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Kaufman's Wedding World ripoff bankrupt closing but they have my dress Glen Burnie Maryland
I ordered a bridesmaid dress for a wedding I am supposed to be in this October 30, 2004. I ordered the dress in mid-May from the Kauffman's Wedding World in Glen Burnie, MD. This Sunday (September 5, 2004) I got a call from the store telling me the dress had arrived. I did not have time to pick it up right away and planned on doing it this coming weekend.
Today (Wednesday, September 8, 2004) I got home from work to find a frantic message from a Kaufman's employee telling me the store was going bankrupt and would have to close today. They said I could come pick up my dress before this afternoon because it was technically mine because I had paid for it in full.
I drove to the store after work and no one was there. A sign on the door read "Temporarily closed" and listed 1-800-469-4696 as a number to call. I called this number and got no answer and a recorded phone company message telling me the number could not take messages at this time. The customer care number, and the two store numbers I could find, also had no answer and could not take a message.
I could see my dress waiting for me inside the store.
I also sent them an email based on the email address on their website and filled out the comments/questions box on their website today.
Is there any way I can reach someone at this store and get my dress? Should I give up and try to order another dress in time for the wedding? Should I contact the Better Business Bureau? Is there any way to find out what bank has closed down Kaufman's to see if they could allow me access to the dress which I already paid for in full?
Luckily the bride for this wedding ordered her dress from the Kaufman's in Frederick and already received it. I just wish I had mine.
Carly
Ellicott City, Maryland
U.S.A.
5 Updates & Rebuttals
Lisa
Baltimore,Maryland,
U.S.A.
Not regular people
#6Consumer Comment
Sat, September 11, 2004
I would like to inform the former employee of Kaufman's that the Kaufman's are not "regular people in a bad situation". Mr. Kaufman knows what he is doing, he studied law for crying out loud, he is also involved with the Miss America/USA pagent(s). Look on the Miss USA website and his boigraphy is listed. He studied how to steal from people and win. Why, if you studied law in New York and passed the bar would you leave practicing law to help run a "family" owned bridal shop? I guess his days of practicing law are over? The Kaufman's are not the "regular" people to feel sorry for. The people to feel sorry for are the many brides that have been lied to and stolen from by the Kaufman "family". They will open another shop as they have done...this is not the first time they have filed for bankruptcy, washed their hand of it, and opened another business, and it won't be the last.
Carly
Ellicott City,Maryland,
U.S.A.
Employee from Columbia, MD?
#6Consumer Comment
Fri, September 10, 2004
Hi, I'm not sure if you are the employee from Kaufman's who left me another message on my answering machine today, but the woman who did said that she had seen I had posted some info on the internet about this problem, so I'm taking a gamble that this might be you.
Please call me back as soon as you can! You said that you were able to get access to the store and that you either have my bridesmaid dress and/or will be able to arrange to have me pick it up somewhere. Please call me back ASAP and tell me the details or give me a phone number where I can reach you. I have listed my cell phone number on my home answering machine message, so please call me on my cell if I do not answer at home.
Thank you for trying to help.
Help Is On The Way
Columbia,Maryland,
U.S.A.
Help is on the way, Carly
#6UPDATE Employee
Fri, September 10, 2004
I am an employee at Wedding World, and you will received your dress. My heart goes out to you, and the many people who haven't received ther dresses. You are one of the fortunate ones because wedding world has your dress in the store. We are making further arrangements so that you will be able to get your dress. Sorry for everything, the Kaufman's are regular people in a bad situation.
Carly
Ellicott City,Maryland,
U.S.A.
Follow up to my original post
#6Consumer Suggestion
Thu, September 09, 2004
Thank you for your sympathy. Today our local news station was covering this story (WBAL in Maryland, you can find them on the web). I have found that the Pennsylvania Attorney General is filing a suit against Kaufman's to get them to at least give the dresses that are in their stores to the people who already paid for them.
There is a press release about this situation at www dot attorneygeneral dot com. It also includes information about how to file a complaint (there is a phone number you can call and also a form that you can fill out online or print and mail in), and how to go about contacting your credit card company to dispute the charges. The website says you have to do this within 60 days of the purchase, but I have heard elsewhere that this can be done for up to 6 months after the original purchase.
Now I am not sure if I should wait and try to get my dress which I know is in the store in Glen Burnie, MD, or if I should rush order the dress with another store. I'm not sure how long this will take.
Also, the news reports I have been following for the Maryland stores seem unsure if the stores in Maryland will be forced to open their doors based on any future ruling from the Pennsylvania courts.
Good luck to everyone, and I hope this helps someone.
Amy
Allentown,Pennsylvania,
U.S.A.
legal document posted stating Sheriff's Sale
#6Consumer Suggestion
Thu, September 09, 2004
I'm sorry to hear that you are in the same situation as many of us. :( When I went to the Whitehall/Allentown store to find they were closed, they did have a legal document posted stating Sheriff's Sale. On that document was a list of the items up for sale (racks of wedding dresses all the way down to the fax machine). They also listed who to contact and when the sale was. Go to your store to see if that information is posted - maybe you will get somewhere calling them.
Best of luck to you, but I strongly encourage you to start working on another dress. I don't know if I can say this on this site, but I got ripped off for 3 BM dresses that were never ordered (Kaufman's just took my money) and I ended up ordering replacements through bridesave dot com. I received a shipping confirmation within 2 days and had the dresses in hand in one month. They are very up front about whether or not they will be able to get you the dresses on short notice.