Courtney
... and the Dynamic Duo!
Yes, it is still ongoing. For those that are new and have no idea what I’m talking about, here’s a quick rundown.
July 19, 2008 – I ordered my dress and was given an approximate arrival date of October 2008.
November 2008 – I call the store to check on things, because I haven’t heard from them yet. The dress isn’t in yet, and the new arrival date is December 18, 2008. They promise to call.
December 19, 2008 – I call to check again and find out that the dress is in Toronto, waiting to be “released”. The lady I spoke to (Halina) promises to call right away and release it so it ships out the next business day and should arrive on December 29.
December 29, 2008 – Still no dress. I call the store to find that it wasn’t really shipped, but they will definitely call and have it shipped on the 30th. They promise it will arrive on January 7, 2009.
January 7, 2009 – The dress still hasn’t been shipped. I speak to Halina again and voice my concerns. She promises that it will FOR SURE ship that day or the next, and arrive no later than January 14.
January 16, 2009 – I call and find that the dress has been sitting at Fedex since the 14th, waiting to be picked up. Halina promises to go right that instant and pick it up so I can pick it up the next day.
January 17, 2009 – My mother and I go to pick up the dress, only to find that Halina never went to get it and it’s still at Fedex. We make a big scene, and Halina attempts to diffuse the situation by promising to get it on January 20 (Tuesday). We accept this, and tell her that we will be back at 4pm that day to get it.
January 20, 2009 – I call the store at 11am to remind them and give them the best possible chance to fix this problem. Turns out, Halina had taken the day off and the new owner (who is a gem) is left to deal with me. She calls Halina and tells her to pick up the dress and deliver it to the store. Halina calls me back 2 hours later to tell me that she has the dress in her car, and is on her way to the store.
At 4pm, my mother and I arrive at the store. Halina is nowhere to be found, and Francis (the new owner) is left to deal with us. Turns out, Halina lied and the dress wasn’t really in her car. Francis tells me that she never even brought the box back to the store.
At this point, I’m completely frustrated and my mom just loses it. I’m in tears and I lose my temper on poor Francis, so my mom tells me to leave the store and asks Francis to call Halina. Long story short, mom calls Halina and gets some sob story about how she did everything she could and we have to believe her when she says she’s done all she can. Mom replies, “Do you know what your word is worth to me right now? My daughter has just left your store in tears because of your lies, and the GUM on the bottom of my shoe is worth more to me than your word. I hope you like the media.”
I sit outside for a bit longer to cool down, and then go back inside. Mom has had a chat with Francis and they’ve reached an agreement. Francis called the designer and found the dress hadn’t shipped at all, and gave mom all the information. Mom would call the designer the following day to ensure the dress was shipped to our house, and any shipping charges incurred would be billed to Halina. After thinking for a bit, Francis asked that we allow the dress to be shipped to the store and that she would deal with this from now on. In addition, the remaining $460 payment for the dress would be waived and coming out of Halina’s account.
I left that store feeling slightly more confident because Francis was such a complete help. I felt much more confident leaving the matter in the hands of her and my mother.
January 28, 2009 – At about 4:30, I received a call from Francis to tell me that she was holding my dress in her hands and I could pick it up anytime. We’re going today to pick it up. Now my biggest worry is that the ordered the wrong size or style. I guess if that’s the case, I just hope it’s a nicer dress than the one I actually picked out! Heh.
I have to say, I won't know what to do with myself once this problem is straightened out and I have nothing to worry about. On the other hand, I would have never agreed to wear a wedding dress if I knew what kind of job it would be to actually get it here. On the plus side, 50% off dress! Woo! That's a better deal than the ones at the Bridal Fantasy show I went to last weekend. LOL.
July 19, 2008 – I ordered my dress and was given an approximate arrival date of October 2008.
November 2008 – I call the store to check on things, because I haven’t heard from them yet. The dress isn’t in yet, and the new arrival date is December 18, 2008. They promise to call.
December 19, 2008 – I call to check again and find out that the dress is in Toronto, waiting to be “released”. The lady I spoke to (Halina) promises to call right away and release it so it ships out the next business day and should arrive on December 29.
December 29, 2008 – Still no dress. I call the store to find that it wasn’t really shipped, but they will definitely call and have it shipped on the 30th. They promise it will arrive on January 7, 2009.
January 7, 2009 – The dress still hasn’t been shipped. I speak to Halina again and voice my concerns. She promises that it will FOR SURE ship that day or the next, and arrive no later than January 14.
January 16, 2009 – I call and find that the dress has been sitting at Fedex since the 14th, waiting to be picked up. Halina promises to go right that instant and pick it up so I can pick it up the next day.
January 17, 2009 – My mother and I go to pick up the dress, only to find that Halina never went to get it and it’s still at Fedex. We make a big scene, and Halina attempts to diffuse the situation by promising to get it on January 20 (Tuesday). We accept this, and tell her that we will be back at 4pm that day to get it.
January 20, 2009 – I call the store at 11am to remind them and give them the best possible chance to fix this problem. Turns out, Halina had taken the day off and the new owner (who is a gem) is left to deal with me. She calls Halina and tells her to pick up the dress and deliver it to the store. Halina calls me back 2 hours later to tell me that she has the dress in her car, and is on her way to the store.
At 4pm, my mother and I arrive at the store. Halina is nowhere to be found, and Francis (the new owner) is left to deal with us. Turns out, Halina lied and the dress wasn’t really in her car. Francis tells me that she never even brought the box back to the store.
At this point, I’m completely frustrated and my mom just loses it. I’m in tears and I lose my temper on poor Francis, so my mom tells me to leave the store and asks Francis to call Halina. Long story short, mom calls Halina and gets some sob story about how she did everything she could and we have to believe her when she says she’s done all she can. Mom replies, “Do you know what your word is worth to me right now? My daughter has just left your store in tears because of your lies, and the GUM on the bottom of my shoe is worth more to me than your word. I hope you like the media.”
I sit outside for a bit longer to cool down, and then go back inside. Mom has had a chat with Francis and they’ve reached an agreement. Francis called the designer and found the dress hadn’t shipped at all, and gave mom all the information. Mom would call the designer the following day to ensure the dress was shipped to our house, and any shipping charges incurred would be billed to Halina. After thinking for a bit, Francis asked that we allow the dress to be shipped to the store and that she would deal with this from now on. In addition, the remaining $460 payment for the dress would be waived and coming out of Halina’s account.
I left that store feeling slightly more confident because Francis was such a complete help. I felt much more confident leaving the matter in the hands of her and my mother.
January 28, 2009 – At about 4:30, I received a call from Francis to tell me that she was holding my dress in her hands and I could pick it up anytime. We’re going today to pick it up. Now my biggest worry is that the ordered the wrong size or style. I guess if that’s the case, I just hope it’s a nicer dress than the one I actually picked out! Heh.
I have to say, I won't know what to do with myself once this problem is straightened out and I have nothing to worry about. On the other hand, I would have never agreed to wear a wedding dress if I knew what kind of job it would be to actually get it here. On the plus side, 50% off dress! Woo! That's a better deal than the ones at the Bridal Fantasy show I went to last weekend. LOL.
