Hillarys

Our experience with Hillarys started extremely well, but the service since placing the order has been very disappointing. On 6th July, a Hillarys representative visited our home to measure up and show us samples. He was fantastic - very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful and we were impressed enough to place an order there and then for nine blinds costing approximately £2,000, paying a £1,000 deposit. We agreed an installation date of 11 August, just over a month later. On 4 August, only a week before installation, Hillarys called to tell us that the agreed fitting date could no longer be met because part of the order was out of stock. This is particularly frustrating because we have recently moved into a new home and currently have very little privacy and no effective way of blocking out the sun. The installation date was therefore important to us and was one of the factors in choosing Hillarys. That same day, I emailed Customer Experience asking a very simple question: if only part of the order was unavailable, why couldn't the blinds that were already available still be fitted on 11 August, with the remaining blinds fitted separately once the material arrived? I received an automated acknowledgement promising a response within 48 hours. No response came. I chased them on 7th August and eventually received a reply from an Account Manager stating that the fabric was out of stock and that this was "beyond our control", with the fitter supposedly contacting us to arrange another date. Apart from completely failing to answer the question I had actually asked, describing Hillarys' own stock availability as something "beyond our control" is an incredibly poor response to a customer who has already committed £2,000 to an order. I replied immediately, again asking why the available portion of the order could not be installed on the date we had agreed. I also pointed out that while making two fitting visits might be inconvenient for Hillarys, I don't see why the customer should carry all of the inconvenience caused by Hillarys' stock problem. As of 10th August, I have received no further response, the original fitting is due tomorrow, and we still do not have a replacement installation date. The most frustrating part is the complete lack of ownership. Stock shortages happen. What matters is how a company deals with them. So far Hillarys' approach appears to be to cancel the agreed installation, give no alternative date, ignore a reasonable request for a partial installation, miss their own promised response time, and then dismiss the problem as being outside their control. For a company selling itself as a premium, fully managed service, this falls well below what I expected especially after paying a £1,000 deposit. The initial salesperson was excellent. Unfortunately, the experience once the order was placed has been anything but. I will update this review if Hillarys actually resolves the situation satisfactorily

I have used Hillary’s a number of times over the years and Iam still as satisfied now as I was the first time !! Their customer care from day one is excellent , I cannot fault anything , I would like to mention Paul advisor Webb 117440 who has installed my latest set of blinds , very friendly , customer service impeccable ! He is what makes Hillary’s so professional !!

I ordered 7 vertical blinds from Hilary’s and Jo came to do a home visit on the 17th June and gave me a great price which I accepted. Jo was wonderful and professional going over everything that was going to happen, lovely lady. Today Wednesday 08th July Barry (known as Irish) came to fit the new blinds, and wow he was fantastic. He said on arrival, sorry for the wait but I was running a little behind fro a difficult job prior to myself. Well it was worth the extra wait because he was brilliant and talked to myself and my wife as he was installing them, and showing us the blind opperation after each fitting. Hilary’s should be very proud of both Jo and Barry’s professionalism in making this happen smoothly for us, so a big huge thank you

Carl just fitted my shutters. Lovely bloke. He did a fantastic job. Clean, tidy punctual, friendly and professional.

I rarely leave reviews, but people need to be aware of how Hillarys treats its customers. In October 2024 I responded to their shutter blinds advert promising “installation before Christmas.” A representative reassured me this was achievable. A salesman visited six days later, but advised installation would more likely be January, understanding its busy we accepted and paid the 60% deposit the next morning. I was told a surveyor would visit within 14 days, but no one called. After chasing, I was told my order had been mishandled and reprocessed. The surveyor came 10 days later, reassured us there was no rush to confirm specifications, and casually stated installation would be 14 April 2024 - far later than advertised. This was frustrating, but we reluctantly continued. Two days later, mid-December, we confirmed our preferred stile size. To our shock, Hillarys said no changes could be made because the order was already in production. Even worse, they had chosen the smallest stile size, which we had never agreed to. We argued this was wrong - production could not have started months before an April installation, and no specification had been agreed. Hillarys refused to change the order or allow cancellation. I called my credit card provider, Halifax, who confirmed I had clear grounds for a chargeback. Hillarys had breached the contract and delivered no goods. Halifax issued the chargeback, giving Hillarys 45 days to respond. They did not, so the chargeback was upheld. Two months later, Hillarys phoned me to arrange installation on an even later date. I reminded them the order was cancelled. The next morning, I received a threatening letter from their legal team demanding £1,700 immediately, or they would take me to court. Despite explaining the situation and the fact I had received nothing, Hillarys ignored this context and continued to demand payment. After more back and forth, I was served with a court claim and am now forced to pay £1,000 just to submit a defence. In summary: Hillarys advertised “installation before Christmas,” but my order was scheduled four months late. They chose specifications without my agreement, refused to correct or cancel the order, and ignored my legitimate chargeback. Customer service throughout was dismissive and uncaring. Now, instead of resolving the issue, Hillarys has escalated the matter to an actual legal claim. My advice: avoid Hillarys at all costs.

Really pleased with our beautiful blind for the study it's practical works well and Leon did a careful informed installation As soon as we've saved up we will get something similar for another room thank you Hillary's

The blinds are fine, but the fitting was dangerous — the entire roll fell on my head due to incorrect fixtures. I have a newborn, so this was especially alarming. It took 3 weeks to get someone out, only to be told the wrong type was used. Now we’re 2 weeks into waiting again for a proper fix. Totally unacceptable service.

If you want window blinds with great big gaping gaps at the edge that look a real mess and let people see in at night then just take Hillarys expert advice on what to buy.

I recently had curtains installed by Hillarys, and while the initial process seemed smooth, the quality of the installation left much to be desired. After a short time, the curtains came away from the wall because the wall plugs and screws used were not suitable. I had to pay for an installer to come out and fix the issue, only to be told that the problem was due to poor installation by Hillarys in the first place. It’s disappointing that a company with such a reputation would use substandard materials and not ensure a proper job was done. While the issue was eventually resolved, being charged for something that wasn’t my fault has left a sour taste. I expected better quality and accountability from Hillarys.

Would like to say how pleased I was with Peter from start to finish he was very professional helpful and understanding and I am delighted with my blinds great job very happy customer

The choice of which blind company to contact for our new blinds was a no brainier- Hilarys have always delivered on quality, choice and service. All the blinds we have look and feel like new years later.

Amazing experience from start to finish Hillary’s are fantastic with their wealth of knowledge and what’s right for your home!