I agree with caroleoh. Since the curtains are so perfect in the room, I'd keep them, rehem them and let it go. Big nuisance, but since they're perfect otherwise........Any way you can camouflage or just ignore the hems?

I would find 10 panels with straight grommets and side seams, and just rehem them. If they're washable, make sure and wash them before you hem.

It's not just JCP, and it's not just made in China...I've seen this almost everywhere I've shopped for drapes, and in all price categories. Ironically, the two sets of drapes I bought for less than $20 at Walmart all had straight and even seams, and the length matched exactly.

$24.99 is plenty, and yes I would expect 84" would be 84" and the grommets should all be going the right way and the hem's should not be crooked!! The price has nothing to do with the likely hood this could happen. China is the issue. But that obviously isn't the case. How big is your store? I worked at a JCP for years. We had an alterations dept. in store. Take them back, ALL 20 packages and ask to speak to a manager. Show and tell and ask JCP to fix them according to the advertised specs. At this point it has to be cheaper for them then all the returns!!

I'm currently deciding between JC Penney drapes and Pottery Barn drapes. The PB ones are over twice the price of the JC Penney. I've read reviews that they have length problems too - exactly what you're describing with your JCP ones!

Ugh. If I end up buying the PB ones, I'm going to have to lay out a LOT of money to buy the extras to find some with matching lengths. (I'll buy a bunch at once and return the ones I don't use - I don't have the patience to keep going back and forth to the store to exchange them. Not that I don't expect to have to exchange them no matter *how* many panels extra I buy.)

Since the curtains you found are otherwise perfect, I vote for hemming them.

Acry, that's an excellent idea.

I just wonder why buy at JCP?
There are tons of places with beautiful drapes. Everyone seems to have trouble with this store.

Christine

Just as an aside, I bought panels from Z Gallerie and they were perfect. All of them were exactly the same length. However, they were rod pockets. I wonder if part of the problem is the grommet setting?

I got all my latest curtains from a JCP sale catalog. They were fine. I bought two different coordinating ones thinking I would do the dining room differently from the living room. In the end I like the one fabric so much I went with only it. I returned the other. Their customer service and history of quality products is why I continue with them. I like mail order, I like their bigger stores. I guess I haven't read enough, have others been having issues? They are always so good when issues arise, in my experience. I say go to the store and tell them your story. Be sure you talk to a MANAGER.

Gee you guys, thanks for all the comments, I really appreciate it. My first thought was to take them back but geeze, then I'm at square one again. :c(

Rockmanor, Boy! I'm with you, we too try to buy American made as well. The new sofa we're getting is American made but unfortunately, I didn't find any drapes that fit what I was looking for. If I did switch them for the longer panels though at least I wouldn't have the existing hem line to contend with. Hmmmm....I hadn't thought of that!

Carol, thanks for your thoughts. Maybe I used the wrong term, they're just a semi sheer gauze, linen, cotton like polyester fabric and that 24.99 is a lot when you consider 10 panels altogether, at least for our budget it is. Either way, regardless of the price, it's not like they were bought from the dollar store where you can buy the marked down oops from manufacturers. I expected 84 inch panels with grommets installed properly so they would look presentable when hung. The Grommets on the drapes I tried from IKEA were all installed straight and at 2 panels for 19.99 it was quite the deal, unfortunately my DH didn't like them. What really steams me is that manufacturers are basically trying to train the consumer to accept shoddy as mainstream and acceptable, please don't buy into it. As others have pointed out, regardless of the price that THEY set, the product should be representative of what's promised.

Arcy, thank you so much for the suggestion, we have several JCP stores in the area, I'm going to call and see what kind of response I can get. All they can do is say no right?

Christine, I wish I had other alternatives that were affordable. We live in Michigan about 50 miles north of Detroit and over the years a lot of the retailers have left the state. When we moved here from California in 2006, I was in culture shock especially when I saw that Kroger was the ONLY national grocery store available out of all the national chains. Ugh...can you believe that? Now Whole Foods is moving in and hopefully others will follow.

Forhgtv - I don't know if we have Z-Gallerie but I'm going to check them out if we do. DH has said he'd work with the rods if they need to be rehung...so that helps. LOL

Franksmom - Avesmoor said she really liked their rods too. Nice surprise.

Charlikin - I love PB drapes but yes they have issues too. I almost got some from there but liked the material of these better.

Shermann, I may end up doing that. I'm wondering if the sheer fabric would be hard to hem. I have new sewing machine with the hem and basting stitches available on it. Time to consult my Mom I guess. She can sew like there's no tomorrow and she may know. Thanks again!

