I took my 2-layered chiffon & satin gown here for shortening - I know one of the owners, Hong, from…read morethe gym & felt I could trust her. This is what happened:
- I was ushered to a filthy bathroom at the back to change, there was no clean place to put my purse or clothes
- when I came out, there was no mirror & it was a corset-style lace-up dress & she didn't lace me into it, saying she could just tie it around my waist, so I had to hold it up
- she didn't pin it, she looked at it & said since the satin lining seemed to be skimming the top of my shoes, so she'd shorten the chiffon to meet the satin - I trusted her & don't know much about sewing, so I agreed
- I asked if she would steam it for me after hemming, & she said they don't do that but she would clean it for another $25 (after charging me $60 for hemming) I told her it was brand new & didn't need cleaning but she was adamant & would not steam it for me
- when I tried it on after bringing it home I was very upset as the hem was uneven all-around, & trailed on the floor in the front, very dangerous tripping hazard
- I went back to her to tell her this & she was extremely rude, mean & I daresay even abusive towards me - not once did she apologize, she carried on abut how she's done this for 25 years, she knows what she's doing, & kept offering to "fix it", but I'd lost confidence & was afraid to leave it with her for fear that it would be ruined
- I told her that I'd lost faith & asked for my money back & she refused, saying "You know that's not how business works, Sue..." I said "Actually, when I customer is as unhappy as I am, it's a really good idea to give a refund..." I was almost in tears when I left, she was very mean and quite arrogant towards me & I'd thought i could trust her because we were acquainted.
When I took the dress to a COMPETENT seamstress, she was horrified at what had been done. She had me try it on in her CLEAN, spacious change room, & she laced me into it, pointing out that it was laced upside down, something Hong apparently didn't know or possibly care about. She had me stand on a platform in front of a mirror & she literally lay on the ground, pinning the chiffon all the way around - it was uneven all the way around ranging from 1/4" to 2 ". She also added a couple of snaps to the privacy panel to ensure a smooth fit under the lace-up. All this for $30. And being treated with kindness & respect.
BTW, this is my wedding dress - it is not a "wedding gown", per se, but is the gown I will be married in in 2 weeks. I'd told Hong it was my wedding dress & she did not even acknowledge that I had spoken. I understand from looking at reviews on Google that she often writes rebuttals to complaints, so I look forward to hearing what she has to say about my comments.
It's too bad, she could have generated a lot of goodwill by treating me with respect & empathy instead of arrogance & by doing right by me by refunding my money. Instead, she will get this review from me.