Prom Dress Disaster

[Promdisaster]

Sorry, this might be long as to not drip feed. Apologies but could really do with some advice.

Ordered a prom dress for my daughter. Paid around one third deposit. Dress arrived in the shop the week before prom date. Went to try on and collect, but dress was too big. Seamstress made some alterations and said it would be done in time, they were working through alterations in order of prom date and to keep an eye out for an email.

Around lunchtime the day before prom, I got a text from the prom shop saying they were delivering the dresses and asking what was the latest time they could deliver that night or from what time the next morning, so I said up to 10.30pm and from 6.30am next morning.

Got a text early the next morning saying the seamstress had collapsed overnight and gone into hospital and they were trying to find another seamstress but not to worry, the dress would be there ASAP.

I told them I needed the dress by 4pm latest as daughter was having friends round to get ready/photos, then being picked up by another mum to go to a pre prom party/photos before leaving at 6pm to go to the prom.

Eventually, after a couple of messages and a phone call, the prom lady turns up with dress at 5pm. She asked my daughter to try the dress on to make sure it fitted. I was more worried that the dress would be too small now that it had been altered, so when she got it on and it wasn't too small I said it was fine and I could tighten it in with the corset . We were so relieved she had a dress. At that moment the other mum turned up to take them to the preprom party so the prom lady left.

The mum at the preprom party messaged and said the dress was too big and she had tried to pin it in but the dress was still gaping round the chest area and too big round the waist. My daughter spent the whole night miserable in a dress that was too big and is sad when she sees all the photos of the girls looking beautiful in their lovely prom dresses. My daughter is not a promzilla is is the sweetest laid back girl.

I have now had a phone message and an email asking for the balance. I really feel that I dont want to pay for a dress that doesn't fit and ruined my daughter's evening. I want to give the dress back so they can resell it.

IABU - yes the dress was worn
IANBU - it wasn't my fault, the dress didn't fit.

I think they should waive the fee as a good will gesture. If the seamstress did collapse that's awful but its all a little convenient the timing of it. I have trust issues. 🤣 Your poor daughter, she doesn't sound like a promzilla, it's an important event for teenagers and they need to feel comfortable

@LadyLothbrook
Thank you, that's what I think 🤣. Any ideas how I can reply to the email??

YANBU.
I don't believe that line about the seamstress. I think they took on took much work (as many businesses are doing, to try and compensate for Covid losses), and couldn't get it done in time. I'd dig my heels in and refuse to pay. After all, if they're doubting you, they can come and see the dress on your DD, and see for themselves that it doesn't fit.

Problem is you accepted it and said it was fine

I don't understand why she was "miserable" because of a slightly too big dress.

Send the dress provider photos and say she has not fulfilled the contract.
You could compromise if you wanted to a part pay her as dress is worn.
I'm sure she has insurance.
She has worked to get the dress ready but that's not your daughter's problem.
Could you agree to pay her the full amount of she makes the dress right ?then arrange to have your dd hair and make up done and have photos taken so she has something to show?
Hope it all works out for you all.🌈

Yabu. You accepted the dress after trying it on. Your daughter then wore it all evening. Like Judge Judy would say, "you ate the steak".

It arrived an hour after the final final deadline, and there was no time to turn properly assess it.

I'd send them the photos and say that you understand there was an emergency and that can't be helped, but the dress you paid for didn't fit and made your daughter's evening less enjoyable. It's not nice wearing an outfit that you feel self-conscious in or that you feel is falling down/gaping so I totally understand why she is upset, poor thing.

It's a terrible, chaotic way to run a business, but she got your DD to try it on and you said it was fine. I'm not sure what she would have done if you'd said it was too big, but you told her you were happy and sent her away.

@Sarahcoggles
Exactly! They had far too much work to get done in that time. I'm worried they might argue that its been worn (we had no other choice given late delivery!) - should I lie and say she wore it for an hour for photos then changed into something else?? I'm really not sure what to put in the email.

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.

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.

@midairchallenger
Because it was gaping round her chest area when she was braless due to the corset not being able to be done up tighter and she was having to hold it up all evening.

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!

Insurance for what?

@hedgehoglurker
My daughter tried it on in the downstairs loo with the prom lady waiting outside. She had already said she had another dress to deliver to another town half an hour away, I knew she was in a hurry. The corset takes ages to do so I made a start and thought I could pull it in tighter. They were already an hour late and the other mum had just turned up to take them to the preprom party.

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?

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.

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

don’t be ridiculous, pay for the dress.

ffs

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?

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.

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

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?

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!