Complaint Review: House of Brides - Schaumburg Illinois

This is by far one of  the most wretched places I've ever been to and I've been in customer service for more than 10 years.

Please visit http://houseofbridesillinois.wordpress.com/ for my story and send me one of your own.

My story with House of Brides is a lengthy one from what you can see below. Ive made a mission to try to help stop other people from making the mistake my bridal party did. Ive been keeping up with their Facebook page, commenting on other girls posts about how late their dresses are & giving them my story. Turns out that the House of Brides has a horrible social media team who decided to delete my comments and block me from posting instead of simply refunding the money for altering and ruining my bridesmaid dress. This store significantly brought unneeded stress and guilt to my best friends wedding something she, nor any girl deserve.

To sum it up, we waited over four months for our dresses, when they did come in (under 3 weeks til the wedding), my dress alterations were so awful I took it after the second fitting to another tailor who told me that my hem was uneven and the only way to fix it was going to make my floor length gown too short. I was back and forth with their Facebook account as well as the manager at the store seeking my $95 refund for my alterations. After numerous discussions and emails the call me THE DAY of the wedding to give me my refund then called me hours later to change it to a partial refund.Please, please understand that its not simply my experience, but all the bridal party. Most dresses werent altered properly and more than one of us took it somewhere else.

We purchased our dresses November 10th, 2012 from the Schaumburg, IL store. We received the dresses (after many calls to the store) March 11, 2013. Upon notice our dresses had arrived, we made appointments with alterations at the House of Brides Schaumburg. Thursday, March 14th at my appointment, I kept telling the seamstress (who seemed very disinterested in making sure my dress fit well) where everything was loose. She pinned the hem, sides and strap after I kept pointing it out. I made my second fitting at the House of Brides Schaumburg,  for the following week (Thursday March 21st). 

I had a scheduling conflict and had to change my appointment. I called Saturday March 16th several times at 10am waiting for someone to pick up the phone. It was rudely answered on my 4th try around 10:08am and I was placed on hold. I was then hung up on. I called again (it was rudely answered and put immediately on hold). When I finally got to speak, I asked for the alterations department.When I was transferred, the associate who answered must have thought I was a coworker because she was in mid conversation talking about, you know, an Indian bride and proceeded to mock their name with a stereotypical middle-eastern accent. She finally realized I wasnt who she thought and changed my appointment time for Thursday, March 21st at noon.

Thursday, March 21st, I show up at the House of Brides Schaumburg at noon and head to alterations. No one is there and theres a sign in front of the desk that reads STOP! If you walk past this sign it will trigger the alarm which the police will immediately respond to. So I wait in front of it being passed by many associates without any hello, do you need help or offer of assistance. I finally grab someone to ask if they know if anyone is coming. She tells me to go to the front desk.
I walk to the front desk and the receptionist asked if I rang the bell on the desk. I told her there was a sign that instructed me not to. In a very condescending tone, she replied, well, were open so that doesnt matter. I said thank you and rang the bell.

The older lady who was at my first fitting came up and sent me to a dressing room. The hallway and rooms were dark (as I was the first one there of the day) so after I find my way, I wait. She starts telling me my appointment wasnt until 4:45 and I keep reassuring her that I had changed it. This seems to be a trend with the House of Brides, Schaumburg. After much back and forth, she says, whatever, it doesnt matter. She gives me the dress and has me try it on. At this point, Im nervous to take off my shoes to change as there are at least 2 dozen pins all over the floor mixed about with random scraps of garbage.

I open my dress and I am bewildered by the amount of glitter (my dress doesnt come with glitter) and scraps all over the dress and on the inside of the chiffon. I try it on and to my disappointment its still loose. When the lady who works at the House of Brides Schaumburg, came back in to check on me, I told her it wasnt fitting right. I pointed out that the left side was on the floor and the right was 3-4 in. above the ground. It was uneven. I pointed out that the hips were too loose and that the dress felt like it was sagging. She told me there was nothing she could do with it due to the pleating.


I gave up. I brought it to a tailor Ive used before the next day, this is Joes Tailor in Lombard (who did a fabulous job with what they could) I told them my issue and tried the dress on. They were HORRIFIED by my hem. Because the original seamstress did not fit the dress right to me at the top, she cut my hem uneven and theres nothing we can do to salvage it.

Ive contacted the House of Brides Chicago Facebook account and the store seeking a refund for my alterations, since, in fairness they ruined my dress (the hemline). They kept giving me run arounds and excuses then on the day of the wedding called me to refund then called me again to tell me it was a partial refund. I didnt realize I should pay them for ruining my dress.

I thought I was being fair asking for the full alterations refund.Since then, as I mentioned, the House of Brides has blocked me from posting on their Facebook page as well as deleting all my comments.

Their page is filled with questions of panic that dresses arent coming in, or theyre not getting service they desire.The service, the product and the customer service is atrocious at this store. I wish I would have read these awful reviews prior to walking into this store. Beware.