Formal Elegance

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted].  They have simply (and inaccurately) shifted all blame to the customer.  For your reference, a few facts remain:
The dress was in great need of cleaning and lace and fabric were cut in an inartful manner when my daughter received the dress.  I called back a week after to politely ask if Nina’s would be willing to help correct the problem and they flatly refused and quickly hung up.  There was no attempt at a pleasant demeanor on their part.  
A young bride was left for a half hour without help trying to get into a dress with a massive amount of fabric and lots of pins. No one checked and no one heard her calling for help, even when she stepped out into the shop to call. 
The worst part is that there was no attempt at customer service. They escalated immediately. She was called names and angrily sent out of the shop with “Merry Christmas, Happy birthday” and a few other holidays added in.  No young woman who buys a bridal dress should have to endure such poor customer treatment.  
            I’ve included her side of the encounter for the record:
My mom and I visited Nina’s Bridal on  August 1. I live in [redacted], and my mom lives almost 4 hours away and came down to look for wedding gowns.  We were excited about the dress when we left that day.
I called to set up the first fitting for Aug. 27th and brought a friend with me.  My mom paid the full amount on the dress over the phone before the day of my appointment. [redacted] pinned the dress quickly and this visit was rather short. The ladies didn’t remember me or recall any of the details that we had talked about previously, so we discussed again the removal of the original top, what accessories I would need, and the possible addition of a lace top. Nothing was particularly out of the ordinary or troublesome.  I set up a tentative timeframe of roughly 2 weeks for my next appointment. During that time, I exchanged emails about the additional piece to the dress. The quote on it was $150, and so I messaged them that my mom might try to make that piece. I asked them to save any lace that they removed.  
I called to set an appointment for Sept 12th and said my mom was coming down for the fitting. When we got to the shop, the ladies didn’t recognize me or remember my name. I said I was there for my scheduled fitting, and [redacted] hung the dress in the dressing room. My mom and I went in to change, but I looked at the dress and realized that all the pins were still in exactly as they had been at the previous fitting. The dress also looked dirtier at the bottom train than it had before. We asked what happened, and they said that my mom was doing the alterations. We fervently clarified that we needed and really wanted the shop to do the alterations. We were really disappointed, even a little worried, that nothing had been done, but we were exceedingly calm and friendly and attributed the whole thing to a miscommunication. [redacted] said that she and [redacted] would be out of town the following week, but that she would work on it that weekend and have it ready for Sept 23rd. We scheduled that next appointment before we left that day. 
I knew that the ladies were out of town, so I waited until Sept 17th to call to see how it was going. I didn’t get them and left a message. The following Tuesday, I hadn’t heard back, so I called again. [redacted] said she had just listened to my message, and I said I wanted to check and see if they would be ready for my fitting tomorrow, since my mom was hoping to come down again. She said it would be ready, and mentioned a “keyhole” in the back of the dress. I asked for clarification, as there was not a keyhole, and she said the seamstress wasn’t there yet to ask about it. I was a little concerned about potentially another miscommunication, so I called back later that afternoon and spoke with the seamstress, [redacted]. I asked if it would be ready because of my mom coming, and she said it would be ready for pick-up. Again, I was confused, since I wasn’t picking the dress up, and I asked for more clarification. She corrected herself and said hurriedly “for the fitting,” and said bye and hung up as I was saying thank you. I felt that the women were a little irritated, but after the former mishap, and with the wedding so close, I just wanted to be cautious. My mom felt concerned as well, and so she called the next day, the day of the fitting, to see if she should come down to help me. They told her it wasn’t necessary and that she could just come to the final fitting. My co-workers offered to come with me so that I had some support and assistance, but I told them I didn’t think it would be necessary. 
I got to Nina’s a couple minutes before 5pm, went in, and said I was there for my 5pm fitting. [redacted] again did not show recognition, and asked for my name. I told her my first name, which is fairly unique, and she looked blank, and said, “Last name?” I told her my last name, and she looked it up. She asked me to wait just a moment since [redacted] was helping 4 or 5 women in the shop. I waited, and [redacted] came and brought my dress. She showed me to a small fitting room on the other side of the shop. She took my dress out of the bag and held it out, saying that it wasn’t completely tacked down and finished because she wanted to see how it would fit. I took the dress and remembered that I left my shoes in the car. I said I just needed to run and grab them, and I laid the dress down. It took less than a minute, and I rushed back in. This perhaps is why they thought I was “flustered.” I passed the women at the desk on my way back in and said that I got my shoes. I went to the dressing room and began to figure out how to get into my dress with my shoes on. There was a lot of material, and it was my first real fitting and the first time I was attempting it without assistance. After I was in the dress, I waited. I sat in the dressing room for several minutes, thinking that [redacted] was on her way back. I heard the ladies discussing finding dresses online for the customers. I gathered up as much material as I could, stepped out, and called. I stood there for a minute, not sure what to do. I went back into the dressing room and texted my mom. I tried a few times to call for attention, and walked out to the edge of the half wall, where the women were right around the corner. A customer saw me in the mirror, but I didn’t want to go around the corner and create a scene with my dress not even fitting me properly. 
