Brides and Grooms, Inc.

I do not accept the response because what the owner failed to mention is after the store manager and myself were arguing I told the manager fine since there is no resolution I will be leaving and I was in the dressing room changing when the manager went into her office as I was coming out of the dressing room the manager came back out of her office stating I was calling her names which I was not but she was very confrontationalThis is just bad business overall because I called the store due to the change in wedding date, I called three times and had to have the receptionist change the date after they said they wouldI did not sign any contract stating about the size the only paperwork I signed was my payment receiptNot only was my dress to small but all of bridesmaids dresses need alterations madeAlso my maid of honor dress disappeared from the store so she had to reorder a dress, which is no problem but I was not informed from the bridal shop that the dress was no longer there, the bridal shop did not call or even email me to inform me that the maid of honor dress was no longer in there possessionWhen my maid of honor went into the location which was in July she was advised that it was my fault because they didn't know my wedding date was changed which is incorrect because I informed them multiple times of the correct wedding dateI did make an appointment with the seam stress which was on July 29th Which I would have to two weeks from the date I went into the location to speak with either a manager or the seamstressI left the shop July 14th with no solid solutionThen I called the bridal shop thr next day July 15th to speak with a manager, when I spoke with the manager I advised my concern that I will be waiting two weeks with no solution she then advised me the seamstress was on vacation but I can come on tuesday July 26th because that monday she would be busySo I decided to give them a chance to fix it, I come into the bridal shop tuesday which is when I had the issue with the manager *** who I was told was I would be dealing with both the seamstress and the managerBut she never said she was the manager she was just acting as a seamstressWith her loud tone very close to my face but I guess that is acceptable in this orginazationBusiness Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below

Miss *** ordered her wedding gown back on 2/25/ She was measured and sized at the time of ordering She signed our contract stating that she agreed to the size and the contract also states that you have weeks to pick up your item from the time it arrives Her gown
arrived on 6/18/and she was contacted right away Miss *** did not communicate with the store that her wedding was delayed She decided to suddenly come in on 7/14/to pick up her dress It had been a year and half since the dress was ordered and the dress was hanging in the store for over a year She did not make an appointment with the seamstress or else she would have been told that she was on vacation and would have been provided with a date that would have worked When Miss *** came in on 7/26/she had an appointment with the alterations manager and she provided her with an option to make her dress work I, the owner, reviewed the surveillance footage after Miss *** made this complaint stating that the manager was yelling at her the whole time Yelling and demeaning customers is certainly not acceptable in our store After reviewing the surveillance I was very impressed with the way the manager handled the situation She did not once yell at *** In fact, *** was the one who was yelling at her and she also called her "stupid." *** was explaining the contract to *** where it says you have weeks from the time you are notified that the dress came in to make any claims for sizing, style, and color and to pick it up *** never once said to her "you must have gained weight." *** provided her with a way to alter the dress that would make it fit She told *** that there would be a standard alteration fee to fix the gown Alterations are not included in the price of the gown That is when *** became extremely irate and was yelling at the manager The manager received several complaints about *** from other customers who thought her erratic behavior was starting to become disruptive and she was making them very uncomfortable That is when *** told *** very calmly to please get her dress and leave the store If *** would like to use our alteration services she is more than welcome to but there will be a standard alteration fee that will be applied just like it does to all of our customers Please also note that Miss *** was not charged storage or financing fees for leaving the gown here for so long

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  
The business' response is full of lies! All three girls (bridesmaids) have
issues with their dresses. One of the bridesmaids was there that day and she
was very unhappy with the dress. She was not talking to any of the associates simply
 because she does not speak English, not
because she did not have any issues! I can have both of the bridesmaids write
the letter to you stating their concerns.
Regarding the shoes - when the measurements were takes, I
was not wearing any shoes at all! We were told to bring the shoes next time
when we come in for the fitting appointment. I have three witnesses beside
myself who heard this - the bride, and two other bridesmaids. We were told that
the length will be measured according to the heels that we will be wearing, and
we were told by [redacted] to make sure that we have our heels next time when we
come in for fitting! They never measured our height! She now denies the fact
that she said this!
[redacted] (the owner) was the one who started the aggression!
She was the one who started yelling and screaming after I told he about my
concerns. I am very unhappy with the service of this business. They treat their
customers horrible! We are not buying the dresses and we need our money back. We
have already purchased other dresses at another store, and because of this
experience with Brides & Grooms, Inc. my sister had to change all of her
wedding plans, change the colors, and buy new accessories. The wedding was
built around the bridesmaids dresses. And the store has completely ruined her
plans!  If the business is not willing to
resolve the issue, we will take it to court. Thank you.

