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All their dresses are off the rack, they don’t have samples. The $99 dresses tend to be the ones that are older, slightly damaged or out of style. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I think those dresses are their samples, very much beat up. Beware. > I just saw a commercial on tv for David’s bridal. they are > having a $99 dress sale on wedding dresses. > Katie
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…yep., for $ 99… they give you 8 yards of material, a string of bead, a sewing kit, and instructions : O )
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I think those dresses are their samples, very much beat up. Beware. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I just saw a commercial on tv for David’s bridal. they are > having a $99 dress sale on wedding dresses. > Katie
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> > I just saw a commercial on tv for David’s bridal. they are > having a $99 dress sale on wedding dresses. > I think those dresses are their samples, very much beat up. Beware.
I think you may have misunderstood what David’s Bridal is. It’s a warehouse store. *All* of the bridal gowns are available to be tried-on and bought immediately. There are no "samples" as such. You try on gowns until you find one you want, and then you buy it and take it home. As for the dresses being very much beat-up, that’s not necessarily so. My gown wasn’t beat up at all. Of the dozen or so dresses I tried on at David’s Bridal, only one had any damage, and the damage was clearly noted on the tag, which showed a significant markdown. The $99 dresses are loss leaders. There aren’t very many of them. However, there will be other dresses on sale, and there’s usually a "close-out wall" even when no sale is advertised. Personally, I would not advise going to a DB $99 sale on a weekend because it will be a mad house — if you want to go to the sale, take a very early or very late lunch so you can go during a quieter time on a weekday. Wende
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I just saw a commercial on tv for David’s bridal. they are having a $99 dress sale on wedding dresses. Katie
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I bought my dress during one of these sales. Very few dresses are actually $99. For the more expensive dresses, they take money off. My dress was $50 off a $450 dress. Not a terrible deal, but definitely not the sale you would expect from the advertising… EP > I just saw a commercial on tv for David’s bridal. they are > having a $99 dress sale on wedding dresses. > Katie
Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.
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Great advice Nicki & Tracy! — Matt Garry www.CheapInvitations.com – Wedding invitations, accessories, and favors wholesale to the public! www.BrideSites.com – Every wedding site on the internet!
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I went to David’s Bridal, although I am not using there alterations. They are extremely expensive. I paid about 800 and had my fiance’s sister look it over…we noticed the lining on the tulle, but his mom said tulle usually isn’t lined. I have heard good and bad as well. Think of it this way…you can have a good OR bad experience ANYWHERE. Just ask the right questions, and you’ll be set. Tracy
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I bought a bridesmaid dress there many moons ago. I cannot say that I had > any horror stories, but now that I have been shopping for a wedding gown I > noticed a few things. > First, I immediately noticed that the quality of the wedding gowns was not > as nice. For example, I noticed that the dresses with the itchy poof layers > didn’t have any lining. Some of that was reflected in the low prices and > you typically buy of the rack. So what you see is what you get. However, > if you are still spending a moderate amount of money $500+, I would look > elsewhere. Chances are you can get a dress for the same price with a much > better quality. > Second, I kind of thought it was a meat market. The sales lady that > "helped" me was pretty much non-existant. Not good since I wanted to ask > questions. Also, when I did find a dress I liked, but was a bit steep on > the price and I wanted to think about it, she tried to pressure me into > buying it immediately. I.E. "It’s going on sale and it the last one in > your size. If you buy it now, I’ll give you the sale price today." or > "It’s your wedding, price should not be an issue for your dream dress." > Sorry, but my dream dress has lining and doesn’t involve a debt my future > husband will want to strangle me. > Third, I found that the sales lady didn’t have a clue about alterations or > sizing. She was trying to convince me that I needed a size 6, but never > mind I couldn’t breathe in it! Fortunately, my aunt is a seamstress and > when I consulted with her, basically everything that the sales lady told me > was false. Most gowns have about the same sizing charts (or close to it). > When I bought my gown (at another store), which was a similar design, I > ended up needing a size 10. > Keep in mind, that the quality of these stores will vary from location to > location. They are set up to be like a department store. I have heard many > happy experiences about David’s Bridal and I’ve heard many negative. It > just depends on what you are looking for in service, quality and price. If > you are only looking to spend about $300, this may be the place for you. If > you have more money in your budget, you can probably find a quality