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Dress fitting flip out

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meresal

meresal

Ideal_Rock
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Nov 13, 2007
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Well, I just got done at my 2ND dress fitting and I''ve calmed down a bit.

I was the FIRST appt of the day, but when we arrived they (the SA and the seamstress) went to the back to get/find my dress. I couldn''t figure out why it wouldn''t have been in the fitting room already. After 15 minutes of searching and whispers from the back, they emerge with my dress, "here it is!" they announced.
I go to put it on and the thing is hanging off of me. I then look at the side seam to look for new stitching and we could still see the holes from where she had pins from my last fitting!!! Absolutely NOTHING has been done to it!!!
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My mom then looks to see if she even added the hook''n''eye to the train so the bustle can be done... Nothing! Her response, "well, this is only your first fitting." WTF? I''m sorry I wasn''t aware I HAD to have 2?

Then the owner comes in and has the nerve to tell me that I should watch how much weight I''m losing! Listen witch, I''ve GAINED 4 lbs since my last fitting!

We went to the front where my mom complained and they replied, "but we aren''t charging you for the 2nd fitting."
I flew home for this!!!
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Hmm ... the cost of flying home should be within the cost range for small claims court!
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I am so sorry to hear that meresal. That must be sooooo frustrating!!! It is so hard to leave these things up to other people and trust that they will get done. But... the good news is that although they did nothing, at least they did not take it in too much or something like that! I would just call in a week to check that something has been done and maybe have your mom go by to see the new stitches and the bustle. Again so sorry to hear about your dress but trust that it is their job to get it done, you might just have to bug them about it!
 
I''m sorry! How frustrating!
 
That is so frustrating. I would have flipped out too, especially as you flew home!
 
That''s crazy! They have obviously forgotten to do anything with the dress, what a total waste of your time and money.

And what a brave woman to tell a bride that she is losing too much weight, some people just take risks with their safety don''t they?
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Oh. My. Goodness. I do not blame you AT ALL for being furious... I would have gone ape-sh*t on them and demanded all money back that I had paid thus-far, and then said that I was going to find a quality, professional seamstress.

That''s beyond uncalled for... Wow.

I''m sorry you flew home for that... But I hope you at least enjoyed spending some time with your mama
 
Ridiculous. What gets me is that they apparently UNDID all the work from the first fitting, since the pins were missing and you could still see the holes. An honest person would have brought it out with the pins in place, apologized profusely for the mix-up (like maybe the date of your 2nd fitting was written wrong on the tag, etc), and have you try it on again to confirm the pins were still in the right places. But the fact they pulled the pins out and tried to pretend nothing happened was just childish. If it were me, I would have walked out of the store with my dress in hand. I can''t tolerate dishonesty like that.
 
You have every right to be upset. I''d try to get them to pay for the price of the plane ticket, but first you should probably make sure you have the dress so they can''t do anything horrible to it!
 
WOW! I''m sorry about your experience...that sucks! Are you going to do anything else about it? I know there''s not much you can do...

I went for my first one on Wednesday and had to wait 20 minutes because the seamstress and the previous client and her mother were having a lovely conversation about everything BUT the dress. So I sat in the fitting room by myself and then had my fitting done in under 15 minutes...
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I was really happy about that...
 
Oh, wow. Me personally, if they were dishonest enough to remove the pins, etc. I wouldn''t trust them with my dress after that at all. If I were you, that baby''d be coming with me and straight to a more reputable seamstress with some semblance of manners!
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Meresal!

OH MY GOSH!! I''m so livid for you. I can''t stand it when people don''t do their work properly and then try to hide it. Especially since you flew home to try it on!! I don''t know what to say because it is uncomprehensible to me.

Honestly, it''s really too bad you are too near your wedding because I would be tempted to demand a refund. But of course, you can''t. So I have to say, take a deep breath, and try not to think about other things (other then just screaming at them).

Keep us updated.
 
