WildBride

I am hesitant to write this review because I am tired from dealing with conflicts and confrontation with the owner of this store, to the point that it's giving me anxiety; I am hoping I do not receive any communication from them after this post. The staff was average, friendly but not especially knowledgeable--I was helped by an employee and have been working the owner since. I ordered a made to order, custom sized dress. It arrived, and I was excited in the moment and took it home, but when I saw the photos of myself I was shocked. The dress was way too tight, puckering at my hips and not sitting right. It was so tight it looked vulgar. The owner has implied that this is probably because of me gaining weight, but looking back at our records the store said I was between a size 6 and 8. On my order form they submitted a size 6, this very same order form says "We highly recommend sizing up when your measurements fall in between sizes as you can always take in the dress during alterations," and it appears they failed to follow their own advice. To be clear, my clothes all fit the same and my size has not changed for some 10 years. I went the seamstress the owner personally recommended, and he said the measurements they took made no sense. The seamstress said to return the dress and not waste my time with alterations because it's the shop's error, and that he would even provide this statement for me in writing if need be. After a series of emails and back and forths the owner agreed to take the dress back, and I am thankful she did so. However, when I arrived she notified me of a 12% restocking fee. I was upset I have to pay this considering the error was in her shop's part, but the owner said this was necessary because I am not electing to reorder the dress in a new size (would you want to test your luck a second time?). She threatened to not complete the return if I didn't pay, said she was "too busy" to tell me in advance, and claimed she wrote that she was only going to take the dress back if I ordered another; which upon review is false. I paid because of her threat, and I feel lied to and strong-armed. Per my credit card company, signing a contract that finalizes a sale does not protect a company from issuing a refund based on their own error. The treatment I received, the choice to not tell me about the restocking fee in advance of my visit during our many emails, the suggestion that I gained weight, and the owner's cold, confrontational, demeaning attitude in general has left a really bad taste in my mouth. I would not be writing this review had it solely been a matter of making a mistake; it's also the blame placed on me, and the unnecessary effort and stress it took to achieve a some semblance of a resolution. On top of all of it, the store took no accountability for their errors, and acted like taking my return was some form of doing a favor for me. In the end I still had to call the credit card company to recover the restocking fee. It is the store's responsibility and a reflection of their values to let me walk out with a dress that doesn't fit me, and stating that I signed a contract accepting the dress plays upon my lack of experience with the bridal industry. It plays on the emotions of excitement that occur when we see ourselves in something special, and it is frankly predatory and dishonest. I have had a few months to learn about bridal, but this owner has had years and should have had my back.