Complaint Review: So Sweet Boutique

I have been shopping in the  local storefront this last year for pageant dresses for my daughter and they have been nothing but wonderful.  I have been in there when it was slow and also when it has been busy and the staff is wonderful.  I can say there are just demanding and rude people everywhere we go in life.  I would not have wanted to deal with the above customer either from her hateful tone.  So Sweet Boutique is great in what they do and am so greatful they are close by.  The owner herself came out to assist me  and my daughter for our very first pageant.  With her help, I understood so much more about the process, what to expect and the details to make it fun for me and my daughter.  Thanks again So Sweet Boutique, will see you next month!

I have to say my experience with So Sweet Boutique was entirely different.

My sister lives in Winter Park and because we have girls a few years apart, she often shares her daughter's clothes with mine. She has "handed down" several adorable outfits from So Sweet Boutique and when my daughter was asked to serve as flower girl in my friend's wedding, I made the drive over to Oviedo to pick out a dress.

They had a decent selection in-store (it is a very pretty, girly store) but I was advised to look at their website as well. We found the perfect dress there, it was ordered and shipped with no problem. The accessories (gloves, headband) came separately and took a little longer to arrive, but everything was in perfect condition. When I called about the headband and gloves, someone got back to me within about 48 hours and I had a tracking number shortly thereafter.

If I have any criticism at all of So Sweet, it is that they are somewhat overpriced. (I am speaking here of the outfits in the store. I felt the $120-ish we paid for the flower girl dress was reasonable.) I don't feel the need to brag about the labels my daughter wears, and honestly, I feel it's a bit ridiculous to plunk down $100-150 for a child's play outfit, but I'm happy to benefit from my sister's largesse. And I will use So Sweet Boutique for all our special-occasion dresses from here on out. My daughter is just turned four so I hope there will be more "fancy" dresses hanging in her closet soon.

Normally I wouldn't go to the trouble of writing a rebuttal, but the previous "report" really sparked my sense of injustice - and irony. Perhaps the original poster will suggest my "educated" opinion isn't worth much, since I attended Florida State University, not "U of P" (I assume she means University of Phoenix, since everyone I know who went to the Ivy-League school refers to it as Penn) but even I know that satin refers to the texture and weave of the fabric, not the fiber, and thus can be made from ANY fiber that lends itself to that particular weave. If the original poster wanted silk knickers (!!) for her son, she might have troubled herself to inquire about the fiber content.

When a "ripoff report" sinks to the level of attacking the education and financial standing of an individual, I really do think it loses all credibility. And that's why I'm stepping up to rebut a report on a store I've only been in once, and ordered once from. (My sister told me about this report, and I think she might be writing her own rebuttal as well.) My opinion: If you want cute, trendy and yeah, somewhat overpriced clothing for your kids, So Sweet Boutique is a good choice. They did get back to me in a timely fashion and I did get the sense that they cared about their customers.

Customer was refunded since of the shirt fabric in question. The manufacturer the customer had selected for their special order item is being reviewed and has been removed from our website/storefront for other special orders until resolved, thank you.

If the manufacturer marketed the shirt as cotton, then yes you are correct and are entitled to a refund.

I will be reviewing that manufacturer shortly.

If the direct shipping caused confusion, I have attempted to clear that up. That was simply done to help the customer recieve your item faster. That manufacturer takes up to ten weeks. The manufacturer you selected to make your outfit primarly deals with flower girl dresses, formal wear for children and that is why it takes several weeks to make. The suspender set itself yes was made of Poly - Satin but, was not again listed as silk satin. Again, if you thought the shirt was cotton - I can clearly see why frustration would occur. I just don't understand all of the other comments made.

Yes, there are 2 owners and this is Jennifer. I again will be reviewing the manufacturer on the shirt in question.

I am the mother of the women who wrote reporting this so-called boutique.

The owner in her rebuttal states many falsehoods.

1. The owner(s) NEVER spoke with my daughter via telephone nor email.
2. Satin is NOT polyester.
3. Cotton is NOT polyester.
4. Their website states they check each product prior to shipping.