Hey everyone... I've been trying to avoid thinking about this whole thing. It has my blood boiling...

VRBeuaty- I hadn't thought about claiming. I guess I'm a little scared since the dress is still there.

Modern- You are very right, it could have been worse. I guess the thing on my mind now, is if they will pull something like that out of spight. I just can't believe they didn't even apologize. Their reply of, "Well, we're not charging anything for the second fitting" really irritated me. I wanted to yell at the top of my lungs, "YOU CAN'T!! We've already paid for work you HAVEN'T done!!".

mscushion and bee*- Thanks for the thoughts.

honey- My jaw hit the floor. Her exact words were, "Well, you know these are the times when brides are trying to lose weight, and everytime you come in for a fitting the dress will be too big. You have to stop at some point."
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The owners of this place are something else...

PPM- Thanks for letting me know I'm not the only one. My mom was fuming
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. I am loving being home, but now, the next time I come back is for my bridals, and I'm supposed to pick it up then. The seamstress said a few times, "If something else needs to be fixed, we can do it after that fitting." My mom and I had to correct her more than TWICE reminding her, that there will be NO MORE alterations. We have to take the dress next time.
Ohh, then they asked when we wanted to pick it up from steaming... my mom and I looked at eachother dumbfounded, and said in unison, "THAT DAY!" The SA at the front, where EVERYONE was hudled around for the show, said she needed to go check with the seamstress to see if it would be ready, my mom stepped in front of her path and said, "Are you listening to me?! We HAVE to have the dress for the bridals THAT weekend! The dress MUST be done." This whole thing is still baffling me. I don't understand.

ladyciel- You wouldn't have believed it if you had been there. She completely forgot to do anything to the dress, and then not one of them was woman enough to admit it and apologize. I just don't understand how this happened at a salon that has been around for decades, and why not have the audacity to apologize when it's obvious you messed up?

AG- I would love to call and ask them, but then I worry they would completely screw up my dress. Luckily I have found a MUA that I like while being home. Too bad I can't really say the same about the hair stylist... today was VERY hit and miss.

Blair- These thigns can be so frustrating, especially for people that try very hard to be punctual. If I could alter my own dress, believe me I would do it in a heartbeat! Ohh, and to add to the random conversations, I really think that the seamstress was listening outside the fitting room door, to my mom and I's conversation once we asked them to leave so that I could change. Somehow she was right there when my mom opened the door.
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doodle- I completely understand, and if I had the time to meet with another seamstress I would have walked out with it. This is one of the hazards of planning a wedding from another city... my mom can't go to fittings for me
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MY whole issue, is that this could even happen, and then to not only pretend you did nothing wrong, but to blame the BRIDE! I can understand missing a bustle hook, but to not do any alterations at all. I used to manage a salon, and the nights before fittings, we sat down and analyzed every dress to make sure everything was correct, put them on a special rack and in order by appt, so that they would be ready to be taken to the fitting rooms when the brides arrived. They couldn't even find my dress and I was the FIRST appointment. I would have loved to have left, but I don't have any options. I can only hope that they knopw what they did wrong, and are aware it needs to be perfect when I return.
This is completely not me, and the whole situation is eating me up inside. Thanks for all of your kind words. I never thought that my first real issue would be with my dress... everything seemed so simple.
 
That really is hard to believe. Actually, I can believe they made a mistake, but it is UNREAL that they did not profusely apologize. I hope your mom is going to call them a couple of times before you return to pick up the dress to be sure they actually finish it!!! I'm so sorry that happened...{{{hugs}}}
 
Ugh. I am sick about this for you. How infuriating!
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Ditto to Diamondseeker. I would be having mom make random drop-ins to make sure they''re doing what they should be!! PLEASE keep us posted.
 
I''m so sorry that this has happened to you Meresal. I can''t imagine how pissed off you must have felt when you realized what has happened. The fact that you flew home for it and they just pretended like it was YOUR fault just blows my mind.

