This was the most shocking experience I have ever had with "customer service". The person who we were dealing with was appalling. My husband and I have never been treated with such condescension, and quite honestly, disdain. Considering they are providing a service to people, I would think that their employees would treat clients with respect, but this was anything but the case. I will never work with Arlene's Interiors because of how poorly we were treated. read more

My experience with ordering custom drapes at Arlene's was a positive one, from the initial phone consultation to the installation. As the Burnaby location was closed due to Covid restrictions, their design consultant/sales rep came over for an in-house consultation, armed with fabric samples. Having never purchased draperies before, let alone custom draperies, I was feeling somewhat intimidated by the whole process, but, Mary quickly allayed my fears. Her level of expertise was impressive and she was more than helpful. I love my drapes! read more

Nice selection of high quality upholstery and drapery fabrics at a premium price. The shop only had one sales associate on the floor, who was helping another customer when I arrived, but she was became attentive as soon as the other customer left. There are not any bargains to be had and at $53/m it behooves you to make sure that all of your measurements are calculated correctly. read more

*This review was for the now-closed Terminal Avenue store.* Nice selection but quite possibly some of the worst customer service I've experienced (a bit snotty too). If they ask for your phone number and tell you that they'll call you with information, consider yourself dismissed. You'll never hear from them again. read more

I am thoroughly disappointed in the way our most recent transaction was handled. We have had to have them back a few times for service calls due to breaking parts. In the most recent call, they demanded credit card information for the service call, unusual, but okay. When I objected I was told that "they would not charge my credit card until the service call was dispatched". Not true - my credit card was charged before I hung up the telephone - that was four weeks ago - service call happened today. When I called their office two weeks ago to complain about the charge, I was told the manager would call me back - still hasn't happened. Reading the other reviews here, I guess I am not surprised. Wouldn't use them again. read more

I recently worked "Arlene's Interiors" in selecting draperies for my town-house. The sales rep, Dina, was very knowledgeable and helpful in choosing quality drapes, sheers and rods which would properly complement each room, provide the room darkening I wanted and satisfy the budget I had set. And Dina was very prompt in answering any questions I had or making changes when necessary. When delivered, all the components were of top-notch quality, well-fabricated and matched the final order. Installation was competently performed and completed within the time set, and the installer made sure, several times, the drapes and sheers were hung properly and moved smoothly. I'm very pleased with the work performed by "Arlene's" and heartily recommend their services. Great job! read more

They appear to be only interested in service with many dollars attached to it. They have stalled and delayed in correcting an error in the instalment of rods. I am very unhappy about their response to rectify the situation, where the rods are jammed against the walls. Furthermore hey have lost a contract faxed to their office, and then changed the terms of the contract before the corrective service was provided. Susan W read more

Will likely not use this company again. My experience has been similar to other reviewers with being told mis-leading or incorrect information. My credit card was billed for the balance before the order was ready and several months before I'd advised that the installation would be able to happen. It was also recommended I should let the installer remove the old curtain track as they would repair the ceiling. Although, when I called to ask if someone could come back to repair the ceiling I was advised that Arlene's is not responsible for the repair of damages from the old tracks.... Weeks later, I'm still waiting for the Design Consultant to return my call to clarify why she made a point of advising me incorrectly on this. read more

good price Good service Terms of sale are fair and better than most in the industry ... as a comment to other reviewers who most likely want to nickel and dime to pay their bill If you are buying quality custom made you will find everything you need here read more

I have been to Arlene's before and got great help. Today i was told that I had to wait until someone came to my home and I could either choose fabric on my own (I counted on help from their staff). Now, I feel like I'm being shanghaied. Once someone is in my home measuring windows I am committed and I'm not sure I want to be. But I have also had trouble finding an alternate company. Arghh. read more

Without a doubt the WORST customer service I have ever received in Canada. After 2 weeks of calling their store, being passed around from one sales assistant to another to find someone, anyone, who would be willing to meet with us on a Saturday (even though their work hours are listed as Monday to Saturday on their website), we finally made a consultation appointment for Saturday June 4th. The sales person (Paige) stood us up. Hours after the scheduled time, she called and blamed it on a double booking with the way their system allocates appointments. However, we'd spoken on the phone earlier in the week to set up the appointment and she had confirmed this appointment. At the very least, if you can't make an appointment, give us a call before our appointment and let us know so we can get on with our day. We rescheduled for June 11th, at which point we got stood up again, once again without a call or cancellation of any sort. When I called the store to enquire about why Paige had once again not shown up, the receptionist said he would pass along a message to the sales person and sales manager to follow up with us. No apology or any signs of regret either. 3 days later and we're still waiting for that phone call from either Paige or their sales manager. If their customer service is any indication of their work quality, then maybe it's a good thing that we won't be working with them after all... It is just a shame that a company like this is even in business. Somewhere as mismanaged and as disrespectful to their clients as this place really should be out of business. read more

