Novia Atelier

Novia Atelier

I’m sharing this purely from my own experience, because I wish I had known this before I made use of their services. I’m not saying you shouldn’t use them – I just wouldn’t recommend her to a friend or stranger based on my experience.

The first contact was on 6 February. I shared my idea for the dresses with a link to the colour I had in mind, and I used the words “dark brown.” On 7 February she rep**** with a screenshot of the colour from the link.

On 17 February I completed the order form and the collection date was set for 27 June. The deposit was paid. On 12 March she sent me a voice note saying that the colour in the link looks maroon in person. She mentioned that the Metro near her had the correct colour, just with a different code, and that they would keep it aside for her. On 17 March I received a photo with only a code (no colour).

On 30 March I ordered another dress, this time for myself, collection date 27/28 May, and paid on 1 April. On 7 April I sent my measurements. On 30 April I asked for an update on any of the dresses.

On 9 May I got a reply: “Replying to you asap about the fitting, sorry, client with me ***.” On 12 May she sent a voice note and we made an appointment for me and one of my brides****s to fit the dresses on 20 May 08:30. On 20 May 07:25 she cancelled the appointment, saying she could help us in two days because she was behind schedule. I then arranged to go on 26 May 08:30 for fitting/collection. On 26 May 07:28 she cancelled again and moved it to 27 May.

On 27 May I asked if I could collect at 16:00 – no answer – and it was moved again to 28 May. On 28 May 07:00 I fitted the dress; with alterations I was able to take it home that evening.

I told her I wanted the brides****s’ dresses on 12 June, because of how things had been handled so far. She said that was fine, as long as we stuck to the rule that everything is paid in full 7 days before collection. On 3 June I got a payment reminder: “Just a reminder that I must receive the final payment no later than 7 days before fitting or collection of dresses. It looks like I’ll have them ready for you on 11 June.” The payment was made at 11:35.

On 11 and 12 June I tried repeatedly to reach her to fix a collection time. She sent a voice note saying we had never made a time, and that she was busy that day, but someone could fetch it in the evening. On 13 June she didn’t reply to my email. On 14 June I said I wanted to collect the dress on 23 June – no answer. On 17 June I repeated that I wanted to collect on 23 June – no answer. On 18 June I again said I wanted to collect on 23 June; she rep**** that she was just busy but would see me on Monday (23 June).

On 23 June I received an email that the form we signed stated 27 June and that she was trying to accommodate us as a favour. When we said we would share our unhappiness on Facebook, she said legal action would be taken against us.

On 25 June she said someone would deliver the dresses. When we opened the box, there were only 3 of the 6 dresses, and the colour was wrong. To my brides****, where the box was delivered, she said she was late for another appointment. To me, she said her boyfriend had just been in a car accident, so she couldn’t be on her phone. Neither of us got an explanation as to why there were only 3 dresses.

On 25 June I let her know how unhappy I was. On 26 June I asked for an answer about the dresses.

She said nobody had the dark colour I wanted. However, that same morning I had been to Metro myself and saw the colour was there. Then I got a message from her: “It’s not relevant to the client where I buy my fabric. They didn’t have enough metres on a roll for me to buy there. I bought 15 metres which was just barely enough – Metro sometimes only has 4–8 metres on a roll.” After several messages I was asked to simply accept the dresses as they were.

I never gave her my wedding date, because I was afraid something like this would happen.

On 26 June she said she would deliver the rest of the dresses on 27 June 09:00. On 27 June 06:58 I emailed asking if they would be delivered today; at 08:28 she said yes, just a bit late. The whole day went by, one of my brides****s sat waiting all day – no dresses.

On 28 June – no message, no dresses.

On 30 June, after several Facebook posts and after I **** and said my wedding date was that weekend, she finally rep**** and said she would deliver the dresses. By then I no longer lived in Pretoria and sent the new address at 10:19 – about an hour from Pretoria, 100 km, all tar road. At 15:59 she said the address was too far and I must give another one. In the end she finally delivered that evening.

I wish the story ended here. One of my brides****s went to her house on 14 March for fitting, so that her custom measurements would be accurate. When she fitted the dress, it didn’t sit right at all. She then contacted Novia Atelier, who said she had to get a second party to help finish the dresses because I pressured her to have them ready in time. She also mentioned that she had written off a rim when delivering because she hit a pothole.

On 13 July it was arranged that Novia Atelier would collect the dress from my brides****. Someone waited all day – but she never arrived. That evening she said the dress would be collected on 14 July. On 15 July my brides**** got her dress back; it had been let out as far as the fabric allowed, but it still didn’t fit right. Even though it “fit,” it didn’t look good – certainly not like a dress made to measure.

Brides already experience a lot of stress, and I’m making this post to save future brides the tension and the many, many tears I had to go through.