JasmineBridal

This complaint has been brought to our attention from one of our customers, and I am now showing the email conversations between our company and this customer. I just want to show our side of the story as well, and this is how we handle problems when they arise. People are entitled to their opinions, and I am just being truthful and upfront about what we do. This is how we handle business and about 99% of our customers are happy, and about 1% are not (in my opinion, those 1% of customers have overly high expectations of our capabilities). So I hope this example shows what we can do, what we cannot, and the possible mistakes we can make, and that it will help you in your decision in choosing a dress maker. Thank you! ********************************************************************** Hi James, I received the dress today. I have a few issues with the dress. Please see the attached photos with comments. I am not willing to accept the reasons for these issues as 'natural crease', 'natural lines' or 'natural bumps' as they are obviously made due to thin fabric and bad stitching (my mother is a tailor so I know). I did not pay for designer fabric ($112) and designer craftmanship ($176) to get a dress of this fabric quality and stitching. Can I please have a refund on the amount I spent on designer fabric and craftsmanship? (that is $112 and $176). I think the quality of craftsmanship and material is of premium grade instead of designer grade. Aiko ********************************************************************** Dear Aiko, Thanks for your feedback and we are very sorry about the problems. The dress was indeed done with Designer Grade Craftsmanship. But I think there were a couple of issues which were overlooked because we do not work with very thin bridal gowns very often - so they used standard bridal gown protocol for your dress which is not suitable. 1. For the stitching not done well on the left side, it could be the dress being bigger than your current measurements. If you take in the dress, it should not wrinkle. 2. For the bumps on the hips, it should be also due to the measurements of your body is smaller than the dress currently. Take it in and it should fit much better. 3. For the boning showing up, it is because for dresses this thin and have straps for support, boning should NOT be inserted. We will emphasize this to our production team for future avoidance. Thanks for pointing this out. 4. For the reinforced layer showing through, it is our fault. We always add this layer to reinforce the top layer for support. But for dresses which are very thin and this layer would show, we need to remove them. I have emphasized this to our quality team to check this vigorously in the future. Normally when I see this layer showing up in photos, I will tell the production team to remove it. But I wasn't able to see this line in the photos So for #1 & #2, I don't think they are our fault, but for #3 and #4 they are indeed our fault. Per our policy, when a dress has a defect when the customer receives it, the customer can return the dress for 50% of the dress' price. If you wish to keep this dress, we can refund you 25% of the dress' price ($142.88) as compensation for the fix: remove the reinforced layer & the boning. You can view our return policy here: http://www.jasminesbridalshop.com/index.php?task=policies Please let us know your feedback. And once again, we are very sorry for the problems. *********************************************************** 1. Bumps showing at the sides is nothing to do with my size. I have not lost weight since my order. Even without me wearing the dress (the dress hanging on the hanger), the stitches at the side are bumpy and uneven because of poor stitching. Seriously, it is not a designer grade work. I went to a bridal shop yesterday and had a look at a dress that used silk chiffon, that dress did not have a bump or unevenness whatsoever. It is your error. 2. Bumps showing at the hips and at the back is also nothing to do with my size. I have not lost weight since my order. Even without me wearing the dress (the dress hanging on the hanger), the stitches at the back and around the hips are bumpy and uneven because of poor stitching. Seriously, it is not a designer grade work. I went to a bridal shop yesterday and had a look at a dress that used silk chiffon, that dress did not have a bump or unevenness whatsoever. It is your error. 3. Boning using a thin fabric is a very basic error, therefore, the dress is not made by a designer grade craftsmanship. 4. Using extra layer for thin fabric like this one, again is a basic error. I don't think your seamstresses are designer grade. I am going to see a tailor today. I am pretty sure it will cost more than $142 you suggested to fix the stitching, take the boning out and remove the reinforcing layer. These are such basic errors and I am very disappointed. I think I should get more refund but I will contact you how much my local seamstress quotes and I will get back to you. (- Aiko) ******************************************************* Hi, I went to a local tailor and these are things they said. 1) The fabric you used is NOT of a high quality fabric. It is mostly polyester or other cheaper material and only a tiny bit (if any) is silk. 2) The fabric you used is inappropriate for the design of my dress. Should have used heavier, easier to manipulate and more stretchy material that is not so cheap, non-stretchy, thin and delicate (which is more prone to errors) like the one you used. 3) The fabric was cut in the wrong direction. You cut the fabric straight, not diagonally which made the dress and the fabric so hard to stretch. The fabric is non-stretchy to start with, but it was made worse because of the way you cut the fabric. The result being impossible to alter sizes (cannot take it in to remove the bumps and unevenness of the dress because I can't sit if the dress is taken in). The dress does not stretch making it hard for me to sit down even though the extra fabric is creating bumps. 