Ruined the wedding dress i was going to send back

[whathaveidonehelp]

Oh mumsnetters I'm hoping you can help me.

I'm getting married soon, and ordered a selection of dresses from John Lewis.

One dress arrived in a box, and as soon as i got it out i could smell it had been worn (BO). Took it back to the store same day, spoke to the manager, refund organised. Stay with me...

Try on another dress (also from john lewis). Got my daughter to take a couple of photos but it wasn't right, and was too small. Walked through to the bedroom and to my horror there is dark make up on the chest. It's a cream shimmery fabric. I have absolutely no idea how that happened, but it must have been my fault as the photo DD took had no mark on the dress.

Not content with messing it up, in my panic i tried to blot it gently and made it worse.

I'm on a budget. We can't afford a big do, I'm happy with that but I've just thrown £500 down the toilet. Ive already taken one dress back saying it was soiled and asked them to make a note to ensure it's not attributed to me.

Is there anything i can?

I don't think it's unreasonable to have it dry cleaned and return. If the cleaning gets it up perfect, nobody would mind that would they? I wouldn't if I bought something and subsequently found out it was once cleaned to remove a stain.

I can see you’ve had the dress potentially sorted & could maybe re-sell?
Just wanted to say I got my wedding dress on Facebook marketplace for £100
It was a wed2b dress that had never been worn as the seller had gained weight in lockdown so worth looking around to see if something suitable 😊

What a lovely thing to say.

Some companies charge for returns because of social media influencers ordering loads and taking photos then sending back. There's nothing wrong with ordering a couple of dresses when you are planning on buying one of them.

Look do what you want but I wouldn't get married in a wedding dress I'd lied about. As it is OP hasn't and this will be good karma for her upcoming marriage.

I don't really see why it's cheeky, surely it's inevitable with online shopping. I just ordered a jacket and I'm now on the 3rd attempt to get one that actually fits. First time I ordered 'my' size and it was enormous, second time I uploaded all my measurements to their app and bought the size they recommended and it was tiny. Hopefully the third one will fit but surely it would have been better for the shop if I'd just ordered a range of sizes (or styles) and then only done a single return with the ones that don't fit/suit?

Well, if shops would stock more, people wouldn't need to do this! If they were bothered about people ordering more than they intend to keep, they'd put a limit on how many things can be ordered.

So sorry for you. Vanish soap is excellent, then really good dry clean and sell seems like best option. Don’t let it spoil your enjoyment x

Are you anywhere close to Northampton ? If so, I have a very good seamstress here, she can do magic. And she won't cost earth. Feel free to message me

you've never ordered clothes online? I mean, okay, you'd know, but I am genuinely shocked. I literally do not know anyone under the age of about 80 who has never done so.

Can I ask why? The majority of people I know pretty much only buy clothes online, or at least most of the time. I don't think I've actually bought clothes from a shop (other than maybe tights or something) since at least before covid!

Sounds like a fairly good result all told. The

Absolutely no one in the real world thinks ordering multiple sizes is "cheeky". This is one of the silliest things I've ever read on here. The poster of this nonsense was definitely on a wind up to get attention or something. You don't need to justify why you order anything or send it back. Supposing you live 2 minutes from John Lewis or 200 miles. Online/remote shopping has been around for more than half a century and you can order and send back whatever you like. It is absolutely no skin off anyone's nose.

As far as the stain goes I wish you luck. You could try buying a new frock on a credit card and selling the (cleaned) one and using the cash to pay down some of the debt.

Can you explain the error and ask them if they would offer you a refund voucher for the sale price less cost price?

That way they wouldn't be out of pocket but you wouldn't have had to waste the whole amount. You could get another dress.

Just take it back and say you can’t believe another dress arrived damaged and you’re very upset! John Lewis won’t argue& will refund.
they’ll be able to get it cleaned!

Don't try dresses on at home again…. Take your daughter and make a lovely day of it trying on dresses together

Barclaycard definitely have accidental damage protection on purchases. Is it only me that remembers the advert where Rowen Atkinson loses his binoculars over the side of a boat and they're covered?
I had a quick Google and each credit card is different, so it's best to contact yours, and good luck!

The whole point of online ordering is so you can try things on at home and check sizes etc. retailers know that sizes vary from one item to another, I’ve tried things on that even the same item is different in size! So of course people order several things and send back the ones they don’t want. Not only is it acceptable but expected!

Why!? Did you only try on the one dress and buy that one when you got married?

Yes I think they should charge deposits, only credited to the one you buy.

OP, just wanted to send you some love and sympathy. We've all fucked up at some point and sadly for you, this one will cost 😞 it doesn't help practically but I feel you ❤️ although you are building personal resilience which will always help you in life 😙

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding and best wishes for a long and happy marriage x

Totally unfair on a business to order several items at once to try on and send back. They can't resell as new and end up selling in batches to recycle wholesalers at a loss. Just measure yourself before you order it's not that hard.

No, I don't think so, unless you live somewhere remote like the Shetlands. Ordering off the internet is a pain because most things don't fit and sending back extras now costs quite a lot (no more free returns on many sites) and you cannot know the quality until you see the item. As to shoes, women's lasts come in so many different patterns that it's advisable to go to a shop, I think.

@Viviennemary didn't say do that. She's suggesting you go to the shop to try things on, if you don't have an idea of what suits you. You cannot tell until you wear something whether it will flatter or not, so you do need to try on several dresses, but you don't need to order them and then send several back. I don't get the thing about not being able to re-sell dresses that have been returned as unsuitable, though. Dresses are tried on in shops all the time and just get put back on the rack.

Some people don’t seem to have worked out the mail order business model.

Shops absolutely do resell returns, clothing shops in particular, just as they do in high street shops. Tech shops resell returns as new if unopened or as refurbished if they have been opened.

Only someone who doesn’t buy many clothes could possibly think measuring yourself would make any difference when sizing differs so much between brands.

I totally disagree with this, as I used to work at a fashion retailer where the policy was to encourage customers to order things in different sizes or try different options. In fact, physical retail stores stock less ranges now, because customers have access to the full catalogue online - customers are essentially told to order in what they want if they can’t find what they need in store.

If someone is merely trying something on and returning it, why can’t the retailer sell it as new? I find this really confusing considering I worked in an environment where people tried on clothes in store which we still sold as new. I haven’t worked in retail for a while but I can’t imagine practices have completely changed in the manner you describe.

Really? I'd be very annoyed. Dry cleaning chemicals smell funny to me and I wouldn't want them all over a brand new dress I'd bought.