Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  06/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The owner of this boutique ruined my wedding dress the night before my wedding and will not give me my money back even though I offered her the dress. She lied to me about her skill level and left me no time to go get a replacement. The corset was not functional, she left holes and seams open, left holes in the lace. The corset was needed to hold the dress up and give it shape. She promised me she could alter my dress and refused to admit she was in over her head and was basically holding my dress hostage. This woman is extremely unprofessional, there were a lot of things that happened leading up to the night she ruined my dress that were stressful to me and negligent and unprofessional of her. I can not resell this dress as it is now and will not consign with her because I believe her to be untrustworthy. I would like her to pay me back in full. I bought the dress from her in January. Brought it back to her in May for alterations. She had it until the day before my wedding.

  Business response

  07/12/2023

  This bride has exaggerated and lied on reviews she has left me.  It is true that I was very behind in alterations as I had been very sick with Covid/pneumonia for an entire month, and had been unable to work.  I would never leave a bride stranded though- and I worked around the clock, not sleeping or eating, to get this done for her.  I know I stressed her out because her dress was still not done the day before her wedding, and of course that is unacceptable.  But given the circumstances, it was the best I could do.  I drove the dress up to ******** to her AirBnB, and finished it there.  I had stayed up two nights prior, getting about 3 hours sleep each night, to get it done.  So I was already exhausted.  I arrived at 10:30 am and did not leave until 10 pm.  The light I had to work in was basically non-existant at the cabin.  I brought a head lamp, but it dimmed after about 5 hours of use.  She tried the dress on for fit, and was very happy with the way it fit her.  After that try-on, no other changes were made to the dress- other than putting the interior corset back in, and closing up the interior lining of the dress.  The dress fit fine.  She says the corset would not work.  Due to exhaustion/poor lighting, I may have put corset back in at an angle-which could make it harder to use.  I left her a long decorative ribbon to lace the corset.  Instead of complaining that I ruined her wedding and ruined her dress (I did neither) she could have had her mother (who had brought her sewing machine to the cabin) sew on the ribbon as straps to keep her dress up better if she felt it was not secure enough without the corset.  But no, she just went on complaining instead.  She left me a horrible reviews-with photos of how I ruined the dress.  The photos are all of the INTERIOR lining of the dress; which traditionally are handsewn back up as you cannot use the machine as it would sew thru to the outside of dress.  So my handstitching does not look like machine stitching.  And in the bad light/exhaustion, it appears I forgot to close up the lining on two seams.  Did this ruin the dress?  No.  Was it visible?  No-it was on the inside, where nobody was going to see it.  All of her complaints are about the inside of the dress- because the outside looked fantastic.  The dress is not ruined in any way, shape or form.  As it is, I worked about 35 to 40ish hours on this dress, and did not charge her a dime for it.  She is requesting a full refund on the dress itself, around $900, which is ridiculous.  I refuse to be bullied by an ****** dramatic Bridezilla.  

   

  Customer response

  07/12/2023

   
  Complaint: 20245333
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I am not lying. I have witnesses. I have documentation included in the attachment where she admits she sewed the corset in crooked. The damage was visible from the outside and the dress did not fit right. If she had admitted she was in over her head or managed her time correctly she would not have had to be at my cabin in the first place. She had the dress since May. Her poor time management is not my problem. She left before doing a final fitting. Why? Why was the corset hidden in the inner lining? If she expected my mother to fix the dress at 10:00 pm the night before my wedding why didnt she tell anyone the dress wasnt right?why did she tell my sister the dress was done when it wasnt? I am having a professional seamstress assess the damage done to the dress next week. She is absolutely at fault here. As you can see by her statement she is not accepting responsibility for this. How dare she call me names after what she did to me and my family. Whos the bully here? Definitely not me. I am a victim and will now not only be seeking compensation for the dress but also for the damages she caused to the dress. She deserved every bad review she got. If she had been honest, this wouldnt be happening. She left me with no time to find a replacement. If she cant handle the truth and consequences of her actions thats too bad. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****************************************

  Business response

  07/13/2023

  In her reviews, ***** said I intentionally 'snuck out and acted unprofessional' the entire time I was at her AirBnB.  Neither statement is true. The entire time I was there, I was in the room, sewing.  Not once did I leave that room for any reason, so I am not sure what she means by being unprofessional.  After the final try on, I simply did finish work closing up the seams, etc.  The corset did end up being crooked - and that is my fault.  I was so exhausted after working round the clock with little sleep, plus the poor lighting (two low-wattage bulbs hanging high ** in an A-frame) and unfortunately, I made a mistake when sewing it back in.  I realize now that I should have had her try it on again, regardless.  However, one crooked interior corset does not ruin a dress, nor a wedding.  She did not get charged for her for alterations, which took me more than 30 hours.  I am also truly sorry for the stress I caused her in being behind on alterations.  None of this equals getting your dress for free though.  I reject her response.

   

  Customer response

  07/14/2023

   
  Complaint: 20245333
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  ********* does not seem to understand the impact of her actions in the days leading up to my wedding. It was incredibly stressful dealing with her in the days leading up to my wedding, she kept telling me the dress was almost done and then it wasnt for over two days. Yes, ********* was pleasant while she intruded on our personal space for over 8 hours. However her presence there alone was unprofessional. I had expected her to be there for an hour or so. She arrived unprepared and kept taking me away from all our guests during of rehearsal party for fitting after fitting. Each time claiming it was almost done. She neatly folded in the corset to the inside of the dress and left before doing a final fitting. Whether it was her intention or not to bail on me like that isnt the point. The fact is is thats what happened. The fact is that if Id had a choice, I would not have worn that dress in the condition she left it in. ********* did not make anyone aware of the condition of the dress when she left. She rejected my mothers offer to help her earlier in the day. Yet asks why my mother didnt fix the dress at 10 pm the night before my wedding? Thats bold. She had the dress for over a month and never finished it. At any point I would have respected her if shed just told me she couldnt do it. I gave her several opportunities to be honest with me and she was not. I believe wholeheartedly that she is liable for the damages to the dress. She should not have been working on something so important under the stress she was under from lack of sleep. This was completely negligent on her part. In my opinion she absolutely did ruin my wedding dress and a majority of my experience at my wedding getaway because of the stress she caused me in the days leading up to my wedding. It is clear that she is unwilling to do the right thing once again. Sadly I will have to take another avenue to hold ********* accountable for her actions. Thank you for your time but I am done here. 
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****************************************

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