confirm the damage/defective work despite saying he would be in touch. I had to chase him down.

In fact, despite shelling out a lot of money for the curtains and treatments, there were no phone calls or emails updating me on the status of the damage from anyone; I had no idea if and when it would be corrected, or that the correction was even in the works.

Since my designer recommended this place to me, she was vigilant about reporting this up the chain, but even that did nothing other than words of sympathy. No one reached out, no one called, no one responded to any specific issues, or provided any update on the status or timeline for the repair.

If this was an online chop shop, I would say "you get what you pay for." But given how this store bills itself, how much they charge for the product, the treatment of their customers is absolutely abysmal. I envy those who had a good experience with Brandon or the Shade Store; I wish I could say the same. In addition to damaging my walls, the lack of communication, complete silence cost me thousands of dollars and countless hours of time chasing down anyone for an answer when the responsible thing would be to simply check in on your customer who was wronged and reassure them about the correction.

It was the worst experience ever. No support or care from the team

This is beyond unacceptable. We had a huge install at our property in Laguna beach. The shades started off great but one has failed. Trying to get in touch with the shade store to have someone come to fix it has been horrendous. We have called 5 times, sent 6 emails. Next step is actually going into the store. This has got to be the worst customer service I’ve experienced for a while. NOT DO USE THIS COMPANY.

terrible customer services.... avoid this company. I'v been trying for months to have them fix a blind. The product quality is also poor

absolutely non-existent customer service. AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE!!! I spent 1000's of dollars on shades and went into the shade store to ask how to clean them because I was so worried about ruining them. I was told to "Use a magic eraser. Lightly wet and use". It RUINED my shades. They sent a person out who told me they needed to be replaced and the magic eraser should have been dry... again... never told that.

Customer service has ignored emails and multiple calls. Absolutely disgusting!!!

Very poor after care and customer services. One of my blinds was faulty. It’s been almost 4 months and still no replacement.

I’m not sure why people aren’t satisfied with this place but I had a great experience with Janet from the Boca Raton, Florida location. Very professional, very helpful, and very accommodating. They are also very quick at responding to any questions I might have so I highly recommend.

We had a fantastic experience purchasing our new roller shades from Lisa Smith at The Shade Store in Newport Beach. The store is well-stocked with a great selection, making it easy to find the perfect fit for our home. Lisa was incredibly helpful, knowledgeable, and low-key—no pressure, just great advice. She sent us home with plenty of samples to try, ensuring we made the right choice. The entire process from selection to purchase, was seamless, and the installation flawless. We couldn’t be happier with the result and are now customers for live.

Poor instillation, wrong size on one of the shades. Poor follow up

I am writing to formally express my disappointment with the service I have received regarding the faulty romains I purchased from your store on [purchase date]. Despite my efforts to seek a reasonable resolution, the refusal to replace the defective item has left me dissatisfied.

As I require a functional product, I have obtained quotes from other providers and have decided to proceed with an alternative supplier. Unfortunately, this experience has led me to feel that my money was wasted on an item that does not work through no fault of my own.

I wish I had read the Trustpilot reviews before purchasing. Many of the concerns shared here align with my own experience.

Over the past 2–3 years, we purchased more than $75,000 worth of window coverings from The Shade Store in Palm Desert, CA.

Our initial motorized shades were relatively straightforward, and despite a few issues, we were ultimately satisfied. However, in 2024, we ordered several custom drapery treatments, including custom rods, cornices, and motorized drapery, and encountered significant challenges.

Unlike many custom window treatment companies, The Shade Store operates with a centralized production model—local showrooms have limited selection, and everything is manufactured elsewhere and shipped directly to the customer. This means large orders arrive in multiple shipments, requiring customers to store boxes until all items arrive before scheduling an installation.

Installation Delays & Staffing Issues

The real issues began with installation. The Palm Desert showroom appeared to be understaffed, sometimes closing on certain days, and we were informed that local installer availability was very limited, with only two installers covering a large area. As a result, appointments were booked out several weeks.
When our installation date finally arrived, we expected a thorough, professional service given the scope of our project. However, one installer was assigned to handle nine windows, including two massive sliding door systems (20 and 30 feet long), with only about five hours allotted.