1 & 4) I spoke with a sales clerk THREE times within a matter of days of receipt of the ghastly garment. The first call the clerk asked for a phone number that the owner could call to discuss the problem. I gave the clerk my daughter's phone number. NO call ever came. I waited what I felt was a reasonable time (a week) and phoned again. The same clerk (who was very kind on the phone and seemingly embarrassed that a return call was never received then asked for an email address that the owner could reach either my daughter or I at because the "Owner was working from home that week." I gave her an email address for my daughter and also one for myself. After waiting another week, still no phone call OR email. I then made the third phone call and finally was connected to the owner. The owner felt the need to explain to me that "Satin is not a natural fiber". I was a bit stunned that this women felt that she needed to 'educate' me on material. She certainly does not have a customer service way of speaking to people. I explained to her that the garment was horrendous, the shirt was NOT cotton (which is how it was advertised on her site - she then said and I quote "I am changing that right now" - a little late for her since I had already copied/pasted the garment description and taken a screen shot of the description).
The owner then stated that she would like to "See the garment". Odd, since their site states that they "Inspect all items prior to shipping". I knew that statement to be false since the garment was sent from Camp Hill Pennsylvania, not Florida. Owner stated she would send a shipping label to have garment sent back. I stated to owner that although tights were also ordered and paid for, they were not sent in the original shipment. This proved that the items were never inspected by the so-called boutique, nor did they care whether an order is received, nor do they care that their over-priced garments are in fact what they advertise. (I will state here for the record...I purchase many of my grandsons articles of clothing from Neiman Marcus, Saks, and a few REAL children's boutiques in our area. I have also purchased many items of clothing for him at BestDressedChild.com which I HIGHLY recommend. They sell what they advertise, unlike the boutique named in this report.

2 & 3) I am well versed on material which the owner(s) obviously are not. Cotton IS not polyester. Satin is NOT polyester either. It can be derived from many synthetics, but one would be led to believe that for a $200.00 outfit, the satin would be of a silk derivative not a cheap one such as polyester. In fact, according to the dictionary, satin is:

'A fabric in a warp-effect or filling-effect satin weave, as acetate, rayon, nylon, or silk, often having a glossy face and a soft, slippery texture.'

I do not see polyester listed in the above. Trust me, the horrid garment we received has neither a glossy face or a soft, slippery texture. It is stiff, unyielding and dull. If you touch the material, it is stiff, not slippery. It bears no resemblance to any satin item I have owned. Of course, I have never been in a discount clothing store such as K-Mart or Wal-Mart, so perhaps the garment this so-called boutique calls satin, is akin to something from one of those types of stores.

When speaking with the owner, she stated that she would refund the money for the so-called cotton shirt. That has not happened nor do I expect it will.

The return policy that the owner states in her rebuttal. According to their website:
RETURN POLICY:
A Return Authorization number must be given.

Yes, I am sure it does. However; it took over three weeks of phone calls AND emails to the store to receive one. Aha! That is how they get-around their "15" day return policy. If they do not give you an authorization within that allotted time, then they fall back on their lame excuse "Did not receive garment within the fifteen day limit. Great way to do business, isn't it? Deceptive practice any way you look at it. May I also note, owner sent a letter on why the garment would not be accepted as a return and in the letter, she states "We have a 10 day return policy." Amazing! The website states 14 days, but the owner states 10 days. Obviously she does not know her own business standards and shows an obvious lack of caring or knowledge.

We contacted the so-called boutique immediately after receiving the horrendous garment and it took over a month of our calling and emailing to receive any type of reply.

In closing, BUYER BEWARE. This store practices deceptive salesmanship. The articles of clothing DO NOT come from their store. They purchase from outsourcing, do not check the garments, do not stand behind the description of the garments, do not reply to customers, etc.

Two hundred dollars is not a large sum for us to purchase an outfit for ourselves nor our grandson. In fact, most of our shoes cost more than that, let alone the garments we wear. As stated previously, we purchase our clothing from upscale stores where the garments are more exclusive (Black Label Polo, Lily Pulitzer, YSL, etc). This is not *bragging*, we are merely fortunate enough to have the means AND education to do so. We would never had ordered a garment from a store we did not know anything about, had we not needed a brown SATIN knickers outfit for a wedding. After perusing many sites, we felt that the one named in this complaint was a reputable site. We now know the error of our ways in trusting the deception.

Curiosity in what this so-called boutique even looks like. We have homes in Boca, but I am not sure where in relation to Boca this so-called boutique would be. Perhaps next time we are in Florida, we will commence on a trip to see what the so-called boutique looks like. Would not be surprised to find it inside a large discount store - perhaps a small stall at a flea market or something on that scale.

I applaud any person who attempts to go into business but it is obvious the owner of this so-called boutique should find another line of work. Her *tone* in her reply speaks volumes on what type of person she is. To call any one "Uneducated" is a display of her class. Unless she has degrees from Harvard, U of P, or other such like-minded institutions, she really should think before she speaks or writes. A filter in place would assist her greatly. The owner has no idea who we are, where we went to school, what our education or standard of living is and for her to suggest that someone is "Uneducated" is a direct reflection on her non-education in stature, humility, reasoning, or business. Thankfully our family was bred to be of higher standards and stature than the owner and we can write off the $200+ loss. We were also raised not to look down on others nor laugh at those less fortunate. In my 50+ years I have been able to follow that lesson, but believe me, while reading the owners reply it was difficult not to laugh and scoff at her.

