MOBzilla Meltdown Moment

[Loves Vintage]

Miracles,

Does the sample (with the extra crin.) look the same as the photo on the designer''s site, the one that someone posted on this thread earlier? Maybe there''s some miscommunication btw the shop and the designer? I mean if she is only selling her gowns at three shops, maybe there are some special alterations that are supposed to happen at the shop . . . I don''t know. I do hope you get to speak with the designer today. I am sure it has to be some sort of miscommunication and that she will be able to explain what went on with your daughter''s dress and help you feel resolved with how everything has played out here.

And, BTW, your "not getting the 10-4 vibe" comment -- way too funny!!

 

[miraclesrule]

I feel like I am in the "Twilight Zone"...

I called the salon this morning after openins in order to talk to the salon manager,R. A very sweet girl named "C" answered the phone and I ask if "R'' is available and C tells me that she is busy at the moment and I ask C if R is the store manager and C says yes she is. Then I ask if R is the owner of the salon and C tells me no, she isn''t the owner. I ask C who the owner is and she says she will have to go get R. So I am put on hold.

Then R gets on the phone and asks me what I want. I ask that would like to obtain the contact information for Michelle Roth because it''s clear that I can''t contact her through the resources on her website. R gets defensive and wants to know what my problem is. I tell her that I would like to talk to the designer so I can troubleshoot how this situation happened and who is at fault. R starts rattling off a litany of things, such as Michelle already knows my issue, how they have sold that dress at least 25 times and nobody has ever had a problem with it, and that she has given my daughter the best customer service....that''s where I cut her off and said "No R, an example of good customer service, if you have so much experience with gowns, would have been to acknowledge that the dress wasn''t the same, walked over to the sample to see what was different, point it out to me and say, "Oh that explains it" and then fix our dress to make it right. That is good customer service."

Then she tells me she can''t give me the information for the designer but she will call her and ask that she contact me. Then she tells me I have been negative and that I kept assuming that something would be wrong with the gown. I pointed out that it is a huge misrepresentation to let my daughter try on a dress knowing that the delivered product would not be the same as what she tried on. I told her that is a little like fraud.

Guess what she said...you''re not going to believe this...I still can''t believe it... she said "You signed a contract, it even says that not every dress will be exactly like the one you tried on, different dye lots won''t have the same color, fabrics vary by production... blah, blah, blah. I cut her off because anyone with any common sense knows that those things don''t apply to this situation.

She went on to say tht the sample dress has been used in many runway shows and has been tried on so many times that they had to replace the crinoline, blah, blah, blah. We are back at square one, groundhog day, it does not compute.

I then asked her for the salon owners contact information and she told me "I am the owner and this is as far as you can get!!"

May I present to you... the premiere service bridal salon in San Diego. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that when my daughter and I chose this place, and she walked out in the dress of her dreams, and we both cryed, that we would end up with this type of service and/or situation. In fact the situation wasn''t that bad, it was more the managers reaction to it. In fact, in the beginning, I remember thinking that this store manager was really nice. My daughter just thinks she''s not smart. I think it''s far worse than that.

 

[Gypsy]

Call the press. Seriously. And you can find out who the owner is, I believe that''s public information, and check to see if she''s lying or telling the truth. CALL THE NEWS! Seriously.

 

[brooklyngirl]

Wow, miraclesrule, I''m so sorry you''re dealing with this crap! I agree with Gypsy, go to the news, find out who the owner is, and sue them if it comes to that. I''ve never heard of anything so ridiculous in my life! Sending you PS dust.

 

[choro72]

Seriously, I would love to see this story on the news.

 

[espressa]

The salon is Here Comes the Bride in San Diego, right? (Just checked the Michelle Roth website and that's the San Diego salon they list). Here's the company info I could easily find online: http://kepler.ss.ca.gov/corpdata/ShowLpllcAllList?QueryLpllcNumber=199026800019

The Agent for Service of Process is Jack I. Mann, who is apparently an attorney. It looks like he has his own law firm (Law Offices of Jack I. Mann). Perhaps you can get somewhere with him, or at least get the salon to realize that you aren't going to let this go by contacting their attorney, or having your attorney contact theirs (do you know any lawyer friends? haha).