4) There are lots of unnecessary pulls, lines and creases in the dress because the outer later of the dress is unnecessarily sewn to the inner dress (especially in the skirt part). This becomes even more obvious because of the thin fabric. 5) The pull, bumps and unevenness around the hip area, sides, back and zip area are due to poor stitching, inappropriate fabric, and poor measurement. My tailor said she can't take the dress in to get rid of the unevenness and the bumps because if she does, I can't sit down because the material is non-stretchy (because of inappropriate material and poor cutting of the material). 6) It is such a basic error to insert a corset when the dress is so sleek and the fabric is so thin. My tailor can remove the corset but she just couldn't believe that you made this error. 7) Again, it is such a poor mistake to not realise that the inner skirt line will show from the outside. She said she can remove the inner skirt up to bust area, but the top and bottom of the dress will have slightly different colour because an extra layer is removed from inside and the fabric is too thin and can show the difference in colour at the top and bottom. 8) My tailor reassured me that your dress is definitely NOT of designer quality craftsmanship and fabric and it is almost like false advertising. I think I should get higher refund than $142 you offered. I paid extra for designer fabric ($112) and designer craftmanship ($176) so I should get $288 back. Aiko ******************************************************************* Dear Aiko, Thanks for your feedback. 1) It is satin-chiffon, a specialty hybrid fabric which is crucial for the drapes for the front and back. It is partially silk, as stated on our website here for Designer Grade fabrics: http://www.jasminesbridalshop.com/index.php?task=policies 2) As #1, after testing various similar fabrics, this fabric is the most suitable designer grade fabric for the dress, mainly to make the drape smooth like the original. 3) If the fabric is cut straight, the drape will be very wrinkly and twisted. Almost all bridal garment's fabrics need to be cut diagonally. When cut diagonally, it is more stretchy than cut straight. Cutting the fabric diagonally is much more expensive than cutting straight, because you can imagine a piece of fabric, when cut off the diagonal strip, the rest of the fabric would be too small to be used, thus wasted. I don't think the local tailor is experienced in making bridal wear, are they? Usually suits are cut straight. I recommend for you to cut a piece of bridal fabric straight, and then try to make a drape, and compare with a fabric cut diagonally, and you will see that diagonally cut fabrics lay much nicer and smoother than straight fabrics. 4) As for whether the exterior and interior should be sewn down to the skirt, depends on the dress, and it has to be tested to know whether it should be sewn down to the skirt or not. When we tested in our workshop, it was the more appropriate method. 5) I think this has to do with your overly high expectation and measurements provided were probably not correct (or you probably lost weight). Please see attached photo of the original. Even when perfectly fit, there are always pulls and unevenness on the dress. I mentioned this during mid-production and I waited for your confirmation to proceed with revisions of your dress - because I knew you were too hung up on everything being smooth, but it is not possible. I recommend for you to order a similar or same dress from another dress maker who is famous in your local area and see the results to compare, so that you will truly understand that garments this tight fitting will not be smooth. Also I think you should find another bridal alteration place and not rely on 1 tailor's opinion. Skilled tailors/seamstresses can take the dress in, and so can we. 6) Yes, we made this error. I don't know if it is "basic error". We have protocols here for bridal gowns and some are imperfect, and we need to improve those protocols. Ask your tailor if he is perfect and never makes "basic errors"? 7) Same as #6. For bridal wear our protocol calls for adding that reinforced layer and we need to modify it so that it is not required. When the reinforced layer shows through, we need to remove it. Once removed, the fabric from top to bottom would be the same in terms of fabric and layers, so I do not understand why there would be a difference in the color? It is the same number of layers and fabrics, I repeat 8) That is his opinion. And did he read our definition of Designer Grade Craftsmanship? Please refer to our policy page here for the correct understanding of Designer Grade Craftsmanship: http://www.jasminesbridalshop.com/index.php?task=policies Please note that we have provided 9 revisions (and photo sessions) to your dress, all in attempt to make it as perfect as it can be, and to your satisfaction in every way. This is the key feature of the Designer Grade Craftsmanship - in getting the dress as accurate to the original as possible. Please refer to our policy page mentioned above for our return policy. We do not provide refund for "thinking it was not designer grade craftsmanship". You can return the dress for 50% refund or keep it for 25% of refund. If we follow our policy strictly, it would only cost 4 hours of work to get the dress taken in, layer & corset removed, and the reimbursement would be $40 only. And we are already going above and beyond our policy to provide you with additional refund (about $100). Please let us know if you have any other concern. Thank you! ****************************************************************** First of all, the tailor I went to works at the bridal shop and makes bridal dresses specifically for a bridal shop. 1 , 2) The tailor mentioned that the drape and the whole dress would have looked better with a thicker, heavier, stretchier more drapy fabric than the thin single layer you used. The fabric does not' hug around' my figure because it's too light and thin. 3) The tailor was saying that you cut the fabric straight and they can see that in the fabric. It should have been cut diagonally. 