Hi all,
I've been facing a wedding gown alterations nightmare and want your take on the following Yelp review I wrote (not yet posted on Yelp). Is it inappropriate for me to post this? Am I wrong to expect a full refund? Feel free to make me laugh with your responses... if I don't laugh about it, I might cry...
(Warning: this is serious TL;DR)
"This is a review specifically for the alteration services offered by this establishment.
I took my wedding gown into XXX to inquire about dry cleaning 3 months ago. ZZZ, the owner's wife, looked at the dress and explained that she didn't feel the dress was in need of dry cleaning, but that spot cleaning could be performed on a few specific areas. She suggested getting the dress altered by YYY at XXX. I was hesitant, but ZZZ confidently explained that YYY works at David's Bridal and has experience with wedding gown alterations, so we met with YYY for a fitting. She seemed competent and the price she offered was about 2/3 of what I was quoted elsewhere. She seemed very confident that she could alter my dress appropriately, so we moved forward with her. At that point, we were told spot cleaning would be included at no charge.
Unfortunately, with each fitting it became more and more clear that YYY does not have the skill level or attention to detail needed to sculpt a bridal gown to a bride. We brought up several concerns throughout the process, and most were dismissed as par for the course or promises were made that problem areas would be fixed, and they would remain present at the next fitting. Here are a few examples of these concerns:
- The chest area of the bodice had several lumps which were visible through the overlying layer of lace. The neckline was extremely thickened with bulky material that had not been appropriately dealt with from the inside of the dress. When asked to address these areas, we were told that it would not be possible. YYY blamed it on the fact that the dress was originally "2 sizes too big." YYY attempted to cover up the lumpy folds by sewing lace flowers over the areas, but this really didn't solve the underlying issue.
- YYY used white thread in several areas on the dress (the dress is ivory). When asked why she used white thread on an ivory dress, she insisted that she used ivory thread and also stated that she only has one shade of ivory thread available. When I held up her own spool of ivory thread next to the area in question, it was very obvious that she had in fact used white thread.
- Pearls and beads that had been missing from the bodice at the time of purchase were not all replaced, despite us bringing this up a few times.
- At one of my final fittings, YYY had difficulty closing the buttons on the dress because the bodice was altered to be too small. She asked if I'd gained weight, which was a bit offensive. After the dress was buttoned, the buttons kept spontaneously popping open with minor movements. YYY tried her best to dismiss this concern and was ready for this to be our last fitting. After pressing her that this was not okay, she said she could make the loops that the buttons fit into smaller to try to keep them in place. Later, she suggested switching the button types to a different, less attractive type for the sake of keeping the buttons closed.
After our last fitting, we reminded the owners regarding the spot cleaning, as this was the original reason why I walked through the doors of XXX in June. They quickly stated they did not recommend spot cleaning the dress, for fear that water marks would be left and then a full dry cleaning would be needed. In the end, we decided not to do any cleaning.
As I left our last fitting in late August, I felt very uneasy, given that we felt that many of our concerns had not been appropriately addressed over the course of the weeks. I shared pictures from the last fitting with other tailors, and was advised by two different tailors that there were serious issues with the bodice. Most tailors were unavailable at this point, since it was 5 weeks before my September wedding date, and those willing to see me said they would charge a rush fee of $200.
Feeling like I had no other option, I picked up the dress from XXX and expressed my concerns to ZZZ. She very kindly waived the remaining alterations fee and expressed that my dress is "not easy." I took the dress to a tailor who has been tailoring wedding gowns exclusively for 30 years. She confirmed that the concerns discussed above were legitimate, and brought up several other issues that reinforced YYY's interest in cutting corners and lack of skill. For example, I was told that YYY took in 4 inches more than she should have in the bodice area (this is why the buttons were popping open); the neckline of the dress had been sewn in a haphazard pattern with no apparent rhyme or reason; the inside of the neckline has several folds of extra fabric leading to the lumpiness; the cups should have been sewn in between the layers of the dress, not in a position to be directly against my body; etc. The first line on my invoice from the new tailor says "open up all old work." My dress won't be ready until 5 days before my wedding, which any current or previous bride can appreciate is super stressful.
After meeting with the more skilled tailor, I was even more upset about the situation and felt like I'd been taken advantage of by XXX. Like many women, I've never had anything, much less a wedding gown, tailored, so at the time of my fittings with YYY, I didn't know which of our concerns were legitimate vs par for the course for alterations. Not knowing better, we went along with the fittings. But having met with someone with attention to detail and skill since then, I realize just how incompetent YYY really is.
I went to XXX after the fact, shared my experience and invoice from the new tailor with them, and requested a refund. I was met with resistance and yelled at by the owner. They stated it wasn't fair for me to ask for a refund, given the time and effort their team had put in. However, I would argue that my time also has value, and more importantly, the job was not performed to the minimum industry standard that I would expect from even a novice seamstress.
They kindly refunded part of the cost of alterations, but given the additional costs (including the rush fee) and the stress (not knowing if I will have a wedding dress that fits me appropriately until 5 days before my wedding) that I'm facing, I think it's only fair that they refund me the remaining amount as well. We had set up a meeting for me to meet with YYY and the owners the other day, and the subject of an additional refund was to be discussed at that time. This meeting was abruptly canceled by ZZZ and YYY on the day of, with no plans thus far for rescheduling, despite my attempts.
As an aside, my sister's bridesmaid dress was also altered (hemming only) by YYY in the midst of these visits. The dress was returned to my sister after alterations in a wrinkled state, not ready to be worn at her upcoming event. If she had known it wouldn't be steamed without an additional charge, she happily would have paid more to have it in ready-to-wear condition at time of pick-up. Additionally the dress was hemmed unevenly and as a result, my sister tripped on it an event, tearing the fabric at the bottom of the dress. I'm not even sure that YYY can do an adequate job on a basic hem.
Overall, I am extremely disappointed by the quality of work and lack of professionalism from this establishment. YYY does not have the skill or attention to detail needed in this line of work, and she and XXX are taking advantage of unsuspecting brides who don't know better. An important quality in life is being able to recognize one's own limitations. If YYY at some point along the way realized that this dress was beyond her skill level, she should have told me so I could have gone elsewhere as soon as possible, rather than just trying to get the job done inadequately to make some money off the job.
Planning a wedding is stressful enough without having to worry about whether your dress will be altered decently. Honestly, this experience is my biggest regret thus far of the entire wedding planning process. Despite having told ZZZ that I wouldn't Yelp about my experience at her request, our later interactions have left me very upset, and I feel a moral obligation to share my experience with other brides. Obviously, you get what you pay for, but a business should be willing to refund the cost of services if they weren't able to meet the minimum acceptable industry standards. I certainly don't feel like the savings were significant enough to justify the stress I've faced and the fact that my dress may be permanently ruined. Brides beware."