Would you dress your child in an outfit that you believe to be made of good material, not polyester, which looks as if it was sewn by a nine-year old (quite possible that it was...as it looks like it came from a Third World Country sweat shop). Not to mention, pay $200+ for an appalling outfit? And then, to complete your day, have to deal with an ignorant owner who insults you, does not stand behind their products and is obviously not one that should be selling anything other than behind a counter in Wal-Mart or some other discount store. If your answer is no, then please beware of this so-called boutique.

Better Business Bureau has been contacted and as we have through the company we own, attorney's, they are looking over the website content of the so-called boutique, our phone records, email records and also the reply of the owner. It will not cost us anything to put in a defamation, false advertising and deceptive practice suit against the so-called boutique and owner if we feel that it would be worth our time. We would not do so in order to collect monies from the owner (doubt that she would have any-nor do we need any), but rather do so in order to protect other potential customers of the so-called boutique from being subjected to the deception we were. Since the owner stated in writing that she has phone records and email records, it will be interesting to see if that is the case in fact. If degreed to produce such records, we would be able to do so. The owner? Doubtful since no calls were received at my daughters home and I received only one and that was after my many calls and other emails sent to them. Perhaps the owner should know when to "Fold 'em".

Also, potential customers, keep watching this site as I am sure the owner will come back with a reply to this post. An insightful, intelligent reply. NOT! It will be full of inaccuracies and insults, just as her previous response was.

If anyone would like to see pictures of the garment WITH the label inside stating "Polyester" along with the description the so-called boutique's website has of the garment, please feel free to email me and I will gladly send pictures to you.

I do not appreciate being called a liar and saying that I do not know what I am talking about when I am an educated person, unlike the people that I have been dealing with. The outfit was returned in a reasonable amount of time. When I received the RA number, it was shipped the very next day. It is not my fault if it took your store a long time to send it to me. I would love to see the phone records of calling my number also. I could also pull mine, match it up with yours and see that you never called, nor emailed like I was told in the very beginning. When a website says a cotton shirt, I would expect cotton, not polyester, which I am pretty sure cotton is not man made since it grows on farms, but you know, I am the stupid one. And there are types of silk that if you pay $200 for an outfit, it should be silk satin, but again, I am the stupid one. Polyester is a very cheap material, one that can be found in many discount stores for much less than what I paid. And according to your website, which you contradicted in your rebuttal, "We inspect all items prior to shipment". I'm sorry, but I don't see direct shipping from manufacturer in there anywhere, especially when I did not even choose direct shipping. When I pay $200 for an outfit that my son is going to be wearing in my brother's wedding, which the date of was put in my order despite what you say, I expect quality. Considering my son wears Burberry, Ralph Lauren Polo (not the cheap label) and beautiful English outfits, I am pretty sure that I know what nice fabrics are. I know what it is like to custom order items, and I have never experienced this in my life. When something is advertised as satin and cotton, I have never received 100% polyester. So you can say whatever you wish to say and take my truthful reviews off whichever websites you would like, but I am only speaking the truth and I just hope that other people out there don't have the experience with you that I have. They would be better off going to Walmart and paying the right price for the quality that you provide, clothing wise and service wise.

Most of what the customer states in her complaint is untrue.

We have documented phone records and copies of our email correspondance with her. Not only did we speak with her, but her mother as well.

She stated she was unhappy since the outfit was falling a part and that it was not made of Satin as advertised. We gave her an return authorization number and she sent the outfit back so, we could inspect it to see if it was falling apart as she stated. We explained prior to taking the outfit back that the fabric Satin was not a natural fabric and that it was man made. Satin fabric is mostly created from a High-End Polyester.

(One can research over the internet to find out that Satin is Polyester, please look at this site as a reference : http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-satin.htm)

We finally got the outfit back, which she did not even send back in a timely manner to us. We inspected the outfit, took a picture of it for our records and shipped it back to her. Nothing was wrong with it, other than she did not like the outfit or her color choices.

The outfit itself was a special order item, the customer selects the sizing and all color choices (and even the fabric) on the outfit. We do not claim to inspect everything prior to shipping. The reason this is, many brides select Direct Shipping from the manufacturer so the special occasion outfits reach them faster. This customer failed to provide us a wear date for the event on her invoice. So, our bridal coordinator set the outfit up to be shipped directly to her (a cost that we incurred). She wanted to make sure the set got to the customer as fast as possible.

Here is the set that she did order:
http://www.sosweetboutique.com/store/WsDefault.asp?One=2495

I will be happy to provide all the records(phone, emails and the photographed outfit) to anyone that may have a concern.