Well, the largest JCP is a good ways from our house so I decided to give them a call before packing up all this mess and giving them a visual of the problem. I asked if I was speaking to a manager and then I explained the situation. She asked for the package codes and told me they have 26 of each panel type in stock. She then suggested I come exchange them for new packages. I told her I'm over 20 miles away and have already gone through 20 panels. It's not reasonable to expect a customer to pay for and then go through another 26 packages of drapes just to find a few panels that are made correctly. After a long pause, she said she had to consult with another manager and would call me back tomorrow. I'm almost thinking she wasn't really a manager, but we'll see what happens, I sure hope she calls back.

I just received Country Curtains latest catalog. Although I'm not necessarily a curtain person, there are a couple panels I'm considering for our new home. I ordered fabric samples, which are free. This is one that caught my eye. I need 96" length, and they are $49.

Here is a link that might be useful: Country Curtains

I had a similar situation when I ordered bamboo blinds from JCP. I ordered 5 matching ones for windows that were right next to each other. They came in incredibly varied -- some were greenish, some were brownish -- I know bamboo is a natural material and has color variations, but these were so far off they didn't even look like the same blind. Even worse, the rings weren't in the same place on all the blinds, so when you pulled them up, each one hung very differently than the others. I ended up ordering like 8 more (without returning the 5 that I had) and from that pile, picked the 5 that matched best, color-wise and returned the others. I then figured out which one looked best when pulled up, laid them all out on the floor, and physically moved the rings on the other 4 blinds to match the placement on the one that I liked. This was actually really hard - I had to use tweezers and pliers to get the rings off and on -- it probably took 20 minutes per blind and I remember getting dents in my hand from squeezing the rings and tweezers so hard.

But in the end, they all matched and look good, and I've had them for 5 or 6 years now and they're still holding up great. And I think I only paid like $30 each for them, whereas similar bamboo blinds from Smith & Noble or American Blinds were going to run me close to $100 each. So in the end, the money saved was worth all the pain -- but you are right, I don't know why they just can't sell stuff that matches in the first place.

Oh man, that sounds like a mess. 10 panels at $24.99 is a lot to me too. I'd probably find ones that hang right and hem. I love the generic answer they gave you of "bring them back and take a few more!!" I hope you get some kind of discount.

I'm not sure what you want the manager to do other than to discontinue a bad product. If you want them to go through their stock to find the correct length with good grommets, then did you actually ask her if they would do that? Otherwise, the options are to either return them or order more until you get correct grommets for re-hemming or a completely correct set. Customer service personnel don't seem to be very well trained these days. I think you'll have to lead the horse to water there.

Someone else was having the same problem recently with inconsistent lengths. Don't remember the price or store. I think for the price (yes, you do pretty much get what you pay for), needing to hem isn't a bad deal but I wouldn't accept the ones with bad grommets.

Well the manager called back and apparently they had the inventory to get the panels I need in equal lengths. My fingers are crossed that the Grommets are placed accurately as well.

I appreciate the feed back regarding price vs expectations and hope I don't sound grumpy saying this, please stop saying "well at that price level blah blah blah" because I just don't agree. Fabric quality and difficulty of the style dictates the price of store bought panels, sloppy workmanship is just that, sloppy workmanship. No one at any price level buys curtain panels with the expectation that regardless of the stated size, they will be several different lengths and no two will match. Honestly, what's the use in that? And 24.99 per panel is not cheap, not for THIS fabric or THIS style which is basically a sheer plain fabric with two hems and a cheap grommet. I think manufacturers are trying to force us into lowering our expectations so they can increase profits at our expense and once again the consumer is really getting the shaft. There is nothing wrong in expecting a product be made to it's own declared specifications at any price level.

I agree with you, lukkiirish, $25 is a lot of money and you should get what they advertized.

lukkiirish - I've also had bad luck with JCP drapes. We're probably shopping at the same store! I'm also north of Detroit!

Totally agree with that about price and expectations. Why bother to make the product at all if the quality makes it unusable? And I can't see how it benefits the company to have to deal with multiple returns, repackaging, etc.

I was really disappointed with some Cindy Crawford panels from JCP- side seams sewn crooked and off-grain, and all of the seams puckered when the panels were washed. I think the regular price for them was around $60/panel. I couldn't return them because I had washed them and tried to fix the seams, but I did tell the manager when I went back to buy another brand.

No matter what the product is, something bought new from the store should be useable without having to alter it to make it right.