Good luck. So sorry that you and your daughter have to deal with this!

 

[FrekeChild]

Go to the news.
Call you CC and dispute the charges.
Fly to NYC and get her another gown.

You are not being treated right. This is BS and she needs her bum handed to her on a plate.

Seriously. Go to the news.

 

[bee*]

Date: 6/26/2008 6:58:23 PM
Author: FrekeChild
Go to the news.

Call you CC and dispute the charges.

Fly to NYC and get her another gown.


You are not being treated right. This is BS and she needs her bum handed to her on a plate.


Seriously. Go to the news.

ditto

 

[pocahontas]

Date: 6/26/2008 7:12:50 PM
Author: bee*

Date: 6/26/2008 6:58:23 PM

Author: FrekeChild

Go to the news.


Call you CC and dispute the charges.


Fly to NYC and get her another gown.



You are not being treated right. This is BS and she needs her bum handed to her on a plate.



Seriously. Go to the news.

ditto

Thritto! This is just ridiculous! Miracles, there''s no way you can let things end like this. The salon and their representatives need to be held accountable for misrepresenting their merchandise and for their horrific customer service

 

[Deelight]

Date: 6/26/2008 8:05:00 PM
Author: pocahontas

Date: 6/26/2008 7:12:50 PM

Author: bee*

Date: 6/26/2008 6:58:23 PM


Author: FrekeChild


Go to the news.



Call you CC and dispute the charges.



Fly to NYC and get her another gown.




You are not being treated right. This is BS and she needs her bum handed to her on a plate.




Seriously. Go to the news.

ditto

Thritto! This is just ridiculous! Miracles, there''s no way you can let things end like this. The salon and their representatives need to be held accountable for misrepresenting their merchandise and for their horrific customer service

Thritto + 1 that is ridiculous you deserve to be treated better then this and so does you daughter.

Bad publicity will cost them dearly.

 

[purrfectpear]

It can''t hurt to try the media but unless it''s an extremely slow week in San Diego, I don''t think you''ll get any airplay. The only salon exposes I''ve ever watched were cases where the salon took the money and closed, leaving bride-to-be''s standing at the front door facing the closed sign.

I don''t think a "I ordered a dress and I don''t like the way it looks because it''s different from the sample" is newsworthy in a major metropolis, but you never know unless you try.

Hopefully they will alter it to look acceptable. I''m so sorry your poor daughter is disappointed

No one deserves to be stressed about their dress.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Date: 6/26/2008 8:11:45 PM
Author: Deelight

Date: 6/26/2008 8:05:00 PM

Author: pocahontas

Date: 6/26/2008 7:12:50 PM


Author: bee*

Date: 6/26/2008 6:58:23 PM



Author: FrekeChild



Go to the news.




Call you CC and dispute the charges.




Fly to NYC and get her another gown.





You are not being treated right. This is BS and she needs her bum handed to her on a plate.





Seriously. Go to the news.

ditto

Thritto! This is just ridiculous! Miracles, there''s no way you can let things end like this. The salon and their representatives need to be held accountable for misrepresenting their merchandise and for their horrific customer service

Thritto + 1 that is ridiculous you deserve to be treated better then this and so does you daughter.


Bad publicity will cost them dearly.

Thritto + 2. This is sooooo ridiculous!!

Okay. I agree, at least try the news. It may not work, but it''s at least worth a try. Craaaazy! Could you call another Michelle Roth salon and see if they can give you better contact info for someone at Michelle Roth? Just tell them that THEIR designs will look bad because of this crazy salon! I am so sorry.

I am sending a whole desert-load of PS dress-working-out dust to you and your daughter!

 

[miraclesrule]

Y'all are amazingly supportive and validating. I am eternally grateful.

