to still be very upset about wedding dress problem?

[paap1975]

Got married a month ago.

I went to a reputable bridal shop last summer and ordered the dress from them in September. Paid for an alterations "package" at the time I ordered it.

When the dress came, I went for the first fitting where I asked for the neckline to be adjusted. Paid extra for that to be done.

Went for another fitting so they could check the tacking was correct before cutting any fabric off and finalising the hemming. It was fine. Neckline was not as wanted so they sorted that out.

Was told to come for final fitting one month before wedding, and that if everything was fine, I would be going home with the dress.

So far so good.

The day came for the final fitting. I went with a friend as it was a lace-up dress, so she could see how to do it. Had a different assistant, who clearly just wanted me to leave ASAP. The length was as it had been before, the bust had a bit that wasn't sitting quite right. After a bit of puffing the assisant agreed to quickly go and get that sorted.

Took the dress home. Didn't look at it again as husband was post-surgery and I was never at home without him being there.

Wedding day comes, extremely hot, so I put the dress on as late as possible, about half an hour before the ceremony. At which point it becomes apparent that the dress hasn't actually been hemmed, just tacked. Absolutely not possible to do anything about it at that late stage when I was already wearing it.

Of course the hem came untacked after about half an hour and the dress didn't sit right (we had to faff for the photos).

Now, on the scale of things, it didn't ruin my day, or the photos BUT my wedding dress is the most special dress I will ever wear and it was botched. I'm so upset!

The shop claims not to know how it got through 3 separate checks without the problem being spotted. They have offered to hem it and get it cleaned.

At first I thought I was OK with this but I'm not sure. I paid around £100 for the alterations package and the only thing it involved was hemming the dress, which wasn't done.

Spoke to DH about it this morning and he was very understanding of how upset it's made me feel. He says there's nothing that can be done, but that maybe I should get them to throw in a storage box as compensation.

What do you think? What would you do? So far I've been very calm and unemotional in my messages to the shop, but that doesn't reflect how upset I am.

What is the point of them hemming it now? Tell them you want a full refund or will be taking legal action. That should be your starting point.

I would more than £100.

It's a dress you wear once. And it wasn't right. That's shit.

I'm not sure that a full refund would be possible as it was worn.

But I'd expect a refund for the alterations & a % refund for the dress.

And of course they should hem it, & give a storage box!

You should get your 100 pounds back, as that was for a service that you didn't get. If they have offered to hem and clean it, I would accept that, as if you decide to sell it on afterwards it will be worth less to anybody dirtied and with trailing hem.

You did wear it, although it wasn't as it should have been. But you got the use out of it that you bought it for. Therefore refund of alterations cost and tarting it up a bit should suffice?

Really Bombardier? It’s a wedding dress, used for one day only. It’s not just a posh party frock that went a bit wrong. Of course she wore it, what else was she meant to do? She couldn’t reasonably have been expected to have worn it before to trial it, could she?

I'd be demanding a full refund!!
If the shop was a chain contact the head office and if it was independent threaten them with the local press.
That's awful for your special day I'm so sorry to hear this xx

I would want a full refund. The fact that I’d worn it would be irrelevant to me, as what else would you do, pop something else on?

I can’t believe they think that hemming it now would be a good solution! I wouldn’t want it in the house now. The only point of keeping a wedding dress is for the memories, and you’ll hardly have good memories of this dress now, would you?

Write to the CEO or whoever is in ultimate charge stating your exact ( very reasonable) issues and distress.

Then state exactly what you want as compensation. I second the refund of £100,cleaning and a storage box.

I sold my dress a few years later. Perhaps you can do the same. Good for you for not letting it spoil your day.

NB do NOT threaten to sue them.

you got the use out of it that you bought it for

Not true.

It was bought to basically be the best dress you’ll ever own in your life. It was bought to make you feel incredibly beautiful and special.

Didn’t happen.

Full refund here too.
£100 is an insult

You've paid for alterations that the gown shop didn't do. That should be a no quibble full refund on all your alterations costs, at the very least. I'd also expect some form of compensation for the distress it all caused.
I wouldn't expect them to refund you the cost of the dress (as there wasn't anything wrong with the dress, just that they didn't alter it as agreed) but they certainly should refund you every penny of the alterations that you paid for but they didn't do.

Don't let them do anything more to it - if you ever decide to sell it, having the hem the original length may well be a good thing.

The shop will blame their seamstress, and they DO have to take some of the responsibility, but at the end of the day, your contract was with the bridal shop, not an individual being paid minimum wage to sweat at a sewing machine in the basement of a bridal shop. The shop should have checked the work was all complete before your appointments. That they've failed to do so speaks volumes about their systems and processes.

Don't let them fob you off with altering the dress now. Don't even let them touch the dress again. Get your money back and explore compensation for the distress they've caused you on your big day. After all, they sell thousands of pounds of dresses on the basis that it's "your special day" and it's worth spending whatever it takes to get the perfect dress. They're the ones peddling the "perfect day" scenario to part you from your cash for the dress in the first place! If it was important before you spent the money, it's still important after. Otherwise they're just money grabbing hypocrites (yes, I know it's the truth, but they have an obligation to maintain the illusion, surely).

Maybe the shop needs to use coloured thread for all their tacking, so they can immediately see it's not been done. I alter a lot of wedding gowns (I am fully independent and self employed, wouldn't touch a bridal shop tie in with a barge-pole) and I baste all white/ivory items with red thread, or i use my special brightly coloured safety pins. I can see immediately if it's done or not, and I also keep a worksheet for each garment, with full instructions and a check list of things needing done.

It's not your job to advise the shop on how to do their alterations, but their seamstress sounds overworked and the shop sounds disorganised, to say the least.

If the problems showed in the photos would you want them to pay for a bride/groom photo session for you and DH so you can wear the finished dress and get the memories you wanted from it?

Ooooh yes. Slate them on Google - this wasn’t in the south west by any chance was it?

Reported Kejaj as spam

I would expect at least the £100 refund as you paid for work that wasn’t done. If I was them I would be embarrassed enough to offer to clean the dress, hem it and offer a discount off the total. They have made a really big mistake and it is too late for them to fix it now but they should be trying to resolve it as best they can.

I think the least they could do is refund your package money, clean and hem your dress and give you a storage box and acid free tissue paper to protect your dress.
They've quite simply not provided what you paid for.