Valinsv: Thanks! I think so too!

amj0517 - Well hey there neighbor! Wasn't the warm weather today great? Snow & winter last week, sun and summer this week, what happened to spring? LOL So far I've bought all the panels in stock at both the new JCP in Highland and 12 Oaks Mall, now I've hit the JCP at the Lakeside Mall. One of the managers confirmed with me today that they have the panels I need on hold for me. She said they measured each to confirm they were 84 inches. Yeah! (Thanks Arcy for the great advise!)

Franksmom, thanks so much. That's my point exactly, why bother. So sorry to hear about your panels, that just sucks. I've not been thrilled with much of anything from JCP for some time now, the quality of their stuff has just gotten so terrible. Shame really because the service in the stores is very good. I really should have known better with these panels. I bought some of their Dupioni drapes for our master bedroom a year or so ago and had similar problems. Those are lined and are in a "higher price point" so to say it's all about the price is just not true.

>>I couldn't return them because I had washed them and tried to fix the seams

If they were marked as washable and you followed the instructions, you should be able to return them. Even if you tried to fix the seams, after all, the only reason you tried to fix them is because they were messed up.

I just returned a set of king sheets to Macy's because they got strings on them when I washed them for the first time. They took them back, no questions asked. One time I bought a pair of gloves from REI and one of them got a hole in it after washing. I tried to fix it with Gorilla Glue but it didn't work, and just looked like a big booger, LOL. REI took them back without a problem.

Lukki, I don't know why you can't hear things that you don't agree with. We all have to listen to opinions we don't like or agree with. I happen to disagree with yours. I don't understand how you can say it's not about price. It's all about price. What people are willing to pay for things. Inexpensive products typically are not made very well. There's nothing new about that. You won't get fine materials and you won't get fine craftsmanship. (With China, who knows what you'll get!) Each comes with a production cost and a price tag. Something has to give.

There's a lot more to those curtains than fabric and style. Around here people like to say it's not the cost of materials it's the cost of labor. Reducing labor costs is where it's at, in today's global economy more than ever. People want inexpensive and that's how they get it. By companies using cheaper labor, cheaper materials, rushing, and otherwise trying to cut corners or reduce overhead to keep production costs down. It's what the market demands. That's what's selling. So, if you only pay $25 for a drapery panel (which is obviously not very much for a window treatment), you're not going to get a fine seamstress. Whoever put them together is either not very skilled (cheap labor) or is being asked to pump a gazillion of them out per day (cheaper with sloppier results). Or both!

I don't know how they even manage to produce a design, market it, have them fabricated, packaged, transported, and then still cover the overhead of selling the darn things to the public for those prices (while offering free shipping!); moreless cap a profit for the companies involved in all that. Make one yourself and see what you'd like to deliver it for. I think the story would be different.

I'm not saying backwards grommets and people who can't seem to measure isn't ridiculous. Of course it is. It's everywhere, in products and services. But it *is a feat for companies to deliver quality at a price people can afford, or are willing to pay, *without investing the materials and resources that are truly required to produce a quality product. People don't want to pay for it. Bringing inexpensive to the marketplace for the masses comes with its own price.

I'm sick of cheap too. But I do expect problems or inferior quality in one way or another when I don't pay much for something. $25 a panel is nothing. Needing 10 of them doesn't factor into it. It would be difficult to find that much yardage of a decent fabric alone for $25.

Vote with your dollars. Complain and send them back. Buy and support higher quality goods and services if you want the world to change. Reward those companies whose products look and perform well, with your business so they can continue to produce the better quality you want and survive the overseas competition.

Just another tid-bit on drapes from JCP. A few years ago I bought panels from JCP, then I saw that Bed, Bath & Beyond carried the same ones, but they were a bit more expensive. BB&B MATCHED the JCP sale price AND allowed me to use a 20% off coupon too!

Spring, I'm not getting into it with you and I don't need an economics lesson thank you anyways. Your responses tend to frustrate me, we don't agree on a lot of things. So lets just agree to disagree and leave it that.

Wow, I love when things like that happen. That's surprising BB&B would honor the pricing and give the discount too. Nice. I was at the BB&B in West Bloomfield today and it looks like their getting all new product in, everything was on clearance. LOL

Now I am worried! I just ordered 4 top down bottom up cordless cellular shades from JC Penney and they should be arriving any day now. They were on sale plus I got 20% off and it is one of those "too good to be true" feelings. We will see when they get here. The 4 shades cost less than one custom made shade from a local blind store. I will have drape panels on the windows, but needed sun control since I don't plan on closing the panels ever.

