Melbourne Shade Systems Pty Ltd

My experience to have blinds installed has come to an abrupt halt after I gave them a call today. I waited patiently for one week for their consultation appointment to come around, I was quoted a rather high price, and told I would receive an email right away with a quote and that installation would take 4- 5 weeks. I was very keen to finalize the awnings before Christmas, One week later still had not received the written quote so I called and explained that already a whole week had passed and I was concerned as I had been told installation was 4-5 weeks and definitely wanted before Christmas.. The next day I received a quote, that asked for most the costs up ( 80% ) upfront consisting of Deposit 30% plus 50% ongoing payment . However now additionally the waiting period was increased to 6-8 weeks. This means its almost doubled ,meaning I would not get the awnings installed before Christmas as previously discussed . When I called them again ,a not so friendly male answered, first stating that the man that had done the quote was a contractor, and when I then asked to speak to the owner about my concerns I was told that the so called contractor now was the owner? Not very helpful, not interested enough and not friendly and transparent. When I looked up the reviews I noticed that there were quite a few reviews along a similar line..... however I also noticed that they have a second google listing , Retractable Awnings with a different street address( and no negative reviews) but its the same location.....Definitely can not recommend my experience with them, you can judge for yourself.

I purchased 5 blinds from this company in May this year and one malfunctioned due to a broken guide. In late October I reported this to the person who sold the blinds to me (who was the owner) and asked him to repair the blind under warranty.I was told that the defect was due to storm damage - which I did not accept - and that the repair would cost me $430 :00, including spare parts of $65:00. I was also informed that the repair could not be attended to until early 2017.I was able to purchase the spare parts from another agent for $20:00 and I repaired the blind myself which took only 30-40 minutes to complete.The owner was belligerent and unpleasant to deal with and the Factory Manager who provided the quote couldn't care less claiming that he was too busy to attend to the problem.I would not recommend this firm to any one wishing to purchase blinds or awnings given my experience. They obviously take advantage of their clients when they can and have no sense of customer service.

Getting the quote was quick and easy and I’m happy with the blinds. The guys who installed the blinds were also great.The only thing that let’s company down is their office. The initial deposit is 50% and a further progress payment was due when the blinds were supposedly in stock and ready for installation. Over 4 days went by after I paid the progress payment and I then had to call them. The person in the office didn’t have any answers about what was happening and wasn’t interested in finding out. She put me through to the warehouse and a very grumpy guy told me that they had just come in that day. We organised for the installation and he led me to believe that it would take most of a day. It actually took just over an hour although I had kept the whole day free. I had to email them to get an invoice for the small outstanding amount which I paid promptly once I received the invoice. I’ve now got an email telling me that it’s outstanding. Perhaps they should just check before sending an email?

We purchased a vertiscreen awning in 2009 that covered the glass folding doors on both levels of our 2 storey terrace house. Initially we were pleased with the product as it significantly reduced the amount of heat entering the house. Our major problem has been with the installation and customer service. In early 2010 the metal casing that houses the blind fell down for no apparent reason from the second storey. It was only secured by 2 small screws. Fortunately no-one was home or injured. As the product was still under warranty it was replaced. In early 2012 the entire blind and casing again fell down from the second storey which was very concerning as the item is very heavy and falling from such a great height could have seriously injured some-one (or worse). It also cracked the glass windows at the back of the house. The company was very slow to respond but eventually came out to assess the damage and take the blind away. After several weeks of harassing them for some action their best response was to send me an invoice for $4,000 for a new blind and to also charge me for taking away the old and damaged blind. There was no assurance that the blind could be installed in such a way that it would not fall down again. Very unimpressed.

Ivan and his team are great. Great understanding of products and competitive pricing. From start of the process to the quote they have been fantastic. Strongly recommend to everyone. We got our awnings and pergola blinds done and the quality is tough which is required for Melbourne weather. Great job guys!!! Can't thank you enough

Very poor experience, was charged $195 for a 5 minute call out and then charged what seemed like an excessive amount for the install, (nor would the call out fee be deducted). I got a quote from another company who were able to confirm situation over the phone (no unnecessary call out fee). The same company then did the work (guaranteed for 10 years) at HALF the price quoted by Melbourne Shade Systems. I raised this with Melbourne Shade, to be informed I should be grateful for them not charging me for their quotation work. Wow!UPDATE: I see the owners bizarre response. The company that did the work did not leverage from anything Shade Systems did. We told the new company the problem, they asked us to do few tests over the phone which confirmed the problem. They then came out to replace the motor. There is no question that as a customer I felt like I was being hugely ripped off by Melbourne Shade, I called this out in an email in order that they could do the right thing and refund some or all of the extortionate call out fee. The owner chose to see that as blackmail. Make up your own minds.

The guys have just installed our shade with remote and wind sensor. They have been great to deal with. Excellent for advise, communication and professionalism. Bring on summer.

Once again I am writing to say thank you to your company.This time , I called your service department to fix the problem with fabric of the two blinds not sitting properly in the slot of the frame .I was very happy with the job . The installers went out of their way to make sure that I was a happy customer. They fixed the problem and also checked out all the eleven blinds and adjusted , as required , a mechanisms for quiet & smooth operation.With appreciation , regards Tania Vovchak

Ivan visited us on 22nd January to assess our rooftop for a quote. He promised the quote within a few days. When it didn't arrive I called him and he told me it was 70% done and would be sent to me by the weekend. It still didn't arrive. Six weeks later and with multiple messages left on Ivan's mobile and at their office, we have still not received a quote. If you can't do the job, just tell me and stop wasting my time. Highly frustrating experience.

Delighted with the whole process from quoting, consideration of options, advice received during the decision process, payment conditions were very clear, installation was efficient, cleanup after installation was excellent.The operation of the blinds is simple.We are delighted with the end result, and the whole process was very professional, they did what they said they would when they said they would.Based on our experience we would recommend this company.