The installer immediately acknowledged that he couldn’t complete most of the work alone, meaning we had to reschedule—another delay of nearly a month.

Upon contacting the local showroom, we were told they had no control over scheduling and that we needed to reach out to customer service.

I escalated the matter, emailing customer service and copying the company’s founder, Zack. I eventually received a response from a representative named Davon, who assured me that two installers would be scheduled for a full-day appointment to meet our deadline.

Product & Design Issues

While we appreciated the expedited rescheduling, the installation revealed multiple product and design flaws, including:

• A cornice that was too short, failing to cover the tops of the window treatments.
• Drapery rods that sagged due to inadequate support.
• Other design issues that impacted both function and aesthetics.

The installers did what they could but informed us that another visit would be required.

Unfortunately, at this point, customer service became unresponsive. Despite my repeated attempts to follow up, my original contact, Davon, never replied again. After further persistence, I was eventually connected with another representative, Alex, who spent over an hour on the phone going through the outstanding issues and assured me he would follow up on Monday with a resolution and a new installation date.

That was over a week ago, and I have heard nothing since.

Lack of Accountability & Unresolved Issues
At this stage, I still have incomplete window treatments and unopened boxes sitting in my home, despite having paid the full amount months ago. Emails to customer service have gone unanswered, and I am now initiating a chargeback through American Express due to the failure to complete the work as promised.

Having been in the retail industry, I consider myself a reasonable customer with realistic expectations regarding quality and service. Unfortunately, this has been one of the worst experiences I’ve encountered—especially frustrating given that we are rebuilding our home after a fire.

Moving forward, I will prioritize working with locally owned businesses whenever possible, as my experience suggests that large national chains like this may lack the necessary customer care and accountability for high-value custom projects.

Don’t know about the stores, but a driver with The Shade Store printed on the van was super rude to me on one of the Nashville highways today. Not courteous allowing me to merge (open lane next to him or her…and heavy handed on the horn. Seems aligned with the store reviews on here.

Stay away from this business. I have had terrible experience. The quality of the shades drapes are not good. I had shades that started to rip off in less than a month from sides, drapes that started ripping off after 1 and half years of using. The shades were easily replaced but for drapes I went through so much of pain and disrespect of Berkeley location consultants Angie and Angela. Mean disrespectful with attitude that poor quality of material is my fault and I was treated like I am beggar and asking them for free stuff " I am a doctor"
Anyway after months of pain and disrespect I got approved for partial refund on drapes to order new set but the consultant "Amy" didn't tell me that type of drapes I selected need longer rods to be able to pull drapes back for full view of windows and the length of drapes that I wanted to be one inch from floor it came touching floor because of rods distance of one inch from ceiling. Amy didn't inform me about all. It ended up I went with lower price rods and longer rods to fix the issue which took months to be approved. Three rods three drapes which took 45 minutes of installation which I charged for $660 for installation. I requested partial refund for installation and difference for rods since I ended up with cheaper rods to fix the issues. Matthew Robinson sent me this email " I've been informed that you are seeking a credit for the difference between the track you originally ordered and the track that you changed your order to. We do not reimburse this amount. A significant discount to reorder the track in the way you desired has already been offered. No further credits can be applied to this order."
Worth mentioning that during process of refund for drapes that ripped off in less than two years he was the one communicating with me and after few emails and calls he blocked my number. The quality of products are very poor, for cheap rods that you can buy less than $100 they will charge you thousands of dollars. For installation that handyman can easily do in much lower price they will charge you $660 for 45 minutes work. The consultants are nice when you purchase and pay for something but when it comes for return or exchange of poor products you will see the real face and very mean attitude. The warranty yes exists but you have to go through so much spending time arguing pain disrespect until happens. Absolutely I don't recommend this business. Go somewhere else for better and reasonable products and more knowledgeable consultants.