I had a tailoring emergency, and Ellie's saved the day! In and out suit pants hemming in under 20mins. $20. Could not be more pleased. The hem was done perfectly, exactly where I wanted it. Courteous on the phone and in the store. I was in from out of town for a wedding - this is the only time I've ever used Ellie's - but based on this one experience it leaves me wondering what people are on about with the 1 star reviews talking about poor customer service and exorbitant prices. My experience was great, and they were the only alteration place among the four others I called in the area who did the tailoring in house and could accommodate my same-day request. I can't speak for how they do with more complex alterations - but I would wholeheartedly recommend for anyone needing to get their trousers hemmed! read more

Leaving the review purely based on the lack of customer service. My wife was calling around to obtain some quotes on minor alterations, and the representative picking up the phone simply replied: "We don't do quotes, we've been open 45 years." I guess they have enough customers and aren't interested in new business ‍ read more

Avoid this shop of horrors! If this place were a restaurant, they would've been shut down. I support local businesses and want them to succeed. I do not support local businesses ruining unsuspecting customers' merchandise, having to pay exorbitant prices for their incompetent work, and being yelled at on a perfectly beautiful day for pointing out that the work was not done properly. I should've listened to the long stream of negative reviews that sounded unbelievable. What a mistake. My experience ended up being unbelievable and **cost ME $140** for terrible work and a terrible experience. They ruined a perfectly beautiful pair of custom-made pajama tops and refused to take proper responsibility for it. The simple order I placed was to add a button hole at the top of each of two gorgeous custom-made organic cotton pajamas with piping to better fit my petite size. At pick up they handed me a butchered pair of pajama tops, each with indeed a new buttonhole, but with shockingly terrible frayed stitching in a mismatched color threading different from all the other buttonholes. On top of that, the spacing between the new buttonholes they had made was completely different and shorter than all of the even spacing for all of the other button holes. When I pointed out this work was not acceptable, instead of acknowledging or apologizing about this obviously terrible workmanship that anyone else could see with their eyes, the seamstress started yelling at me and declared to me and proclaimed that I don't need the same matching color threading, it's going to be hidden behind a button, what's the problem. She then continued to holler that now no other color threading can be used because the hole will just get bigger and render the pajamas unusable, so I should just take them. And that is my fault? And why is she yelling. I took a deep breath and calmly insisted she ask another tailor to do something by hand in the correct thread color. The spacing was done incorrectly, but at least the color could be corrected? I said I could pay for the other items I had on the order on the same ticket because I needed them. She then fiercely and rather aggressively snapped, no, you cannot take any of them, you have to keep them all here until you pick up the other two pajama tops you want redone. This second part is not a quality of work issue, this is a personality issue. Being spiteful and unprofessional on top of being incompetent is quite the trifecta. Save yourself a trip to this bizarre shop of horrors. After being yelled at, the other calmer person at this shop walks out to me while I'm already seated in my car. She hands the two pajama tops back to me and says essentially, we cannot do this work, it cannot be redone. I am waiting for this vendor to reimburse me $140 for the perfectly beautiful pair of custom tailored pajamas they ruined. It took 3 weeks to get these pajamas from E. Europe to wear in the very short weeks of spring we have here. By the time I order another 2 pairs, it will be very hot and I won't be able to wear them until next year. As for the bizarre spiteful personality and dys regulated yelling, I hope this seamstress can do some breathing exercises and learn to act civil, since expecting customer service from this person would be unrealistic. Simply put, this place is a disaster and not fit to be called a tailor shop. I can sew better than this and I don't operate a con shop of a store. As far as I'm concerned, the store is running a fraudulent business even calling themselves a tailor shop. The consumer protection office should be investigating this place. I feel sorry for the other reviewers who paid hundreds of dollars getting even more expensive items altered to a dismal subpar result. I placed several tailoring orders I didn't really need, including this order, to simply give them more business. This was a trial run error before I ordered much bigger custom drapery request. What a mistake it was even putting in this small trial order. A complete fail. read more

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Poor quality for a $40 job. They weren't able to fix the issue without replacing the ribbon and asked if I had more, but there wasn't enough. Thankfully the uniform wasn't expensive, but for such a basic alteration the workmanship didn't match the price. The lackluster apology and no real resolution sealed it for me. I can't recommend them for alterations. read more

Ellie's Alterations & Tailoring - Poor quality for a $40 job. - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - San Diego, California

Elie's used to do good work at a reasonable price. I don't know what happened, but the last time I used them (took in almost 20 items) the results were shockingly bad and their prices had doubled. Very disappointing. read more

I needed my wedding dress hemmed....no other alterations. I took the dress in with a beautiful finished hem. I stead of getting the same type of hem back, the bottom of the gown was just cut and stitched under. I now have visible machine stitching around the bottom of my beautiful dress. I am so upset I could cry read more

The store manager tried to charge us $98 for a simple dress hemming. We took the dress and went to Poway Alteration Center, a few miles further from our house, where they charged us $40. Be advised. read more

Ellie is amazing! She tailored my wedding dress perfectly & even fixed my bustle when I ended up wanting it done differently. The quality of work is wonderful! Danced the night away with my bustle in place & all the alterations were very comfortable. Also, her & her husband are the sweetest people & everyone I interacted with at the shop was great! I will be coming back for all my tailoring needs read more

fast good work, east my yo deal completed alterations quickly. Experience, Good work.