I agree with the others that said you should go elsewhere for your alterations. Unless, of course, they are included in the price of your dress or something.
 
Mer: I was thinking about your situation all day yesterday (as I''m sure you were, too!), and I''m even more perplexed by the way they acted...

If finding another seamstress is not an option, PLEAAAASE have your mom call a week or so before your dress needs to be picked up and make certain that the work has been completed... Or to call every day until they confirm that the work is done.

I would seriously consider calling the BBB over this, or, if that''s a bit harsh, when all is said and done, write them a sweet little letter (erm, sarcasm) expressing your feelings. I mean, it may be pointless... But *I* tend to harbor ill feelings and always feel better when I can speak my mind. You know, something along the lines of, "I was severely disappointed with the professionalism at your studio... I''m glad my dress was ''ok'' in the end, but I lost $200 in plane fare to come for my fitting and found out that NO work had been done on my dress... Even worse, your staff pulled out the pins from my first fitting and pretended like they hadn''t forgotten a thing... ...Rude comments about my (non-existent) weight loss... etc, etc, etc" And then end with a firm, "I will not be recommending your shoppe to other brides, and hope for your future-customers'' sake, that this situation never occurs again."

...But then again, I can be a b*tch sometimes
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I, personally, would want to send the letter that gets circulated around the whole store and gets the employees'' panties in a major bunch. I mean, it''s your wedding dress for goodness sake!

And to echo what another BIW said: Mistakes happen... But you need to ADMIT them and APOLOGIZE. (Maybe you should write that in a letter, too?)

Thinking of you and sending positive, happy vibes your way for an otherwise great week free of dress-stress
 
Wow that SUCKS!! If I FLEW home for a fitting and that''s what I got in return, I''d be taking my business elsewhere! How horrible for you!
 
Oh honey, I am so sorry this has happened! I will cross everything that can be crossed that you get your dress back safe, sound, and altered properly next time you see them, and that you never have to deal with them again. Ugh. I would also make an official complaint, both to the store manager (or higher if you have a name) and to the BBB. This is just completely unacceptable.
 
Meresal, since you posted this yesterday I haven''t been able to get it out of my head because this is exactly the type of situation that would infuriate me to boiling as well! From reading your posts over the past few months I''ve gathered that you''re a really sweet, classy, and level-tempered girl, but I hope you KICK THESE LADIES'' BUTTS! I really like the letter that PilsnPinkysMom drafted for you and am rooting for you to use her note or some other method to put them in their place. I hope your next fitting goes much more smoothly and that these women will come to fear your name from other brides who visit their shop in the future
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Meresal, That''s such BS they pulled something like that. You are a lot nicer than I am, I would''ve totally ripped them a new one. but I''m b*tchy like that I guess... Good luck on the alterations. Do you think you can have your mom stop by the shop a week before your pick up to make sure everything is being done and to REMIND them that the dress is GOING HOME WITH YOU on XXX date.
 
Ally, diamondseeker, leeNY, C-tek, Kelli, and Gwen: Thank you for your hugs and thoughts. It was a rough weekend.
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To be honest, I have never avoided PS like I did this weekend. The thought of coming on here, reminded me of weddings, which reminded of the whole situation, and I would find myself fuming all over again.
I just feel so helpless. I can't bring the dress back to Houston, and I didn't have time to meet with another seamstress while I was there. I had to leave the dress I love with a bunch of liars.
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My bridals are on Monday 5/11... so we made an appt to go back on Friday 5/8, and then if anything needs to be fixed it will be done that weekend, and we will pick the dress up before my bridal pictures that Monday.
However, my mom is going to go in daily, starting on the prior Monday 5/4, to check and see that everything is done. If it's not, then she will go back the next day, and the next, until the changes have been made.

