Prom Dress Disaster

Wasn't the person who dropped it off supposed to do the fitting? If they had, they would have known that it didn't fit. Depending on how it looked, they may have been able to adjust (or not...). What was the alternative if it didnt fit? I imagine this was running through your daughter's head when she was in the loos trying it on.

I know its all good in hindsight, but if the dress needed significant changes a week before and was planned to be dropped the day before, you needed a back up plan- ie a second dress that could be returned if the first one didn't work out.

Because rightly so the IPs daughter probably wanted to feel beautiful in her prom dress. Students wait a long time for prom to celebrate end of exams and school.

She's well within her right to feel miserable. Why wouldn't she?? What a strange comment.

OP, I wouldn't pay. Yes you accepted it but you didn't really have a choice with an hour to go. Dig your heels in and say she didn't wear the dress at all as it wasn't practical. *Or say she changed into something or came home early in tears etc

Not a chance I'd pay for the alterations.* Not sure I believe the collapse but if she did when running a business you cover all areas in events like this. *

Sounds like she took on too much work and didn't get round to altering your DDs dress!*

Sounds like absolute chaos your poor daughter I don't think delivering the dress on the day is acceptable let alone an hour after you needed it! And like you say even if you had said it was too big your daughter had no choice but to wear it anyway at that point!

I would reply to the email stating you are unhappy that the dress turn up late and you didn't have time to properly try it on as your daughters lift was waiting and the prom lady had another dress to deliver. I would also point out that even if you had time to properly try on the dress there was nothing they could have done as they had already delayed you by an hour. To be honest even if the dress did fit I still wouldn't be happy your daughter must have been stressing all day not knowing if it would even arrive!

I would try and be understanding that it's a busy time for them but maybe gently point out that they had taken on more business than they could handle and your daughter bared the consequences of this.

Like a previous poster said this is an awful way to run a business I wouldn't pay full price for that service (or lack of!)

You sound terribly fun… 🥱

Dear seamstress

Whilst I appreciate you endeavoured to deliver the dress on time we received it way after the originally agreed date and after the latest possible time I had specified.

As you had repeatedly promised to provide it before that time we had no further outfit arranged and were put under an inordinate amount of pressure to make a hasty decision without adequate time to check the fit (you kept emphasises you needed to leave- we did not even have time to do up the corset before you had to go to your next delivery!).

Unfortunately it transpired that the dress did not fir adequately leaving my daughter feeling exposed and having to hold it closed at the chest.

I am therefore not prepared to pay anything further as the work was not completed adequately or in a timely manner. In fact your delays led to an inordinate amount of stress and anxiety.

I am however happy to return the dress.

Best

OP

I’m torn. Ordering a dress to arrive a week before is where you went wrong really. I was trying to get alterations on my daughters about 3 weeks before, having bought the dress in January and already being told the shop I used had ended its prom appointments (they took pity on me).

I had to call in a massive favour but the good alteration shops were laughing at me when I went in.

So I think you left it far too late overall; they shouldn’t have taken the alteration if they were overstretched to be fair. I’d speak to them about it see what they say.

Pipe down fgs! They work hard at at school for years and then get a really good party to celebrate the end of that work, course they'll want to remember it. It'll probably be one of their best memories before the shower of shit that is adulthood awaits them. Get with the times, we want our children to have GOOD memories now.

Just tell her the dress wasn't made to measure as was the contract... Tell her dd wore it for photos and you are happy to hand it back for resale. You paid a deposit so she should be happy with that.

Prom being an event you’re supposed to remember for the rest of your life!?

like it’s important? Like it matters? Oh come on! It’s JUST an end of school party! Wtaf have we done to our kids in allowing ourselves to get swept up in a load of American bullshit!

pre-pre prom party photos, pre-prom party, prom, after prom, hundreds spent on dresses, limos, hair, makeup, tans, nails, shoes….

this is totally out of control and another totally pointless Hallmark industry being created for no reason other than people to take our money.

You have no leg to stand on. You left saying the dress was fine so you accepted the alterations. And you would be obviously lying because what dress did you magic up since you were very clear how urgent the dress was. Sorry but this is on you. You should have noticed, or your dd who actually tried the dress on should have noticed.

I think if my outfit still hadn't turned up an hour before I had to leave for the event, I would be freaking out!

Final final deadline that was self imposed and waaaaaay before the ACTUAL prom started

Eh? They arrived with it at 5pm and she had to leave to get there at 6pm. How is that 'waaaaay' before? An hour before she had to leave the house?

Nothing useful to say just dreading all this prom stuff when my kids are older. When did it become a thing?

I think if you hadn’t tried it on and said it was fine then you might have had a leg to stand on, however you told her it was fine and let your daughter wear it all evening. They can’t resell a dress that has been altered and worn.

You could ask for compensation from them and you could sell the dress on second hand yourself.

The courtesy to wait around?! They delivered it an hour after the final deadline time!
And as for paying for their time - well if you paid for a flight to Spain, and the pilot flew to France instead, would you be happy to pay, just because the pilot had done some work?

Final final deadline that was self imposed and waaaaaay before the ACTUAL prom started.

don’t be ridiculous, pay for the dress.

ffs

Oh no your poor DD, the shop sound like they took on way too much and the seamstress collapsing sounds remarkably convenient. If you paid specifically for alterations then they didn’t alter it to fit so that’s pretty simple. The balance is trickier but I would definitely try to push back. Yes you accepted the dress and said it was fine but also they were so late that it was minutes before she had to leave and you were without other options.

I don’t follow - she tried it on and you said it was fine, but now you’re saying it’s not fine?

From the business’s perspective they’ve done the work. Don’t forget you’re paying these people for their time and skills as well as delivering a finished product, and they had the courtesy to wait around while you checked you were happy with the finished product.

Which bit justifies you not compensating them for their work? Is it the missed deadline? Why didn’t you say that to them there and then instead of confirming it was okay?

Insurance for what?

OP was put in a difficult situation. It's only like the numerous posts about people coming away from the hairdressers and then realising when they get home that it's not what they asked for. Some people are naturally polite but as an afterthought I'd feel annoyed too. I've been in similar situations. And to the pp who asked why she was miserable, I'm sure if i was wearing a dress to an event I'm supposed to remember for the rest of my life I wouldn't want it to be gaping and feeling like my chest wasn't secured!

You can’t understand why a teenage girl who was excited about her prom and all that it entails was miserable about the fact her dress didn’t fit her properly, didn’t look as nice as she’d built it up to be in her head and made her feel inferior (for want of a better word!) and self-conscious (particularly if gaping at the chest!) next to her friends? Come on now.

I would really push back on this OP, they haven’t provided the service they said they would. Even if the dress was altered correctly, delivering the morning of is bonkers. Also agree that it’s such a coincidence re the seamstress… but perhaps I’m being too cynical.

Maybe say you are happy to return the dress to them so they can resell it or do what they want with it in exchange for a refund, given the last-minute delivery and the fact it didn't fit.