           By 5:25, I decided to change out of my dress. I was surprised at the poor customer service, the fact that the dress was dirtier and even torn in a few places. [redacted] came back as I was gathering things up. I was a little flustered at this point, because I knew there could be some conflict involved in speaking up. She asked if I was ready, and I said that no, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to have the alterations completed there. She asked, “Why,” and I said I had been waiting for 25 minutes. She scoffed and said, well, it had only been a few minutes and that she was helping other customers, but fine, I could pay for the alterations and leave with the dress. I said, “I’m not sure that that is fair.” She then spouted, “Well, I spent an hour and half on your dress, and I don’t think it’s fair for you not to pay for it, do you think that’s fair?” I didn’t say anything, and she took the dress to the back while I was left rattled from the exchange. I called my mom to see what I should do, and she said she would call the shop. I waited for the phone to ring and then slowly walked out with my things to the front desk. The other customers had left. [redacted] was on the phone with my mom at the time. When I came out, she put my mom on hold and said she didn’t know what was going on. I said “I’m sorry, I don’t know what just happened.” I explained that I had been waiting for almost a half hour in my dress. She said I could have called, and I said I had. She said no one heard it, and that they were right around the corner. I told her that I had an appointment, though, and she informed me that the other ladies did as well, at 4:30.  I asked why so close together with just the 2 women in the shop working. She told me that they deliberately schedule appointments close because sometimes people don’t show. I explained that I had called twice that week and my mom once, just to confirm everything would be ready.. She put [redacted] on the phone, and she was very brusque. She said, “No, you’re daughter has decided she will take her business elsewhere,” and, “if the little dear can’t wait a few minutes…” 
I tried to interrupt a few times, saying that I really couldn’t wear the dress and I needed to have the alterations done. However, before I knew it, she said, “No, you know what, I’m done,” and hung up on my mom. She fumed about having been a seamstress for 40 years and never having to deal with this. I was standing there mostly quiet, feeling awful. She said, “You’ve been the *worst* bridezilla ever!” Then she tossed my dress over my arm and said, “Merry Christmas, happy birthday” and a few other holidays like that, and she stalked off. I stood there in shock for a second, shoes in one hand, dress on the other. I had to hold back tears, and started walking towards the door. [redacted] said ,“Have a good evening” and I left. I saw the other customers in the parking lot as I headed to my car. I just tried to keep my head down and leave without them seeing me so upset. 
Afterwards, I began looking for a seamstress to do the work on the dress. I realized how dirty it was, how much it needed altered for me to be able to wear it, and how [redacted] had ripped out the stitching that *had* been done, so that pieces were hanging off the dress. I searched several places, and finally found a shop that will do an emergency cleaning and alterations, and the cleaning will cost $135. When I asked about how the dress looked to the seamstress, she examined the lace and said, “They hacked it.” They cut straight through the lace instead of using a careful method that preserves it. The new seamstress told me that I have a “high maintenance” dress and that all of the alterations might total $520, in addition to the $135 cleaning. Nina’s sold me the dress under the assumption that the cleaning would be done and the beadwork fixed, and alterations would be no more than $200. I was floored. I would not have bought the dress if I had known it would cost so much to fit to me. It was never about getting free alterations. It is my belief that Nina’s is mostly concerned with making the big sale and not interested in providing quality customer service, unfortunately. The first visit and even the second were vastly different from the subsequent 2 that centered on the alterations. 
My main concern in filing this report and complaint, 2 weeks before my wedding date and with all the other details to get ready, is that other brides who are looking for the dress for their special day do not come to Nina’s on a recommendation or unsuspectingly. It’s been a huge black spot on my wedding planning, as well as a great deal of time and emotional energy. The dress is important, and mine will not be ready until the week of my wedding. No person deserves to be called names for no reason or to be treated like that. Especially not weeks before the event celebrating the biggest decision they’ve made.
Regards,
[redacted]

