Complain about a product or service

Elegant Brides

Westwood, NJ

Mary Lou of Paramus, NJ, writes (3/31/01):
My daughter got married on October 8, 2000, and it turned out to be a marvelous day. However, a few days prior to this my worst nightmare came true. As mother of the bride, I had purchased my dress in June from Elegant Brides in Westwood, NJ. I fell in love with this dress and even though it was $800, more than I had expected to pay, I knew this was the right dress for my daughter's wedding.

I told Elegant Brides that my daughter's wedding was on October 8, 2000 and they guaranteed that there would be no problem. They took my measurements and ordered my dress. In August I had not heard from them, so I called and they told me the dress was not in but not to worry - I was assured that it would be in. I finally received a call on September 13, and I was told that my dress was in and they made an appointment on September 20 for my fitting.

On September 20, my nightmare began. The dress did not fit. The size wasn't my usual size and the dress was snug. Elegant Brides told me not to worry; they would fix the dress and I was given an appointment for October 4 - just four days before the wedding. I explained the situation to my daughter, who said she would accompany me to the fitting on October 4. Before we left that day my daughter wanted to take my measurements just to make sure that they were the same as they were in June.

When we got to Elegant Brides my daughter compared the current measurements to their original measurements and they were exactly the same as the ones taken in June. They did not order the proper size dress. I tried the dress on and the dress was still snug. When I told the saleswoman that it still didn't fit correctly, she told me to purchase a pair of control top hosiery and drink apple cider vinegar and water and the dress would be fine. I left the store very upset. I couldn't believe what she had said to me. I had spent $800 on a special dress and didn't get a proper fitting. I was so upset the next day my daughter and I both called the store complaining about the treatment and finally persuaded them to give me another fitting. On October 6 I returned to Elegant Brides and they did a few more adjustments and the dress then seemed to feel more comfortable.

I am writing you because I could not believe the type of treatment I received from Elegant Brides. I had to beg to be properly taken care of when it was their responsibility to properly fit the dress. Instead of trying to fit me properly on October 4, I was told to drink vinegar and water and to purchase new pantyhose; this is no way to handle a customer. No one should be treated with such disrespect.

Elegant Brides is supposed to be a place where people are treated with courtesy. I would have expected them to treat me in a polite and helpful manner rather than having to practically beg for help to get an additional fitting. I have learned two things. First, always make sure that you give yourself extra time; always leave room for problems. Second, you should take the time to check the establishment out by observing how they handle other customers before using their services for yourself.

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