Women Wedding Suits

Can you help with wedding dress purchase and alterations problem?

Hi, I went to a wedding dress sale event. I did not like any of the dresses in my size that I tried on but the bridalwear fitter was very determined and so brought in 2-3 sizes bigger dress which was to my specifications. (she asked a lot of questions throughout) The dress is big. http://img5.rajce.idnes.cz/d0503/4/4262/4262592_6f715e8f3cf58e272935317c7fa082fa/images/1.JPG The lady convinced us with alterations package I could purchase the entire outfit would be perfectly and expertly fitted at one of their stores. (she did not refer to name of the company but a street the store is on which in retrospect I find misleading as there were plenty of negative press reports about this store) In the end I bought the dress and alterations package and after I paid I was given a sheet with description of the alterations and the name of the store and the company. It says on it that the alterations do not include taking in by more than two inches and do not include any design changes. I called the company a number of times and sent many letters however they did not reply or get back to me apart from convincing me that if the bridalwear consultant thought alteration could be done it was so and they had no reason to disbelieve this (without seeing this dress). In the end when another one of my letter imposed deadlines went past, I called the company and got talked into attending a trial fitting. I agreed to this after the customer services promised to send me a letter saying the alterations would cover this bigger dress also. (it never arrived...) I brought a friend with me to the trial fitting, who took photos and acted as a witness (a police officer). I was not happy with the extent of proposed alterations. The dress remained too big still and the fitter dismissed my concern. She said that it fitted well, and she could add a hook to my bra which would stop the gaping of the dress in front. When I insisted that the dress was too roomy and that it did not give me any shape. She said she could add wadding (padding) into the dress. (I was not happy about any of this) She also said the bolero was fitting nicely and dismissed my concern that it was too big. http://img5.rajce.idnes.cz/d0503/4/4262/4262592_6f715e8f3cf58e272935317c7fa082fa/images/4.jpg Before we left we have discussed with fitter that she is not to alter the dress and the dress would be left as it is. The fitter said she cannot do any alterations because I did not bring my shoes with me. We confirmed again with her before leaving and she was very clear that she would not alter the dress. My friend wrote a witness statement and I called the company a few days later, to express my unhappiness at both misrepresentation during sale (too big dress was brought out to me and the "not telling us" about the limits within the alterations package). If things go wrong the shop could just turn around and said that as per their policy they were kind to alter the dress by more than two inches but as this dress was much bigger it was not their problem if alterations were proving difficult and they could just do "as they saw fit" without doing the best job possible and perhaps leaving me an unhappy bride. I called the shop, said I was unhappy and why, sent them another correspondence, this time with photos and witness statements (but not the one from the police officer as I suspected possible foul play and wanted to cover myself just in case). As I suspected, despite the assurances about dress not to be altered until next appointment, correspondence, telephone calls and cancelling the appointment, the fitter called on the day of the cancelled fitting and demanded to know why did I cancel and what was the problem. I explained and then she changed her story saying I had to come because the dress was now altered. I therefore informed her that if she altered the dress she had gone back on her word and that I had a witness statement from a police officer which was sent to credit card company (I am claiming with credit card company under consumer credit act 1974, Sec 75). She was surprised and put me on hold. A few days later I received first letter from the company saying I bought a non-refundable and non-returnable dress in the sale event and that the dress has been altered and I should call back to make another appointment with the fitter since I cancelled it. I have already sent them a pre-action letter, and unless I am refunded the money I am prepared to take them to county court. I should like to add that this is a very well known bridalwear company with luxury bridal boutiques. I have lost complete faith in the company’s ability to be able to supply the wedding outfit fit for purpose and they are refusing to budge. What would you do to get it sorted asap? I am prepared to take them to court but if at all possible would like to avoid it. Thank you for your time in advan Thank you for your reply. I was convinced (and so were my friends who attended the sale) that it was no problem to alter the dress to my size and body shape and that it was very usual thing to do. I had three grown up and educated women alongside me, this just shows how good a sales pitch the bridalwear consultant has made convincing us all. (my fiance shaked his head when he saw the paperwork, not being able to understand how 4 grown up adult women could have fallen for this). The bridalwear consultant provided assurances and presented herself as very knowledgeable in the business of selecting bridal gowns. The same information is on the website FAQ. http://www.bridaldesignersale.com/information/faq.html Seemingly there wasn't anything to make us believe there was something wrong going on at the time of fitting and purchase. From the statements my friends have provided - "the bridalwear consultant repeatedly assured us that this could be altered" "they said there would be n "they said there would be no problem taking the dress in to fit perfectly" "the consultant was very reassuring" "to encourage her point the fitter emphasized that the price of the dress was very reasonable and it was all an excellent option" ...etc. I think it would be very helpful to get professional opinion statement from seamstresses who have experience with bridal gown alterations. If you you would know of anybody I would appreciate any advice or contact. Many thanks again for your time.

Public Comments

1. NOT sure what you can do - BUT sounds to me that you ahve been conned . The only way that dress can be adusted to fit you si by an almost complete re-make. WHY did you go ahead with buying a dress that was so much too big for you??. From your photo it looks about 4 sizes too big - AT LEAST.
2. well,I bought my wedding dresses from iloveonsale online store, they service very good, I very like, I use yahoo search find it ! hope can help you!