Review: Nina's sold us a dress for 892.50 that needed a great deal of work to fit my daughter- size 10 down to size 6. They said it was no problem. I payed in full a few weeks later, and called ahead of our appointment for a fitting to make sure the dress was ready as I am 3.5 hours away. When we arrived, the dress was hanging with all the pins as per the previous fitting. Nothing had been done. We were polite but disappointed and left with arrangements for another fitting.Before the next fitting I called to ask if it would be helpful for me to be there and they said no, they could help her get into the dress. She called 30 minutes past her 5pm appointment time saying she was left in a back room with no one to help, pins still in the dress, it was dirty and lace was torn. She had called out but couldn't get anyone's attention. I phoned the store to see if someone could help her. I was told rudely that there were other customers and she could wait a few minutes. I explained that she had a 5pm appointment, it was 5:30 and she had seen no one to help her. One of the women, [redacted], angrily mocked her inability to wait, calling her a bridezilla. I asked if they intended to fit the dress because a friend of my daughters had experienced them not getting the work done in time. She said she was done with us and promptly hung up. My daughter was treated horribly and left the store in tears. After finding from another company that the dress had to be dry cleaned, $135, and that Nina's had "hacked" the side of the dress in an unprofessional manner that made it harder to fit, I called back and politely asked if they would refund not the entire amount but just the cost of cleaning plus the fixing of the side where it had been cut, approximately $255 of a $600 repair bill. [redacted] passed the phone to [redacted] who informed me that my daughter had thrown a fit (I had the phone open so I know that's not true), they would refund nothing, and she angrily hung up on me for the second time!Desired Settlement: I would simply ask for a refund of the amount they cost us in cleaning and repair of their unprofessional cutting of the dress... $255. It was unwearable, dirty and torn. That had not been the case when it was purchased or we would never have put that kind of money into it. I am shocked that a bridal shop would treat my daughter so poorly and refuse any modest request to make up a bit of the damage.

Business

Response:

