Insulated Tab-Top Curtain Panels by Gaiam

Emily Z.
1 review
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Gaiam's customer service is A-OK, product is fine

I decided to follow the advice of a pamphlet enclosed in my Pacific Gas and Electric bill on how to save energy via installing weatherstripping, turning down the thermostat, turning off electrical outlet power strips so appliances are not on standby all the time, etcetera. Since my living room has large picture windows, which allow too much light and heat to enter during the day, and too much heat to escape when it's cold outside, I contemplated the expense of installing double paned glass, before seeing, in Gaiam's catalogue, a cheaper solution of buying special curtains.

When my curtains arrived by mail, I had two complaints. One was that the two colors available in the catalogue were not clearly labeled, so that I ordered the wrong one. It really was an understandable mistake, given the layout of the photos and captions. Secondly, I misunderstood that the dimensions listed in the catalogue were for both curtain panels together, and not for each of the two curtain panels. So I had half the width of curtain coverage I needed, and in the wrong color. This second problem could be considered my mistake, but as a first-time buyer of curtains through a catalogue, I would have appreciated if the catalogue had explained that the number of inches indicated included both panels added together. Without being able to see the product in person, it wasn't clear from the photograph how wide to expect the panels to be.

I telephoned Gaiam's customer service line, and explained what had happened. The customer service representative was courteous and helpful, and within short order had arranged to send me curtains in the right color, trusting that I would return the others (for which he sent me a postage paid label). In addition, Gaiam also refunded my money! I figured this might have been a mistake on their part, so I didn't cash the check, having quickly received the curtains in the color I wanted.

As a product, they are excellent, and do exactly what I had hoped -- they help regulate how much natural sunlight and heat I let into the room, and they insulate the room at night and in winter. The product is excellent.

Emily's keywords: curtains