Do Velux black-out blinds have a design flaw?

[Steve__M]

The cord on my Velux blackout blind wore through plastic runners of the blinds. The problem only became apparent after 4-5 years when the cord frayed on the sharp edges and jammed the blind.

 

Velux are saying I'm out of the 3-year warranty (the blind is about 5 years old). I'm saying that the blind was never fit for purpose as the plastic has clearly worn gradually from the time the blind was installed.

 

As well as opinions on whether I have a case, I'd be interested if people could check any blackout blinds they have for similar issues. It's a bit tricky to see as you have to look from the outside of the window!

 

The attached photo shows the two cords (one damaged) emerging from the end of the aluminium strip that runs across the bottom of the blind material. The worn groove can clearly be seen where the cord used to run. At the other end of the strip, the plastic wore all the way through and the cord snagged and broke on the aluminium.

 

It would have been a relatively cheap and easy repair if the problem had been spotted before the plastic wore all the way through, so worth a look if you have a Velux blind. A replacement is going to cost me £120 - they're not cheap!

 

[rebel11]

Hi steve

 

Have a read of 12 and 13 in my signature. Your first port of call is the Retailer, not the manufacturer.

[freakyleaky]

Hi Reb.

Can you approve Steve's attachment please? (Now that sounds so wrong!!!!!)

Can you please approve the attached photo in Steves post? (That's better:-))

[rebel11]

Done.

 

Hi Reb.

Can you approve Steve's attachment please? (Now that sounds so wrong!!!!!)

Can you please approve the attached photo in Steves post? (That's better:-))

[Bang!]

Done.

 

There's nothing like being blessed with a good attachment!

 

))

[freakyleaky]

There's nothing like being blessed with a good attachment!

 

))

 

And having it officially approved

 

(sorry for the hijack Steve)

 

Will take a look at pics now.

I have fitted loads of velux windows and have not come across probs with the blind mechanism as yet.

[freakyleaky]

It looks to me as if the sheathing has come away completely on one of the cords. This would only happen if something sharp was rubbing against it every time it was used. Once the sheathing has come away then that is when the inner cable will do the damage shown in the pic.

It's either a fault within the area where the cables run which can't be seen or something has been damaged during installation.

 

Either way it would be hard to prove whether it was manufacturing fault or installation problem.

I think you'll have a fight on your hands but it's certainly worth going to the retailer first and see what they have to say. As you say they are not cheap to replace.

What size is the window BTW?

[Steve__M]

freakyleaky,

 

Well observed. But the sheathing came away as a *result* of the failure of the plastic.

 

There are two cords either side of the blind. They cross over from one side of the blind to the other by passing through the lenght of the aluminium strip. This photo is of the hole where one cord enters and the other exits.

 

The undamaged cord to the left goes through the groove you can see. The damaged cord (on the right) went through a groove on the other end.

 

At the other end, the groove was worn all the way through the plastic. At this point (it seems) the plastic or aluminium damaged the cord. The blind stopped working when the cord was damaged because the outer sheath puckered up and got jammed in the groove.

 

rebel1, while I believe I got the blind from Velux direct, does the manufacturer then not have responsibility if the supplier cannot be proven or has gone bust? (There is probably a receipt somewhere in the Jurassic layer of my receipts box.)

[rebel11]

If the Retailer has gone bust, then the manufacturer is the next port of call.

 

'rebel1, while I believe I got the blind from Velux direct, does the manufacturer then not have responsibility if the supplier cannot be proven or has gone bust? (There is probably a receipt somewhere in the Jurassic layer of my receipts box.)'

[freakyleaky]

There must have been a sharp edge somewhere on the plastic to start with then.

As I've said I think it will be hard to prove one way or the other as to fitting or manufacturing fault but don't give up.

How big is the window?

[Steve__M]

The window is about 0.8m by 1.2m (a GGL 3). My theory is to why the problem is not so widespread is that 1) the blind is an accessible blind in a bedroom so is used daily 2) the blind is large so there is more force and friction when raising and lowering it and 3) the window faces directly south so the plastic will get warm (which will perhaps soften it).

 

A picture of the other side shows a hint of the slightly jagged plastic that was exposed when the plastic broke:

 

 

 

PS It doesn't show up well because the image has been shrunk. Basically the plastic snapped just above the string. This exposed a sharp edge on which the string frayed.

 

It did occur to me that the design *requires* a degree of friction. It's friction that prevents the blind from automatically winding itself closed.

Edited June 8, 2012 by Steve__M

[freakyleaky]

Can't see new pics yet but I suspect the reasons you give may have something to do with the problem.

I still think there must have been an underlying hidden fault somewhere to cause the damage.

 

It may be worth perusing as long as you don't mind the stress of the chase but I wouldn't hold my breath.

On the other hand you could put it down to bad experience and buy a new one off ebay for around £40.

[assisted blonde]

How about an accidental damage claim on the house insurance?

[freakyleaky]

How about an accidental damage claim on the house insurance?

 

Now there's an idea!!

Good thinking AB.

[Steve__M]

I'm going to play it slow. The blind works without the cords - though without the cords it always rolls shut. I had to attach a bit of string and a hook so it can be held closed.

 

I've had a hint on another website that someone else has had a similar problem. Hopefully someone will google this thread and I'll get another report I also fitted the same blind for a friend at about the same time, so I'll have a look at his next time I visit. If I find a couple of examples I'll be in a stronger position to argue.

