Roma blinds...err, I don't think so!

[Thorfun]

so, I'm looking at external Venetian blinds and looked at the Roma website as others on here have had them with their Gualhoffer windows. I couldn't find a UK distributor as their search came up with an error, so I sent them an email.

 

I was shocked by the response:

 

"

Dear Mr. B,

 

Thank you for your interest in our products. But we sell our products to our exclusively partners.

We do not have a roma partner in the UK and for the moment we don´t want to do business in your country.

 

Thank you for your understanding.

 

With best regards

Lisa Breier



ROMA KG
Ostpreußenstraße 9
89331 Burgau

Telefon: +49 8222 / 4000 - 0
Telefax: +49 8222 / 4000 - 50

E-Mail: info@roma.de
www.roma.de

"

 

my response was that in that case I didn't want to deal with a racist, elitist company and also questioned the legality of refusing to sell to another EU country.

 

anyway, on to the next manufacturer....

 

 

[ProDave]

3 minutes ago, Thorfun said:

We do not have a roma partner in the UK and for the moment we don´t want to do business in your country.

 

There is nothing like calling a spade a F shovel is there?  Astonishing.

[Thorfun]

12 minutes ago, ProDave said:

There is nothing like calling a spade a F shovel is there?  Astonishing.

indeed. I wanted to oust their response on social media but as I don't have much a social media following I thought this awesome forum would be a good place for it. 

 

[jack]

Wow, that's amazing.

 

I do wonder whether something's been lost in translation. We don't really do "direct" in this country, and it's like a kick in the guts whenever people put things bluntly.

[joe90]

49 minutes ago, Thorfun said:

questioned the legality of refusing to sell to another EU country.

I thought we left ?.

 

8 minutes ago, jack said:

I do wonder whether something's been lost in translation.

or they could have given the details of an EU dealer that might consider exporting to you!.

[Thorfun]

1 hour ago, jack said:

Wow, that's amazing.

 

I do wonder whether something's been lost in translation. We don't really do "direct" in this country, and it's like a kick in the guts whenever people put things bluntly.

I also wonder if it's a language thing and she didn't mean exactly what was written. 

 

58 minutes ago, joe90 said:

I thought we left ?.

 

not until the end of the year.

 

59 minutes ago, joe90 said:

or they could have given the details of an EU dealer that might consider exporting to you!.

that would've been a lot more useful. but there are many other external blind manufacturers and so I'll just move on.

[joe90]

2 hours ago, Thorfun said:

not until the end of the year.

Following general elections in 2017 and 2019, Parliament ratified the withdrawal agreement, and the UK left the EU at 11 p.m. GMT on 31 January 2020. ... 

[Thorfun]

4 minutes ago, joe90 said:

Following general elections in 2017 and 2019, Parliament ratified the withdrawal agreement, and the UK left the EU at 11 p.m. GMT on 31 January 2020. ... 

oh! That’s me told then. ?‍♂️

[Dan F]

@Thorfun I'm ordering Roma blinds (with Gaulhoffer windows) and have had similar unhelpful emails from Lisa when i have asked simple questions.

 

Are you looking for blinds only or blinds with windows? If you want blinds only than either see if you can go via a supplier in Ireland (I know someone that did this) or alternatively look at Warema who i think do a have one U.K. supplier i think.  If you want windows too then talk to @craig.

Edited July 7, 2020 by Dan F

[Thorfun]

8 minutes ago, Dan F said:

@Thorfun I'm ordering Roma blinds (with Gaulhoffer windows) and have had similar unhelpful emails from Lisa when i have asked simple questions.

 

Are you looking for blinds only or blinds with windows? If you want blinds only than either see if you can go via a supplier in Ireland (I know someone that did this) or alternatively look at Warema who i think do a have one U.K. supplier i think.  If you want windows too then talk to @craig.

thanks @Dan F. I'm just looking for blinds at the moment and I have sent a few emails to Warema suppliers as well as Tidmarsh who offer Somfy and Lutron blinds. I'm sure one of those will get us what we need without having to deal with Lisa @ Roma!

if they don't want my business then it's no skin off my nose and it's their loss. ?‍♂️

[Thorfun]

I got this reply from Lisa this morning:

 

Dear Mr. B,

 

we distribute our products only in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and Holland.

We do not have a ROMA contract partner in any other countries. So this decision has nothing to do with the UK.

 

With best regards

Lisa Breier



ROMA KG
Ostpreußenstraße 9
89331 Burgau

Telefon: +49 8222 / 4000 - 0

Telefax: +49 8222 / 4000 - 50
E-Mail: info@roma.de
www.roma.de

 

I assume @Dan F that Ecowin get the blinds direct from Gaulhoffer in Austria then.

[Bitpipe]

17 hours ago, Thorfun said:

my response was that in that case I didn't want to deal with a racist, elitist company and also questioned the legality of refusing to sell to another EU country.

 

anyway, on to the next manufacturer....

 

Did you type your reply in fluent German then? English as a second language is notoriously blunt.

 

I have Roma blinds on my Gaulhofer windows and they are excellent, however I have never been able to deal with them direct and always have to go through Ecowin who go through Gaulhofer.