I wish there was someone else to write a formal complaint to, but it's a local shop that has been around for over 15 years, and the owners are an older couple in their 70's, who are there everyday. The husband is a bit creepy, but I get the feeling that he is the one that is concerned about customer service, and if he had been there the situation might have gone a bit smoother. The SA's that work there are in their 40's and have been working there for most of the life of the store, and it's one of those things, where they all look out for eachother... hence, why NONE of them felt the need to extend any form of an apology. They are all on their own side, if that makes sense.

PPM and Winslet- It's extremely reassuring to know that this has haunted others minds like it is haunting mine. PPM, I really like the draft you typed up. I'm definitely going to use it, and I am debating writing the formal letter, addressed to the husband owner. I do plan on adding blurbs about mistakes happeneing.

I am thinking I probably shouldn't send the complaint letter until after I have the dress when it's finished. What are your thoughts?
 
Date: 4/20/2009 10:07:03 AM
Author: meresal
I am thinking I probably shouldn''t send the complaint letter until after I have the dress when it''s finished. What are your thoughts?
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Definitely wait until after the gown is in your possession and everything has been fixed.

I know this might be illegal but I would consider putting a hold on the CC payment after your gown has been picked up, telling them you lost out on the $$ you spent on an airfare to go for your second fitting, and ask them how they are going to fix the issue before final payment is authorized. They need to do SOMETHING to rectify the situation. Free alterations, free veil, SOMETHING to acknowledge what they did.
 
I agree with Clairetek. Also I''d write a letter to the owner, especially if he''s concerned about customer service. I hope you have the SA''s name etc.

Also maybe write to the owner and mention, you are/were hesitant to send this letter because your dress is still in your shop''s possession. But you felt that the service you received was not up to the standard the store expects from their employees.

I hope you can speak to the owner directly or something.
 
ARGHHH...I am fuming for you over here, Mer. That is absolutely unacceptable. Not even a friggin apology. You handled the situation really well....I would have brought the roof down. I think you should wait to write that letter, because it''s a family business they can very well refuse to work on your dress or make a mess of it. Leave it for now, once the dress is good to go, unleash that wrath.

I also like Clairitek idea re: the CC. Refuse to pay for alterations at this point, and then later contest the fess and ask for a discount to offset the cost of your flight.
 
Wow, that is ridiculous! Is it a larger company? If I were you, I''d do some phone calling and letter writing to that company''s homebase. That''s just totally unprofessional.
 
OMG Meresal, I cannot even believe this happened!!!

I have to fly home for my fittings too, and if I were to fly home to find that NOTHING had been done? Oh. My. God.

I''m glad your mom is going to go in every day, and I hope they alter your dress to satisfaction. And I agree with everyone else about stopping the CC payment after the fact if they have not comped the alterations already!!
 
Thanks again ladies... I know I should wait to write a complaint, but I just can't get this off my mind, and I feel like if I wait then it will just be considered a mute point after I have my dress back. I will definitely ask my mom what she thinks is best, becuase worst case senario they could say, "Ok, were sorry. Here's your money back, and come get your dress, because we're not doing the alterations anymore."
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I came up with this rough draft. There is an email address for the husband owner on the website, and I'm either going to mail a letter to the store address or send it to this email. I'm sure they both read any mail that goes to either of their names, so I'm not sure which would be best?

Will you all read this and let me know what you think please? Am I being too accusatory? I don't want to make them mad. Also, I'm not sure how to finish it... any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

And just an FYI, I do plan on writing a complaint to the BBB after this is all said and done. If everything works out fine, I will add that in, but this is compaint worthy to me.

___________________________

Dear Mr. and Mrs. ???,

I am writing you because of some things that are still on my mind after leaving (your store) on Saturday morning. I was very hurt and am still very upset about how we were treated.

I flew home to Fort Worth this past weekend for my second dress fitting. After being told that we were the first appt of the day at 10:30, my mom and I arrived Saturday morning at 10:20. We spent the next 15 minutes wandering around the store looking and bridesmaid dresses and shoes, because it took 15 minutes for the seamstress to find my dress in the back.