 

I don't think an insurance claim would wash - I'm too honest! Besides, it's the principle I'm more concerned about. The b***ing wood around the glass split a few years back and they were quoting me £1400 for a replacement (because it's an older model that they don't support so they'd have had to replace the lot including frame and flashing). Thankfully I managed to hold it together with about 20 screws into the wood, but I'm not impressed by them when I've plenty of experience of buying brand new replacement bits for windows twice its age. So they owe me I think.

[TJToms]

Dear All,

See my words below for my woes of Velux blinds!! Originally started via the link below:

Link via h t t p : / / zebbakes.com/2011/06/21/how-to-uninstall-a-velux-black-out-blind/

 

22/4/12: One of the grey plastic cord guides on the cartridge ends has broken from a groove being carved into it over time from the cord, which then frayed and broke!. The cords also seems to be attached into a black plastic plate that fits on the end of the cartridge, and having taken it all apart we cannot workout how to disengage it.

We have taken lots of photos and now plan to e-mail them to Velux followed by phone call. It would be good to be able to show you but I can’t see how to do it?

I am hoping they have the spare parts we need otherwise it means a whole new blind – not cheap.

 

10/6/12: Velux were most unhelpful – surprise, surprise. They wouldn’t supply the expensive parts free as the blind was more than 3 years old, despite the fact that I am sure the cords frayed and failed due to a design fault. Just waiting for the other blind in the same room to go the same way!

Due to the expense of the parts we opted to buy a complete new blind but not from Velux direct as – guess what – they were more expensive. Also opted for a plain colour so that it is easier to match to when the other goes and we have to replace that one too.

Life has a habit of sucking money out of my bank account!

Just been reading through the posts again. I have the replacements parts info (with part numbers) from Velux if anyone is interested + photos of how my cords frayed and the groove that formed on the ends the bottom edge of the blind.

[TJToms]

Dear All,

In my previous post I attached 5 pictures which are pending approval. In this post I have attached a pair of Velux parts diagram. No help of course as they still cost far too much to repair the thing and ended up buying a new blind! Grrr

Edited June 10, 2012 by TJToms

[Steve__M]

Thanks, TJToms, for those photos! They could be very useful to me.

[TJToms]

If you get any joy out of Velux let me know! They point blank denied any responsibility that the blind design was defect.

I think there is a definite flaw causing the cord to fray and leading to expensive replacement parts or a whole new blind. Neither option was very acceptable but I needed the blind quick as it was in my daughters bedroom so opted for the new one. Didn't order from Velux though - can get genuine Velux much cheaper on other sites!

[labrat]

just checked our blackout blind no wear yet

[freakyleaky]

Any update Steve?

[blitz]

IF you are chasing you have to look at the options the retailer is liable for, this would be the cheapest out of the following: Repair / Replacement / Partial Refund for them. It might be clear its an inherent design fault, but what is a reasonable lifespan for these blinds, how often have they been used? Have you hit the fair wear and tear point? Remember SOGA protects retailers too, not just consumers.

 

If its 5 years old and you take the 6 year statute of limitation timescale your looking at a £20 partial refund which could lawfully be offered, I would also say that its pushing that timescale and would really have to lean on some gesture of goodwill to get beyond that.

 

rebel1, while I believe I got the blind from Velux direct, does the manufacturer then not have responsibility if the supplier cannot be proven or has gone bust? (There is probably a receipt somewhere in the Jurassic layer of my receipts box.)

The manufacturer is not liable at all in this case, only the retailer. If they have gone bust, if you can't prove proof of purchase (i.e show that a contract exists) then there is nothing the manufacturer is required to do, they are only bound by the warranty they provide.

 

I think you may end up hitting your head against a brick wall, or at least paying more out in recorded delivery and postage costs then you would be entitled to back, unless you find a kind, generous person that receives your letters.

[Steve__M]

I think that based on the useful comments above, the two points against me are that I may not find the receipt (so I cannot be sure I am claiming against the correct company) and that the age of the blinds may mean I get back less than I layout in effort and cost.

 

So in short, the legal avenue looks troublesome for me.

 

My opinion remains though that a £120 blind should last much longer than 3 years, so my plan is to find other examples of similar damage so that I see whether I can disprove Velux's claim that the problem doesn't happen much/that it is due to an installation fault etc.. I have a friend who has the same blind, so will check it when I next visit. And Google may work its magic over the weeks to bring people to this thread! At this point I will write again to Velux.

 

I'll keep the thread updated as and when.

[robert100]

I have found this thread through the magic of google!

 

I have a bedroom with two large south facing GGL410 windows. I originally installed blackout blinds on both windows around 2000. So far, I have had three (pr possibly four) failures due to this problem. The most recent were in June 2008 and a few days ago.

 

It is obvious that plastic is an unsuitable material for the cord guides and that they should be made of metal or at least have metal inserts. I was googling to see if they had been redesigned yet before purchasing yet another blind. I'm happy for you to use this information to complain to Velux.

[Steve__M]

Hi Robert, thanks for that. If the failure was a few days ago then I suggest you contact Velux and give them an opportunity to inspect the installation. That is what they said they would have done to mine if I had not had to cut the cords in order to get the blind open.

 

They also said to me that noone else had ever reported this problem...

 

If you could get a photo up that would be great. Not sure whether new posters can post photos though - it used to be that you had to have made 5 posts. Though you could put them up on something like Flickr and post a link.