Texas-Austin

Brides BEWARE - Alfred Angelo

Hello Austin Knotties,

I wanted to caution you all about an experience I had with Alfred Angelo.  I bought a dress there in late September and had a nightmare on Sunday morning (1/29) that my dress didn't fit at my wedding and for some reason I just couldn't shake the bad feeling so I went into our guest room closet where the dress had been in its garment bag since the day I brought it home and after a closer look, I notice the sales tag did say it was a 24W but the tag sewn into the dress said it was a 22W.
Distraught and in tears, my fiancé called the store for me where he was told that they didn’t have any appointments available but that if we wanted we could come in and look at other dresses on our own.  They went on to tell him that because the dress I purchased is a discontinued item, that all sales are final.  But that they would check with the Regional manager and see if they could make an exception and offer me a store credit, but that it would be a few days before they hear anything. We drove into Austin (we live about 25 miles away outside of Manor) to look at the remaining dresses in my budget, none of which fit or were anything close to a style I like.  They said I could come back this Friday and talk the seamstress to see if anything could be done.  However if they are able to do alterations, it would require going up the equivalent of 2+ sizes. And although I am not a professional seamstress, I know enough to say with confidence that it will not look the way it is supposed to.  Furthermore the only appointment they had that would even come close to working for me is still going to make me have to take some time off work. I will also say that one of the young ladies at the store (I don’t recall her name, but it wasn’t the one who helped me try on a couple of dresses) even asked me when the wedding was and if I thought I would be able to lose enough weight between now and then.  I can’t tell you how demeaning and embarrassing that was for me.  It should never have been suggested at all, let alone broadcasted in front of my fiancé, best friend, and a store full of strangers.  It’s difficult enough for a plus size bride to find a nice dress that will fit without making them feel bad about their figure in the process.  Needless to say, I left the store in tears. I spent 10 years working at Macy’s part time, most of those in management or training new employees on customer service skills.  And I would never think of treating a customer that way or making them wait several days to find out if there will be any resolution at all to their issue.  Especially considering it concerns a wedding dress - which is a major focal point in the biggest day of woman’s life.  Frankly, I am surprised at the lack of authority that the assistant manager had in terms of not being able to offer a resolution without consulting the regional manager.

Yesterday, I got a call from Jennifer Torres, Regional Manager for Alfred Angelo (Phone number 888-203-4541 ext. 108 or 210-561-9036) and they refuse to give me any refunds or store credits.

W
ords are insufficient to describe the emotional toll and aguish that this has caused me over the past week and will continue to cause me until the situation is satisfactorily resolved.  After my experience, I do not want any part of my wedding to be associated with Alfred Angelo.  A wedding is supposed to be a joyous occasion and it is the one moment in a woman’s life when all eyes are on her.  She should be treated like a princess, not a problem.

Ultimately, I bought a gorgeous new dress Sunday at David's and Candice was absolutely fabulous and turned my tears into excitement!  And my bridesmaids are getting their dresses from Belle Saisson and Tracy over there has been amazing.

I hope for your sake you will go somewhere else other than Alfred Angelo so you don't end up in a similar situation. They only care about you until they get your money and are not interested in fixing their own mistakes.