Ellie's is the best!! My family and I have utilized their services for over 10 years! I got my school uniforms altered here - now as an adult she altered my outfit to be the best man in my friend's wedding. Last week they fixed my favorite pair of pants in less than 10 minutes - 14$ - brought it in on the spot. They are pretty amazing at deadlines/turnaround on their work and for a local long time family owned shop their prices are spot on - super fair! I would highly recommend them for alterations and tailoring! read more

I went to two places before going to Ellie's tailoring before someone told me they were willing to make the alterations I requested. I needed to alter the back of my Vegas elopement dress and Ellie and her staff were able to get in done in less than a week. Pricing super fair. Will be back for any other clothing adjustments that I'll need in the future. read more

I've been going to Ellie's since roughly '89. This is one of the few businesses I've known that gets it right the first time, every time. I've currently got one item with her right now, and got two completed jobs back from her during October. I've been watching essential businesses that are a staple in Rancho Bernardo closing, year after year. I'm so grateful that Ellie's is still in business. read more

I took my mother of the groom dress there to be altered. She was very knowledgeable as to what areas needed to be taken in and where the hem should be. They did a very clean and professional job. It was a bit on the expensive side, but I believe that is the case with most alteration places that are good! read more

Should have said they don't have the skill to tailor this material. Guy handed it to my wife and hurried he out so she'd avoid trying on there and charged $70 to ruin a dress. read more

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Ellie expertly hemmed my suit pants for me as I go off to medical school! We were in and out within half an hour, and my pants are looking exactly like what I wanted. She and her team worked patiently with me to achieve the result I wanted. Thank you Ellie! Sepasgozaram read more

Ridiculously overpriced. Cost 40 dollars to hem a pair of pants. When I said that it was a lot she mentioned that it was because there was a lining. He did the work in 10 minutes so the lining couldn't have been that labor intensive. I've been going to this place for years and they slowly keep raising their prices. I'm done. read more

Wow, excellent and quick service at Ellie's. I dropped off my daughter's letterman jacket to have her letter sewed on. In less than 24 hours they called to say it was ready for pick up. The older gentleman was very kind and welcoming. Greeted my daughter and I with warmly both times we came in. We definitely will be coming back to get my daughter's other patches sewed on. read more

Ellie's Alterations & Tailoring - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - San Diego, California

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I think this is my second review fo here. I have only left two yelp reviews in my life and it is for Ellie's. I cannot express how great my experience is here every time I go. I have had various pants tailored, clothes fixed, and buttons sewn on and I am always met with such a sweet welcome no matter who is working and I am always left with beautifully tailored clothes. I send all my friends and family here and all of them also have the best experience. Thank you so much! Emma read more

Very disappointed in that our daughter's bridesmaid dress wasn't pressed after alterations!! Was a wrinkled mess/ had to spend an additional $30 to have it pressed by dry cleaner. read more

Ellie's Alterations & Tailoring - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - San Diego, California

Thank You to Ellie and her team of magical seamstresses!! I brought to her shop two antique sari's and a dress design I drew. She created two beautiful gowns with impeccable skill. Flawless seams and stitch work. The folk's at the shop are all friendly, knowledgeable and professional. I highly recommend Ellie's Tailor Shop in Rancho Bernardo. read more

Customer service felt unwelcoming and rushed. My daughter needed a simple dress hem, no lining involved. I couldn't believe the price for a simple hem was $38.00! Needless to say, I decided to take my money and business elsewhere. I do not recommend this establishment. read more

The team brought my clothes back to life! I have a pair of pants that I absolutely love - they're magic - but the zipper was broken. They replaced it and my pants are like new! I also took in a bridesmaids dress that I wanted hemmed so I could wear as a formal summer dress and it was done perfectly. Thank you Ellie's! read more

Simple alterations but done well and on time. I have been using this establishment for many years and will continue to do so.

