EUROBRIDE - DRESS ARRIVAL STRESS AND POOR SERVICE DELIVERY

During May 2019 I visited Eurobride at Bryanston to purchase a wedding Gown for my wedding on the 26th October 2019. I selected a dress and proceeded to make four installments according to their payment plan. At the time of purchase and deposit the staff advised my dress would be due to arrive during the middle to the end of September 2019 latest. According to the payment plan, the first payment was in May and the other 3 payments made at the end of June, end of July and end of August. On the 25th August 2019 I made the final payment of my gown. On each and every occasion that I attended to the payment I forwarded the proof of payment to Eurobride the acknowledge receipt and provide me with an updated invoice on the balance outstanding. On each occasion that I made payment during the months May - August I received a monotoned mailed from the receptionist Kayla, advising that she was waiting for head office to update the account and provide an amended invoice. During the months I attended to payment I never received an updated invoice so I could keep track of the balance owing on my gown. I had to personally keep track of the payments myself. On the last working day of the month in August 2019 I mailed Eurobride to follow up on when I would need to come in for a dress fitting any they advised that they will keep me updated. I followed up again in the first week of September and did not recieve a response. I then followed up during the second week and still received no response. By the third week Eurobride responded to my mails and advised that the dress was on its way. I communicated that such a blanket response was unacceptable as I needed information as to where the dress was exactly, as per the agreement the dress was to arrive to the middle/latest end of September, we were in the middle of September and I hadn't been advised as to when I could come for a fitting. I received no response from Eurobride. Towards the end of September I still had not heard from Eurobride and when I called in during the first week of October they still advised the dress was on its way and they could provide me with no further information. I demanded to speak to the manager as I was receiving no luck with the staff. The manager was accordingly never available and when I left a message for her to return my call she did not. I called in again later on and was then told that the manager started work at 12 but was in a meeting, and she would return my call at 14:00. When I called in at 14:00 the manager advised that they had the dress and I could come in for a fitting the second week of October. I then arranged for a fitting and when I arrived I discovered the skirt of the dress was essentially not the correct one I had ordered as I requested a custome made design with flowers to be sewn on. Throughout the entire dress fitting none of the staff mentioned that there had been additional flowers placed with the dress for the fitting and sought to have the dress fitting without enquiring what the additional loose flowers where for. As a result of the inconvenience and not honoring their promise to deliver the dress during September, Eurobride have me a complimentary Veil.

Once the fitting was done I had to collect the gown on another day during the end of the second week. I had advised the staff that I needed the dress before the 14th October as I was leaving JHB for my wedding in Durban on the 14th.

At the time of picking up the dress for final collection they 1. Forgot entirely to provide me with the veil and had to be reminded of this 2. They asked me what I intended to do about the petticoat as they rented it out for 4 days. I felt that as a first time bride, this should have been communicated to me in advance considering that they were aware that I was traveling to durban the next day and as my wedding was on the 26 October, it would mean that if I was not able to arrange for someone attending the wedding from jhb and flying to durban the weekend of my wedding, I would essentially not have the right petticoat.

The next day I arranged for payment and pick up by a close friend that was flying out from durban the day before my wedding, however same story as the gown, I had to mail Eurobride constantly to follow up of payment was received. When I called there was no answer. I sent two emails over a period of the week before my wedding and received no reply. Eventually my fiancé called and was able to reach them. They advised him that they had load shedding and were not able to reply. He then indicated that we have mailed them on more than one occasion during the week and they had not even had the courtesy to respond when the mails came through. They only then confirmed the proof of payment was recieved the week before and all was in order for the rental.

My experience has been immencly disappointing as they do not respond on time or at all and neither do they acknowledge mails to them. It was also extremely stressful because I paid up the dress in full two months before the wedding and I never received a response or mail advising when I could come in for a fitting. It was incredibly unsettling to have to deal with this in the first and second week of October and knowing that the wedding was a few days away and I did not even know what was happening with the dress of where it was. I would not recommend Eurobride because I do not believe that a bride needs the additional stress of an *********** administrator who cannot provide brides with responses as to when the dress will arrive and where it is in the process of getting to their boutique. One does not need the uncer*****y and stress of having to worry about where they stand with a dress for their wedding. Eurobride does not even seem to care about the pressure it puts on brides when they do not keep them informed as to what is actually happening. It is also incredibly disconcerting to have to hear their staff tell you during the first week of your wedding month that they don't know where your dress is. It is saddening to have to run around arranging a plan be in the event that your dress does not come around because the boutique you buy your dress from cannot give you accurate information themselves as to where it is.