4) I can see so many pulls in the dress made due to outside dress sewn to inside dress. The tailor said that dress would have been much better if it wasn't sewn together in that way. 5) The bumps and stitching are defeinitely not right. These are due to extra garment hanging in the dress around the stitches and uneven stitching. And my dressmaker is saying that this extra garment cannot be taken in because of unstretchy nature of the fabric. I cannot sit down comfortable as it is, imagine taking extra millimeters in, I definitely cannot sit because the fabric is not stretchy. I did not lose weight. I tried on a different dress with chiffon, this dress did not have the same problem like the dress you gave to me. 6) The corset error was pretty obvious. It is basic error. 7) It is not the same number of layers, because once you remove the reinforcement layer from the bottom part of the dress, the top part still has the layer left inside, hence has extra layer. My dress maker is saying that they would prefer to remove just the bottom part of the reinforcement layer so that they don't have to open up the top part, so I can save alteration cost. 8) My tailor said that the fabric has only tiny tiny bit of silk (if any). If you advertise as a designer grade fabric, it falsly create the feeling that you will use higher grade fabric with more silk in the fabric. Also, even the mass produced clothe companies can do better stitching than what you have produced. First of all 25% of what I paid ($620) is $155, not $142 that you offered. But I still think that $155 is not enough for what I had to pay for the altering. I think I should get AT LEAST $200. I have been blogging about your company in a popular wedding blog website and it's unfortunate that I have to write negative comments in this website. Also, my tailor is a professional wedding dress maker who CAN fix everthing except the uneven bumps (due to me not being able to sit if they fix them due to unstretchy fabric you used). But she has to charge a very high amount of alteration cost if she fixes every single error you made and she is saying that she doesn't want to charge me that much and she is trying to fix the major problems. There are way too many errors here and there in the dress you gave me for her to fix if the dress was to look anywhere near what you describe as a 'designer grade'. Aiko *************************************************************** Dear Aiko, Thanks for your feedback. 1 , 2) The tailor mentioned that the drape and the whole dress would have looked better with a thicker, heavier, stretchier more drapy fabric than the thin single layer you used. The fabric does not' hug around' my figure because it's too light and thin. - It is easier to talk than to actually make it. As mentioned before, we tested various fabrics and the heavier ones would not create the draping effect nicely. 3) The tailor was saying that you cut the fabric straight and they can see that in the fabric. It should have been cut diagonally. - All of our bridal fabrics are cut diagonally. If he must say we cut straight, then please provide evidence. 4) I can see so many pulls in the dress made due to outside dress sewn to inside dress. The tailor said that dress would have been much better if it wasn't sewn together in that way. - Once again, it is easier to talk about it than to do it. Have him detach the 2 layers and see the effect please. 5) The bumps and stitching are defeinitely not right. These are due to extra garment hanging in the dress around the stitches and uneven stitching. And my dressmaker is saying that this extra garment cannot be taken in because of unstretchy nature of the fabric. I cannot sit down comfortable as it is, imagine taking extra millimeters in, I definitely cannot sit because the fabric is not stretchy. I did not lose weight. I tried on a different dress with chiffon, this dress did not have the same problem like the dress you gave to me. - I did not say you lose weight, but is the dress made to the measurements you have provided? If it is, then you shouldn't have problem sitting down in the dress. 6) The corset error was pretty obvious. It is basic error. - Yup, I agree. As I said before, is there anyone in this world who doesn't make basic errors? This is why we offered you 25% refund as compensation instead of our standard policy of $40 for fixing the dress (according to our workshop's alteration rate of $10 per hour). This is stated in our return policy. 7) It is not the same number of layers, because once you remove the reinforcement layer from the bottom part of the dress, the top part still has the layer left inside, hence has extra layer. My dress maker is saying that they would prefer to remove just the bottom part of the reinforcement layer so that they don't have to open up the top part, so I can save alteration cost. - I meant removing the entire reinforcement layer, which goes from neckline to hips. Once removed, there will be no half-dress layer in the dress 8) My tailor said that the fabric has only tiny tiny bit of silk (if any). If you advertise as a designer grade fabric, it falsly create the feeling that you will use higher grade fabric with more silk in the fabric. Also, even the mass produced clothe companies can do better stitching than what you have produced. - We advertised that our designer grade fabrics is partially silk. Even if it has tiny bit of silky in it, it is partially silk. - You are entitled to your opinion about our stitching quality. First of all 25% of what I paid ($620) is $155, not $142 that you offered. But I still think that $155 is not enough for what I had to pay for the altering. I think I should get AT LEAST $200. I have been blogging about your company in a popular wedding blog website and it's unfortunate that I have to write negative comments in this website. - 25% of the dress cost is $142. $50 of shipping fee is not refundable as stated in our return policy. - Please feel free to share your experience with others. We are not without faults, and we do make mistakes. But when problems occur, we follow our policy to resolve the issues with our customers accordingly.