The customer Ms [redacted] came into the shop tried on several gowns, she loved the dress she picked that was priced on sale at 799.00 plus tax of 93.50 which totaled 892.50 regular price on that gown was 999.00 lace gown with cap sleeves. The Bride lives here locally not 4 hours away, They placed a deposit on the gown on 8/1/15 then paid the remainder several weeks later on 8/26/15 after I told them no work can be started on the gown until it is paid in full.. They made the first appointment with the seamstress to go over the options. She wanted the cap sleeves taken off the gown making it into a strapless gown the bodice would need to be taken in for it to fit properly 1 inch taken in on both sides only down 3 inches. at the next appointment the bride came in with her friend and wanted a complete make over to the dress changing the total look of the bodice top of the gown. They showed me a photo from the internet that showed what looked like a lace shawl piece sewn over the bodice She spoke of adding lace which would have to be matched up and in order to be perfect would have to come from the gown it self. Here is a copy of the email that had been sent back and forth about that......................................................Re: Lace topNina's Bridal <[redacted]>Sep 1to [redacted] Good morning [redacted] I will have one of the seamstresses look at what you would like to add to the dress and have them give me price estimate on the cost of that alteration On Thu, Aug 27, 2015 at 5:15 PM, [redacted] <[redacted]> wrote:Sent from my iPhoneNina's Bridal <[redacted]>Sep 2to [redacted]Including the material I would guess no more then 150.00 I have not yet had the seamstress in she will be here tommarow and I can give you exact amount then.On Tue, Sep 1, 2015 at 7:18 PM, [redacted] <[redacted]> wrote:Hello! Wonderful, thank you! I may still see if my mom is able to do it, but I would definitely like to know how much and if it's possible to achieve that look. ...................................................................................⇄ NOTE TO Revdex.com ( MOM OF THE BRIDE IS ALSO A SEAMSTRESS ) Talk to you soon! Thanks again :)God bless,[redacted]Sent from my iPhone[redacted]Sep 2to [redacted]sure! we can save her any fabric we take off!Sent from Windows MailFrom: [redacted]Sent: ?Wednesday?, ?September? ?2?, ?2015 ?2?:?22? ?PMTo: Nina's BridalHello!I spoke to my mom, and I think she is going to do the work on making that piece, since she wants to contribute something! Would it be possible to save any material you cut off the length etc? She may or may not use it, but she wanted to have it in case she uses it in a quilt or something like that :) Thank you very much!The following time they came in to the shop. The seamstress wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page as to what she was doing vs what the brides mother was now going to do with the top bodice of this gown. Because of the email above. I was at the front desk Ms [redacted] & her mother were on the bridal side I over heard the mom tell my business partner that they had already paid all alteration's in full. I am sorry but that is completely Impossible we never collect money owed till after the work is completed. I personally went back through all documents proven they only paid for the cost of the gown in which I told them that when they called the shop a few day's later. That is when the constant phone calls started to the shop. The mom called asked if it would be necessary for her to come down for the next fitting I told her no being it was not the final fitting. The seamstress worked on the gown the day before hand sewed the lace across the bodices opened the sides to then be perfectly fitted at that fitting then it would then be closed. The bride had a 5.00 pm appointment we had 8 other customers in the shop One being a bride that we were just finishing up the details of her order. Ms [redacted] the bride came into the shop flustered said I have a 5;00 appointment we had a bride in the bridal room at the moment so she was given a dressing room on our prom pageant side of the shop . She told [redacted] she forgot her shoes in the car and would be right back [redacted] told her ok honey just let me know when you are ready I am just finishing up with another bride. My desk is exactly 9 feet away from the dressing room Ms [redacted] was in I never heard her at any time say anything nor did I see her come out of the dressing room I even reviewed the security footage She is seen going into the room then standing there. She was changed into her street cloths when [redacted] went over I was checking on a bridal gown size for ordering the brides gown that we were finishing up with at that time that is why I was at my desk. Ms [redacted] told [redacted] I waited almost 15 minutes my appointment was at 5pm its now 5:15 Ms [redacted] then told [redacted] I am not paying for any of my alterations I am taken my gown some where else [redacted] asked her so you are taken the dress someone where else YES I AM . [redacted] at that point asked her for the gown removed the hand stitched lace that was stitched around the top that she / [redacted] had spent 1 1/2 hours doing the day prior. Ms [redacted] then stood at my desk and told me I need to make my appointments better I said excuse me. She was extremely rude. I told her we have never had someone behave in the manner she was behaving before. At this point the phone rang it was Ms [redacted] mother who is the one filing this complaint she starting fussing about her daughters appointment being delayed and how dare we make her daughter wait. when [redacted] told her that her daughter Ms [redacted] demanded her gown and refused to pay for the alterations that Ms [redacted] was given the gown to take else where Ms [redacted] mother said no we want you do the work [redacted] told Ms [redacted] mom I am sorry but at this point your daughter has told us she is not paying for the alterations and wanted to take it else where that her mom will do it.This is exactly what this is about from the start trying to get free alterations. Ms. [redacted] Mother called yesterday told us that a shop told her it would be 650.00 to do the work on the dress and that the dress then would cost 250.00 to close the side seams on the bodice opened 3 inches down each side because they claimed the other shop said the sides were chopped open... They were opened at the seam nothing was cut chopped hacked the stitches were removed. Ms [redacted] mother then demanded 250.00 the cost of what she claimed the new seamstress is charging them for work that would of cost 150.00 at our shop. [redacted] asked her what is the name of the shop priced you 250.00 and told you the dress what chopped open which was a LIE the seams where opened in order to take it in at the top of the bodice nothing was cut chopped ect. the threads were cut on the seam. The brides mother refused to give us the name of the shop / seamstress that said such a thing which only leads us to believe it is not true. [redacted] has been a seamstress for over 335 years I my self have sewn for 25 plus years our other two seamstress 30 - 40 years each have been sewing . When a bride buys her gown there are a total of 3 fittings one month out not six- nine fittings .. The three appointments are made in during the hours of the business of operation at no extra cost. We do offer private appointments with the seamstress for a 25.00 hour extra for a fee. We had eight other customer's in our shop at the same time Ms [redacted] arrived. We are shocked to think she feels that her appointment was more important then the other brides that we were just finishing up the finale details. To behave in the manner she did by refusing to pay for alterations because she had to wait for the seamstress then telling us we should learn how to book appointments or not have other customers in the shop when an appointment is made is ridicules. Ms [redacted]'s mother posted a rude nasty post on the shops business page 30 minutes after her daughter left the shop with the other bridal party standing there shocked & appalled at Ms [redacted]'s behavior. Yesterday's phone call once again harassing and now demanding money from our shop to pay for the alterations to be done to her gown and threatening to file a report with the Revdex.com [redacted] told her that is fine mam I am not going to argue with you have a nice day. Our seamstresses do not work for free Alterations are never included in a dress nor are they preformed prior to the gown being paid in full nor is any money collected prior to the work being completely finished. Thank you [redacted] Ann Gallagherowner / operator Nina's Bridal Formal Wear