This is a hit or miss. Honestly they are nice and the price is good. They have hemmed 2 of my bridesmaids dresses. They didn't do 10 minute pants hemming for me. I have to come two days after. Honestly I was disappointed cause I wanted to wear the pants for my last day of work tomorrow. If you can, find a better place, I would recommend this place if you come here in advance. read more

I was dismissed the second I walked into the door. I've never been treated the way I was treated at Ellie's I have a dress that needs to be taken in at the top and the waist.. The neckline is too big & the waist is loose below the rib cage. I called to ask if I needed an appointment and the women on the phone said to come any time between 9 and 5. I arrived around 3:30. The woman behind the counter asked what I needed and when I told her the dress was baggy in the chest -- she immediately told me there was nothing they could do for that. When I asked about taking the waist in, she rolled her eyes and reluctantly told me to "try it on if you want." When I did- she just shook her head and told me there was nothing she could do and that my dress was to tight (as it's clearly bagging off my chest and waist.) My mother, grandmother and aunt all recommended I go to Ellie's and have been taking their garments there for years. I have a coworker that was also shocked to hear about my experience because she has been patronizing Ellie's for years. As a matter of fact, my mom picked up a dress the same day I had my horrible experience. I left feeling totally blindsided by the whole experience. I went to another tailor who was ready to serve their clientele. As I suspected, the neckline and waist were easily modified and I had my dress back 3 days later for under $40. The lady who pinned my dress laughed when I told her that the employee at Ellie's said the dress was too tight (I'm a size 6 and the dress is an 8) Needless to say- my friends and family won't be taking our business there anymore. So disappointed. read more

I've used Ellie's a few times over the past few years. She does good work and on-time. But recently I took in a dress to be hemmed. They charged me $80!! Not sure if that's the ongoing price, not sure if the business has incurred increased costs of operation post pandemic... I just know I won't be returning back bc I can no longer afford them. read more

0/5 stars. This place gave me and my husband the worst customer service we have ever received. If you gently point out that the alteration isn't up to par, the owner will start ranting about how they've been in business for 40 years instead of trying to correct the mistake. It doesn't matter how long you've been in business; mistakes still happen, and instead of owning up to it and fixing it, the employees will just berate you and yell at you in front of other customers. They'd rather create confrontation and escalate it instead of correcting their lazy tailoring. Had high hopes for this place, but we will not be coming back. PS- The clothing was damaged beyond repair after they "re-did" the alteration. That tells you all you need to know about their lack of care and quality. Go elsewhere. read more

I can always rely on them for a job well done. I'm petite and often come to hem jeans or trousers. Funny how the smallest alteration can make you feel and look more confident. Also really love the staff who are some of the most genuinely kind people. read more

Ellie does great work at a fair price and she's a very sweet lady on top of it all! I've been getting clothes tailored at her shop for 20 years, and I've always been very satisfied with the result. Even after I moved away, I still come back to Ellie's Rancho Bernardo to get things altered. read more

They do a great job, I'll give them that. But I just brought in 2 light cotton dresses, just a simple hem. The charged me $24 each!!!!! I don't think I paid that for either dress read more

Ellie's Alterations & Tailoring - Simple hem - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - San Diego, California

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Very disappointed in their customer service and tailoring. They don't press items after tailoring and charge $15 to take measurements! I was in a bit of a bind so opted to try them one more time and in the middle of helping me with taking my measurements the lady stopped and went to make markings on a customer's pants who came into the store after me, as if my time didn't matter. Very unprofessional and rude. I walked out. This place use to be great about 15 - 20 years ago, but with different staff over the years, the service has really degraded. There are so many other choices, less expensive, that do better quality work, and provide good customer service! read more

I didn't realize the dress I was wearing to a wedding needed hemming and we live out of town. I found Ellie's and called her a few days before the wedding to see if she could hem the dress in 24 hours. She rescued me and was able to do the hem on my dress in time for the wedding! As I was leaving her shop, she noticed that the lining did not get hemmed so she came running out after me. She was able to fix it in 10 minutes and I was on my way. Great service and beautiful work done! read more

I've used Ellie's a couple times in the past but won't be going back. Took in my daughter's bridesmaid dress which just needed the straps adjusted because it was a little big. That was completed fine for $25. Seems a bit high but ok. My dress had a broken button and the top gaped open. When we came to pick up, I put on the dress and I swear it seemed like nothing had been touched. The front still gaped open and the broken button was still there. The older man said to wait for Ellie. She had gone to Vons. He was pretty gruff with me and we overheard him berating someone on the phone who called in. After 25 minutes, I left. I had no idea when Ellie would finally make an appearance and I had another appointment. Came back another day and interestingly enough, the broken button was fixed but the front still gaped open. Ellie was pretty belligerent and said she did all she could. Mind you, I saw zero difference from when I brought it in. She finally came over in a huff and said she could move the too button to cinch up the top. We waited while she did this and it was better. This cost $25. Crazy. Could not wait to get out of there. The place has a creepy feel to it. read more

Unfortunately I think they have new people working there. The stitching was sloppy and off. My jeans were hemmed wrong and they dig don't match the distressed look. I have very expensive clothing I was looking forward to wearing and now I feel they are ruined. read more

There are no words to describe how sweet these people are Eli, her husband and the whole staff are very professional & kind. They did some alterations on my wedding gown as well as my husband's tuxedo. We couldn't be happier with their work! thank you guys read more

I brought my husbands pants to hem, they said they can do it in 10 minutes and I was glad about that. When I came home my husband noticed that the hem is slightly uneven. I came back to ask them to fix it and they were saying it was fine. While I was trying to measure it myself a man, who appeared an owner, called me a "fussy lady" and pretty much kicked me out of the place saying they need to close because it's 5pm. Very rude! How can you say that to your customer? It doesn't matter if I'm right or wrong, you can't offend people like that! Worst customer experience. read more

I am incredibly disappointed with Ellie's and caution folks who are tailoring/altering uniforms to seek a different establishment. After researching some local tailors that note skills in military uniforms, we decided to come to Ellie's to update my husband's uniform with his new rank. Of note, Ellie's website shows that they do uniforms and, in fact, the image they post on their site shows a military uniform. My husband brought in several uniforms for some updates and we explained clearly to the tailor what needed to be done, including the importance of alignment and positioning. After providing a clear explanation of what needed to be done, we also left printed images with the tailor as examples. Upon picking up the uniforms, we were appalled to see that they did not listen whatsoever to our clear instructions and did not reference the photos at all. The patches were cut away, leaving only the rank on the hat. On the uniform top, 2 patches were sewn on at an angle and a third was clearly done incorrectly and attempted to cover up (the rank cut out of an extra patch and sewn on top, making it stick out significantly). With regard to the error they made, they didn't even mention this at the time of our pick up - honesty and accountability do not seem to be of importance in the business practices. Furthermore, the alignment of the hat patch patch is not centered. Sewing on something centered (especially with a seam built-in to the hat as a guide) seems like a very basic skill that any professional tailor should have, given that most adults (in general) can center something correctly with a little effort. The cost we paid for the alterations is not only wasted, but we have to purchase new patches and pay for overnight delivery to rectify their error. If your tailoring needs are very detailed or require someone to follow basic instructions, go elsewhere. They do not seem to have the slightest care for your garments or for quality service. Unfortunately I cannot recommend this place and caution military servicemembers to seek another establishment. read more

They did a fab job with my two dresses in a really short time of 3 days. But their alteration prices are a bit expensive especially hem prices. I spent more altering that the cost of the dresses. I know stupid me. Other than that no complaints. Alteration work is really perfect. 4 stars coz of the price taking 1 star off. read more

I wish I could give 0 stars, because this place definitely earned that. I want to caution everyone from using this place for any service, but especially brides. We had an appointment to get my wedding dress altered, but when we showed up Ellie was not there. The man said she would return at few hours later, so we returned, but she still was not back. That was the first warning sign. When she fitted my dress, she said a bustle would not work with the type of fabric I had, so she planned to hem the dress all the way around. The bodice was too big and the cups to small, which she said she could fix. She was also going to add the straps. During this time, the small shop filled up and she was helping with other customers at the same time. I did not get her full attention, and the work she did showed that. Two weeks later, we went to go pick it up, but only a portion of the work was completed. Half of the dress was hemmed, she did not take it in as much as she should have (I honestly do not think she took it in at all) and the cups were too small so my under boob showed. Her response to my boobs showing was "that would be a lot of work for me to fix" and that I should just wear a strapless bra with Spanx over it. Needless to say, I was devastated and cried in the dressing room. Not only was she unable to complete the tasks she said I could, but she was extremely rude and insulting. Furthermore, my mother had taken her dress to get altered to Ellie a few days before I picked up my wedding dress. Because of this fiasco, my mother did not trust Ellie to alter her dress. So, she went back to the store to get her dress back before Ellie could ruin it. When she went, her dress was not there because Ellie sent it out to a different tailor for alterations. This was not communicated to my mother at all- which to me seems like fraud. She said she could do the work, but has someone do it behind the scenes. What a joke of a business. Luckily, my mother found another tailor who was able to fix Ellie's mistakes. But I caution any bride, DO NOT GO HERE!! They are not reliable, skilled and lack professionalism. read more

I share the complaints regarding cost and times required for service. I was charged 48 dollars for a sleeve shortening of 1 inch on a new sports coat and given 15 day waiting time for the alteration to be completed. I am taken aback by both the time requirement and the price, and, like many others who have posted reviews, I will not be returning. read more