3 month wait for curtains

saajan_12

IMO this ↓ is overly accommodating for the retailer

Grumpy_chap said:

I am not really sure this is a 3 month wait for the curtains.

The OP ordered the curtains 19th June, the price having been worked out from the OP's own measure.  The OP paid a deposit.  Expected lead time 3 - 4 weeks.

One assumes the OP did not want the curtains made to the OP's own measure, hence the shop was to come out to do a measure.  For whatever reason, this measure did not happen until 17th July.

I don't think the 3 - 4 weeks lead time to make the curtains could really start until the shop's own measure had been completed.

There are many steps to making curtains, from measuring space, sourcing the chosen fabric, measuring & cutting fabric, sewing etc. Unless explicitly mentioned, why should the first step be excluded? 
Also that 'whatever reason' is important, if due to the OP then fair enough but if the retailer can't get their first step started, it still results in a delay for the customer. 

Grumpy_chap said:

That takes us to 14th August.  Maybe the lead time is then extended by being the middle of the holiday season etc.

On 27th August, the OP was told "ready next week" so that would be 5th September.
Now another week later, 10th September.

• .

Summer doesn't stop business from happening, and its not a short bank hol with widespread business closures. At the outset on 17th June, the business knew this would span summer, so if they had lower staffing then a longer ETA should have been communicated at that point. If they stated 3-4 weeks knowing it was summer, then that's 7-14 Aug. For ease call it 11 Aug - again not just defaulting to the latest date in the range.

Just because they give a late update (27 aug) doesn't excuse the prior delay or reset the clock, so  from 11 Aug to 10 Sept, its now a full month late, on top of a potentially delayed measurement appointment. 

Now I'm not saying the day after the ETA is a breach of contract, you do have to allow some flex. But the question is whether 1 month is too much flex, its not just 1 week. 

Grumpy_chap

There is nothing that @saajan_12 says that is unreasonable.

I was not really taking a consumer rights position, but a more pragmatic position.  Given the OP and the supplier are where they are, showing some forbearance may achieve the best outcome from now.

Kind of, well the inverse of "the bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten", so maybe "the pleasing environment created by good curtains is relaxing long after the inconvenience of the time to manufacture is forgotten".