Angie, I haven't worked with Alta, but I do sell Norman. Norman offers a very nice product at a very competitive price. There shades have no spring back and their cordless cell shade self levels itself so you don't have to adjust it.

Try Blinds to Go, online or in person if there's a store near you. Decent quality and very reasonable prices.

I went with blinds.com. I bought the Bali Cellular Blackout Shades. (Bali was the only manufacturer I found that offered three shades on one head rail.) I wanted the shallowest stack possible so I bought a shade with a basic cord loop; if you choose a different type of cord the stack will be deeper and, if you do an inside mount, cover more of the window. You can buy the shade online or have a salesman take your order over the phone (which I did this to make sure I got the intra-shade measurements correct). I hung the shades myself, not hard.

Note: prices change often. I bought mine and made the mistake of checking the website only to discover that the price had gone down.

Look around, I use to install for JCP home Dec, I would recommend them.

Hunter Douglas is a great product line but it is on the higher end because it's higher quality and a reputable company that stands behind their brand. I would get a 2nd quote for Hunter Douglas from a local company to see how the pricing compares. If you visit the Hunter Douglas website, their is a dealer locator tool that you can type in your zip code and find a local store in your area.

Alta is a decent brand. It's an economical line of shades. We used to carry them and had pretty good luck with them. We switched exclusively to Hunter Douglas a few years ago because the quality of HD was higher, they are made here in the USA, and come with a 7 year warranty on cords instead of the 5 year that Alta offers.