Well Pinwheelpat, That is a good deal! I sure hope that it works out for you. The good news is, the floor people in the store seem to agree that the it's not unreasonable to expect equal lengths as well and in at least my experience so far they have taken the steps needed to make it right.

I don't have our new panels (which are actually 45.00 per panel when not on sale) up yet however I was told last night that the manager measured the new ones herself with another supervisor. I have so far dealt with 3 different stores and all have been very responsive and helpful. I have no doubt if there is a problem, they would help you to get it resolved. Hope you post pics when the project is done! - Lukki

If they really did measure each panel then that's great customer service. It's makes you wonder though how all their panels are the exact length when the other store's weren't. I'll be crossing my fingers until you actually see for yourself that they're the correct length. I'm really scared to hang my panels after reading the struggles you've had with yours.

Hi Msrose, yes, that was the same exact concern my DH had before we went to pick them up. They had 26 panels of each type in stock and I'm not sure how many they had to go through to find them. I can tell the packages were opened though, so I'm thinking positive and have my fingers crossed. These are so similar to the panels you bought from BB&B and I was admiring. If they are miss measured, I will return them and head over to BB&B. --Lukki

I had a JCP run-in with multiple panels (a 10 panel order totalling about $400). Eventually I was told that after 3 rounds of "wrong product" the store could require the distribution center to do a "source check" I think it was called. I was told they open the packaging before it's shipped and check measurements, colors, etc. and "certify" that all is correct, and if not, pull other inventory until they get it right, before it goes to your local store. I wish I could remember the term the manager used, but maybe that would be an option?

BTW, with mine, I ordered "Tortoise" (a muddy green) and got this fiery copper color which is actually "Burnished Bronze" or something like that. What happened was that ALL Tortoise inventory had been mislabeled as Burnished Bronze, and vice versa. Eventually we got it right by ordering Burnished Bronze. Know how they fixed this? They switched the color swatches on the website and in stores to reflect the packaging.

At the JCP outlet near me they had oodles of Burnished Bronze panels, so I'm guessing this was a pretty common problem.

pinwheelpat - another option for these types of blinds is selectblinds.com. They are priced really well. We used them for every window in our old house, and I just completed my order for our new house. When I compared their prices to blinds-to-go, they were less than 1/2 price. Make sure you use the 30% off coupon though.

* I dont consider $25/panel cheapies either.

I don't consider $25/panel on sale cheap. Let alone full price of $40/panel.

Maybe I am just cheap. I hated spending $20/panel from Walmart last week. I could never imagine spending upwards of $75/panel. I'd rather spend that money on other things that I'd enjoy more than curtains.

Hope JCP comes through and all panels are truly 84".

"Spring, I'm not getting into it with you and I don't need an economics lesson thank you anyways. Your responses tend to frustrate me, we don't agree on a lot of things. So lets just agree to disagree and leave it that."

Lukki, exactly. It's obvious. I don't agree with you on a lot of things either but I don't go around telling you to shut up. Maybe when you feel grumpy, or irritated by someone in particular, you should just scroll on by and let them be. You get to state your viewpoint. I don't agree with a lot of your opinions or posts either since you had to bring it up ; ) Not a good way to make peace and leave it at that.

We all are entitled to express ourselves on the forum just as freely as you do (which is my beef and the point). It's not your place to determine who gets to say what when something isn't in line with your own opinions and views. How about picking on some of the big dogs in the arena who bare no bones in stating their opinions, however rash, on anything. You were on me for suggesting neutrals on another thread when you wanted blue. Really. Who cares.

I think I made an important point about the cost of production. You brought it up. The other side of the story might register with someone else.

Itltrot, you're not cheap at all and thank you to everyone for all the confirmations and feedback stories, very interesting!!

Arcy Arcy, thanks again for the good advise!

This morning, I hung four panels and they match!!! They need some serious ironing and weights added which I was planning doing anyway and I'll post pics after that. But THEY MATCH!!!! If they all match tomorrow when DH & I put them on the sliding glass door, I'll be in luck! Yeah...then it's on to art...Oh Gosh, need help with that big time! LOL

Yeah! That's great! I didn't know about adding weights. How do you attach them?

Hey Msrose, they fit right into the hem with a little stitch. Keeps them from getting flighty at the edges.

I saw your other post about your drapery project, hope it's going well. -- Lukki

Here is a link that might be useful: drapery weights

Spring, don't put words in my mouth, I've never told you to shut up, just that I don't agree with your perspective.

"Maybe when you feel grumpy, or irritated by someone in particular, you should just scroll on by and let them be."

