Hi Colby,

The little gear that controls the locking is located on
the end of the shade that has the rectangle pin.

Yes, I have examined the locking end and can't see anything wrong. I may
take some lubricant the next time we visit the in-laws and try spraying a
little in the end.

Are the brackets a little tight on this blind preventing
the gear from working?

I don't think so. I changed the spacing of the brackets and it didn't
make any difference.

The height of the window is such that you are trying to
stop at a point where the gear can not engage.

It's the same five foot height the other windows in the house are. The
other blinds are narrower or wider and seem to work fine. But for some
reason all three of the blinds that are this middle width (about 36"
wide) won't lock in place.

Excess tension will sometimes cause this problem.

I tried increasing and decreasing the tension (to the point that it
wouldn't wind back up all the way), but it still wouldn't stay where we
stopped it.

Winding crooked usually says that the a) shade is not level,
adjust one of your brackets; b) the shade is not attached
properly to the roller, defective

I'm fairly sure the shade is level, as it's mounted equal distance from
the top trim on each side. Of course, there's a chance the window itself
is not level, but I didn't have a level with me last week to verify. I
will check it next time we visit.

I tried the "tape shim" suggested in the instructions, but it didn't seem
to help.

Worse yet, it seems to wind differently depending on where you hold it.
Grab the lift bar on the left and it winds OK, grab it on the right and
it veers to the left.

return to vendor. Most of the better made ones have
a defects policy. Wal-Mart shade throw it away and
buy a new one.

I bought these shades online from JC Penney. Unfortunately, my in-laws
are more concerned with "pretty" and "cheap" than they are with quality.
So with those limits, I had to buy the lowest end shades available.

I have contacted JC Penney about it, but considering we bought the blinds
6 months ago, I'm not expecting they'll do much about it.

They are both in poor health, and I honestly think they're going to have
a hard time fighting with these spring loaded shades. I'm thinking of
switching to roller shades that have the adjuster chain instead. I've
never used these before, but I would think it would be easier to sit in
their chair and slowly raise or lower the shade as needed. Do you know
how this type of lift mechanism compares with the spring loaded type as
far as ease of use and longevity are concerned?

Thanks,

Anthony