As far as the news goes, I wouldn't want the negativity to be a part of the memory of her wedding, however, that doesn't mean I am just letting this go. We still have to go back each week until the wedding next month. I am not going to allow them to stress my daughter out at this time, nor consume myself with the negative toxic energy perpetuated by the ego of the salon owner. But you can bet your bippy that this will not go unaddressed. The more they chose to ignore, the more fierce will be my roar....if they don't start playing fair and reasonably accomodating.

purrfectpear- This isn't just about the dress not being representative of the sample dress. That would be petty and simplifies the issue. It's the manner in which the salon manager and/or the designer have not responded and/or flippantly responded to me pointing the issues out with my daughter's dress and the ensuing drama that we have had to endure and the treatment we still receive simply because we want the dress to look the way it can and should look. That is really the crux of the matter. There were several opportunities for them to address the obvious problems with the dress, but none of them were taken and we have had to take it upon ourselves to get the problem fixed. That is not acceptable service standards. Especially since we paying for all of this and our additional time in order to get what we paid for in the first place.

The insulting treatment, the reprehensible service, and the blatant inconsistencies and absurb excuses and lies were all unwarranted. Granted, this is a very detailed dress, which is why it is all the more important that they are upfront and honest, instead of caring only about making the sell and closing the deal.

I was so consumed last night by my primary focus, and that was fixing this dress to look presentable walking down the aisle and enjoying her wedding night and the photos she will have taken. After I ensure that primary goal, than I will entertain and exhaust all remedies, if I even care. I do believe in Karma.

 

[Stephanie]

MR, I am so, so sorry that this company is treating you this way. It''s really very sickening.

http://sandiego.bbb.org/WWWRoot/Report.aspx?site=26&bbb=1186&firm=9000298

Here''s some other information from the BBB if you don''t already have it. For some reason, they are listed under a different name. Looks as if they have had some other issues that were resolved but when you google the store, other complaints about the dresses not being the same (or even close) to the samples comes up.

 

[miraclesrule]

Thanks Stephanie and expressa,

I saw that today online as well. I have access to a database of all corporate information and other legal resources, so we were able to identify the suspended status of the original corporation but missed checking on the LLC expressa...good catch!!

I know a gazillion PI''s too, in fact I used to be engaged to one, but I''d rather forget about that. I broke that off relatively quickly thereafter.

These PI''s can provide me anything I need to know...in fact, it is how I found out that the man I was having a LD relationship with and vacationing with actually had a live-in girlfriend he was cheating on. All it took was one little report. I dropped him like a hot potato. But my heart still bears the scar.

If and when I need them, they will assist me.

Anyway, you ladies totally ROCK!! See, I predicted with my very first post that I was going to need smart, savvy, sexy, funny ladies to get me through this wedding planning, and you didn''t disappoint!!
I certainly came to the right place.

 

[miraclesrule]

1:30 a.m. and I still can''t fall asleep, but I did just check my email and discovered a response from the designer. It was mainly to let me know she just retrieved the email from her junk mail (which was the one I forwarded to her brothers email address, which probably explains why she never received the first two my daughter sent to her email address long before the dress was ever sent.) It was a preliminary response and I imagine that she will be having one-sided conversations with the salon manager, who puts the spin in "spin zone". I sure hope we aren''t disappointed and that she will provide us with the information we need to make this situation right and get a decent bustle created. I want to believe that this designer is of admirable character. I truly do. But for tonight I have no choice but to pray.

 

[pjean]

I''m glad to hear that the designer is now in the loop. I hope she''s helpful, and even if she''s not it will take some of the uncertainty out of the situation, I''m sure. (You know, the "if only we could get in touch with her" kind of feeling.)

Fingers crossed for you!

 

[purrfectpear]

miraclesrule, I totally get what you are saying and completely agree that the salon has been in the wrong all the way. I was just commenting on how the media (in their 5 second sound bite manner) would view the issues.

