Dress alterations (LONG)
For any of you who venture over the 05 board, you know that I have had an extremely difficult time with Bridal Reflections in Carle Place. They did my dress alterations, and on the day of my wedding, my dress fell apart. My bustle broke almost immediately after church, and my dress was literally falling down. There are pictures of me on the dance floor as my dress was falling, with my bra completely exposed. Unfortunately, there is more than one picture, and this embarrassing situation happened more than once.
Throughout the alteration process, I had a difficult time with the seamstress, who was rude to me from the beginning. I left every, single fitting in tears. I complained about her to management, who told me that they know she has an attitude problem but that she ultimately does good work. That was not true in my situation.
I had a meeting with the VP of Bridal Reflections last night to discuss what happened. My sister (also my MOH, who was at every fitting with me) came along. The VP was definitely surprised to see the pictures we provided (candids taken by my photographer of me on the dance floor with my dress falling down and my bra clearly visible to my guests) but claimed that it was the dress manufacture not the alterations.
The VP made it clear that when she spoke to the seamstress, the seamstress felt that we had been unfair to her and difficult. I was horrified to hear that. In the 26 years I have been alive, I have never, ever been accused of being difficult to deal with, and I was insulted that she even said that. Anyone who knows me - even a little - would never say that about me. I think the VP came into our discussion with the preconceived notion that we were difficult. When I mentioned that I left every fitting in tears, she did apologize. My sister pointed out - which I had forgotten - that when we made a complaint about the seamstress' attitude the night of my last fitting, we had to wait on line because 2 (yes, 2) customers ahead of us were complaining about their terrible treatment at the hands of the seamstress.
The only time the conversation ever got terribly heated was when I said that the seamstress had an attitude from the first time I met her. One of the first things she said to me was that she didn't like my dress. The VP got snappy and said that the seamstress was an immigrant and perhaps I didn't understand her and implied that I was disrespectful because the seamstress was an immigrant. I am the daughter of an immigrant, and half of my family does not speak English. My grandmother worked as a seamstress in what was basically a sweat shop, and I have nothing but respect for people who come to this country, not knowing the language, and try to make better lives for themselves and their families. My sister and I were both horrified that she would dare imply that we would disrespect someone for such a reason, and then the VP snapped that she is the daughter of immigrants too. That was the only time the conversation got really hostile.
Ultimately, the VP offered us a gift certificate to the store and claimed that she runs a good store and while unfortunate, it wasn't her fault. My sister and I left, feeling angry and upset, but unfortunately, I feel without recourse. The BBB has the pending complaint, I have contacted every news station and paper in the area, and I am out of options. All I wanted was a refund or an apology.
I had debated whether or not to post this and make it public but after I originally posted on the 05 board, I got so many FMS from people who had also had terrible experiences and also from brides who thanked me for telling my story. Ultimately, I want all of you to have the best day possible and think telling you will allow you to make a good choice for yourself. If you already purchased your dress there, I am sure you will feel nervous but since you are aware of this situation, you will be in a better position to make sure things go well for you. If you have not purchased your dress already, there are many wonderful other alternatives and wonderful bridal shops on LI and in the city that will do a much better job with customer service.
Thanks ladies!
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Throughout the alteration process, I had a difficult time with the seamstress, who was rude to me from the beginning. I left every, single fitting in tears. I complained about her to management, who told me that they know she has an attitude problem but that she ultimately does good work. That was not true in my situation.
I had a meeting with the VP of Bridal Reflections last night to discuss what happened. My sister (also my MOH, who was at every fitting with me) came along. The VP was definitely surprised to see the pictures we provided (candids taken by my photographer of me on the dance floor with my dress falling down and my bra clearly visible to my guests) but claimed that it was the dress manufacture not the alterations.
The VP made it clear that when she spoke to the seamstress, the seamstress felt that we had been unfair to her and difficult. I was horrified to hear that. In the 26 years I have been alive, I have never, ever been accused of being difficult to deal with, and I was insulted that she even said that. Anyone who knows me - even a little - would never say that about me. I think the VP came into our discussion with the preconceived notion that we were difficult. When I mentioned that I left every fitting in tears, she did apologize. My sister pointed out - which I had forgotten - that when we made a complaint about the seamstress' attitude the night of my last fitting, we had to wait on line because 2 (yes, 2) customers ahead of us were complaining about their terrible treatment at the hands of the seamstress.
The only time the conversation ever got terribly heated was when I said that the seamstress had an attitude from the first time I met her. One of the first things she said to me was that she didn't like my dress. The VP got snappy and said that the seamstress was an immigrant and perhaps I didn't understand her and implied that I was disrespectful because the seamstress was an immigrant. I am the daughter of an immigrant, and half of my family does not speak English. My grandmother worked as a seamstress in what was basically a sweat shop, and I have nothing but respect for people who come to this country, not knowing the language, and try to make better lives for themselves and their families. My sister and I were both horrified that she would dare imply that we would disrespect someone for such a reason, and then the VP snapped that she is the daughter of immigrants too. That was the only time the conversation got really hostile.
Ultimately, the VP offered us a gift certificate to the store and claimed that she runs a good store and while unfortunate, it wasn't her fault. My sister and I left, feeling angry and upset, but unfortunately, I feel without recourse. The BBB has the pending complaint, I have contacted every news station and paper in the area, and I am out of options. All I wanted was a refund or an apology.
I had debated whether or not to post this and make it public but after I originally posted on the 05 board, I got so many FMS from people who had also had terrible experiences and also from brides who thanked me for telling my story. Ultimately, I want all of you to have the best day possible and think telling you will allow you to make a good choice for yourself. If you already purchased your dress there, I am sure you will feel nervous but since you are aware of this situation, you will be in a better position to make sure things go well for you. If you have not purchased your dress already, there are many wonderful other alternatives and wonderful bridal shops on LI and in the city that will do a much better job with customer service.
Thanks ladies!
