Help Thomas Sanderson Blinds

Petal291

Hello this is my first time posting and hopefully I'm posting in the right area?

So two years ago Thomas Sanderson came out and sold us very expensive blinds for our new conservatory. My husband and I were totally irresponsible and let our hearts rule our heads signing up after listening to the pressurised and glamourised sales patter.

So the total amount was £2,370, but as there was little cash left in the bank after paying for the conservatory we took out the finance. Total to pay £4896.60!! Yes I know we're mad, but at the time we were blinded by the sales patter...big lesson learnt.
But we were also thinking these blinds are going to last a life time so it will be money well spent.

Now here is the problem...our cat!! (which the sales man knew we had when he sold us the blinds).
The cat has chewed the very fine blind cords on several of the windows, rendering the blinds useless!! Thomas Sanderson came and repaired these as a "good will gesture" which my husband and I were very grateful for.
The cat has now done it again, chewed through three of the very fine blind cords now the blinds won't stay up the window and are useless!
Of course this time we will have to pay for the repair, Thomas Anderson told us last time that the cost would be running into the £100's if this happened again. Approx £500.
Of course hubby and I are throwing money away now, as once the blinds are repaired the cat will no doubt do it again!!!!
We can't get rid of the cat as she has been with us a long time and long before the blinds.
Surely Thomas Sanderson should have pointed out to us that the blinds will not be practacle with animals, especially a cat!!
They are very delicate cords and would not withstand much at all.
We're gutted as we're still paying for these blinds and they're not even up the windows any more
Could I contact the finance company?? Any help would be appreciated, I'm just so certain that Thomas Sanderson shouldn't sell these blinds to homes with animals!!! Or at least point this out during the sales meeting.
I'm thinking that if the sales man had told us at the time that any disturbance to the cords from any animal, child, object etc they would be seriously damaged, we would have been put off from buying them...no matter how good his sales patter was!!
Regards

LilElvis

Sorry, but I can't see how the Company can be held responsible for the actions of your cat. You knew it chewed the cords yet still allowed it to do so after they had been repaired. If you have accidental damage cover on your home insurance then use this to pay for the repair - and keep the door of the conservatory closed so that your cat doesn't do it again.

Petal291

The company can not be responsible for the actions of my cat, I agree. That isn't what I'm asking help for!!
The company knew we had a cat whilst selling us the blinds, I'm asking if it is fair that the company did not think to point out that the very fine and delicate cords can easily be damaged and would not be suitable in a house hold with a cat??
There is no door on the conservatory so we can't stop the cat going in there.
We're paying a lot of money for blinds that are now useless because the blinds are so delicate and will not withstand the actions of an animal!!!
I was asking for some constructive help with regards to our consumer rights!!

happyandcontented

I think TS have been more than reasonable with you. You chose the blinds (knowing you had a cat) You agreed to the finance...

I think after the first event you should have ensured the cat was kept out of the room.

gettingtheresometime

I had cats & they never chewed cords....now the mutt is a completely different story with the sky remote being the chew toy of choice.


Perhaps I should charge sky for the fact that their remotes are just the sort of plastic he likes to chew on.

LilElvis

Petal291 wrote: »

The company can not be responsible for the actions of my cat, I agree. That isn't what I'm asking help for!!
The company knew we had a cat whilst selling us the blinds, I'm asking if it is fair that the company did not think to point out that the very fine and delicate cords can easily be damaged and would not be suitable in a house hold with a cat??
There is no door on the conservatory so we can't stop the cat going in there.
We're paying a lot of money for blinds that are now useless because the blinds are so delicate and will not withstand the actions of an animal!!!
I was asking for some constructive help with regards to our consumer rights!!

Put simply you have no claim against either Sanderson's or the finance company. You might had you explicitly asked if the blinds were sturdy enough to withstand chewing by your cat and the salesman had confirmed that they would be fine.

As an example. If I went into John Lewis with my family in order to purchase a TV would I be able to subsequently claim off them if my daughter decided to push the TV off the cabinet and smashed it? After all, the salesman had seen we had a child and didn't advise us that she could possibly damage it unless it was wall mounted. Can you not see that you are being unreasonable in ascribing blame to a third party who have no control over the actions of your pet.

I do sympathise that you have a costly repair to pay for. My daughter has also damaged our blinds and actually did break our TV by pushing it onto the floor - entirely my fault for not taking adequate steps to prevent her from being able to do so.

Petal291

Thank you for your constructive feed back.
We will put this down to a very expensive lesson learnt.
We're not able to stop the cat getting to the blinds as it's all open planned.
We'll replace the TS blinds with cheap roller blinds, we can then tie the cords up away from the cat...the TS cords can not be moved out of the cats reach as they're suspended from the top to the bottom of the blinds.
Next time we buy any furnishings for our home, we'll ensure it is something the cat can't ruin.
Thank you

BorisThomson

Crazy idea, but why not replace the cords yourself?

Petal291

BorisThomson wrote: »

Crazy idea, but why not replace the cords yourself?

They are so complicated and I don't know where we would get the fine cord from?
There are bars screwed into the beading of the conservatory windows. These bars will need taking apart and new cord threaded through the consertinered blinds and through the pulley system inside the bar.
I guess we've got nothing to lose as the blinds are useless now anyway.
The cat isn't going to stop chewing them so I guess if we tried to do it ourselves it's worth a try. I'll contact TS and see if they will sell us the cord??? I doubt it though
But thank you

DoaM

When you say concertina blinds ( ) do you mean these? (Otherwise known as pleated blinds).

http://www.thomas-sanderson.co.uk/media/98604/TS_Windows_Styles_Pleated_four.jpg

lincroft1710

As it is half term...........