Please allow me to begin by saying that the manager was very understanding and solved the problem right away.
My bridesmaids ordered their dresses in October 2011. The dresses arrived in March 2012. The young girls who worked at the shop were very nice and accommodating, although the dresses took longer to arrive than expected.
My sister and two of my bridesmaids went to the shop to have their first alterations done. The alterations went smoothly, and the seamstress was friendly. They were then asked to schedule a second fitting.
When they arrived for the second fitting, two of my bridesmaids were told that their dresses were finished. One is very, very thin, and her alterations cost $75. The other is 5'1 and had to have it hemmed quite a bit-- and was charged $100. That was expected.
When my sister arrived at the shop, she was told that her alterations would cost $175! She had not changed sizes, did not need much work done to it-- and the DRESS ITSELF ONLY COST $160. She was told that her alterations cost $15 more than the cost of the dress itself.
I went to the shop with my fiance and we spoke to the manager. The manager was a very nice woman and stated that she was also confused about why the alterations cost so much money. She stated that she would speak to the seamstress, and that no additional alterations would be done to the dress-- just the hem, which cost the other girls $70.
My sister went to the shop today to pick up her dress and pay for the hem. When she arrived, the seamstress told her that she had finished the alterations DESPITE our directions not to do so-- and that my sister had to pay $175. When my sister stated that she was taking the dress somewhere else to be altered, the seamstress REFUSED to release the dress. My sister then called me.
I called the shop and spoke to the manager-- the same woman I spoke to yesterday-- who confirmed that she told the seamstress not to alter the dress. She then told me that my sister had to pay the $175. I informed the manager that I would drive down to the shop and tell her current customers in the shop (it's prom season) not to do business at Thoughts & Best Wishes.
The manager then agreed to release the dress.
I'm not a seamstress, but I know that minimal alterations should not cost MORE than the price of a dress.
Please, be very wary of doing business with this company. Despite reading the internet reviews in October, I still did business with this place-- and I regret it.
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