Excel Shades

Back in August, we contracted Excel Shades to put in blinds for our entire house. When giving a quote and that installation they were on time and responsive. The problems we had were after that.

First of all, their recommendations of what to do were not the best solution to the issues we had. We wanted blinds that would black out a room but in our Master Bedroom the blinds they installed did not do that. What is more, they failed to install fasteners that would prevent the blinds from banging all night if the window was open. We complained about the latter but it took over 6 months for them to install the fasteners. In the end, they weren't a great solution and we will likely have to ditch the entire job for that room.

Second, there were some issues with the blinds. Some were not installed perfectly while others were not of great quality and so broke easily. While Excel Shades did eventually come and deal with these things it was an excruciating process. It took them ages to respond to emails and phone calls. Sometimes weeks. Then they would make appointments and just miss them. Time and time again. Then when they finally come they would take away the faulty blinds for repair. They would claim to return in a week and then not be contactable again.

The latest incident was the last straw. A blind in my daughter's room would not go the whole way down. It took three weeks for them to come. They took the blinds away and then it was a month of persistent missed appointments and calling before they turned up to replace it. It was supposed to take a week. In the meantime my daughter was waking with the light at 4:30am and not going to sleep until after 8:30. It was ridiculous.

Our poor experience here reflects some of the poorer reviews on this site for Excel Shades. There is no excuse for this type of poor service. I can forgive issues with the blinds but missed appointments and unresponsiveness is not acceptable. I would not recommend them to anyone. If we have further issues we will likely just replace the blinds with someone reputable than go through all of this trouble.

Our family has been dealing with Gabe at Excel Shades since 1995 and 6 homes later! We can't say enough about his professionalism, amazing product and dedication to us as purchasers. We have called on him every move we have made and have given his name to more family and friends than we can add. We love his honesty and we can always count on him to come through with amazing window coverings! We honestly don't think we would move without our regular call to Gabe and Excel Shades! Keep up the great work and we look forward to our new shutters in March! Mark and Shelly, Milton

Do not hire this company - well, I should say, this person. Since it is a one-man-show! Gabriel, the owner lets himself sound like he is so busy and so big but in reality Excel consists of him and an installer. He commissions out the work even though he makes it sound like he has a warehouse that builds his own brand of wood shades. Not true!!! He buys them off a manufacturer (WHO IS TERRIBLE by the way). The blinds had to be sent back several times since they were: not the right size/damaged/incomplete (unpainted)/defective. Others were forgotten altogether and we had to wait weeks for them to be made only to have them returned for being chipped and damaged. He finally became disinterested in getting the blinds done, so Gabriel decided to stop returning our calls and we could no longer contact him. We still had work to be done and money owing. He is not the person he makes himself out to be. Very disappointed.

Gabriel and Carmella provided me with professional service and had great suggestions. My windows look beautifull and i am verry happy with our choices. We will use them again for future projects.

Really nice, knowledgeable people to deal with. They have great recommendations as to what would suit the different rooms.
Fast service and installation as well. Competitive pricing.
Its refreshing to do Business with such a Professional Company.

Gabriel did shutters in my previous home as well as my new home. The installers showed up and did a great job. Thanks again, I will refer you to any of my neighbours, friends, etc.

Gabriel came and took measurements. The installers came when they said they would and worked quickly and cleanly. The shutters look amazing as you can see my the picture taken in my kitchen. No fuss, no muss..

The owner is very personable and knowledgeable. I appreciated his honesty and expert advice. He saved me hundreds of dollars by recommending a better solution for my window. I love the at home service that is available and the prices are very reasonable.

My experience with Excel Shades was very favourable from begining to end. They came out and took all the measurements, they provided a reasonable estimate for the job and they completed it in a timely manner. I felt I got what I paid for and the service was exceptional. I would definitely deal with this company again, you could tell the've been in the business for many years because they were able to give me good advice on the various products that were available and they were competetively priced. My new shutters look great, I would definitly recommend them to my friends.