House of Brides World's Largest "On-line" Wedding Store, Inc.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/07/01) */
Contact Name and Title: Joan
Contact Phone: [redacted]
Contact Email: [email protected]
Customer placed order on 2/11 giving an event date of 4/20/13, on 2/12 an e-mail was sent stating the date was too close and House of Brides...

could not fill order. There was no response from the customer until 6/26 she stated there was a glitch in the system changing date, whenever there is a glitch the date automatically prints 01/01/0001. That did not happen. She also stated she did not get the e-mail, if that happens we get a message stating e-mail did not go through, that did not happen.House of Brides cannot cover the cost of the rush as our prices are very low.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/07/13) */
We apologize to any inconvenience to the customer. We do require an appointment for the customer to view or pick-up a dress when an order is received at the salon. We schedule appointments according to our Alterations Department so a seamstress...

is available to address any fitting needs. We also schedule appointments to ensure the customer has the necessary undergarments and shoes for the proper fit. Appointments are scheduled based on availability. The salon did accommodated the customer based on this availability. We have signage in our salons stating this policy and representatives advise of the same when contacting the customer about their received order.
Final payment is by cash or debit card. Personal checks are accepted but in advance of the pick-up. This policy is also posted in the salon and provided to the customer at the point of purchase and when the order is received.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/07/17) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I did make an appointment to pick-up my wedding dress and try it on. When I showed up at the salon they said that I didn't have an appointment which I clearly did as I called earlier in the week. The customer service when I was accommodated was unacceptable as my dress alterations appointment was a disaster and I picked up my dress and am going elsewhere to get the alterations completed. I will never recommend anyone to get a dress or anything else at House of Brides which is sad because they have nice dresses, veils, and tiaras and the consultants helping to try on dresses are nice. Once the shop gets your money you are treated horribly. They need to work on their customer service.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/04/06) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted]
Contact Phone: [redacted]
Contact Email: [redacted]
House of Brides could not fill the order, House of Brides does not store credit card numbers. We will need number and expiration date in...

order to process refund

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/03/18) */
Contact Name and Title: Joan
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@houseofbrides.com
Bill Levkoff Company will not cancel the order, even though it has been requested several times.
Final Business Response /* (1000,...

8, 2015/03/20) */
A refund is being issued today, it may take a day or two to appear on the customer's account

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/01/07) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted]
Contact Phone: [redacted]
Contact Email: [redacted]
The customer's order shipped to her on 1/6/2014 and a tracking number should have been sent.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/04/10) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted]
Contact Phone: [redacted]
Contact Email: [redacted]
A request has been submitted that a refund be issued as soon as possible,once refunded ane-mail will be sent stating refund was issued
Initial...

Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/04/10) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
This is the same response I been getting for over 2 months that a refund will be given as soon as possible.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/04/15) */
I have asked that the refund be issued this week and have been assured it will be done

We apologize for any inconvenience to the customer, however, we're confirming the order has been refunded.The customer purchased an item that the designer was unable to provide according to the specifications of the order. Our representative communicated this to the customer and they discussed other...

options. The customer decided not to reselect and instead requested a refund. Management approved and processed the refund immediately thereafter.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/07/13) */
Contact Name and Title: Joan
Contact Phone: [redacted]
Contact Email: info#houseofbrides.com
House of Brides has received the headpiece from the manufacturer today, for some unexplained reason they kept giving House of Brides the wrong...

information regarding shipping time frame. House of Brides does apologize for the inconvenience, we can ship the headpiece if customer still wants it
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/07/20) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
This company should not be allowed to victimize other individuals and quite frankly should not be in business. Although I received my veil this company will continue to scam others. I thank the Revdex.com for their assistance, as I am not sure I would have ever received the product as I had been calling since April for a refund and or status update with same response "Next Week."

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 13, 2015/07/23) */
The customer's order arrived at the salon on June 11th and well in advance of the customer's wedding date of September 11th. We typically do not have orders delivered to the salon until 4 - 6 weeks prior to the event date.
Initial Consumer...

Rebuttal /* (2000, 15, 2015/07/23) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/04/07) */
Contact Name and Title: Joan
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@houseofbrides.com
A refund was issued on April 3rd, it usually takes a couple of days to show on the account

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/10/30) */
Contact Name and Title: Joan
Contact Phone: [redacted]
Contact Email: [email protected]
A refund has been issued to the customer, it may take a couple of days to show on her account.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /*...

(2000, 7, 2014/10/30) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/07/13) */
The customer purchased and received an Allure Bridals wedding dress from House of Brides, World's Largest Online Wedding Store. House of Brides submits orders directly to the designer who then produces the dresses at their factories....

Nearly all designers produce overseas with most in China including Allure Bridals.
House of Brides is an authorized retailer of all designers featured on our website and in our salons.
Dresses come in with all necessary labels in addition to the designer's label.
The customer received an authentic Allure Bridals wedding dress as ordered.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/07/13) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
As I am contesting the authenticity of the dress, which the retailer has not seen firsthand, a mere recitation that the dress is an "original" is not sufficient to satisfy this claim. An exchange or a refund will be adequate.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/07/13) */
Contact Name and Title: Joan
Contact Phone: XXXXXXXXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@houseofbrides.com
House of Brides does not sell counterfeit gowns, On Allure's site what they do say is beware of gowns that are counterfeit and made in China. Allure does have a factory in China. Allure did send an e-mail to the customer stating that her gown was made by Allure and gave her the order number that House of Brides sent to them. Most of Allure gowns do have tags in them that the gowns are made in China. Allure also sent House of Brides the same message stating gown is authentic. House of brides sent correct merchandise a refund will not be issued

We apologize for any inconvenience to the customer. We are confirming the customer has been refunded in full.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:-----Original Message----- From: [redacted]...