dress > for a little bit more. > What I did was look at on-line catalogs. When I found a design that I > liked, I used the website’s retail locations. Many were small local > boutiques that’ve been in business forever and a day. Many of which were > reasonably priced, reputable and had knowledgeable sales people. I would > definately look at David’s Bridal. But make sure to shop around…don’t > rush into a purchase, because the dress will still be there in a week. > Don’t pay for the gown/deposit by cash or check, etc., etc. Just use your > common sense. After shopping around you’ll notice the differences from > boutique to boutique. > I hope this helps some. If you have any other questions, please feel free > Thanks! > Nicki > Has anyone had any success/failures with them? > I was reading a bridal magazine and it listed a few bad things about the > store and said to check out this alt.wedding group for discussions about > them. > However, I have been unable to find anything. > I have heard so many horror stories about Bridal Salons, but frankly, if > you > don’t buy a dress at a salon, where do you get one at? > Thanks, > Newly Engaged
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Has anyone had any success/failures with them? I was reading a bridal magazine and it listed a few bad things about the store and said to check out this alt.wedding group for discussions about them. However, I have been unable to find anything. I have heard so many horror stories about Bridal Salons, but frankly, if you don’t buy a dress at a salon, where do you get one at? Thanks, Newly Engaged
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I bought a bridesmaid dress there many moons ago. I cannot say that I had any horror stories, but now that I have been shopping for a wedding gown I noticed a few things. First, I immediately noticed that the quality of the wedding gowns was not as nice. For example, I noticed that the dresses with the itchy poof layers didn’t have any lining. Some of that was reflected in the low prices and you typically buy of the rack. So what you see is what you get. However, if you are still spending a moderate amount of money $500+, I would look elsewhere. Chances are you can get a dress for the same price with a much better quality. Second, I kind of thought it was a meat market. The sales lady that "helped" me was pretty much non-existant. Not good since I wanted to ask questions. Also, when I did find a dress I liked, but was a bit steep on the price and I wanted to think about it, she tried to pressure me into buying it immediately. I.E. "It’s going on sale and it the last one in your size. If you buy it now, I’ll give you the sale price today." or "It’s your wedding, price should not be an issue for your dream dress." Sorry, but my dream dress has lining and doesn’t involve a debt my future husband will want to strangle me. Third, I found that the sales lady didn’t have a clue about alterations or sizing. She was trying to convince me that I needed a size 6, but never mind I couldn’t breathe in it! Fortunately, my aunt is a seamstress and when I consulted with her, basically everything that the sales lady told me was false. Most gowns have about the same sizing charts (or close to it). When I bought my gown (at another store), which was a similar design, I ended up needing a size 10. Keep in mind, that the quality of these stores will vary from location to location. They are set up to be like a department store. I have heard many happy experiences about David’s Bridal and I’ve heard many negative. It just depends on what you are looking for in service, quality and price. If you are only looking to spend about $300, this may be the place for you. If you have more money in your budget, you can probably find a quality dress for a little bit more. What I did was look at on-line catalogs. When I found a design that I liked, I used the website’s retail locations. Many were small local boutiques that’ve been in business forever and a day. Many of which were reasonably priced, reputable and had knowledgeable sales people. I would definately look at David’s Bridal. But make sure to shop around…don’t rush into a purchase, because the dress will still be there in a week. Don’t pay for the gown/deposit by cash or check, etc., etc. Just use your common sense. After shopping around you’ll notice the differences from boutique to boutique. I hope this helps some. If you have any other questions, please feel free Thanks! Nicki
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Has anyone had any success/failures with them? > I was reading a bridal magazine and it listed a few bad things about the > store and said to check out this alt.wedding group for discussions about > them. > However, I have been unable to find anything. > I have heard so many horror stories about Bridal Salons, but frankly, if you > don’t buy a dress at a salon, where do you get one at? > Thanks, > Newly Engaged
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> >David’s here in Memphis has been the absolute worst place I’m been to so > far. Not only were the salespeople disinterested, rude and unhelpful (not > to mention classless),< > Wow, I completely agree with you about Davids in Memphis. I just called > there to see about a dress in their catologue (what sizes it can in etc.) > and I was put on hold 6 times (for quite awhile on some of those) Finally > someone answered my question so I asked her ifthe size was standard size > or wedding dress size and she said wedding dress, so I asked her the > measurements and she said that they didn’t have measurements on their > dresses.
