Wedding Followup to my post about gown contract concerns

[CrownJewel]

Make sure you get all the details in your gown contract/receipt!!!! Original post and background story here: Part I

I ordered my gown from a very reputable bridal shop. Because of this fact, I thought I was being too paranoid. I thought the consultant was being sneaky or deceitful by telling me that my dress is being made hollow-to-hem and that she would not charge me for it, on top of the giant discount that she was giving me. When I looked at my receipt and contract at home, nowhere did it say "hollow to hem." Actually it said "size 4." (also make sure you read everything before you sign!) And I thought, well this is such a reputable salon, shouldn''t it be standard procedure to go above and beyond good customer service? As in, give the customer everything in writing upfront and do everything in your power to make the customer believe that we are the best, most honorable, professional, detail oriented, caring bridal consultants in the world? I kinda thought that if anything does go wrong, she''ll still be here in 6 months and since it is a well known shop, she probably won''t leave me hanging. But the paranoia took over and I asked for a copy of the order that she sent in (which is different from the contract and the receipt, both of which I do have) which should show that it was ordered "hollow to hem" and my measurements.

These past few days I was thinking, hm my receipt says the gown will be ready by June 1st. I waited and waited but I never got the exciting "Your dress is here!" phone call or email from the shop. So I finally called today and my dress has indeed arrived - who knows how long it''s been waiting for me. I also asked, "Is SneakyConsultant there?" The woman on the phone said, "no unfortunately not." Aha. That explains why I did not receive a call from her...sort of. The owner should have known to call the clients she left behind. Anyway, my first fitting is scheduled for July 1st. I cannot wait, and I''m curious to see if they actually did make the gown to my measurements. I was never charged the hollow-to-hem fee, and even though the order form that SneakyConsultant gave me specified the hollow to hem measurements, I am still nervous. Because we are dealing with a sneaky consultant here.

Keep your fingers crossed until July 1st!

 

[surfgirl]

I''m not really sure why you think that you''re being taken advantage of, or whatever it is you''re suggesting Crown. I mean, so she said hollow to hem, you didn''t get charged right? So no harm done. And I assume you''re a size 4 too so as long as the gown is in the general size range and can be altered as nearly all have to be, what''s the issue?

Also, why cant you just go in and try it on now?

 

[karasue91]

Surf, I think she is concerned because she is rather short and the dress is trumpet shape, so if it wasn't ordered hallow-to-hem the proportions will be all off. As in, the flare would be starting around her calves instead of mid-thigh and hemming the dress would completely take all flare out of the bottom.

CJ, I wouldn't worry just yet. I'm guessing your consultant is on vacation, and I can see from their point of view, why would I, as another consultant, who didn't get paid for you buying your dress, help out a bride for another consultant and possibly have to deal with any problems that might have come up?

Maybe call back tomorrow and ask if your consultant is in again, and if they say no ask when she will be back and get some more details. If she is there, I would hound her about why she didn't call you when your dress came in, and that you understand that your fitting isn't until July 1 but you would just like to come try the dress on one time to make sure the length and proportions turned out OK.

Let us know what happens!!!

ETA: Did you get them to give you a copy of the order they sent in with your measurements?

 

[surfgirl]

kara, I understand now. Thanks. I still think you should go in there and just demand to try it on NOW. You dont want to wait until the last minute to find out it''s not the right measurements for you, right?

 

[CrownJewel]

Oops sorry ladies, I was trying to get that post out as fast as possible because I had to meet my friends for dinner. I was totally not clear. Kara - thanks for helping me clarify. Part of this whole problem is that I am feeling stupid for not reading the entire contract before signing. Because of that, I may be overly paranoid and suspicious. I did indeed ask if I could try on the dress sooner. The woman on the phone said that it is not necessary for me to come in earlier because everyone is scheduled for their 1st fitting two months before their wedding. I will call again tomorrow and ask if I can stop by for 5 minutes to look at veils and accessories, and to say hello to my dress. Anyway...the missing details:

1. SneakyConsultant no longer works there. I wasn't given an explanation as to why or when. I totally adored her when I first met her. She was so fun. That same day, I bought the dress. She asked for the total amount, so I paid the total amount. She didn't mention that I have the option of paying a portion, then paying the rest at my 1st fitting. I didn't know this was an option until I heard it on their telephone menu options about the first fitting which went something like this, "Your first fitting will take place approximately 2 months before your wedding. The final payment for your dress is due at the first fitting."

2. I emailed her twice (a week apart) to ask why the contract did not mention the hollow-to-hem measurement (I'm 5'0" and the dress will look absurd if the proportions are off). Her email address was [email protected]. I also called and asked if someone could explain why my contract didn't mention the hollow to hem. I was told that only my consultant can discuss that with me. So I asked if I can stop by to get a copy of the order form for my dress. Once again, I was told that only my consultant can help me with that. And my consultant was off that day, but would be in the next day, so I asked the woman to have my consultant call me. No word from her the next day so I called about 30 minutes before their closing time. My consultant was with a client so I was told that someone would have her call me as soon as she is done. She never called. So I called again the next week, and once again she was with a client when I called. So I explained that it has been three weeks since I first contacted her and I've left several messages that were never answered.