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted]. They have simply (and inaccurately) shifted all blame to the customer. For your reference, a few facts remain:

The dress was in great need of cleaning and lace and fabric were cut in an inartful manner when my daughter received the dress. I called back a week after to politely ask if Nina’s would be willing to help correct the problem and they flatly refused and quickly hung up. There was no attempt at a pleasant demeanor on their part.

A young bride was left for a half hour without help trying to get into a dress with a massive amount of fabric and lots of pins. No one checked and no one heard her calling for help, even when she stepped out into the shop to call.

The worst part is that there was no attempt at customer service. They escalated immediately. She was called names and angrily sent out of the shop with “Merry Christmas, Happy birthday” and a few other holidays added in. No young woman who buys a bridal dress should have to endure such poor customer treatment.

I’ve included her side of the encounter for the record:

My mom and I visited Nina’s Bridal on August 1. I live in [redacted], and my mom lives almost 4 hours away and came down to look for wedding gowns. We were excited about the dress when we left that day.

I called to set up the first fitting for Aug. 27th and brought a friend with me. My mom paid the full amount on the dress over the phone before the day of my appointment. [redacted] pinned the dress quickly and this visit was rather short. The ladies didn’t remember me or recall any of the details that we had talked about previously, so we discussed again the removal of the original top, what accessories I would need, and the possible addition of a lace top. Nothing was particularly out of the ordinary or troublesome. I set up a tentative timeframe of roughly 2 weeks for my next appointment. During that time, I exchanged emails about the additional piece to the dress. The quote on it was $150, and so I messaged them that my mom might try to make that piece. I asked them to save any lace that they removed.

I called to set an appointment for Sept 12th and said my mom was coming down for the fitting. When we got to the shop, the ladies didn’t recognize me or remember my name. I said I was there for my scheduled fitting, and [redacted] hung the dress in the dressing room. My mom and I went in to change, but I looked at the dress and realized that all the pins were still in exactly as they had been at the previous fitting. The dress also looked dirtier at the bottom train than it had before. We asked what happened, and they said that my mom was doing the alterations. We fervently clarified that we needed and really wanted the shop to do the alterations. We were really disappointed, even a little worried, that nothing had been done, but we were exceedingly calm and friendly and attributed the whole thing to a miscommunication. [redacted] said that she and [redacted] would be out of town the following week, but that she would work on it that weekend and have it ready for Sept 23rd. We scheduled that next appointment before we left that day.

I knew that the ladies were out of town, so I waited until Sept 17th to call to see how it was going. I didn’t get them and left a message. The following Tuesday, I hadn’t heard back, so I called again. [redacted] said she had just listened to my message, and I said I wanted to check and see if they would be ready for my fitting tomorrow, since my mom was hoping to come down again. She said it would be ready, and mentioned a “keyhole” in the back of the dress. I asked for clarification, as there was not a keyhole, and she said the seamstress wasn’t there yet to ask about it. I was a little concerned about potentially another miscommunication, so I called back later that afternoon and spoke with the seamstress, [redacted]. I asked if it would be ready because of my mom coming, and she said it would be ready for pick-up. Again, I was confused, since I wasn’t picking the dress up, and I asked for more clarification. She corrected herself and said hurriedly “for the fitting,” and said bye and hung up as I was saying thank you. I felt that the women were a little irritated, but after the former mishap, and with the wedding so close, I just wanted to be cautious. My mom felt concerned as well, and so she called the next day, the day of the fitting, to see if she should come down to help me. They told her it wasn’t necessary and that she could just come to the final fitting. My co-workers offered to come with me so that I had some support and assistance, but I told them I didn’t think it would be necessary.

I got to Nina’s a couple minutes before 5pm, went in, and said I was there for my 5pm fitting. [redacted] again did not show recognition, and asked for my name. I told her my first name, which is fairly unique, and she looked blank, and said, “Last name?” I told her my last name, and she looked it up. She asked me to wait just a moment since [redacted] was helping 4 or 5 women in the shop. I waited, and [redacted] came and brought my dress. She showed me to a small fitting room on the other side of the shop. She took my dress out of the bag and held it out, saying that it wasn’t completely tacked down and finished because she wanted to see how it would fit. I took the dress and remembered that I left my shoes in the car. I said I just needed to run and grab them, and I laid the dress down. It took less than a minute, and I rushed back in. This perhaps is why they thought I was “flustered.” I passed the women at the desk on my way back in and said that I got my shoes. I went to the dressing room and began to figure out how to get into my dress with my shoes on. There was a lot of material, and it was my first real fitting and the first time I was attempting it without assistance. After I was in the dress, I waited. I sat in the dressing room for several minutes, thinking that [redacted] was on her way back. I heard the ladies discussing finding dresses online for the customers. I gathered up as much material as I could, stepped out, and called. I stood there for a minute, not sure what to do. I went back into the dressing room and texted my mom. I tried a few times to call for attention, and walked out to the edge of the half wall, where the women were right around the corner. A customer saw me in the mirror, but I didn’t want to go around the corner and create a scene with my dress not even fitting me properly.