I’m not trying to excuse their rude behavior, but David’s sells the vast majority of their dresses off the rack…they don’t order them. Might be why they "don’t have" measurements. Hello? How do you order them then? Jeez. Besides all that, they > were just rude and really didn’t seem to want to help me. So why should I > spend any money there if they’re that awful on the front end? > Jennye (and Michael) > March 29, 1998
Amy — Light travels faster than sound, which is why some people appear bright until they speak.
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> (This is not an advertisement…I don’t work for them) > I don’t know if it’s all the David’s Bridal stores or just the ones > locally, but the Altamonte Springs store (near Orlando, Fl) and the Tampa
David’s typically gets slammed on this ng for very poor service and our experience here in Dallas has been the same. If we had it to do over again we wouldn’t set foot in the stores. Jared (and Michelle) 4 Oct 97
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>I don’t know if this has been addressed yet but in the Maryland area, this >sale is a sham. The $99 gowns are not even worth that much. While, we’re >on the subject, the Rockville David’s Bridal has the worst service that >I’ve ever encountered in the history of my shopping experiences of >anything anywhere. Tina (10/4/97)
I totally agree !!! Here in OKC, I went into one of the stores and tried to ask a couple of questions, but snobbily they replied that they cannot help me unless I have an appointment. This was my first stop to look for dresses and I wondered what I was in for. Thank goodness I’ve found other shops in the area that actually care about customer service. Shannon
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>David’s here in Memphis has been the absolute worst place I’m been to so
far. Not only were the salespeople disinterested, rude and unhelpful (not to mention classless),< Wow, I completely agree with you about Davids in Memphis. I just called there to see about a dress in their catologue (what sizes it can in etc.) and I was put on hold 6 times (for quite awhile on some of those) Finally someone answered my question so I asked her ifthe size was standard size or wedding dress size and she said wedding dress, so I asked her the measurements and she said that they didn’t have measurements on their dresses. Hello? How do you order them then? Jeez. Besides all that, they were just rude and really didn’t seem to want to help me. So why should I spend any money there if they’re that awful on the front end? Jennye (and Michael) March 29, 1998
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I don’t know if this has been addressed yet but in the Maryland area, this sale is a sham. The $99 gowns are not even worth that much. While, we’re on the subject, the Rockville David’s Bridal has the worst service that I’ve ever encountered in the history of my shopping experiences of anything anywhere. Tina (10/4/97) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> (This is not an advertisement…I don’t work for them) > I don’t know if it’s all the David’s Bridal stores or just the ones > locally, but the Altamonte Springs store (near Orlando, Fl) and the Tampa > store are having a sale from Saturday July 19-Monday july 21. It’s $99 for > a certain selection of dresses and then some percentage off on other > dresses. It says the sale is "by appointment only" (according to the > newspaper ad). I just thought for those of you out there who are still > looking for your dress or maybe saw one you didn’t buy yet (like I did) you > may be interested. > -Elli (and Michael 09/06/98 or 10/11/98 or 10/18/98)
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(This is not an advertisement…I don’t work for them) I don’t know if it’s all the David’s Bridal stores or just the ones locally, but the Altamonte Springs store (near Orlando, Fl) and the Tampa store are having a sale from Saturday July 19-Monday july 21. It’s $99 for a certain selection of dresses and then some percentage off on other dresses. It says the sale is "by appointment only" (according to the newspaper ad). I just thought for those of you out there who are still looking for your dress or maybe saw one you didn’t buy yet (like I did) you may be interested. -Elli (and Michael 09/06/98 or 10/11/98 or 10/18/98)
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That’s why you hire a wedding consultant to help you…..
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Wasn’t it victory who said… > My daughter feels her wedding has been ruined by this store. > Why? Because she had to wait in line? Because she bought a dress > that didn’t fit? Because she didn’t do any research and get her own > alterations elsewhere? Because she was parted from her (probably > your) money in a way that was easily avoided? > For the love of GOD – why didn’t YOU stop this utterly tragic event > while you had the chance???? > <Oh, the humanity…> > — > Joe Pucillo > Baltimore, Maryland USA > To reply by email, please remove the .xx from the address.
