A woman writes that last year she saw several subway advertisements for Hunter-Douglas window blinds and asks if I can find the company's phone number. She complains that local services are extremely expensive and leave a lot to be desired. Recently, for example, she contracted for similar work but as soon as the prepayment was in the bank, the workers disappeared. She feels the current economic slump has seriously affected simple business transactions and trust. Now she says she can't depend on anyone.

Oh yes she can! A reader found the Hunter-Douglas local office on their Web site (www.hunterdouglas.com), but what he had to say was even more helpful. He had his blinds made in California to fit his local apartment. They cover two sliding glass doors to the balcony. They are made of pleated, translucent fabric with a honey-comb cross section. He chose the triple-cell model for maximum insulation and reduction of noise. They weren't cheap, he points out, about $500 each, but the noise level is down and heating and cooling costs have been reduced by 50 percent. "They are perfect for retro-fitting the poorly insulated, Third World housing we commonly find in Japan," he wrote, adding his personal opinion: Hunter Douglas makes excellent products and he has never seen a Japanese equivalent.

The Hunter-Douglas office is located in the Keihin Higashi Oi Bldg. 2F, 2-13-8 Higashi Oi, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-0011, phone (03) 5762-4828, fax (03) 5762-4801. If you would like to discuss your blinds in English, ask for Naoko Oikawa. Some of the types and styles available in the U.S. are not yet sold here, but the selection is still wide. They are innovative and attractive, and far more functional than anything I have seen on the local market. They are top quality and will be custom made for your windows with a wide choice of styles -- pleated, wooden, vertical, roller, Venetian and others. Your windows will never have looked better.