After seeing some of the previous reviews, we were weary to use Ellen for a job that is so expensive. I have to say, we had a great experience overall. Ellen had many samples with her and she was patient while we walked through the different options in our bedroom and living room. The price was reasonable and the Hunter Douglas brand has been a quality one for some time. The installation went quickly and seamlessly. The gentleman ensured we ok'ed each room post installation. We will be using Ellen in the future for a few more rooms. read more

Consultation & sales: Ellen was incredible. (I will admit that it gave me pause to read some of the other reviews about bad installation so I want to leave a review to share the positive experience I had recently). We weren't sure what we needed or what was possible and had lots of questions. She was very thorough, honest and realistic about costs and sharing what would work with our budget. She made recommendations based on what was important to us and realistic for our home/windows (never pushing us into more expensive solutions or overselling) -- and was so helpful weighing the pros/cons of treatment options for each window. She did a consultation and provided an estimate same-day. When we agreed to proceed, she came back and took additional measurements and confirmed how the hardware/treatments would be installed in each window. We felt so supported in the consultation and sales process. Installation: The installer arrived early and communicated this in advance via phone (he even called us when he had a cancellation to see if we wanted to schedule installation on an earlier day) and was generally just incredible. We've been working with a lot of contractors recently and the installer was BEYOND professional and efficient. He finished the installation early and was an absolute pleasure to have in our home (thorough and detail oriented). We are thrilled and would highly recommend Ellen and her team. read more

We used Shady Lady for our recent project of replacing the blinds. She came out with several samples and listened to what we were looking for and made great suggestions. The blinds arrived in a reasonable timeframe and were installed. The installer Patrick was very knowledgeable and professional. We would highly recommend to anyone looking for window treatments. read more

The installer was the owner's husband. The guy was as asshole. He damaged our kitchen granite, the window sill, the screen, the blinds, and left various nicks on the walls. He did this in part by taking his case full of instruments and bashing heavily into each wall as he walked by. Two of our blinds don't work properly from the time they were installed. The Shady Lady's installer (her husband) broke them as he was installing them. I literally watched him smash the blind against the wall. He dropped the blinds various times. After the first incident I asked him to be more careful. Instead of apologizing he was gruff and rude. Then he would break something else and again I would ask him to be careful. He said he did not do it "on purpose". He didn't even try to be careful. And then five minutes later he damaged something else. He insisted on being paid and did not want to take off money from bill as compensation. We are having now to pay other people to fix the huge mess he left. He complained that he had not yet started drinking for the day - this being the morning. In the past I have met very severe alcoholics. This guy's demeanor reminded me of them. I would not want to be around him once he had started drinking for them day. He really smelled and obviously doesn't shower or clean his clothes. I had to air out the house after he left. I hope he's not suffering from early stage dementia. But it looked like could not even handle his tools properly. This is the first time I have left a review where I am pretty certain that they will damage your home. And if he's drunk, a family member could get hurt. read more

