Spent $10K for two canopies on our pergola. Five months in and the lead carrier, which is what tightens and locks the canopy in place has come apart. The canopy will not function and is jammed in the track. We sent photos to Shadefx and their Customer disservice tells us its our fault for overtightening the eyebolts. Their manual says three or four rotations from a free run state- which is what we did… being pretty careful not to overtighten. The lead carrier that came apart we moved maybe three times..! After seeing all the little pieces on the carrier I am amazed at the poor design. Such a key part-fragile and easily destroyed.
The screw in the photo is for scale, one inch long.
My husband and I ordered ShadeFX canopies and sets of matching drapes for newly completed pergolas adjacent to a pool and to a large lake The salesperson was notified that our area is subject to high winds and that we needed sun and weather protection that would stand up to these conditions The canopies and drapes were expensive, and we expected high quality for the price While the canopies are well-designed and well-made and seem to stand up to our windy conditions, the same cannot be said of the drapes The drapes hang from a flimsy track and cheap plastic hangers and are supposed to attach on the sides to the vertical posts of the pergola with snaps These snaps are of the cheapest type, and they come loose in the lightest of breezes The whole curtain flew into a horizontal position, flapped violently, and threatened to fly into our nearby lake in light winds It is highly likely that the plastic hangers will not last much longer than the snaps In addition, there is another serious design flaw in these drapes In order to fully close the drapes, you must zip them together Unfortunately, the zipper starts at the top, and since our structure is ft tall, we have to climb a ladder every time we wish to close each drape This is an extreme nuisance, which we were not informed of in advance Despite our repeated requests for pictures and technical information about the drapes prior to purchase, we only received a vague explanation and assurances that they would work well in the wind We have had to pay a craftsman to modify these drapes so that they will function for us We have made the company aware of the design issues and our dissatisfaction with the drapes When we requested extra plastic hangers to have on hand when they inevitably break, they refused, saying that we would have to wait until they actually break, and there was no promise that they would even send them for free Since no similar hangers are readily available in our area, this seems like the worst kind of customer service For $that we paid for these sets of drapes, we expected at least some common courtesy How much could these cheap plastic hangers actually cost them? Well, it's cost them a lot of good will, as far as we're concerned They didn't even respond to the other parts of our complaint about the drapes-- never mentioned an apology or offered to pay for the modifications that we had to make My best advice on this company is--Beware! The canopies may function as promised and their technical expert was helpful for at least this product, but the drapes have shoddy hardware and are very poorly designed, and not worth the money If the company is not willing to stand behind all of its products, I cannot recommend them and would suggest that you steer clear of them
The screw in the photo is for scale, one inch long.
My husband and I ordered ShadeFX canopies and sets of matching drapes for newly completed pergolas adjacent to a pool and to a large lake The salesperson was notified that our area is subject to high winds and that we needed sun and weather protection that would stand up to these conditions The canopies and drapes were expensive, and we expected high quality for the price While the canopies are well-designed and well-made and seem to stand up to our windy conditions, the same cannot be said of the drapes The drapes hang from a flimsy track and cheap plastic hangers and are supposed to attach on the sides to the vertical posts of the pergola with snaps These snaps are of the cheapest type, and they come loose in the lightest of breezes The whole curtain flew into a horizontal position, flapped violently, and threatened to fly into our nearby lake in light winds It is highly likely that the plastic hangers will not last much longer than the snaps In addition, there is another serious design flaw in these drapes In order to fully close the drapes, you must zip them together Unfortunately, the zipper starts at the top, and since our structure is ft tall, we have to climb a ladder every time we wish to close each drape This is an extreme nuisance, which we were not informed of in advance Despite our repeated requests for pictures and technical information about the drapes prior to purchase, we only received a vague explanation and assurances that they would work well in the wind We have had to pay a craftsman to modify these drapes so that they will function for us We have made the company aware of the design issues and our dissatisfaction with the drapes When we requested extra plastic hangers to have on hand when they inevitably break, they refused, saying that we would have to wait until they actually break, and there was no promise that they would even send them for free Since no similar hangers are readily available in our area, this seems like the worst kind of customer service For $that we paid for these sets of drapes, we expected at least some common courtesy How much could these cheap plastic hangers actually cost them? Well, it's cost them a lot of good will, as far as we're concerned They didn't even respond to the other parts of our complaint about the drapes-- never mentioned an apology or offered to pay for the modifications that we had to make My best advice on this company is--Beware! The canopies may function as promised and their technical expert was helpful for at least this product, but the drapes have shoddy hardware and are very poorly designed, and not worth the money If the company is not willing to stand behind all of its products, I cannot recommend them and would suggest that you steer clear of them