HELP! Alterations question

[niels408]

$500 seems really high to me! I would go with what the other girls are saying & take it somewhere else, but of course do your homework on them as well! Good luck

[NJ_bride]

So after some advice I did some research and it seems that in this area $450 isn't totally over the top for alterations and I was just too scared to take the dress somewhere else. My tailor is great but I was having nightmares of her running the dress through the machine. Also she doesn't speak good English and what if she misunderstood something? Well my Mom called the bridal shop and spoke with the owner about the alterations price. She broke it down that they charge $25/ hour which my Mom who is in decorating says is standard. The owner said she would speak to her seamstress and call my Mom back, she never did.

 

Yesterday we went for fitting #2 and my mom said after we got the dress and paid she was going to let the owner know that we are very unhappy with the $ for alterations considering we bought a couture dress and that we would not recommend them Well we get there and I put the dress on. The top is perfect, fits great. They attached the Velcro inside so the bustier holds up. The bustle is also perfect. The broach was not attached to the back yet but she pinned it while I was there. We look at the dress and realize they hemmed it way to short! You can see my shoes! The tailor kept saying it will drop when they press it but my Mom who has worked on silk says not enough, plus why wasn't it steamed when we got there? Also my Mom noticed the hem was uneven. Then the worst part, right on the front of the dress there are 2 huge pulls in the silk!!! Not little ones and they were not there at the first fitting. The owner comes in and seems to be trying to distract us from the hem being wrong and the snags but my mom wasn't hearing it. They claim they can fix everything, but this is what we paid $450 for, to have the dress ruined? Then they tell me I can come back for the final pick up on November 26, the day before Thanksgiving. I said NO WAY! We leave that Monday and with the holiday if the dress still isn't right that leaves no time to fix anything! We are going next Thursday instead but since they close at 4:30 I have to leave work early.

 

I am not am person who worries, but truthful right now I am. Simply that we spent so much money and it should be perfect. I just want my dress in my hands fixxed and then I want to say or do something to let them know how I feel. I would like to know what everyone suggests?

[rach220]

Oh no! That's awful! I don't really know what to say...most places do not want unhappy brides (or bad reviews) and will do whatever to make you happy...but it doesn't sound that way. If they really can't fix it, I would demand your $450 back...and then I would try to go somewhere else...I know there isn't much time before your wedding

[IslamoradaBride]

I would demand a refund as well and go somewhere else. Can you get recommendations from other brides in your area? I wouldn't trust that shop to touch your dress again.

[NJ_bride]

Ok, so today is fitting #3. I am terrified...what if they couldn't fix the pulls or the dress hem is still too short. I called to confirm it is pressed and ready for me and she said it looks great but this is the same bitchy owner who tried to distract me from the pulls. I never worry like this but I am.

I need some advice to what to say if I'm unhappy. I couldn't take the dress somewhere else after fitting #2 b/c they put the pulls in it and they need to fix them and if they cut the hem too short then again nothing could have been done.

At this point if the dress is still F'd up then I got to live with it, too late for a new dress but I want some type of resitition financially, emaotionally, an apology, something. I will write a letter to the BBB and where ever else will listen, any other ideas?

I just feel like this woman is soo nasty to my mom and I and we spent all this money,when I was in retaill the customer was always right and jeez i mean make the bride happy!

[IslamoradaBride]

How did it go?

[NJ_bride]

It is perfect!!!! I don't know how they fixed it, but hey did. It's paid for and at my house, yeah!!!! No pics until the wedding though, sorry ladies!

[Jen_S]

Oh I am so happy they were able to fix it, now you can relax enjoy the holiday and go to Jamaica!!!

[dolfinluck]

That's great news!!! no more worrying about your dress

[niels408]

NJ Bride,

 

I'm so happy things turned out for you! I feel your pain, i just went for my 1st alterations on Tues night & left in tears...When I had picked up the dress once in from the bridal boutique, there was this "pouch" of material, sort of a bubble right in the tummy area that looked bad but the reassured it would "steam out"..yeah right, b/c when I went for alterations the lady noticed the same pouch & said it WILL NOT steam out & is an error or area where the material pulled & can't be fixed most likely & for sure steamed out.

So i was so upset, & feel like the boutique told me that so that I would just take the dress how is & leave not telling me the truth that possibly the designer had sewn incorrectly or pulled the material which caused it to bubble, plus 5 other things that went wrong. I'm so scared the alterations lady may mess up the dress bc its difficult to alter....i don't know what to do!

Cross my fingers that it works out like yours did. I agree with you though in that I feel i should get some monetary return (for me from the boutique) b/c this is not how it is suppose to look or fit. I am not thinking they are going to be willing to do that though, but I feel if I paid almost $3k for a dress, it should be as close to perfect as possible!

 

Thanks & again I'm happy it all turned out okay!