3. Finally she called me back one day, and said "No I never received your email. Hm it looks like someone read your email but didn't tell me." (it's kinda weird that someone read both of my emails in her email account but never told her. How come they can read her emails but can't print out a copy of my order form?). And she proceeded to skim through my email over the phone. "oh yeah your dress is hollow to hem. Don't you remember me measuring you?" And yes I remembered, but I also remembered that she didn't write down any of my measurements (she took like 10 different measurements), and those measurements were not in my contract. Once again, stupid me. So I politely asked her to send me a copy of the order form. Two weeks later and after a few more unreturned phone calls I finally received the order form, and the line where the consultant's signature is supposed to go, is blank.

My worries could definitely be the product of my overactive imagination. I may be overanalyzing her actions. Maybe she was really really busy so she couldn't return my calls. Maybe her boss reads her emails. Maybe my dress will be fine. I'm going to call them the minute they open tomorrow. Eeeeek!

 

[choro72]

:::Crossing my fingers::: I'm in a similar situation (not as bad as yours) too...Good luck. I hope everything is ok.

 

[honey22]

I am going to go out and look like a dope but I have to ask - what on earth is hollow-to-hem??!?!

Also, if you have paid in full for your dress - it''s your damn dress! I would be marching in there (don''t call, catch them by suprise) and demand to see your dress, the one you have paid in full for. That honestly sounds a bit suss to me and I would be nervous.

 

[modernsparkler]

Date: 6/20/2008 6:53:47 AM
Author: honey22
I am going to go out and look like a dope but I have to ask - what on earth is hollow-to-hem??!?!

Also, if you have paid in full for your dress - it''s your damn dress! I would be marching in there (don''t call, catch them by suprise) and demand to see your dress, the one you have paid in full for. That honestly sounds a bit suss to me and I would be nervous.

I didn''t know either until I bought my dress. It is for dresses that have elaborate details on the bottom or particular shapes like trumpet, etc. that would be affected if they were hemmed either by losing details on the bottom or altering a specific shape. It is a measurement from the "hollow" of your collar bone to the hem of the dress (WITH SHOES)!! Hope that helps.

 

[karasue91]

Crown, did you call them again yet?? I'm very worried. Please ask to talk to Carrie, she is the owner and she is the one who sold me my dress. There is probably a reason that consultant doesn't work there any more.

However, Carrie can also be hard to get ahold of. She was quite helpful to me, but I did have to stalk her a little, because I'm pretty sure she didn't get my messages when I left them with the other girls at the store.

 

[CrownJewel]

Hi Kara, you''re so sweet. Don''t worry. I''ve been doing enough of that, but I just keep telling myself that there''s no way a bridal salon with their glowing reputation would let this happen. I do feel better knowing that you had trouble reaching Carrie too.

My little sister is coming to NY this weekend to visit. So I called the salon today and a different woman picked up the phone. I asked for SneakyConsultant (just to verify with a different person) and she paused and said, "I''m sorry, SneakyConsultant is no longer with us." I acted confused and surprised. I said, "Well, my fitting is scheduled for July 1st, but my MOH is going to be in town this weekend and we would love to come in just to try it on and take pictures. I know you guys must be super busy this weekend because you have a sample sale going on, so I don''t need a full appointment. We just want to take pictures but not go through the motions of fitting it just yet. The pictures would help with picking a veil and jewelry." She seemed to understand, and said she would find out which consultant is assigned to me as a replacement for SneakyConsultant. She said they''re all booked for this weekend, but my new consultant will call me back.

It will be fine. It will be fine. It will be fine.

 

[allycat0303]

CrownJewel,

I don''t think you are overreacting AT ALL. I think with all purchases things need to be written down (in blood if possible). The whol ething sounds sketchy, like a) they just won''t do hollow to helm, or b) they are going to charge you for it c) it will be fine. I would try to get this resolved as soon as possible. You don''t want any surprises when the dress arrives.

Good luck!

 

[Anastasia]

Crown Jewel,

You are not being paranoid. You have a legitimate concern, and the salon should be helping you alleviate that concern.

They are in a service business. Part of good customer service is to make sure that the customer has a stress free experience. You are having stress. They need to get rid of it!

If the new consultant tells you you can''t come in, just explain the situation to her. I would say to her, "Look, I may be being paranoid, but I am very concerned about my dress. I have not been able to get confirmation that it was ordered correctly. I would feel much better if I could see it now. I realize it''s only 10 days until my fitting, but I am losing sleep over this. How can we make this happen?"

Good Luck - I hope everything works out perfectly for you!

 

[purrfectpear]

This whole thing sounds ridiculous, like you have to get permission to see your dress. Hellz no. You own it, you paid for it. I''d just show up and pick it up and take it with me. Tell them you''ll be bringing it back with you on the date of the fitting. They can just deal.