Hopefully the designer will now kick some butt and make everything OK

 

[gwendolyn]

Aye, I hope you get somewhere today. I hate it when stressful situations (especially ones where I''m totally innocent) affect my sleep at night! Always makes the battle seem twice as hard when I''m not well rested!

 

[choro72]

Aiiyee, I hope the designer is good with follow up emails...She''d better give you a phone number that works too!

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Thirtto gals! I hope that the designer will do something now that she got the e-mail.

Keep us updated!

 

[spike13]

Did you pay with a credit card?

If so your card may cover this. Call them and dispute the charge. When I''ve done this, they''re reverse the charge until the dispute is investigated. Maybe that will get their attention.

Since you have pictures of when she tried it on and now and can clearly explain what''s wrong you may have a good chance with this.

Good luck.

 

[spike13]

Date: 6/26/2008 4:41:06 PM
Author: Gypsy
Call the press. Seriously. And you can find out who the owner is, I believe that''s public information, and check to see if she''s lying or telling the truth. CALL THE NEWS! Seriously.

That''s a great idea! There''s always a local channel with a consumer watch divison.

Honestly I can''t even read the whole thread because things like this make my blood pressure go up. I admire you didn''t totally lose it!

 

[FrekeChild]

Miracles....make sure and let us know what''s going on with everything. I''ve been thinking about you!!!

 

[pocahontas]

Date: 6/27/2008 7:20:45 PM
Author: FrekeChild
Miracles....make sure and let us know what''s going on with everything. I''ve been thinking about you!!!

What Freke said

 

[miraclesrule]

Thank you SDL for confirming that I wasn''t the crazy one. It''s a good thing I didn''t have your number because I would have been begging you to come with me this past Wed. night. I know you would not have believed what this woman was not doing/saying as much as what she would say. I get so mystified by such behavior that at times I refuse to believe that it is happening. My goal was to just take care of it. But I do get my exasperating sigh going on everyone is awhile which is a sign that the person is getting under my skin. But in this case, the last thing I wanted was to engage in an ugly confrontation with this person while my daughter is standing on the thing on the "whatever they call them, podiums" in her dress and the last thing I want is for her to cry. (My daughtr must have had sore arms from holding the dress up by the hanger straps because it''s still too big) What are you doing next Thursday evening?

mini thread jack: I was so busy at work yesterday because a shopper on a personalized motor vehicle ran into one my employees and knocked her to concrete ground. She had to be taken to the hospital, so I didn''t have the ability to focus on anything but ensuring that our employee was getting the care she needed and investigating the accident. Just as a side note, not to jack my own thread, but It made me sick to to stomach to know that 5 hours after being rushed to the hospital, our sweet 79 year old employee was still laying on a gurney without pain medication and still hadn''t been treated except for a nurse consultation. It wasn''t here locally, it was in VA. When I finally left at the end of the day, another 2 hours later, they were finally taking her for CT scans. I should copy and paste this for the healthcare thread. end mini thread jack

Anyway, during this time, a couple members of my staff looked up the history of the salon during their breaks. When I saw the list of small claims court actions against the salon, I wanted to double over and vomit. But on closer inspection, not a lot of them were recent and the records for ownership are so elusive, that it looks like that haven''t been sued too many times, considering....

But even talking about any of this is making me

I can''t think straight if I am coming from a woe is me mentality. I have three and a half weeks to make sure that my daughters dress is fit to walk down that aisle and that is what I am convinced will happen. I still haven''t heard back from the designer, only than an email indicating she got my email, but she will hear back from me. I am going shopping tommorrow to purchase additonal crinoline like that in the sample dress. If I can''t find it, I will make it tomorrow myself and bring it in on our next fitting. I have two frineds who are designers here in San Diego, and my daughter has even more as she has modeled for, and even produced one charity modeling events'' over the last two years. I am certain we can find one of them who are available to help us if need be. I will buy a bunch of items to ensure the dress will be sitting right, but only as back up. That is a lot...I mean a lot...of dress. (But you should see how beautiful it looked on my daughter. I have to say I was a little proud when other brides-to-be would try it on and it just overpowered them and didn''t work on their bodies. Do you think this is my bad karma?)