To start, it is our mission to provide everyone with a friendly, fun place to purchase their wedding attire.  It always pains us to hear that someone is not happy with our service or products.  It is a common misconception that dresses that are ordered will be cut to the exact measurements...

that we take.  This is not the case and we make pain staking efforts to educate our clients on how exactly our sizing policy works.  We have signs in every one of our fitting rooms and directly at the front desk stating our policies and we also provide an information packet that outlines everything as well in addition to verbalizing the information.  We have our clients sign a contract stating that they have read all the information given.  I have attached copies of the signed contract and the complete information packet given to the clients.  Our sizing policy reads as follows:
Sizing:
· Sizes are determined by comparing the attendants bust, waist, and hip measurements to the designer’s
size chart. Dresses are not custom made to customers’ specific measurements. Size is determined by the
largest measurement; therefore, alterations are almost always required and are not included in the price
of the dress. Most of the gowns run small. Generally you are ordering a dress in about 2 sizes larger than
your street clothes. If an attendant is 5’7” and is planning to wear heels or is 5’8” with heels on we
recommend ordering extra length. Prices will increase if a plus-size (size 18 and above) or if extra length
is required. We recommend ordering the larger size if measurements place one in between sizes. It is
easier to take in a garment, and there is not always room to let it out. We will recommend a size based
on measurements but the ULTIMATE SIZE DECISION IS MADE BY CUSTOMER.
The dress that was ordered for her is not 2-3 sizes too big as the client stated.  It is a little big in the bust but is well within the alteration parameters.  The seams on the dress are not defective, they only needed to be pressed.  [redacted] wore completely different shoes to initial fitting.  The high-heels [redacted] brought when she came to try on the dress were significantly higher than the ones worn to the initial fitting.  There is no way for us to anticipate a customer buying significantly higher heels for the actual wedding.  The other 2 girls in the wedding party had no issues with the way their gowns fit so her argument that we order dresses too big so we can make money on alterations has no bearing.  We also do not require that anyone uses our alterations services.  [redacted] was not happy with our explanations, therefore she took our explanations as us being rude when in fact it was her that was yelling at the associates and owner.  
Unfortunately when the bridal gown arrived from the manufacturer there was a small defect in one of the seams.  While we never like to see these things happen we are very quick to offer solutions.  We offered to fix the very minor defect at no charge to the bride but she refused and took her dress.  
In summation, we do not believe that a refund is warranted based on the fact the our sizing policy is in plain view for all to see and also the fact that the contract was signed stating that she was well aware of the policies.  Furthermore, we expect the client to pay the remaining balance on her order as the orders can not be cancelled as also outlined in the contract signed.

[redacted] put an initial deposit on her wedding gown with a check.  Unfortunately the store manager was on vacation that week and her check was lost.  This is the first time in our many years of business that this has happened.  We absolutely deem this behavior completely unacceptable....

 We have since implemented new procedures when the office manager is not on site to make sure that this does not happen again.  Since [redacted] wrote this letter she has picked up her remaining dresses and was given a check for $35.00 to cover the stop payment fee.