Once the seamstress brought the dress into the fitting room, I put it on, and the dress was hanging off of me. Much to my surprise, because I had gained 4 lbs since my first fitting, where there should have been an inch taken in on each side of the hips, and almost a half inch on each side of the waist. I did not say anything immediately because we were moved out into the main area to look at veils.


We decided on a veil we liked and were about to go back into the fitting room to be pinned, when I looked down and noticed "pin holes" on the left side of the bust of my dress. They were the pin holes from my first fitting where the alterations should have been made! Absolutely NO alterations had been done to my dress at all. My first fitting was the first weekend of March, actaully I believe it was on Saturday, February 28. (I specifically remember the pins were not holding because the material was so thick and there was so much to be taken in, and the seamstress told me she had written down the changes she would be making, so not to worry about it.)


When we made it back into the fitting room, she began to pin me, in the exact places where the fittings should have been done before. We expressed our concern, and the seamstress just changed the subject, by quickly saying the we would make any fixes that still needed to be made at the next fitting. We expressed numerous times that we don't have time for a 3rd fitting, because the next time I come into town will be to take my bridal pictures. I don't think she understood us very well, but never admitted that she hadn't done the original alterations.


My mom then pointed out that the "hook'n'eye" we had asked to be put on the back of the dress hadn't been added either, and her response was "Well, this is only your second fitting." Considering I live in another city, I was hoping to only have one fitting, and having managed a bridal salon before, it was never a common practice to save certain things like bustles, for a second fitting.


Then, what hurt the most was when you, Mrs. Ocone, came into the fitting room. I'm not sure if you knew that we were already upset about the alterations not being done, but in your words you said:
"This is the time when brides are trying to lose weight, and lose weight, but just don't know when to stop. You have to stop at some point, because we can't keep taking the dress in at every fitting." You blamed me for the dress not fitting correctly, when we had proof that the aterations had not been done.

I have gained weight since my last fitting. It should not have been big still. It actually should have been tight.


After removing the dress, my mom examined the seams and being a sewer herself (not of wedding dresses though), confirmed that nothing had been done to the original seams of my dress.


We made our way to the front, where my mom expressed our concern again. And again, there was no aknowledgement of the alterations not being done. The only response we got from a sales associate behind the counter and again from Mrs. ??? was, "Well, we aren't charging you for the second fitting."

Fristly, there shouldn't be a charge because we have already paid for the first fitting and nothing was done. Secondly, there was still no apology for not doing the work that was agreed upon.

Like I said earlier, I have managed a bridal salon before, and mistakes happen, but to not aknowledge them and apologize, especially when someone has flown into town specifically for that pupose is beyond me. I have wasted $100 on a plane ticket and a trip that could have been avoided.
I really didn't understand this.....
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I don''t see it as accusatory at all. I think you explained the situation clearly as it happened. Maybe you could end it by saying something like, "I wanted to make you aware of the service I was given so that it hopefully will not happen again." If you want them to give you money back, or whatever you''d like them to do, add that there as well.

I just can''t believe they thought they were in the right on this.
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Ok, a couple things. First, I''m totally on your side with this whole thing and I would be equally as upset. That being said, I think that I can help you revise the letter a little bit. What is your intent with the letter? How would you like them to respond? I''m not sure if they charged your for the fittings but I would a least ask for free alterations if you are not already getting them.

I personally, think that you should remove the feelings out of it or at least revise it. If you start off with that then I think you are less likely to get the attention of the person you are sending it to.

Lastly...I think I would add something like.... I believe that Mrs. So and So... owes me an appology. Weight is a sensitive issue for any woman much less a bride and any comments positive or negative are not appreciated. Mrs So and So blantanly blamed the fact that the dress was not altered on my weight in an unterlly untactful and accusatory way. I can assure you that the result of the dress being too big was not a result of my weight.

Do you want me to read through the whole letter?
 
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