Complaint Review: Kaufmans Wedding World

I bought my wedding dress from the Kaufman's wedding world in St. College in January of 2003. My wedding is to be in July of 2004 and I was told it would arrive in 8 months after I ordered it.

In October I started calling the store wanting to know when my dress would be in and I heard a multiple excuses that the fabric has not arrived from over seas or that when the wedding date is further away the manufacture Mon Cheri puts off the completion of the dress.

My dress arrived in March of 2004 with one problem, it was too tight and I could not take in a breath. I had the associate remeasure me and the new measurements were about 1 to 2 inches off from the previous measurements. I asked if it was possible that I was measured wrong in the first place and she told me "No, the girl who measured me in the first place has worked there for two years and would not make a mistake." The interesting thing was the dress fit me fine in the hips and waist but it was too tight in the chest area. I know that my clothes still fit me from last year and I did not need to buy larger sizes.

I was a bit annoyed at this point. I was stuck with the dress, they would not admit that they may have measured me wrong and I could not get a new dress in. The associate suggested that the seamstress might be able to do something with the dress, such as add an extra panel of fabric in the back.

Monday, June 21st, less than three weeks to the wedding
I also wanted the sleeves changed on the dress and I ordered 3 yards of fabric for the sleeves and paid $84.00 during that time in March when my dress came in. When I met with the seamstress in June she told me that the fabric that came in was a cream color not white and she could not use it.

What she did was use scraps of fabric left over from some else's sleeves that were also changed and she said don't worry that everything was going to be all right. I asked if I could return the other fabric and I was told "No". I then replied that I ordered 3 yards of fabric for my dress that is not going to be used because who ever ordered the fabric ordered it in the wrong color and now I have to make do with someone else's scraps and now I am stuck with 3 yards of $84.00 fabric and you will not return it.

When I came out of the fitting room and went to the register I was told then that they would take the fabric back IF I could find the receipt. I went back today, July 3rd, one week to the wedding and I was told that that they would submit my claim for a return of fabric and it might go through even though I don't have the reciept on Tuesday the sixth because of the holiday.

BRIDESMAID DRESSES SAGA
I ordered my bridesmaid dresses in July of 2003 not knowing what was going to lie ahead regarding my own wedding dress. When I first ordered them it was in a color of a light green and I was happy. Everything was coming together and my wedding dress would be in a couple of months and the dresses would be taken care of.

My one bridesmaid went to another Kaufman's near her home to get fitted for the dress and she told me she was shown a different color, a darker hunter green and asked if there a mistake with the color since I said it was to be a light green. I stopped into Kaufman's with my fianc and discovered that the dress would be in a different color than what I thought it would be. I was told that the fabric pages must have been put in the wrong binder for the wrong designer in the color of the dresses. I didn't say anything but I recognized that the binder was a completely different binder than the one that was shown to me. Now my bridesmaid dresses are blue.

In February of 2004, I was calling the store often since my wedding dress was not there after I ordered it a year before. I was also checking up on my bridesmaid dresses and I was told there would be an order check up on them. I never heard back from the order check up.

In March when my fabric arrived for my alteration and my sleeves I was told that I could schedule an appointment with the seamstress for my self and my bridesmaids. The appointment was to be the first Saturday in June (remember the wedding is the second week of July). Three weeks before the fitting I call wanting to know when my dresses would be in time for the fitting I was told "yes".

Two weeks before the fitting I stopped in and was told "If someone told you the dresses would be in, they will be in" A week before the fitting I called, they are trying to find my dresses. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday (two days before the fitting went by) I stopped asking when my dresses would be in but where they were in the first place. I spoke to the manager and told her there were going to be angry bridesmaids especially the one who was driving in from Maryland and the other who was flying in from Chicago and who already bought her plane ticket.

I offered to go and pick them up my self and I was told by the manager that they didn't know where they were. I asked if there was a tracking number to trace them and she told me no. She asked me what could she do and I said Find my dresses. She gave me a number for the customer service line and advised me that it would be a recording and someone would get back to me. I tried the number and it would not work.

My bridesmaid from Chicago called that day also and asked to speak to the person above the manager and a direct quote from the manager "yes, there is someone above me but I am not going to give you her name or number."

Now it is less than three weeks to the wedding. When I call now I hear that Mr. Ira Kaufman is doing everything to find when the dress will be in. I asked if I could speak to him and I was told that they don't know when he comes in since he travels from store to store. My bridesmaids and I spent over $1300.00 in the store and everything that was done so far has ended up in turmoil.

On the receipt it states that all transactions are final and only store credit would be issued. The interesting part is that the dresses were paid close to a year ago, and I haven't received the merchandise (My opinion is that the transaction has yet to be completed because I haven't received the merchandise, in fact I would like to call it fraud) and if the dresses were not to come in on time I would receive a store credit which would be too late to use since I only plan on getting married once and there isn't time to get new dresses from that store.

Update
During this time I was in constant contact with two managers and their names were Jen, Melanie, Becky, and Jess. Jen left for vacation, Melanie left permanently, and I spoke with Becky when I was speaking with Melanie and finally Jess. My bridesmaid dresses came eight days before the wedding and I am so grateful that I have them. I have never had so much hassle with a store. First the color of the bridesmaid dresses; second thing was the time it took for my wedding dress to arrive (13 months). Third, my dress being too tight (I can fit into it now), Fourth, the Fabric for my sleeves being the wrong color, and the final item of bridesmaid dresses coming in a week before the wedding after they were ordered 11 months before. I am scrambiling to get them altered I feel lucky that I got off so easily.

Christine
State College, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.

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