Review: I purchased a prom dress for my daughter from Brides and Grooms which required alterations. The first and second verbal quotes of $89 by one saleswoman and by one manager for alterations requiring hems of 3 layers, reattaching a bead and the arm opening to be made larger. At time of fitting saleswoman quoted $120, then seamstress/owner Yong stated $150 with pick up scheduled for one week later. At time of pick up the bead was not reattached and the arm opening was not altered. I made Yong aware of this and she stated "five minutes and I fix". She returned the dress with the arm opening slit in two places and sewn together shoddily with a bead loosely stitched between one of the slits to hold it together. I stated to Yong that I would not pay $150 for the shoddy alteration that would rip once the dress was put on. I stated I would pay the $89. Yong stated no repeatedly then offered $120. I stated no again and would pay $89. She said nothing then ran my credit card for $120. I stated no I would only agree to $89. Without a response, Yong then took the dress and walked away into the back store sewing room. I called to her to bring the dress back which had been paid in full last week. No response from her. I went into the sewing room and found her hand stitching the arm opening. Around fifteen minutes later she looked up and said "that better". I stated at this point it doesn't matter, it's not right and I took the dress and left.Desired Settlement: I would like a refund of the difference between quotes $89 & $120, which is $31.

Review: On July 14th 2015 I went into Brides and Grooms in Newark, Delaware and put a deposit down with a check.

I then went back on July 16th 2015 with my bridesmaids and mother of bride in which I put deposits down for their dresses with a debit card.

On August 14th, 2015 I notice my check wasn’t cashed so I called Brides and Grooms spoke with the store manager at the Newark location to question about my check not being cashed. At this time she stated she would look into it and would call me back. Three days went by and nothing so I called back 08/17/15 and at this time we determined the check was lost and I asked for the owner to call me finally she did 4 days later at which time [redacted] and I agreed I should put a stop payment on the check and she would credit me 35$ towards one bridesmaids dress when they arrived. I placed stop payment on check on 08/21/15.

9/22/15 my bridesmaids dresses arrived so I called to confirm amount owed and was told no discount was given that I would need to talk to owner.

09/23/15 I spoke to owner today and she stated no discount would be honored, I reminded her what she said then she screamed over the phone “I said no discount you are in wrong.” She then hung up on me.

I called back wanting to speak to someone else to make pick up arrangements, [redacted] answered phone and said, “I give you no money and no dresses you harass me.” She hung up. Before she hung up I stated I wanted to make appointment for pick up.

So now I am out my dresses and money.Desired Settlement: I would like my dresses minus the 35$ fee I paid or a refund in full amount that I paid

Business

Response:

[redacted] put an initial deposit on her wedding gown with a check. Unfortunately the store manager was on vacation that week and her check was lost. This is the first time in our many years of business that this has happened. We absolutely deem this behavior completely unacceptable. We have since implemented new procedures when the office manager is not on site to make sure that this does not happen again. Since [redacted] wrote this letter she has picked up her remaining dresses and was given a check for $35.00 to cover the stop payment fee.

Review: On December 1, 2013 my sister came to Brides and Grooms Inc. to buy a bridal gown for her wedding. She ordered the dress that same day and paid the down payment in the amount equaling to 50% of the full cost of the dress. On February 2, 2014, my sister and three bridesmaids (including myself) came in to shop for the bridesmaids dresses. We picked the dresses and have been measured for sizing purposes. [redacted] measured our bust, waist, and hips area; she did not measure the length. She said that the dresses are made for the height of 5'9", so when we come in for the fitting appointment, we need to bring the shoes that we will be wearing on the wedding day to measure the length for the dress according to the heel height. She said that we have to pay a deposit of $100 each of the bridesmaids, and the remaining amount will be due when we pick up the dresses. She said that if the dresses would need to be altered, this can be done without any problem at their store.

On April 23, 2014 we came in for our fitting appointment with the shoes ready (as we were told). When we tried on the dresses, we were very disappointed with the outcome. The bridal gown had a hole in it, which, of course, can be fixed, but it was not supposed to be there in the first place. The gown itself was too long. When we asked the associate (I think her name was Young, and she said that she is the owner of the store) what can be done at this point, she said she can make it shorter, but it would cost the bride additional $450.00. The price my sister paid for the dress was almost $1,300.00. Also, at the time of order the bride requested that the bustle would be picked up so that she would be able to dance at her wedding. When the dress arrived, we were told that she would have to pay additional $100.00 to have the bustle done. So, the additional charges to make the dress fir would be $550.00.