We recently had Arlene's do a large project for our home. Great from start to finish. There was a delay one one of the fabrics, but unlike other stores, Arlene's called us and kept us informed as to the progress all the way through. From the time we called to have someone come out to our home, to the time we had the installation - we never once had to call - Arlene's people called us. To the poster below (Ronald K) about the payment details - Arlene's does not make a secret or fine print of the payment terms - unlike most of the other custom order stores Arlene's only asks for 50% at time of order, not 100% like many others, and the other 50% is only requested when the order is ready - this makes sense to us. When we are ready for the rest our our home to be redone Arlene's will be the place we call. read more

Do the 5 red stars in one review mean that the review is questionable? Must be! Quite probably a reflection of the new owners. I began doing business with Arlene's when it first opened on Hastings in Burnaby. When I built a new house, I purchased blinds and drapes from them. I have had sofas recovered, pillows, coverlets and drapes made since then. When Arlene's changed ownership, the service and Store selection of fabric deteriorated! I ha never been made to pay a large deposit when making a purchase. The store on Dawson in no way mirrors the Arlene's of old. What a shame! You might think that the owners of this store wonder why the business that they purchased has greatly diminished. Their reputation is definitely not what it once was! read more

Several years ago we had Arleen's sew and install draperies for our living room and foyer. The quality and workmanship were excellent but their prices were extremely high. Around the beginning for this year we had a representative from Arleen's come out to measure and quote on verticals for the main floor of our home. Kris was exceptional, she spent several days and many hours with us and we ordered the only brand they carry, Hunter Douglas. When our window coverings were installed we had to have Kris and Peter (installer) come back six times (we bought 7 blinds) for different problems that had arisen through Hunter Douglas. This was very annoying and time consuming. Both Kris and Peter were great. Each time I called Kris she went to bat for us and got the problem resolved and Peter came out and adjusted and reinstalled the blinds. We were most impressed with the service we received from Arleen's and the way Kris handled our problems but we feel that all these problems could have been avoided if Hunter Douglas did not depend so much on computers for custom jobs and their quality is just not acceptable in our estimation. All in all we must say that Arleen's gives excellent service and their staff are great. It is just too bad they only sell Hunter Douglas products and that their prices are too high. read more

I just had the greatest experience at Arlene's warehouse the other day that I would like to share with anyone looking to purchase some high-quality blinds. Having no idea what sort of draping I needed, the sales associates were so helpful in directing me towards the most perfect fit and style I could have ever dreamed of. My house truly looks 100x better now, both on the inside and out. I also like to think I got an amazing deal on the order! I would highly recommend this company; I hear they also have a rep up in Kelowna where my cottage is! That will be my next exciting project :) read more

Good selection, decent prices. Staff was very helpful and attentive. Either they have changed their service levels (looking at past reviews) or I was there on a good day? read more

Wonderful selection of fabrics, the sales person was very knowledgeable with regards to the latest trends and designs. Gave me a good amount of time and showed patience since I had so many questions! A lot of what I was looking at was on sale, that's always good. Left with some great ideas of colour and textures - truly got me thinking outside the box. I am absolutely sure that I will be moving ahead with Arlenes in the near future. read more

I have used Arlene's in the past 25 yrs many time & have always had exceptional service & quality work. Unfortunately when I went to use them again recently I did not realize they were under new ownership nor did I think to check the reviews. The price, service & quality of work has changed dramatically & not for the better. I had to send my drapes back twice to bring them up to the standard they should have been in the first place ,but even then I had to steam them myself ?? Each time the decorator took them back her demeanor became less amiable, which surprised me as she told me at the very beginning that it was her job to make sure I was completely satisfied. Also I do not like their payment policy ,as they took the balance of the amount out of my account before the drapes were even installed the first time. I will never use Arlene's Interiors again read more

Our adventure was horrible. The "designer " ordered 3 panels instead of 4 for our blinds. One had to be sent back to be cut into two. Weeks later, the blind shows up but the roller is the wrong size and shows on the exterior of the blind. We spent a summer with no blind on one side of a very large floor to ceiling window, in our main living room. By the time they got everything right, it was a total of SIX MONTHS ! When I called to complain about my experience they told me it was MY fault that it took so long because I was away on holiday. Huh? I wasn't out of town a day. The "designer" was out of town twice and was unavailable. She either lied to them or Arlene's lied to me. Be aware that once you buy your product, Arlene's takes no responsibility but will keep referring you to the contracted out " designer ". I put designer in quotation marks because all she had to do was measure. She did not design a thing. They charge you extra for that as well. The icing on the cake was a year later the rollers broke on two of the panels. When replacing them we noticed that even though they corrected the roller from showing on the exterior of the blind, they used two different sizes on each panel. Two trips to another blind shop ( since I refused to set foo in Arlene's again ) instead on one. The horrible service that keeps on giving. read more