By 5:25, I decided to change out of my dress. I was surprised at the poor customer service, the fact that the dress was dirtier and even torn in a few places. [redacted] came back as I was gathering things up. I was a little flustered at this point, because I knew there could be some conflict involved in speaking up. She asked if I was ready, and I said that no, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to have the alterations completed there. She asked, “Why,” and I said I had been waiting for 25 minutes. She scoffed and said, well, it had only been a few minutes and that she was helping other customers, but fine, I could pay for the alterations and leave with the dress. I said, “I’m not sure that that is fair.” She then spouted, “Well, I spent an hour and half on your dress, and I don’t think it’s fair for you not to pay for it, do you think that’s fair?” I didn’t say anything, and she took the dress to the back while I was left rattled from the exchange. I called my mom to see what I should do, and she said she would call the shop. I waited for the phone to ring and then slowly walked out with my things to the front desk. The other customers had left. [redacted] was on the phone with my mom at the time. When I came out, she put my mom on hold and said she didn’t know what was going on. I said “I’m sorry, I don’t know what just happened.” I explained that I had been waiting for almost a half hour in my dress. She said I could have called, and I said I had. She said no one heard it, and that they were right around the corner. I told her that I had an appointment, though, and she informed me that the other ladies did as well, at 4:30. I asked why so close together with just the 2 women in the shop working. She told me that they deliberately schedule appointments close because sometimes people don’t show. I explained that I had called twice that week and my mom once, just to confirm everything would be ready.. She put [redacted] on the phone, and she was very brusque. She said, “No, you’re daughter has decided she will take her business elsewhere,” and, “if the little dear can’t wait a few minutes…”

I tried to interrupt a few times, saying that I really couldn’t wear the dress and I needed to have the alterations done. However, before I knew it, she said, “No, you know what, I’m done,” and hung up on my mom. She fumed about having been a seamstress for 40 years and never having to deal with this. I was standing there mostly quiet, feeling awful. She said, “You’ve been the *worst* bridezilla ever!” Then she tossed my dress over my arm and said, “Merry Christmas, happy birthday” and a few other holidays like that, and she stalked off. I stood there in shock for a second, shoes in one hand, dress on the other. I had to hold back tears, and started walking towards the door. [redacted] said ,“Have a good evening” and I left. I saw the other customers in the parking lot as I headed to my car. I just tried to keep my head down and leave without them seeing me so upset.

Afterwards, I began looking for a seamstress to do the work on the dress. I realized how dirty it was, how much it needed altered for me to be able to wear it, and how [redacted] had ripped out the stitching that *had* been done, so that pieces were hanging off the dress. I searched several places, and finally found a shop that will do an emergency cleaning and alterations, and the cleaning will cost $135. When I asked about how the dress looked to the seamstress, she examined the lace and said, “They hacked it.” They cut straight through the lace instead of using a careful method that preserves it. The new seamstress told me that I have a “high maintenance” dress and that all of the alterations might total $520, in addition to the $135 cleaning. Nina’s sold me the dress under the assumption that the cleaning would be done and the beadwork fixed, and alterations would be no more than $200. I was floored. I would not have bought the dress if I had known it would cost so much to fit to me. It was never about getting free alterations. It is my belief that Nina’s is mostly concerned with making the big sale and not interested in providing quality customer service, unfortunately. The first visit and even the second were vastly different from the subsequent 2 that centered on the alterations.

My main concern in filing this report and complaint, 2 weeks before my wedding date and with all the other details to get ready, is that other brides who are looking for the dress for their special day do not come to Nina’s on a recommendation or unsuspectingly. It’s been a huge black spot on my wedding planning, as well as a great deal of time and emotional energy. The dress is important, and mine will not be ready until the week of my wedding. No person deserves to be called names for no reason or to be treated like that. Especially not weeks before the event celebrating the biggest decision they’ve made.

Regards,