MyLayd's Bridal (Formerly MyLady's In Lace) switches gowns, forgets to place orders, spends deposits, sells ordered things to other customers and more! Rip-off! St. Charles Missouri
Hi there.
I am a former employee of MyLady's Birdal, formerly MyLady's In Lace. I worked for this company for just over 8 months.(From early january of '02 to mid aucgust of '02) Needless to say, while I truly enjoy working in a bridal shop (I'm opening one of my own very soon) The horrid business practices of the owner/manager and her family were enough to send me packing.
When I began working there, I was quickly alerted to the fact that I was the only non-family person working there. It wasn't so bad until I realized I was being kept out of the loops. The weird things begna happening almost immediately. The owner of the store at the time was only 22 years old and from a home where she always had her way. She was very immature in her busines decisions.
I would often notice orders piling up the desk because she supposedly didn't ahve the funds to cover the order. (Women are required to pay 50% of thier gowns price before we'll take the order down. Isn't that what the deposit is for?) The gowns generally come in fast (much less time than is supposedly the "industry standard") so most brides were none the swiser that thier deposits had been spent on the owners hair and nails. But one several occasions, some gowns didn't come in until a week before the wedding, leaving brides and thier attendant scramblind, and paying dearly, to have the gowns altered.
Another time, I noticed that an order was placed for a BEAUTIFUL organza ballgown from Mary's, however, a few weeks later I was sent into the staockroom to remove makeup stains from our sample dress. I thought she just wanted me to get the lipstick off the inside of the gown. (I was thier "stain expert") I had no idea that she had spent the deposit on the order and now could not afford to order the gown for the bride so she was going to give her the SAMPLE off of the rack that had been tried on by dozens of women... and CHARGE FULL PRICE! I was floored!
Another, even more appalling incident came after I'd been there a few months. A bride had ordered 4 bridesmaid dresses from MoriLee. Well it turns out, the dress was discontinued and she couldn't order it. Rather than calling the bride and TELLING her that there was a company that could copy the style (for less money as well) She went ahead and sent the sample off and had it copied. THEN, when they came in, she sent ME into the stockroom with a handful of tags that she's torn out of discontinued MoriLee dresses and had ME sew them into the gowns!!! She, of course, still charged them full price for the gown and the poor bridesmaids had no Idea that thier "designer" dresses were actually just cheap knockoffs with a designer tag. It was aweful!
I have watched, on more than one occassion, a bride order a veil or headpeice and the owner having me repair the sample so she wouldn't have to order a new one. A dress would come in the wrong colour and she would simply tell the bride that 'That was was she ordered." Often I would listen to her plotting ways to rip off or con a rude bride or maid. Once, a bridesmaid gown came in with a spot on it and the mother of the miad put a red X on the tag and told us it was so she would get a new dress, not a cleaning.
Rather than just sending it back to the company (who would have replaced the gown at no extra charge) she sent it to 5 different dry cleaners and replaced the tag with one from the store. After so many cleanigns...a seam at the base of the zipper came loose and the mother found it....yet the owner STILL did not have the gown replaced...only offered her the gown for the %50 deposit to "shut her up" (By this point, the gown should have been free) Other times, gowns would come in and she would let OTHER BRIDES ( or maids) try them on!. IF it meant a quick sale and the wedding was further off, she would even SELL those gowns off the order rack with the intentions of ordering another one later.
I could go on for days about all of her horrible practices...the tag switching and gown switching, the misplaced orders, the mismeasurements...not to mention just the rude and ignorant attitude that the owner had toward all of her high paying customers. She was even known to LOOK for ways to mess with high dollar wedding parties. Do the world a favor, buy your wedding gown through another store... buy everything through another store. Her prices are a little lower, but you end up paying for it in the long run. She needs to be put out of business. (I don't see how she can even stay in business, what with the store full of trashed discontinued and unorderable gowns and her ill treatment of customers.) Sorry for the long rant. I'll get off the soapbox now. :)
Krystal
St. Charles, Missouri
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Peggy
Delray,Florida,
U.S.A.
the world of defrauding bridal dress sales reps.
#2Consumer Suggestion
Wed, August 18, 2004
Krystal,
What a story of an Ex-employee who "witnessed" the yearly repetitive deception of a bridal dress retail owner (Mylady's Bridal)!
Thanks so much for putting your concerns in writing, as it will be helpful to many sweet (future) brides in stopping the illegal deception of sales reps in the bridal dress industry.
It also helps confirm many consumer accusations that bridal dress retail executives are "Illegal Nightmares" for many consumers shopping for wedding attire.
Krystal, you are such a trooper to "Quit" a deceptive retailer instead of making money "illegally" off of sweet young brides who have no money.