The bridesmaids dresses did not fit as well. When we tried the dresses on, the dresses were at least two-three sizes too big, AND my dress was also too short (I am 5"7", not unusually tall). In addition, my dress turned out defective. The seaming on both sides of the dress was not even. The dresses seems to be cut wrong, which makes a seam on my left side go towards the front, while the right seam is turned to the back. The dress looks like the its skirt is defective. The length of the dress was so short that even without any shoes on, my feet were sticking out from underneath the dress.

We asked Young if anything can be done to make the dresses fit, and she said that they can size it but it would cost us $89.00 for each dress. When I asked her what can be done about the length and why the dress is so short, her response was" "Wear flats!".

We are very-very disappointed with the services provided at this store. I asked Young why didn't anyone tell us about the charges for alterations when we placed the order, and she said that we should have known this. This is their policy. Then I asked her why did the dresses arrive so big if they took our measurements? I asked if this is done on purpose to make us pay for alterations, and Young responded: "Yes, this is the business!" She was very rude, very loud! She was yelling and screaming and did not even listen to what we were saying.

We decided to take the bridal gown and have it fixed somewhere else, so we paid the remaining balance on it. The bridesmaids dresses - we said we are not picking them up and we are not having them altered for additional charge. They had our measurements and they were supposed to make the dresses according to the measurements. We were told to call next day and speak with Maria (manager) about this issue and see what can be done.

On April 24, 2014 I called the store and spoke to [redacted]. She was very rude and did not even listed to what I was trying to tell her. I asked her why we were never told that we would have to pay so much money to have the dresses fixed at the time of order. And she said that my sister signed the contract and she has a copy of it. But my questions was, why the prices that we should have to pay for alterations were never discussed with? No one ever mentioned the prices to us. And when I asked [redacted] why was my dress so short, her answer was: "Did you have the same shoes on that you brought yesterday at the time when you were measured?" I told her that she told us to bring the shoes next time, when the dresses will be ready. She denies this fact and insists that my dress is short because I was wearing flats at time the measurements were taken. I told her that even without the shoes on (any shoes!) the dress is still too short, but she wouldn't even listed. She kept asking me : "Did you have the same shoes on that you brought yesterday at the time when you were measured?" over and over. She wouldn't even listen to what I was telling her. She said that all dresses are made for height 5'9", but I am 5'&"!!! And it is too short! Not even mentioning the fact that it's defective and at least two sizes too big.

We are very disappointed with the services, products, and treatments of their clients. We want our money that we paid for the downpayment for the bridesmaids' dresses in the amount of $300 refunded to us. We do not wish to continue doing any business with this store.Desired Settlement: We want our money that we paid for the downpayment for the bridesmaids' dresses in the amount of $300 refunded to us. We do not wish to continue doing any business with this store.

Business

Response:

To start, it is our mission to provide everyone with a friendly, fun place to purchase their wedding attire. It always pains us to hear that someone is not happy with our service or products. It is a common misconception that dresses that are ordered will be cut to the exact measurements that we take. This is not the case and we make pain staking efforts to educate our clients on how exactly our sizing policy works. We have signs in every one of our fitting rooms and directly at the front desk stating our policies and we also provide an information packet that outlines everything as well in addition to verbalizing the information. We have our clients sign a contract stating that they have read all the information given. I have attached copies of the signed contract and the complete information packet given to the clients. Our sizing policy reads as follows:

Sizing:

· Sizes are determined by comparing the attendants bust, waist, and hip measurements to the designer’s

size chart. Dresses are not custom made to customers’ specific measurements. Size is determined by the

largest measurement; therefore, alterations are almost always required and are not included in the price

of the dress. Most of the gowns run small. Generally you are ordering a dress in about 2 sizes larger than

your street clothes. If an attendant is 5’7” and is planning to wear heels or is 5’8” with heels on we

recommend ordering extra length. Prices will increase if a plus-size (size 18 and above) or if extra length

is required. We recommend ordering the larger size if measurements place one in between sizes. It is

easier to take in a garment, and there is not always room to let it out. We will recommend a size based

on measurements but the ULTIMATE SIZE DECISION IS MADE BY CUSTOMER.