I was looking for a 10ft curtain rod which I had a hard time finding. Arlene's had it available as a special order but as other reviewers have mentioned the sales associates were not very willing to help despite the store being near empty when I was there on a Saturday afternoon. read more

I worked with a designer from Arlene's to select the appropriate window coverings, style and details for my home. The final quote was rather pricey, but I felt that we were paying for a top-quality product from a local vendor. Unfortunately after a few weeks of back-and-forth and numerous visits I found myself examining the fine print of the quote that I was asked to sign. Indeed they do require payment in full before the installation is complete - this includes payment for the installation itself. Arlene's refused to change the payment terms so I chose to take my business elsewhere. I agree with a previous reviewer: this practice is unethical and inappropriate, and it will only change if people refuse to accept it. read more

The worst retail experience ever. I paid a huge amount of money which sadly was paid prior to installation. The window coverings don't fit the windows, there are numerous holes drilled in my window frames, ceiling, and they are a mess. The installer just kept moving them around and drilling new holes to try to make them fit the windows, but to no avail. The company refused to refund my money and I am out a few thousand dollars, but can't afford to get replacements from another company. I used this company because they had been in business for many years and I am sadly disappointed and out a lot of money. read more

I made the trek to their store only to find this store is no longer carrying any stock - they just have a few remaining items on clearance. There was no indication on their website that this location is closing soon. The clerk told me they plan to relocate in Burnaby, but in the meantime, having this notice on their website would be appreciated. One star given for very poor communications and a wasted trip. read more

Terrible service, amateurish installation. Appallingly bad follow up, do not do business with this company. Really the worst customer service I have ever encountered, ever. read more

Excellent customer service right from calling the store, to the decorator to the installation. Very knowledgeable in product and design consultation. I was impressed with the professionalism from start to finish. I used them for our Apple Dental Implant Centre and the blinds look beautiful. I highly recommend Arlenes Interior. read more

It is amazing to hear that they've been in business since 1983. We first went into the store( we had all of our measurements and knew exactly what we wanted to purchase, so basically were just looking for a materials quote), the salesperson while very nice had absolutely no knowledge of their products(didn't understand what a blackout blind was or that they even carried them) finally after basically finding the product sample book ourselves, she then told us that she couldn't give us a quote that only the "designers" could do that once they had come to take measurements . so we filled out a form and awaited their call. The interior designer called us promptly enough& booked a day with us, however when it came to actually following through this has yet to happen. I have never experienced such an unprofessional and disrespectful sales person in my life. For the first visit, she called 5 minutes before she was due to arrive, claiming she was at the chiropractors and was running late, she wanted to show up 2 hours later. We told her that no we had to go to work, and rescheduled for the following week. The following week 45 minutes after she was supposed to have arrived she called and said she COULD be there in 5 minutes if we wanted!! ??? umm you were supposed to be here 45 minutes ago and now aren't even considering coming unless we call you back?! F&*$@ that! Like previous people have stated, this is not a cheap place to shop, so you can take whatever commission you would have earned on a $3K sale and stuff it thank you very much **they actually get no stars but apparently you can't post without one** read more

We have tried to buy window coverings from them three times over the years and will never go back. Horrible customer service, rude salespeople, always understaffed, and absolutely no knowledge of the products they sell. Do yourself a favour...keep driving to Home Depot! While not the best option, they at least treat you nicely and are knowledgeable. read more

Patty at Arlenes is absolutely the worst service I have every encountered. First the installer mismeasured two windows and had to redo them. When he reinstalled them they still weren't installed right and Arlene's refused to fix them. Then I had paid for another window and they did not take any action to get the blinds in production and a month passed before they let me know they put the order on hold. Then they had the nerve not to install the remaining window because of my complaint that they installed the first blinds improperly. They just said well you don't think our customer service is good so we won't install the blinds on your remaining window. This is absolutely the worst customer service I have ever received. Shop around before you even consider ARlenes. read more

Beware Arlene's billing policies when you pay by credit card. If they are making drapes for you, they will ask for 50% up front and tell you that the balance is due at installation. However, READ THE FINE PRINT carefully. What they will actually do is access your credit card and take the balance when the fabric arrives at their shop and before installation. (Yes, it's in their contract which you will sign when you place your order.) This means you will pay 100% before you even have a chance to check that they provided the fabric you requested or that installation is done properly. The BBB says this policy of taking payment before the job is completed is rare and unacceptable. However, they can do nothing if you signed Arlene's contract. My advice: Negotiate with Arlene's before you sign anything. Cross out and have them initial the clause that says they can take full payment before the job is completed. If they won't agree, go elsewhere. There's nothing special about this company. read more