[mailto:[redacted][email protected]] Sent: Wednesday, November 1, 2017 1:43 PM To: Customer Relations <[email protected]> Subject: Complaint #[redacted]   To whom this may concern:   Thank you following up with my complaint. I have received an email stating you cannot proceed any further until I have verified if have received a refund yet. I have NOT received a refund yet from House of Brides. Thank you for you time and help and I hope my issue is resolved soon!   Sincerely, [redacted] 
Sincerely,
[redacted]

We apologize for any inconvenience to the customer. Ms. [redacted] ordered a special order bridesmaid dress from our website. Special order means the customer selects the style, color and size plus any other available specifications and places the order online. We then submit...

the customer's order to the designer. The designer places the order into their production schedule. The dress is made according to the style, color', size and other specifications on the order. Dresses are not pre-made or available off the rack. Average production by the designer is 12 - 16 weeks from when the order is submitted. This time frame, however, is tentative and subject to change, including delays, according to the designer. It also does not take in account shipping from the designer to an authorized retailer such as our website and shipment to the customer. We provide customers the estimated delivery time frame of an order. We do not promise or guarantee dates because the designer only provides authorized retailers until the day an order is shipped from their location. Ms. [redacted]'s order experienced a slight delay due top the designer's production schedule. However, the designer did ship the order with tracking showing its arrival for Thursday, August 10th. Our representative has been in contact throughout the process with Ms. [redacted] and advised her of the order status and that our expeditor was working very closely with the designer to ensure its timeliest delivery. As an authorized retailer of our designers, we are not permitted by the designer to provide their retailer contact information to a third party. Customers are not identified in the designer's system by name but instead with a purchase order number confidential between the retailer and designer. As stated, the order is due to arrive at our facility tomorrow and within the time frame provided at the point of purchase so therefore, we are not refunding any portion of the order. We are shipping Ms. [redacted]'s order overnight for expected delivery Friday, August 11th as goodwill.

We apologize for the inconvenience to the customer. We are confirming the refund has been processed and should post on the customer's account within the next few business days.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2015/03/02) */
Hello [redacted]
A refund has been issued to customer via [redacted] on 2/27
Best Wishes,
[redacted]

THIS COMPANY IS TERRIBLE. Never in my life have I dealt with a company that has such terrible customer service and competency. Houseofbrides.com is not only disorganized and unfriendly, but they are the most unapologetic group of people in the service industry that I have ever dealt with.

To give you a little background, I spent many years not only working in the bridal industry but also as a customer service trainer for countless employees for major retailers and world re-known brands. In my world, the customer is always right and you do what it takes to make them happy. If that is how you feel, than this is not the place for you to shop as a customer.

Six months ago, when a group of my fellow bridesmaids ordered their dresses locally in Chicago, I opted to go with Houseofbrides.com because I am located in California. When I called to check in about a month prior to the delivery date to get the status of the dress, Tina, the sales rep I had originally ordered with, had no record of me or an invoice to speak of. Every time that she said that she would call me back with an update, I heard nothing back.

Fast forward to three weeks prior to the wedding date. Still no calls from Tina, no apologies, and no “Thank you for your patience, I know that I said I would call you, but I am working on it,” so I continue to call her for updates, despite my busy schedule. I now get anxious about whether I will have my dress on time and what my alteration bill will be just weeks before the wedding due to the fact that the dress was ordered 3 sizes too large and ask to have it expedited. I ask for a manager, and leave a message for Joan.

I hear back from Joan and tell her the situation, and she promises to call me back in an hour after seeing what she can do with the warehouse to get the dress expedited. An hour, a day…and still no word. So I call HOUSEOFBRIDEAS.COM, and get Tina. FROM THIS POINT FORWARD I NEVER HEAR FROM JOAN AGAIN with the exception of a very unapologetic email. I keep calling. Every time I call I am either transferred to her voicemail (I left her at least 4 messages a day for four days) or I have Tina say that she is leaving a note on her desk (she says Joan is in a meeting) and she will call me at the end of the business day. On several occasions I called and got Stephanie on the other line, who put me on hold to see if Joan was available and either hung up on or put me on hold for 5 minutes, only to connect me to Joan’s voicemail. UNBELIEVABLE. THIS WENT ON FOR FOR FOUR DAYS. STILL NO JOAN. I even called and said, “I will wait for Joan. As long as it takes.” Tina’s response- Maa’m, all I can do is put you through to her voicemail.” In addition to my voicemails, I wrote an email to Joan, explaining how my frustration goes beyond the ship date and is really about a lack of responsiveness and apology for not returning my calls and for pretty much IGNORING my request to speak to her. STILL NOW WORD FROM JOAN.

Joan- from a customer service perspective you don’t go and run and hide when a client has an issue. You express your apologies for the inconvenience and try to make it right. I would ask to speak to YOUR manager, but I know that you have no intention of ever calling me back and I will never get that persons contact information. If I did, I would tell them that you are in the wrong business. CUSTOMERS BE WARNED…using HOUSEOFBRIDES.COM is far more of a headache than it’s worth. I wouldn’t wish this experience on my worst enemy. Do yourself a favor, and find your dress elsewhere.