The dress that was ordered for her is not 2-3 sizes too big as the client stated. It is a little big in the bust but is well within the alteration parameters. The seams on the dress are not defective, they only needed to be pressed. [redacted] wore completely different shoes to initial fitting. The high-heels [redacted] brought when she came to try on the dress were significantly higher than the ones worn to the initial fitting. There is no way for us to anticipate a customer buying significantly higher heels for the actual wedding. The other 2 girls in the wedding party had no issues with the way their gowns fit so her argument that we order dresses too big so we can make money on alterations has no bearing. We also do not require that anyone uses our alterations services. [redacted] was not happy with our explanations, therefore she took our explanations as us being rude when in fact it was her that was yelling at the associates and owner.

Unfortunately when the bridal gown arrived from the manufacturer there was a small defect in one of the seams. While we never like to see these things happen we are very quick to offer solutions. We offered to fix the very minor defect at no charge to the bride but she refused and took her dress.

In summation, we do not believe that a refund is warranted based on the fact the our sizing policy is in plain view for all to see and also the fact that the contract was signed stating that she was well aware of the policies. Furthermore, we expect the client to pay the remaining balance on her order as the orders can not be cancelled as also outlined in the contract signed.

Consumer

Response:

Review: The alterations made to my bridesmaid dress were horrible. I tried the dress on when I first picked it up and noticed that it was too long and the halter straps were a little too loose for comfort. I made it known that I was not happy with the alterations but was willing to deal with issues. Although unsatisfactory, I thought that the dress was do-able. I did not realize exactly how bad the workmanship was.

When I tried the dress on at the bridal shop, two of the sales ladies helped fasten the neck for me. I did not see how the straps were altered. On the wedding day, I noticed that the only thing the seamstress did was make a cheap loop out of thread for the dress to hook on to. Everytime I leaned down and sat back up, the top of the dress came undone and fell down, exposing my [redacted] Also, after wearing the dress for a few minutes, the right breast pad started to poke out of the front because it was stitched in crooked. A white pad hanging out of a burnt orange dress was very noticeable. The mother of the bride and my hairdresser had to literally sew me into the dress while I fought back tears.

I took the dress back to Brides and Grooms the Wednesday after the wedding to complain about the alterations and ask for some money back on them. Ms. Torres, the sales person there that day, was very sympathetic and surprised when I when I pointed out the half-effort alterations and even commented "I don't know why she didn't sew a hook on there", referring to the type of stitch the seamstress used to shorten the neck. She told me to come back Friday when the manager is in.

Today is Friday. I went back to talk to the manager and she told me that they could not refund me any money and assured me that the alterations done to my dress were standard. If that's the case, I have no idea how Brides and Grooms is still in business. Bottom line, I paid $70.00 for alterations and I certainly did not get my money's worth.Desired Settlement: I would like a refund for at least half of the cost of the dress alterations.

Business

Response:

The day that [redacted] came in to pick up her dress after alterations were completed, she tried it on and walked around the store for a while and her only comment was something about the length of the dress. She was assured, by me the manager, that anything she was unhappy with could be fixed in time for the wedding. She stated that she was fine with it and could not leave it. The hooks that we made for the halter top is how we have done it for the 30 years that we have been in business and this is the first time we have had a complaint about it. Had she said something about it when she tried it on, we could have done it differently for her. Perhaps she was not hooking it correctly since as she said we hooked her into it while she was here. As stated earlier, she was in the dress for a while and was moving about and nothing ever came unhooked while she was in here. As far as the cups for the dress are concerned, you can not tack the cups in completely around as it will create a bunching effect. While she was here she never made any comments about the cups being noticeable. This is exactly why we have everyone try on their dresses before taking them, so any issues can be addressed and solved before the event. There are too many variables to warrant a refund as she was fine with it when she picked up.

Consumer

Response: