ComplaintsforStrut Bridal salon

• Initial Complaint

  05/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This complaint and response received from owner of Strut Bridal is on par with the complaint submitted to the BBB on 11/21/22 and several 1 star reviews submitted on Google and Yelp. On 2/13/23 I ordered a mother of the bride dress from Strut Bridal Salon. The Strut employee took my measurements at the store and supposedly ordered accordingly. On 4/14/23 I returned to Strut Bridal Salon for my fitting and alterations appointment only to find that the dress was at least 4 sizes too large. After visiting 3 separate seamstresses that the Strut Bridal employee directed me to, all agreed that the dress was too large and would require a full recut/remake for it to fit as intended. All 3 seamstresses, including the seamstress at Strut were unable to do this due to the level of recutting required. After the Strut employee informed the owner of the situation, the owner offered no assistance whatsoever and indicated that Strut had fulfilled the terms of their contract. BUYER BEWARE – Strut’s contract indicates they will have no accountability for the recommended size provided by their own Strut stylist. Additionally, they will not be accountable for the sizing provided by the manufacturer. I believe that Strut’s contract implies that once the dress is ordered and paid for, they have no obligation to ensure that the dress is wearable, and that their hands are washed clean of any further assistance should the dress not be wearable. I believe that Strut Bridal does not conduct business in good faith and does not deal honestly with their customers. A dress should not require a full remake to be wearable. In my case, this dress required a full recut/remake, not just simple alternations, which costed me nearly the amount I paid for the dress and caused me severe stress finding a master seamstress on my own capable of remaking the dress. I believe my request for half of the cost of the remake was more than reasonable. Please read all attachments for important details.

  Business response

  05/13/2023

  As a curtesy, we ordered ****** a mother of the bride gown from Jasmine Bridals that she found online and had never seen in person or tried on. As you can see from the attached contract, we ordered the correct size for her measurements at the time. The gown came in the correct size and color, as you can see from the attached invoice. ****** waited 9 days from the time the dress came in to her alterations fitting. Our seamstress said the gown needed to be taken in the bodice but was fixable, but that she did not have time to do the work since it was just only two weeks before her event, and alterations normally take two months. ****** was also made aware of this timeline and potential issue when she placed her order so late. We gave her another independent seamstress to visit for a quote and that seamstress was also able to bring in the bodice, waist and hem (typical alterations on any formal gown) and in the timeframe, but ****** didn't like that price. We provided the dress as contracted - correct dress, size and color. The contract states we are clearly not responsible for the cost of alterations. The client was able to get the gown altered to fit. That she did not like the cost of the work or rush fees is beyond the scope of our contract with her and not our fault. We went above and beyond to provide her with options to get her dress altered in time and are not responsible for the cost. 

  Customer response

  05/13/2023

  Please find the attached response to the owner's false allegations.  Per the attached, I am requesting that the BBB fully investigate Strut Bridal and its business practices. I am also requesting that the BBB publish this complaint, all attachments and responses publicly to inform potential future customers of my experience.

  Business response

  05/16/2023

  Charly emailed us and threated to write bad reviews online and with the BBB if we did not pay her money. Our attorney advised us that was extortion and was considered illegal, and so we forwarded this matter to her. We're unable to comment on this matter any further, pending legal action. 

  Customer response

  05/31/2023

  The only email correspondence and the contract are attached to my initial complaint. In the email correspondence my original email contained no threat whatsoever that I would write bad reviews if she did not pay me money. It is outlandish to accuse me of extortion, when my only request to the owner was to split the cost of the recut of the dress, which was less than 20% ($150) of what I paid for the dress, including the recut, which totaled $839 (excluding tip). The Consumer Review Fairness Act protects people's ability to share their honest opinions about the business's services, products, or conduct in any forum, including social media. My review of Strut Bridal and my complaint submitted to the BBB are honest, including only facts. I believe the only dishonesty in this situation is on the part of the owner and the Strut stylist. Unfortunately, looking at previous complaints to the BBB about Strut and the owner's responses, there seems to be a pattern of dishonesty from the owner and stylists. In fact, the BBB complaint from 11/21/22, which still shows unresolved, includes a similar response from the owner about extortion and harassment. Many 1 star reviews on both Google and Yelp speak to the dishonesty of this shop as well. I am willing to provide the following as proof of facts included in my complaint: 1) The measurements written down by the seamstress at the first tailor the Strut stylist sent me to, proving that my measurements were not any smaller than those taken by the stylist in February. At the 4/14 appointment, the stylist insisted that I lost several inches in the breast area from February to April. 2) Confirmation of inches cut from the dress during recut, from the master seamstress, to make the dress fit appropriately, proving this dress to be approximately 4 sizes too big, which is NOT considered standard alterations as indicated by the owner. Please request written proof of extortion and harassment from the lawyer for Strut Bridal.

• Initial Complaint

  11/21/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  I purchased a dress for a wedding. $319.00. They calculated my size at 18 (Im a 10/12) I shared my concern that an 18 would be too large, and they told me once they alter it, it will look fabulous. They lost my measurements twice (in their move). (See letter uploaded). When received, my seamstress would not touch it to make alterations because it was too many sizes too big. When I called the store they did not offer any assistance, their only comment was you must have lost weight (even though I had told them of my concerns of their miscalculations at the time of the dress order. My daughter (the bride) called them and they agreed to look at it to see how big it was. The day of our appointment they cancelled as their seamstress broke her foot. They set another appt 2 weeks later and cancelled that one the night before as their seamstress was too far behind on other alteration obligations(which the wedding was now only a month away). I called two other alterations stores who also would not assist due to the size difference. I called the store and asked that I return the dress for a full refund. They said their policy is no refunds. I commented to them that their policy would only hold true to a finished product and they still would not offer any recourse to make this right. I asked if we could re order a smaller size and she said it wouldnt arrive until well after the wedding. I had to go to a store and purchase a dress (which was a size 11 that fit perfectly). I sent them a letter, certified, which they signed for on 10/26/22 explaining the situation and a refund request and that if I had not heard from them by 11/1/22 I would be forced to take further action with the BBB and the ** State ************************ [letter attached] I never received a response. The wedding took place last Monday and all of my out of town guests have left so I am now submitting this request for assistance.

  Business response

  11/21/2022

  We reviewed her letter and the notes on her file with our legal department. As she admitted in the letter, she submitted her own measurements to us. They were kept under her personal profile, but I've scanned and attached those here. 
  
  
  As you can see, her measurements indicated she should have ordered the size 18W. Per our contract, which I have also highlighted and attached, she were able to order any size you wanted. I don't have any notes, emails or texts from her saying she wanted a different size. A "finished product" is the gown in the size and color delivered to her, which we did (the signed pickup slip is attached). Again, per the contract, we're not responsible for the alterations on the gown. 
  
  
  Our legal department also asked me to highlight three things:
  --She chose not to return to have us do measurements
  --She chose not to pick up your gown yourself so we were unable to review the fit of the gown on her
  --She chose not to work with our professional seamstress.
  

  While we normally try to work with clients who are dissatisfied with their choice, the threat of extortion in her letter is both concerning and has led our legal department to conclude that we are unable to refund her because it breaks our legally-binding contract. 

  Customer response

  12/01/2022

   ***, 

  Thank you for your response, however I would like a formal letter from your legal department. 

  Your three points below are not accurate:

  1) When I had to be measured the 3rd time, due to your staff loosing misplacing the previous measurements I expressed my frustration that it would be the 3rd time I had to drive back down to ******** and your associated offered that I could go to Dillards and send the measurements to them. The measurements you have and the measurements I reported from you were not the same. If they were kept under my personal profile why did you need me to go back down for measurements when your store had misplaced them, and why were my measurements not listed on the receipt like the other dress had?

  2) It was understood that once ***** received the dresses we would then set an appt with the seamstress. It was also understood that at the first measuring, and you told me it would be a size 18 and I voiced my concern that it would be too large, your associate stated that when it was completed with the adjustments and tucks it would look fabulous on me. 

  3) I DID have an appt for the seamstress (Twice) and as stated in the letter, twice your staff called and canceled them due to your seamstress being incapacitated due to an injury. 

  There is NO harassment involved whatsoever in my certified letter that you signed for, and there is no harassment now. I simply have stated facts and what I am expecting from you, as a business woman, to make this right. The right thing for you to do is give full refund and resell the dress to someone who is a size 18. 

  Once I receive a letter from your legal department, I will hand deliver it to mine. 

  Thank you. 

  *********************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