Let me share MY experience with Alfred Angelo in Cherry Hill, NJ. I have had some minor troubles with David’s Bridal in the past, so I decided to buy my gown at Alfred Angelo. I found a beautiful dress with the assistance of Rusty, who got me a great deal. He was so wonderful that I decided to have my bridesmaids get their dresses there. I made the appointment months in advance, and because my party was so large (five bridesmaids, a flower girl, two moms, and a grandmom), the store scheduled me to come in one hour before opening. I called to confirm closer to the date, and we were ready to go.
The morning of the appointment, my friends all met up at the store front, including my matron of honor who traveled from her military base in Virginia to be there for the appointment that was scheduled months prior. As we approached the door, rain pouring down, the store manager mouthed that they were closed. The flower girl’s father got her to open the door, where we explained that we had an appointment. After being informed that the appointment was lost because the store has a new manager (who is incompetent), I was told by this fearless leader that she’d try to fit me in, when I explained that “trying” was not an option seeing as out-of-town members of the party were here for one day only. I considered leaving at that point, but not only would my girls get a discount seeing as I bought my dress there, but my fiancé’s grandmother got her wedding gown at Alfred Angelo and I sentimentally went against my better judgment and usual lack of tolerance for ineptitude.
The vapid manager set us up with a rude woman who was very unprofessional and whose services were a far cry from the exceptional service Rusty provided. She forced one of my bridesmaids to be her secretary for the day, writing down all the sizing information, colors, etc. since the store was unprepared for my appointment. She pulled me aside at one point and said, “You have to get your mother under control. Her coral color choice will ruin the entire color scheme of your wedding.” I explained that my mother was not a child and could get whatever color dress she wished.
It is to be expected that bridal salons will order all dresses at least one size too big so customers will be forced to get alterations, but two of my bridesmaids and my mother actually tried on dresses that fit perfectly -- no guessing was necessary, but larger sized dresses were ordered anyway.
I had actually scheduled an appointment for my alternations with Alfred Angelo because I was told they would put in my bustle at that point, and I (stupidly) didn’t realize that any seamstress could do this. As the dresses came in, each of my bridesmaids reported that the store was discourteous upon pickup. My party actually made appointments to pick their dresses up, but walk-ins were helped as my loved ones were ignored for up to twenty minutes. We had all planned on getting alternations at Alfred Angelo, but all decided against it, including me. I canceled my appointment, explaining my dissatisfaction with the store, where the insipid manager struck again with, “Awww, really?” No apology. No admittance of guilt. No compensation.
I thought it was my own fault for not walking out the moment I sensed dissention, until yesterday, when I was informed that my fiancé’s mother was sold a dress that did not fit. Her measurements are the same they were the day of the fitting. The wrong size of dress was ordered, and Alfred Angelo has refused to make good on their end. They have also refused to provide us with a phone number of anyone higher on the chain of command than their useless store manager. They claim the dress cannot be altered because of the material, but they said they may be able to work around it (by, for instance, changing the ¾ sleeves into sleeveless, which was not what my mother-in-law wanted, obviously, and adding more fabric that they have to order that may not be here in time) for a cost that is equal to that of the dress. (Mind you, my dress was heavily altered by Fashion Stitch in Mount Laurel for $200 and it looks incredible. Alfred Angelo wants to charge my mother-in-law more than that to fix their error.) They also cannot guarantee that it will be done by July 15.
My fiancé’s sister is getting married next summer. She already had her Alfred Angelo dress picked out, but she will not be spending a dime at this store after her experience as a bridesmaid. We’re all in our twenties with plenty of weddings to come. Is it really worth the $200 to Alfred Angelo to lose all of this business? I had “issues” with David’s Bridal, but I’ll take pushy salespeople over the incompetence I’ve experienced at Alfred Angelo ANY day. I would not recommend shopping here to my worst enemy.