 

Like many large manufacturing firms, they will only sell through a reseller network and obviously don't have one in the UK as I expect they see little demand as external shutters for domestic residences are very rare here but extremely common in mainland Europe.

[Bitpipe]

7 minutes ago, Thorfun said:

I got this reply from Lisa this morning:

 

Dear Mr. B,

 

we distribute our products only in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and Holland.

We do not have a ROMA contract partner in any other countries. So this decision has nothing to do with the UK.

 

With best regards

Lisa Breier



ROMA KG
Ostpreußenstraße 9
89331 Burgau

Telefon: +49 8222 / 4000 - 0

Telefax: +49 8222 / 4000 - 50
E-Mail: info@roma.de
www.roma.de

 

I assume @Dan F that Ecowin get the blinds direct from Gaulhoffer in Austria then.

 

Nice and polite, did you apologise for your little rant then?

[Thorfun]

3 minutes ago, Bitpipe said:

 

Nice and polite, did you apologise for your little rant then?

I did, of course. I'm not a complete monster and will always admit when I'm wrong.

 

except to the wife as in that respect I'm always right. 

[Bitpipe]

3 minutes ago, Thorfun said:

I did, of course. I'm not a complete monster and will always admit when I'm wrong.

 

except to the wife as in that respect I'm always right. 

 

Good for you, many wouldn't. 

 

I share your frustration  - I bought a lot of build stuff from Germany (Megabad etc) and found the email and phone comms tricky but always with the right intention. A little bit of school boy German always helped (although ran out very fast).

[craig]

Bottom line, they do not deal with any UK distributor or manufacturer. We only deal with our supplier, even when I have tried contacting Roma directly they have been difficult with myself and advising me to speak to my supplier.

 

Great product and great options available on the web (if you find them) but customer service is shocking. They used to deal in the UK and we are asked now and again to service things for them (such as garage doors), I just return the favour. Please speak to my supplier and we'll see if we can help.

[joe90]

Arrrgh, just tried googling “Roma blinds” and my iPad says “do you mean Roman blinds”NO and it won’t let me look for Roma. (Bloody computers eh).

[Thorfun]

1 hour ago, joe90 said:

Arrrgh, just tried googling “Roma blinds” and my iPad says “do you mean Roman blinds”NO and it won’t let me look for Roma. (Bloody computers eh).

yeah, I had that too! the website is Roma.de just in case you want/need it. I found it a better search to specify a type of blind. e.g. Roma Venetian blinds.

[SiBee]

I am with Bitpipe on this. In a previous job I had to deal with a Dutch firm for machine spares and repairs. Their emails and spoken conversation came across as abrupt and rude. I am very thick skinned but this took me a while to get used to. No one on our site (150 employees) could string a sentence together in Dutch but our counterparts could all speak and write in English.

 

[Bitpipe]

Back in 2016 we bought a load of Skovby oak furniture direct from a Copenhagen showroom vs a uk supplier as even after the transport and exchange rate (just after Brexit) was still 30% cheaper.

 

MrsB  insisted on communicating with them in Dutch via google translate and was confirming the order and discussing 'shipping fees' to UK. This went back and forth unsuccessfully until she finally called them (they spoke impeccable English). They were helpful but were quite concerned that the furniture would not be suitable for a ship and would be better in a normal house. 

[craig]

6 hours ago, joe90 said:

Arrrgh, just tried googling “Roma blinds” and my iPad says “do you mean Roman blinds”NO and it won’t let me look for Roma. (Bloody computers eh).

 

@Thorfun

 

https://www.roma.eu/ (site is in English).

 

https://www.roma-cadplaner.de/ (thanks @Dan F)

Edited July 7, 2020 by craig

[Dan F]

50 minutes ago, craig said:

https://www.roma-cadplaner.de/ (thanks @Dan F)

 

The problem with customers getting hold of this (and also the Roma Kompendium) is that they then start asking for all the sorts of different options and add-ons that are available and drive their window supplier mad! ?. 

[craig]

Not at all, all part of the process ?

[Omnibuswoman]

I was just looking at this company's website a couple of days ago as we are very keen to have external shutters, both for reducing solar gain, and for sensitive him indoors who needs total blackout to be able to sleep soundly.

 

I started looking first of all at European companies for exactly the reason you mentioned - way more common in mainland Europe than over here. I'd be delighted to hear about positive experiences of purchasing these from any buildhubbers. I started looking at a Hungarian company (partly because I speak some Hungarian and have contacts there) called Anlux (www.anlux.hu). I'm planning to email them to find out if they sell over here, or have any partners to sell through.

[Conor]

1 hour ago, Omnibuswoman said:

I was just looking at this company's website a couple of days ago as we are very keen to have external shutters, both for reducing solar gain, and for sensitive him indoors who needs total blackout to be able to sleep soundly.

 

I started looking first of all at European companies for exactly the reason you mentioned - way more common in mainland Europe than over here. I'd be delighted to hear about positive experiences of purchasing these from any buildhubbers. I started looking at a Hungarian company (partly because I speak some Hungarian and have contacts there) called Anlux (www.anlux.hu). I'm planning to email them to find out if they sell over here, or have any partners to sell through.

Please report back if you find anything that doesn't look like a shop front shutter or cost a fortune!