Exactly my point, you disagreed with the perspective of many in a thread that I started, now that you've stated your point, why not just let it be and move on....if it were your thread, that's what I would do, actually, knowing that we have opposite opinions, I wouldn't have responded at all.

Why didn't *I let it be? Because you had to take a cheap shot at my posts in general. Right before you instructed to agree to disagree. Pretty simple. You didn't drop it so why should I roll over for you.

"stop saying "well at that price level blah blah blah" because I just don't agree" is telling people to zip it. All while you continue to go on with your own opinions and views. Why ask if for $25 is it expecting too much if you only want to hear how it isn't.

I just don't understand the double standards. You are too frustrating for me too. So there.

But I really think you ought to just let other people say what *they think too whether you happen to agree with them or not.

I've been a loyal JC Penney customer for some 20 years at least and their quality in linens has gone so far down it's unbelievable. I'm so dissappointed because they always had what I wanted. I don't think it would be wise to purchase anything else from them without wondering if what they are selling is causing me harm. The last bed spread I ordered had such a strong chemical smell, even after washing, that it scared me. I've never had that before with them, strong chemical smells. It was horrible. I took it back.

When I saw the title of this post I thought to myself, possibly, literally.

Does anyone know the name of an American company that is selling organic curtains? I know about organic bedding, which I use exclusively now, am now looking into organic curtains as well.

HIWTHI: I order all my curtains from the below seller. Very professional, beautifully constructed, and fast. Best thing is, you can get try custom length for a great price. And, they have organic! (I've only purchased dupioni and linen from them, though)
Dee

Here is a link that might be useful: Village Workroom

Thank you deeinohio. I'm going give them a look right now.

Spring, What are you two?

Thx HIWTHI, the Village Workroom site looks to be of great help.

After reading this entire thread, everyone, to me at least, seems to have started off saying the same thing: quality has gone down hill once manufacturing went overseas. Or as I told my husband when I thought the Chinese cheated in the Olympics, "I'm never wearing anything made in China again." He looked me up and down, and said, "Well, I guess you'll be going naked." Sad, but close to true. I hang on to every garment and item I can find that say made anywhere but China. Especially my two ladders that proudly proclaim Made In The USA.

Thanks, Sandy

Did you hang the curtains yet?

I have some JCP panels I'm fixing to hang after I get the curtain rods right.
The law here in Texas is specific, and consumer oriented, and I'm not going to be rooting around in some store trying to find matching lengths if mine don't match.
Here in Texas we have the Deceptive Trade Practices Act. It is not about cost, it is about truth in advertising. If it is advertised as 84 inches it dang well better be. If two panels are off by 1/4 or so I probably wouldn;t fuss, but much more than that? Yeah. Would I take them to court? Yeah.
Many states have similar consumer friendly laws, to protect consumers. I do believe that a custom panel might have finer materials, finer workmanship. But a panel sold new at any cost which announces that it is 84 inches long, better be. I'm not a rug that manufacturers can walk on me, and being from Texas, I'm not afraid to rodeo with them.
If consumers insist that 84 inches means 84 inches, there's no question in my mind that in a short while, 84 inches WOULD mean 84 inches. Made in China or anywhere else does not have to mean shoddy and mismeasured. After all, Swiss-made watches are said to be some of the finest anywhere. It is all about consumer expectation, and I expect that 84=84 and I believe it is the manufacturer and not the area of origin that is responsible for lax practices in manufacturing.
One last comment: Sellers love to make YOU dance when THEY are at fault. No, I'm not coming into the store. If my panels are off, THEY can find a seamstress local to me.

I have heard nothing but complaints about JCP and think I would rather have bare windows than deal with them. Good luck getting everything straightened out.

I just bought grommeted panels from JCP.. no problems whatsoever.

It sounds like a bit of Russian Roulette then...

I haven't purchased draperies from JCP, but my sister did, and she is happy with hers. However, I did order 13 96" panels from Country Curtains, and they all were of perfect length and high quality. They're probably more expensive than JCP overall, but I've had great experiences with their products.

Country Curtains is a wonderful source of high quality ready made window treatments. They are located in MA and their products are made in the US. They have never disappointed me at all and will gladly send swatches out.
www.countrycurtains.com
Don't let the name fool you, they have many styles to choose from.

I agree with everyones comments about Country Curtains. We recently bought roman shades and drapes for My MIL new apt. She is 91 and very fussy about her decorating.

The sales people are very accomodating and cutomer service is excellent. I feel they make some of the best pre-made window treaments. Much better then JCP where you cannot even get help.