I have faith....a lot of faith...in miracles. And if I ever needed a mass miracle mission it''s now. So mass quantities of PS fairy dust please. Because now that I think about it...the salon and the designer need that miracle as much as we do.

 

[miraclesrule]

SDL, now you know why I don''t have any bling yet...I have been saving what I can in order to give my daughter the wedding of her dreams in a dress of her dreams.

 

[risingsun]

MR~before you had your initial response to the dress, what were your daughter's feelings. I'm not saying you're wrong to be upset, but the level of your reaction is so intense. Are you causing your daughter to become more stressed by the situation than she might have been. I am a therapist--and I know how you feel about my profession--however, I think you need to find a way to lower the stress about this dress. It is very costly and the bridal salon and designer have been as useless as mammary glands on a male bovine. You handle corporate crisis...you can do this. I think if you follow a logical plan, karma will take care of itself.

 

[surfgirl]

Date: 6/28/2008 5:22:01 PM
Author: risingsun
MR~before you had your initial response to the dress, what were your daughter''s feelings. I''m not saying you''re wrong to be upset, but the level of your reaction is so intense. Are you causing your daughter to become more stressed by the situation than she might have been. I am a therapist--and I know how you feel about my profession--however, I think you need to find a way to lower the stress about this dress. It is very costly and the bridal salon and designer have been as useless as mammary glands on a male bovine. You handle corporate crisis...you can do this. I think if you follow a logical plan, karma will take care of itself.

Marian, sage advice, as always...

 

[miraclesrule]

Date: 6/28/2008 5:22:01 PM
Author: risingsun
MR~before you had your initial response to the dress, what were your daughter's feelings. I'm not saying you're wrong to be upset, but the level of your reaction is so intense. Are you causing your daughter to become more stressed by the situation than she might have been. I am a therapist--and I know how you feel about my profession--however, I think you need to find a way to lower the stress about this dress. It is very costly and the bridal salon and designer have been as useless as mammary glands on a male bovine. You handle corporate crisis...you can do this. I think if you follow a logical plan, karma will take care of itself.

The answer to that question is no. My daughter is not more stressed because of me. She has the same feelings I do, she just doesn't have the intensity of emotion all the time, at the time. She is the type that will go and vent to her friends and/or cry when she gets home. She doesn't like this type of confrontation. But she hasn't really had to because she trusts that we , she and I, can make it better, even if, as you say the salon and designer have as useless as mammary glands on a male bovine. (That was pretty funny, by the way). We trust that someone will step up. And if they don't, I think we have demonstrated we are capable of doing that ourselves.

And I don't understand what you mean about knowing how I feel about your profession. I know many effective, competent therapists in many professions, even the mental health profession, if that is what you referring to. I also used to work for an entire group of psychotherapist's, LCSW's, PhDs... and there were as many awful practitioners as there were useless ones.

I am always relatively passionate, both good and bad. My feelings were far more intense than my reactions to it. I am venting on this board, not in the salon or the designers face. I have my Moon and Mars in Aries. Fiery gal. But it's like a flash fire...and I use it far more often in my professional life than my personal life. It's why I have been successful. I get too burnt out at work to have to be putting out fires in my personal life.

I think I already mentioned that I wish to avoid the negative toxic energy that would come with some of the suggestions given to me. Instead, I had a 2 hour sesion with a therapist for craniosacral and deep tissue massage bodywork on Friday evening and then enjoyed a baby shower and a Padre game yesterday.

Today I will re-charge my batteries and get down to contingency planning.

But I do understand the concern and caution in your message. Your concern is that I don't overreact and that my actions and words don't upset my daughter needlessly. I assure you that it is not, and I that my goal is to ensure that nothing needlessly stresses out my daughter...or myself for that matter.