We had an absolutely **terrible** experience with The Shady Lady. Short version: -The Good: competitive prices, eye for design, quality Hunter Douglas shades & blinds -The Terrible: in the process of installation, put a hole in the screen of our brand new kitchen window, dropped the shade on our window sill (putting a huge dent in it), got the resultant wood filler on the brand new shade, banged his toolbox around the house -The Kicker: the installer made a comment about "being dry" as he was leaving after doing all of the damage...which my husband and I took to mean that either he usually drinks but hadn't that day and therefore was off his game; or it was a sort of "don't tell my wife [the sales person], I swear I'm not drunk" plea. Either way, that's not what we paid $5500 for. [Yes, despite all of these issues we still paid them the full amount.] Long version/backstory: Our relationship with this husband-and-wife team started out well: Ellen was friendly, responsive, and had a good eye for design. Her prices were also very competitive. Note that we bought $5500 worth of Hunter Douglas blinds and shades, so this was no small order. That's where anything positive ends. Her husband Joel is the installer, and he was a DISASTER. When he first came to install the shades, he had just pulled a muscle, and was in NO shape to be on step ladders installing shades. Things were going OK in the beginning, although it seemed like his hands shook quite a bit when he was using a drill to screw in the brackets. Then he attempted to install the kitchen roller shade: first, he installed it but then was convinced that it was installed backwards. So he took it down, and in the process RIPPED THE SCREEN OF OUR BRAND NEW KITCHEN WINDOW. Then, he put the shade down on our (also brand new) granite countertops and started to work with tools on it. Thankfully I had a blanket nearby and forced him to put the shade on top of it. Once the shade was re-installed, it STILL didn't work properly. So not only did he have to come back to our home a week to install the repaired screen, but he also had to fix the shade. A week later, he returned to do what we thought was a simple repair and drop-off of the screen. NOPE. In the process of taking the shade down to fix it, he DROPPED IT ON OUR WOOD WINDOW SILL AND MADE A HUGE DENT IN IT. He took responsibility but I believe only because I was standing there watching him (in light of the screen incident). He was blasé about it and said he'd put wood filler in it, sand it, repaint it. He was belligerent to my husband, saying that he didn't appreciate people watching him/hovering over him while he worked. Well, if you damage our home one time we're going to watch you like a hawk, dude. He put the wood filler in and then re-installed the shade, GETTING WOOD FILLER ON THE SHADE. Fortunately it came off with water, but wow, this should not have happened. We made him leave, and he was incredibly argumentative and rude, despite these things being HIS FAULT. On the way out, he banged his toolbox on several different door frames. So now we have a honeycomb blind that only retracts intermittently and a roller shade that doesn't go up and down without difficulty. Oh, and a window sill that I now need to sand and paint (heck no I'm not letting that man back into our home). To top it off, one of the faux wood blinds wasn't centered whatsoever (fortunately I was able to fix it), and yet another honeycomb blind that can't be adjusted. As he was being a complete jerk to my husband, he made the comment "I'm also dry," which my husband and I took to mean that either he usually drinks but hadn't that day and therefore was off his game; or it was a sort of "don't tell my wife [the sales person], I swear I'm not drunk" plea. Do NOT, do NOT, do NOT use The Shady Lady. read more

The Shady Lady - Damage by installer - Shades & Blinds Near Me - Framingham, Massachusetts

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We hired Ellen to install some shades on about six windows in our new home. She came over, was prompt, had great recommendations for our budget and aesthetics. The install was quick and easy, and we are really pleased with the results. read more

I've had a wonderful experience working with Shady Lady! The prices were much better than the other stores I looked at, not to mention the customer service experience was top notch and I was very pleased with the final results of the blinds that were installed throughout my house. I would highly recommend working with this company for any needs you have at your home or business that involve window dressings or blinds etc.. I had an all around terrific experience! read more

Great place, love the staff and the options available. They show you all your options and spend the time you need.

I agree with the other reviewer - the owners have been unpleasant to work with and been only grudgingly responsive since they installed blinds in two rooms of my home. My cats pulled one blind out of its frame, and when I called about getting it fixed, I was grudgingly told that I could bring the shade to them for repair, or pay significantly more for in-home service, which they advertise. I live only about 2 miles away in Framingham. He was impatient when I did not quickly figure out how to take the blind down from its brackets. I received the he same response when I called to ask how to repair the tops of my vertical blinds, even though only a quick-fix was needed. I do not recommend this company. While they carry good quality products, they are expensive, their customer service is poor, and they are unpleasant to work with. I would have been better off with Lowes or Home Depot. read more

Recently a friend of mine moved into a beautiful new home. She asked me if I knew anyone that did window treatments. I told her to not use the person I had used, The Shady Lady. If you want to pay a fortune and deal with a nasty salesperson and her rude husband that installs the blinds call her. After he left I called and said my blinds don't close properly. They refused to come over and fix them. read more

When we bought our house we needed a couple new blinds to match some of the already existing ones. Ellen visited and quickly knew what to order. A week later Joel very easily installed them. Both Ellen and Joel were knowledgeable and professional. We love our new blinds and highly recommend The Shady Lady. read more

Overall my first impression was good. She seemed well informed on her products and gave good recommendations. Probably could have shopped around for a better price but overall didnt think it was worth it at the time. Then came installation, Joel, the husband who is an cantankerous old man who gruffs at your every request. He installed broken pieces and needed to be called back 3 times. Plus he left screws and plastic pieces all over the house and we have an infant and a child, which would have been fun to see them swallow those. And dont make him angry or he will huff and puff at you, overall the man needs a lesson in customer service. Overall, save your self some time and shop with someone else. DO NOT BUY FROM HER!!!! read more