I purchased two sets of very wide ready made lined curtains but on drawing one of them up, I discovered that the middle thread of the curtain tape had snapped. As I was in a hurry to get them up and didn't want to wait for new ones to be delivered, I changed the tape myself and returned the offending tape to my local Laura Ashley store where I was informed that they could do nothing about it as I had purchased the curtains on-line and not from the store. Not a very helpful response! However, worse was to come. The remaining 3 curtains were gathered and were about to be hung at the window when I discovered that the middle thread on all three curtains had snapped. They were being held in place by the two outside threads. I rang LA immediately but was informed that because they had been gathered, nothing could be done. I was very cross. I changed the tape on all 3 curtains and sent the offending tape back to LA headquarters. I am old but handy with a sewing machine so although it was a time consuming job I was able to rectify the problem myself. I didn't want a refund or compensation or payment for the tape I had bought. A genuine heartfelt apology would have been acceptable but to date I have heard nothing and don't expect to. I hope it was only this batch of heading tape that was faulty. Some people may have hung curtains without realising the middle thread was broken and I was alerting LA to this fact and that they may receive more complaints. I have purchased from LA many times in the past and always received excellent service but their customer service at the moment is appalling and I have vowed never to purchase from them again. To customers purchasing curtains I would say to not only check the curtain material but also the header tape, tho the flaw may not be visible until gathering up. LA's policy is that once the curtains are gathered, there can be no exchange. In these circumstances this policy is very poor and perhaps needs reviewing as a matter of urgency. LA's standards and customer care, are, on this occasion extremely disappointing.