Bridal dress executives have been "repetitively" defrauding ladies shopping for wedding attire nationwide for 30 years as far as my investigation has uncovered.
It is time this repetitive criminal activity stop. My Lady Bridal should be put out of business by the Attorney General for such unethical sales practices as you describe above.
Krystal please send copy of your letter to the Attorney General of Missouri (look it up on the web) as it may help "potential" future victims.
Too, all ladies send letters of complaint to your Attorney General instead of sites like this one where complaints are received but very little is done in stopping the crimes of business executives nationwide.
My two year investigation of the "illegal sales practice" involving many bridal dress executives nationwide has uncovered that Attorney Generals of many states (NY, PA, etc.) ignore and are "ignorant" as to all the deceptive sales practices of bridal dress executives use to deceive.
Consumers who filed repetitive complaints (in writing) will help future victims so any lady reading these complaints should file their own complaint as soon as possible.
Even if retail executives misled you 30 years ago still file complaints as I am trying to show how this illegal repetitive crime continues each and every year nationwide because Attorney General's of many states fail to respond. It is all in the evidence.
One important issue in your letter (Krystal) is when you speak of manufacturers like Mori Lee and Mary's who supply these Illegal retail executives with their couture dresses. Do manufacturers ever stop supplying retail executives with their dresses if caught in the illegal scam? Not very often, if at all.
I was always wondering how retailers could afford all those "sample" dresses in retail store because so many manufacturers discontinue dresses yearly.
Krystal, thanks for confirming that many dresses on the racks are discontinued so why do retail executives keep using (as sample) discontinued gowns? Profits, illegal greedy profits above all else are the only reason, in my opinion.
Manufacturers (like Vera Wang, Mori Lee and Mary's) also aid and abet the crime of bridal dress fraud with their "Lack" of help in stopping the repetitive yearly crime.
Krystal, I too thought my retailers (Suky Rosan Gown's, Ardmore, PA) spent our down payment on personal grooming (she needed a lot) causing our dresses to arrive very, very late by many months, weeks and days.
The "Unnecessary" "Stress" that these illegal bridal dress executives cause bridal parties expensive planned events (weddings) cannot be described in words.
It is so appalling and I am working to petition the U.S. Justice Department (John Ascroft) to address the nationwide problem of bridal dress executives who brutalize consumers by changing what is ordered after the customer has left the store as you confirm.
There too are other ex-employees (bridal dresses) who confirm the deception as well. Such as a Mr. Gaffke who worked for Marshall Fields (Chicago) and was fired after a big scam (class action suit) involving Vera Wang dresses that were "copycat" dresses.
Vera Wang Corporation was caught providing zippers and materials to the retailer for them to make the dresses.
Meanwhile Vera Wang's corporate president (Chet Hazzard) is telling NBC5 (Chicago) that no one is allowed to make Vera Wang dresses other than Vera's Factory.
Vera Wang's corporate president (Chet Hazzard) was in the middle of a bridal scam in PA too. I caught him in so many lies, he is now afraid to talk to me. He told me he now has an Attorney.
It is amazing that corporate executives need an attorney just to return two dresses. My retailer (Suky Rosan Gowns) also got an attorney to return two dresses. Something "Illegal" is going on if they need an attorney, in my opinion.
The above also shows "Beyond a reasonable doubt" the illegal deception of bridal dress fraud extends to the manufacturers too.
Krystal you wrote, I could go on for days about all of her (Mylady's owner) horrible practices. How about if you tell us a few more of the deceptions Mylady's Bridal uses to deceive consumers. I truly believe it is so helpful for innocent consumers who are so misled by industry executives each and every year nationwide.
Krystal, could you also please send a copy of your complaint to the website of Windsorpeak.com (message boards) where many retailers (who post) blame much of the repetitive deception on consumers.
I want to make sure all the many web sites are updated because ladies (lambs) are fighting and losing the battle of retail executives (wolves) who illegally "Murdered" ladies "once in a lifetime experience".
It is too bad that greedy unethical retail executives can only make enough money by stealing consumer's monies. I know part of the reason is manufacturers who force retailers to purchase "Expensive" sample dresses each season. But there is no excuse for the continued illegal deception as describe of Mylady's Bridal in Missouri.
Let me know your thoughts, Krystal! Ladies nationwide are in desperate need of a "Correction" of "Bridal Retail executives" who believe that no one can penetrate thirty years of deception.
Illegal bridal dress executives may be able to fool Federal and State Authorities but they cannot fool ladies who file complaints repetitive each and every year.
Good day scammed and defrauded bridal dress consumers,