Re: Brides BEWARE - Alfred Angelo

  • Oh my goodness, Jackiejo... I am so sorry you had to go through something so traumatizing. I've had the same exact nightmare (sometimes the dress is too big, sometimes too small) so you're not alone. But I will definitely make sure not to refer anyone to Alfred Angelo! And you should seriously consider taking this to TheConsumerist.com. They're a consumer advocacy website that gets MAJOR traffic and one that most companies monitor for stories about them (I have a computer manufacturer as a client and check that site first thing every morning). You may also want to consider mentioning this on Twitter if you have an account. I know that AA can't undo the hurt they've caused, but you never know what they might offer to make it up to you! A bride should never be treated this way...
  • WOW. I can't believe any store would treat someone like that. That's absolutely ridiculous. I'm shocked that they wouldn't even give you store credit! It was THEIR mistake. It's not like you ordered a different size by choice! I was thinking about using them as my source for bridesmaids dresses, but i am definitely reconsidering that now. Thanks for the heads up!
  • erolliserollis member
    Sixth Anniversary 1000 Comments 25 Love Its Name Dropper
    edited February 2012
    I am horrified at how you were treated! The lack of compassion, understanding and customer service is upsetting to say the least. I am happy that in the end you found a dress. I would advise other brides no matter what bridal store you go to be cautious. One of my BMs did get the wrong dress from Alfred Angelo but she didn't double check before signing that it was the correct number written down. I on the other hand hand had wonderful service at Alfred Angelo (north location)and horrible service at Davids. My Moh almost didn't get her dress from davids because they kept loosing it or didn't have it in their system. It took them 3 months to get her dress after it was supposed to be in already. When she went to pick it up it took them an hour to find it! More problems then good things tends to be common with chain bridal shops. I hope everything goes smoothly the rest of the time and you have a wonderful wedding day. I'm certain that you look fantastic in your dress! You need to report that location and the manager to the Better Business Bureau.
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  • Hello, Jackie and Austin Knotties.

    We have researched and understand that this dress was tried on in-store and purchased immediately, not ordered, and that having tried it on, the bride understood the size of the dress she was purchasing.

    We further understand that the bride met with alterations during that visit.

    In the interest of customer service, we have allowed a store credit in the amount of her purchase toward another dress.

    We stand behind our service and our gowns, and we welcome your comments and your visits. For futher testimony about Alfred Angelo, please visit us on http://facebook.com/AlfredAngeloBridal

    Thanks!
  • erollis: I had a similar problem with David's Bridal when I was ordering a bridesmaid dress from them. I ordered it, and paid in cash well before the deadline. A few months later, they called me and asked me to come in. I assumed my dress was ready for pickup. They told me that somehow, the dress i ordered, in the color i ordered it was overordered, and I had to choose a dress from the clearance, or special occasions, and I was very limited as to what I could choose from, and they were only giving me 50% store credit. I didn't think it was possible for that to even happen because they keep track of the amounts of dresses on their computer. The bride (my best friend at the time) didn't believe me, and she called the store and they told her that I had never ordered my dress, even though I had, and I had a witness with me. I'm not sure if they were just trying to save their own butts and lied to the bride, but one of us got lied to, and she believed David's Bridal and thinks that I just didn't order my dress, so we are no longer friends, amongst other reasons.
  • Sonya- I'm sorry that David's helped with the friendship ending. I find it sad that they felt the need to lie. That must a been such a pain to find a new dress. Plus how dare they rip you off like that!

    I personally don't think very highly of David's because 80% of the time I, or someone I know, has had poor service from any location they go too.
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  • Update: As Alfred Angelo posted above, they did finally give me store credit, but only after numerous calls from me and my fiance, calls to my local media friends and a very proactive Facebook and Twitter campaign on my end.

    Bottom line is they sold me a dress that was mis-tagged with the wrong size - I thought I was getting a 24 and it was not. I would have never intentionally purchased a dress that was 2 sizes too small because the pressure it would put on me to lose weight and the cost of alterations would have been ridculous. 

    And they are correct in that I did try on the dress.  Of course, when you are trying on a dress, you depend on the seamstress to make a professional and reasonable determination of the extent of alterations you might need. and if there's 6+ inches in the back where the dress doesn't close and you cant see your back then your seamstress should tell you that. A typical dress can only be let out 1-2 inches on each side without compromising the integrity and look of the dress.

    Bottom line, I am still not 100% satisfied. All I wanted is my money back. But now that's going to cost them way more in negative pr, time and hassels than it would have cost to simply refund my purchase.

    And regardless of how they want to try and spin it, it was a horrible experience in my opinion. 

    And from a marketing and customer service standpoint, in the end the only thing that matters is the perception of your customers.

