Rachel
I wanted to love Neutral…
UPDATE: After posting the negative two star experience in my review below, Neutral reached out to me and went above and beyond to 100 percent make it right. They sent brand new shades, manufactured correctly, and even refunded the tariffs I had to pay UPS to deliver. (For the record, I wasn’t expecting this refund and was more annoyed at Trump for causing this tariff circus that was April 2025 than them, but I will take it!) So for giving me what I ordered and even an extra something I wasn’t even expecting, I will happily up my review to 5 stars. I understand that businesses are ultimately humans who sometimes make mistakes, but how Customer Service repairs and rebuilds trust is everything. Thank you Neutral! I may even re-order in the future. ;-) ~~~~~~~~~ Original review: I wanted to love Neutral Woven Wood / Bamboo shades. After wasting time on a Canadian brand while navigating new Trump tariffs they raised prices by 40%, which would not fly for my Client’s entire home full of window coverings. I found Neutral who appeared to be based in Texas. I ordered the shade samples, waited to receive them (they came quickly) and I loved the samples! Was a bit apprehensive of going with a new unknown brand for my Client’s entire home, so I decided to place a small order for my own home first - Two very small Top Down Bottom Up shades for my powder room. One small box arrived, and UPS would not release the box to me until I paid them an additional $47 for tariffs. (The shades were coming from China.) Who knows what they would charge for many boxes coming for my Client’s whole home? Plus, the Top Down mechanism was installed upside down and the shade never fully closed at the top and was unsightly visible complete with strings tied in messy knots when the top was pulled down. This was clearly a manufacturing error, but when I brought it up with Neutral, they did not offer to correct the issue - only give me a $50 credit on my next purchase. No thanks! I know that Neutral can’t help the Trump tariff chaos that was this past spring - BUT they could be warning future customers of hidden tariff costs, and fix ugly top down issues. I paid extra for this feature now to never use it because it looks just plain cheap and ugly looking. And they send brackets that did not fit the shade so we had to rig it ourselves and screw the header directly into our window trim. The woven wood fabric is lovely though! And if I would have just ordered a simple non top down shade, I would probably overlook the wrong bracket issue and be satisfied.
Response from NeutralcurtainsJul 16, 2025
Hi Rachel, Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback in detail — we truly value your thoughts and are sorry to hear about your experience. Firstly, regarding the UPS charge: we’d like to clarify that duties and tariffs should not be passed on to you, as we provide a duty-free shipping service for our customers. If you encounter this kind of situation again, please reach out to our customer service team — we will gladly cover that cost on your behalf. Secondly, we truly appreciate your comments on the product design and functionality. Your suggestions have been very helpful, and we’ve made updates to Top Down Bottom Up shades. We also offer a one-year warranty for all of our shades. If you’re not satisfied with your current product, we’d be happy to send you a replacement with the latest upgraded version to try out, free of charge. Lastly, regarding the material origin — while the shades are crafted in China, we want to assure you that Chinese bamboo material is considered the high quality in the world. Leading retailers such as Pottery Barn and Home Depot also source their woven wood products from China for this reason. We hope to have the opportunity to make this right and restore your confidence in our brand. Please don’t hesitate to contact us directly so we can assist further. Best regards, Neutralcurtains


