Pressured to make final dress payment - Or is it just me?

rands09

Knotties:

So, my dress finally came in...yay!

Here's where I would love feedback:

I ordered it June, for my April 2010 wedding from Francesca's Bridal shop. I was told of course, that it would be in any time between December-February. So the last time I spoke with the shop, when my BMs were ordering their gowns, a month ago, I asked if they had any idea when it would be in. I was told that they didn't know, it could be up to 2 months from then...okay, fine...

So, I get this call from the shop on Thursday night...good news, my dress is in! "Great!" I said, "So when can we make an appointment for me to come in, try it on and make the final payment? Next week is really crazy for me with the holiday and all, but any day after that would be great..." To which I was told, well, you have to pay for it Now. Today, as in, we'll take an over the phone credit card payment tonight....

Whoa! Is is just me? Or was I wrong in expecting to be able to make an appointment, come in, see the dress, try it on, and then complete payment? I felt very pressured and rushed, and I told them so. I didn't make the payment over the phone Thursday night because, frankly, I felt ticked off. So, they called again yesterday ( Friday) again, asking me to make payment over the phone if I couldn't get in in person yesterday evening. Wow. It just seemed tacky to me. So, I went ahead and paid it over the phone (the balance was $950), but man.

So what about you guys? How did your salons handle your final payment request? Is what I experienced par for the course? I mean, I had every intention of  paying for my dress, but I just feel that they were very tacky about asking for it...would love your opinions!

kimbrout

I think that's a little odd. 

I purchased my dress from Gamberdella's.  At the time of ordering it, they informed me what their payment policy was.  50% was due at the time of ordering, and the remaining 50% + alterations was due at my final fitting.

I think it's incredibly strange that they didn't tell you what their policy was up front, and that they just expected you to fork over all of that money over the phone, without any notice whatsoever. 

Vanessa-A

I personally agree w/pp that it seems odd. They should have told you the payment policy beforehand instead of calling you and asking for payment over the phone and then again the next day.

rands09

Thanks, so it wasn't just me! And no, at no point was it discussed that payment would be due the very day that the dress came in! I was told that it was 55% down, and the balance due upon delivery of the dress, to me. I still have not seen the dress, but they literally hounded me to pay for it the day it came in, holiday and weather be damned!

I didn't think that it was unreasonable to expect to actually come in and see and touch the dress, try it on for the first time, before being asked to pay for it.

Up til now, I would rate my experience dealing with them as fairly positive. Now, I totally have a bad taste in my mouth from a customer service perspective. After I paid the balance, I then was asked if I planned on having them do my alterations. To which, of course, I said no. They also asked if I wanted to talk about purchasing my veil and headpiece at that time. No again. I'll get them, but not from this shop. Ugh...

unionbay7

That seems pretty sketchy.  I would get over there and get your dress asap.  I'd be afraid there is a problem with the shop or dress  to demand payment in that fashion.  I, personally, would have refused to pay until I saw the dress, what if you go see it and it has a stain or is the wrong size or something?  That would be my concern. 

My salon was great.  I paid 50% up front and then they let me come see it, try it on, and then held it for me until the week before the wedding so I didn't have to find storage for it, and as long as the dress was still in the shop I didn't have to pay the balance.  GL! I hope it all works out!

rands09

That's what I was afraid of....My intial reaction was to refuse until I could make it into the shop, after the holidays, but they kept calling and were so persistant, FI and I decided to pay it to stop the calls. But you have reminded me of why I was so skeptical of the calls for phone payments in the first place...what if they are on the brink of bankruptcy or something?

Yep, I'll be over there first thing tomorrow when they open...thanks so much for this valuable input!

bethybeach

I am way late on this but it is a good thing you paid by credit card if there is a problem you can dispute the charges.  I hope there isn't any but that is one good thing about credit cards, I have used that tactic in the past.

rands09

Beth: No, you are not too late! As it turned out, there was a problem! I ordered the dress in a size 16, and also paid an additional $175 to have the satin buttons that stop at the waist continue down to the end of the train...

The dress arrived in a size 14 (which, as I had lost a couple of inches off of my measurements since I ordered it, they may get away with, as it will need to be taken in anyway), but the buttons were not attached. The shop claims that the buttons were sent seperately, just unattached. The owner of the shop was out of town, and they said that they could not offer a final resolution until the shop reopens after the holidays, and the owner returns.

They offered to have their seamstress apply the buttons, but I told them no; I would prefer that my seamstress do any alterations on the gown. Besides, their seamstress has more than a few poor reviews on the wedding wire, and I do take those reviews into consideration. As a matter of fact, my shop has a ton on bad reviews, but I didn't find out about the wedding wire until after I had made a downpayment on my dress...

So, now, when the shop opens on 1/2/10, I will go and pick up my dress, along with the buttons that they claim came along with the dress. I want to have them refund at least a part of the money that I paid to have the buttons added/attached, since that service was not done. I am really praying that all is resolved without getting sticky. But yes, to your point - if we cannot resolve this to my satisfaction, or if there are any other "surprise" issues, then I will dispute the purchase...wish me luck :-)

2have2hold

Hey Rands!
As soon as I saw your post I knew you must be referring to Francesca's Bridal. I had (almost) the exact same experience. When my dress arrived they called and tried to get me to pay over the phone. This immediately put me off and I refused.  I told them I'd come in when I could which was the following day. They called the next morning to "confirm" my appointment. I could tell fhat all they wanted was their money. Very unprofessional.
I picked up my dress (which didn't have any issues) and wouldn't even let them do alterations. Their products are fine but I wouldn't recommend the place due to their poor customer service. If you have any questions, feel free to page me on the baltimore board on the nest. Hope everything turns out okay!

rands09

OMG...wasn't that  crazy how they did that? I actually just picked up the dress on Saturday...the buttons that I had originally paid for (which was not done when the dress came in) were put on by their seamstress. I was very hesitant to let her do even that, but took a leap of faith that she couldn't screw that up! It did turn out fine, and like I said, they got away with ordering the wrong size only because I lost weight, and now the 14 will need to be taken in anyway...but man...

What a bad taste left in my mouth over that whole payment thing. I did tell Francesca how much I didn't appreciate being pressured and treated that way, but she still kind of glossed it over, if you ask me. Glad I have my dress, but no, I'm not sure I could recommend them, at least not without a disclaimer. I'm glad it wasn't just me! Happy everything worked out well with your dress though. And like you, I am having someone else (Sheryl Kelm) do my alterations...I was just glad to get my dress outta there :-)