May 23, 2013

Bridesmaid-zilla

So my beautiful, smart, amazing college roommate got engaged in February. I talked about it here. Literally just 2 or 3 days after her now fiance popped the question, she picked out her bridesmaids dresses at David's Bridal. All but one of the dresses were purchased that day, and the last one was purchased a day or two after that. So seriously, we wasted NO time. She chose this extremely precious dress and started planning her what is to be stunning blush and gray wedding to take place on June 29th. The Bride knew it there wasn't going to be a lot of time before the wedding date, and chose this dress because it was one they were able to guarantee to be available for her wedding date.


When she initially chose this dress, the sales girl (who was total ditz through the entire consultation, so I'm told) told the bride and reassured her multiple times the dress would be here in plenty of time for the wedding and with ample time to spare for  alterations specifically for me, because the dress didn't come in my size. When I purchased my dress at a different location than she was at, but on the same day, my sweet sales girl told me that it would be here by May 20th at the absolute latest, and that dresses always arrive sooner than that expected time. She said she had never, ever seen a dress take that long to arrive in the store. I also asked how long to expect for alterations, she said 4 to 6 weeks, which would be JUST enough time to allow for 1-ish week of me being able to practice walking down the isle in it in my apartment. KIDDING.. ok, seriously, not kidding.

In case you haven't been able to draw this conclusion on your own, the expiration date for Mr. David to sew up one of these dresses was Monday. I called yesterday to just check and see, what was up--I had a week to spare, so a day or two was no big deal. The very nice customer service rep at the store I purchased my dress from told me that the dresses had yet to leave the warehouse because they were delayed by weather, but ALAS, they would be here before the end of the week. Okay, cool. I understand crap and weather happens. Whatever weather they are having, I'm not sure, but I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt and pretend their warehouse is in Oklahoma. Another bridesmaid that called about her dress (purchased at a different location) was also given the same alibi, so our anxiousness was subsided and we were patiently waiting for the end of the week.

The bride's sister is also planning a wedding. They picked out their dresses a month after we purchased ours. Their dresses arrived in the store the same week they ordered them. So that doesn't help the situation any.

Today, 3 days after the initial latest possible arrival time, someone called the Bride during one of her wedding showers and told her;

"I'm not sure why they told you your dresses would be in this week or all of this about weather and what not, your dresses have not even been shipped and will not be in the store until at least June 20th or sometime." 

{queue the record scratch}


Okay, I may not have been a math wiz, buuuuut that is not going to cut it. 
I paid for a dress that was supposed to be here on May 20th. I paid for a dress that was to be worn in a June 29th wedding!!
No. No. nonononono. Heeeeeell no. 
Also, why have we been given some other story if it isn't true. Way to throw your own employees under the bus there, boss. 

Now how can I have the dress altered by then if it is supposed to take 6 weeks?! I can't even go to someone other than Senor David to have my dress altered, because that's not enough time for ANYONE!!

I am livid that myself, and the rest of the bridal party paid for these dresses that we can't wear anywhere much less to the wedding they were purchased for. I have no idea what we are going to wear now! I am even more mad on my friend's behalf than I am my own.  As far as I am concerned, David's Bridal has done a fantastic job of ruining, not only the shower they blindsided her out, but also a very huge part of my best friend's wedding by not holding up their end of the contract. 

Never will I ever do business with David's Bridal again! Or men's warehouse or shutterfly or any of it's partner companies.
Nor will I allow my friends to give them the opportunity of potentially ruining their wedding too! Consider this your public service announcement. 

4 comments:

  1. When I went to David's Bridal to find a wedding dress, I was NOT impressed with how they handled me, as a paying bride. They picked out everything but what I told them I wanted and rushed me to pick something out. No. Just no. I left angry and upset and ended up buying my dress at a local shop. I've never been impressed with how the treat their customers so sadly, this story comes as no shock to me.

    I hope that you guys can figure something out!! I'm sure whatever it is, the wedding will be even more beautiful than it would have been before!

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  2. oh my goodness, good luck trying to figure this all out. the bride must be going nuts and so worried at this point!!!

    i went to davids bridal for my gown shopping, and i agree with the blogger above- they were SO rushy and giving me everything OPPOSITE of what i was looking for. they kept shoving dresses at me telling me "that was the one" and that i should buy it and i hated every minute that i was in the store! then on top of that, they phone called me every week basically up until the month before my wedding to have me set appointment to dress shop!!!

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    1. (end of story: i did NOT buy at davids bridal. nor will i ever, or recommend them!!)

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  3. My letter to Davids bridal-Margaret Fickey
    My Experience on my special day. We can into your location after shopping at the winner in PA. My mother and my bridesmaids and sister. I filled out my paperwork and went back towards the dressing rooms. My foster mother and sister looked at racks knowing what I was looking for due to what we seen at the winner and picked out a few dresses. As I was standing there just getting done with shaking your employee Lisa's hand named Lisa my sister and mother brought over 3 dresses they thought I would like, she immediately scolded them and told them that would be all the dresses they could pick out. I thought that was odd and the look on their faces were of shock as well as mine. I shrugged it off and allowed her to continue, my bridesmaids were also searching for dresses there as well including one of my sisters that has cancer on her arm called Granuloma annulare its a benign cancer. It forms in circles on the skin. The employee Lisa seen her in a dre...ss and went up to her and told her that she cant be trying on dresses with ringworm on her arm. My sister was devastated. I understand there are protocols that your employees must make to assure sanitation safety but she could of taken her aside and asked her in a professional manor and we would of understood, and my sister could of explained that it was cancer, instead she was embarrassed and hurt. Even after this we try to make the best of the rest of our time there and we chose not to say anything. Lisa had asked me what my budget was after finding only one possible maybe dress and I explained my budget was 500. She said there was a dress that was off white, it was some sort of dress that was made as a trial for davids bridal and it didn't go over well so it was now clearance. She brought it over looked at the price tag said it was with the discount a little over 4oo. I tried it on and even though that wasn't a dress I originally seen myself getting, I loved it. After taking it off LIsa said she was sorry it was 600.00 and that was with the sale price. I didn't understand how that happened. So I tried on other dresses but came back to that dress being my favorite. Our experience on such a emotional, special day, was dampened by this employee and even though she told me shes worked there for 4 years my guess is Im not the only complaint because Im pretty laid back and can usually take a realm of different personalities but this was to much. I lost my mother 6 months ago to cancer, it was a emotional day because she wasnt there with me, my sister has cancer (benign thank god) but the way she went about speaking with my family today was beyond unprofessional. My family ended up buying that dress for a higher price then what I was told. Mfickey@aol.com

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