    Thanks to my Austin knotties for your support and encouragement.
  • jackiejo77: I am also currently having a horrible experience with Alfred Angelo. I ordered my wedding dress in November 2013 & my wedding is next week OUT OF STATE. I paid for rush shipping and was told that my dress would be in at the end of February 2014 or first week in March. I already have flight arrangements and pre-wedding events starting on Monday, March 10!!!!! I called early in the week and was told that my dress shipped on Feb 28 then I made another call today because I hadn't received a call from them. I was told that my dress just shipped today and it wouldn't be here until Monday or Tuesday (March 10th or 11th). Words cannot describe how disappointing and upsetting this is. Now I have to reschedule my flight which will most likely result in me paying more money. I have paid for venues for my pre-wedding events which I will not be able to be in attendance to my own events because I'm stuck here in Houston waiting for my dress to arrive. This doesn't even allow enough time for alterations or anything. In addition, I had to cancel my bridal session photo shoot because my dress isn't here. This is such a horrible experience that a bride should not have to go through. This has been stressful for me financially, mentally and emotionally.
  • To the OP (zombie thread from 2012); most stores have a policy of once you walk OUT of a store with a gown, no refunds, exchanges or returns.  I'd be glad you got credit.

    As for myself, I had a FANTASTIC experience with the Alfred Angelo in the Arbor Walk.

    Julie was my initial consultant, and she was great at explaining what I could expect from my fitting.  Granted, I went in, told her the dress I wanted to try on, and that was the ONLY dress I tried on.  HOWEVER, she was INCREDIBLY knowledgeable about the location of my wedding, so was able to tell me when a dress my sister pulled would be too formal for my venue.  I appreciated that knowledge (not, mind you that I was super interested in the other gown, but that sort of knowledge is invaluable to a bride who worries about such things!).

    I ordered style #1516 in viola, so it took some time coming in. 

    However, once it DID come in, I went in to the store and tried on MY DRESS.  This was to make sure it was EXACTLY what I had ordered, was the right size, and so that when I walked out the door, I couldn't turn around later and say "This gown is WRONG!!!"

    My ONLY complaint with AA was this:
    The gowns are YOUR designs.  Why can't an in-house seamstress give me a GENERIC quote about the cost of a hem and a bustle?  I don't expect that quote to be in stone or firm, but for goodness sake, give me a ballpark for my budget!   

    I also didn't get my certificate with my gown, but no biggie.  The store manager QUICKLY made that right with me.  And I appreciated that!!

    For @luvhorrors; is there any way to contact the store you ordered from and have it shipped, instead, to a store near where you are going to be?  Also, when you ordered your gown, they TOLD you the gown wouldn't arrive until the first week of March.  The first full week of March ended on the 8th.  Where in your planning did you even build in time for alterations and steaming of your gown?  During your pre-wedding events?  That's cutting it too close, and quite possibly, unless you already had a seamstress on retainer who would be willing to work with such a tight schedule, it wasn't going to happen at all.  And, unless in your contract you have a date where it's supposed to be in yours hands...I'm sorry, but that lack of planning is on you.  Why did you wait for so long to order your gown?  If you'd gone out to the main forums here on The Knot, in Attire and Accessories, ANYONE there would have told you to order your gown at LEAST 6 months in advance.  You only gave them less than 4 months to make your gown. 

    That stress is all on you.  It sounds mean, but "A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine."
  • RD143RD143 member
    First Comment
    edited March 2014
    I am glad I took the time to read this. I was planning to visit the Alfred Angelo, but, after reading the detailed statement it's clear it was a disconnect. For anyone to ask a bride if she could loose weight is beyond immature. My heart just goes out that person. While I'm not a plus size women, I can't see how anyone would say such a thing. I would have hoped they would have been more focused on customer service. If the tag was wrong in the dress that's a store issue. Seems like it would have been best to accommodate the customer than provide a statement that was dry and uncaring. I have no clue where to go to start looking for a dress now... :-(
  • I know this is an older thread but I thought I'd add to it just in case you're still looking for a gown.

    I bought my gown from Serendipity Bridal in Austin.  Really loved the experience so far. Nice staff, really listened to what I was looking for.   They ordered it and it came in on time.  My wedding isn't until Nov so I won't go in for a fitting until the end of summer or later but I'm going to go just try it on next week because I don't think I can wait until summer to see it again!  
    We had our dream wedding in Las Vegas - 11.29.2014
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