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> Has anybody had any bad experiences with David’s Bridal when purchasing a
gown? I purchased my wedding dress in NJ at David’s Bridal. I had the dress altered there as well. The sales people did appear to be involved with more than one customer at a time, but face it, it’s a department store for wedding dresses. That would be typical. I didn’t really mind, I had my mother and my MOH with me and after she showed us where my size was, and made a few suggestions, we started on our own. I actually preferred that. Who wants a person who has no clue what your style is, telling you what you look great in. I look good in a lot of things but it doesn’t mean that they are my style or that I feel comfortable in them. Plus I had lots of requirements. I didn’t want a dress that cost more than $400. I think I ended up with one that cost $750 because I just liked it better than any of the others and it felt and looked great on me. I think my alterations were about $140-160, but I got the hemline raised and a french bustle put in rather than the regular style. I did not get any other alternations to the bust, straps or waist. Just another viewpoint, YMMV. 
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Most people would tel you to stay as far away as possible from David’s Bridal. They have no clue what they are doing, I know people who have bought dresses and found out that they were used and dirty but were sold as new. My wife bought the bridesmaid’s dresses there and it went relatively well but she would never go there for the actual wedding dress. Something like that is best left to a specialty store where you know you will be getting great service. Not a retail store that just mass produces crap and doesn’t care about the customer. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->My daughter is very upset with her experience with David’s Bridal in >CA. Even though she made an appointment, the sales person who was >supposed to help her was helping another bride-to-be at the same time. > She was also letting the other bride-to-be’s two friends try on >wedding dresses. One of the friends was already married. She was >sitting down discussing her second job & college, etc with the three >girls. When my daughter needed help, she brought her dresses 2 sizes >too big and told her they looked great. When I asked her to bring a >smaller size, she looked like she was bothered. She was too busy >taking pictures of the other three girls in their wedding dresses. >When my daughter picked out a smaller size the sales clerk told her >there would only be $15 in alterations to shorten the straps. When my >daughter went in for the fitting, they wanted to charge her $390.00 >for the alterations. The dress only cost $349.00. The seamtress told >her the dress had to be taken in everywhere. My daughter opted to only >have $265.00 worth of alterations. So now she is paying over $700 for >a dress that does not fit. We had to pay for the dress in full before >we left the store & had to pay for the alterations after the fitting >and before any alterations were done. We are very upset!!!! We >recommend that no one go to David’s Bridal. My daughter feels her >wedding has been ruined by this store. Her wedding is less than 2 >months away & she does not have time to start over.
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> Wasn’t it victory who said… > My daughter feels her wedding has been ruined by this store. > Why? Because she had to wait in line? Because she bought a dress > that didn’t fit? Because she didn’t do any research and get her own > alterations elsewhere? Because she was parted from her (probably > your) money in a way that was easily avoided? > For the love of GOD – why didn’t YOU stop this utterly tragic event > while you had the chance???? > <Oh, the humanity…>
Joe, We are not in the business of weddings like David’s Bridal and you. We have never purchased a wedding dress before. We had no reason not to trust them until they gave us one. We trusted that the alterations would cost around $15 because this was what we were told by their representative. We trusted that the dress wouldn’t need to be hemmed if my daughter bought 3" heels because this was also what we were told by their representative. So we purchased the dress. Unfortunately, now we are at their mercy. There was a month between the day we bought the dress & the fitting when we learned the alterations were going to be $390 instead of the $15. We had to wait until they ordered another dress because the one in the store was in such bad shape. We believe there should have been full disclosure about the high alteration cost before we purchased the dress, not a month after.
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> We trusted that the alterations > would cost around $15 because this was what we were told by their > representative. We trusted that the dress wouldn’t need to be hemmed > if my daughter bought 3" heels because this was also what we were told > by their representative. So we purchased the dress. Unfortunately, now > we are at their mercy. There was a month between the day we bought the > dress & the fitting when we learned the alterations were going to be > $390 instead of the $15. We had to wait until they ordered another > dress because the one in the store was in such bad shape. We believe > there should have been full disclosure about the high alteration cost > before we purchased the dress, not a month after.
I think a major point is that just because you buy a dress from a company, you don’t need to get it altered there. If your daughter loved the dress, and it arrived in great condition, then pay for the dress and leave the store and go get it altered somewhere reputable. Large cities have listings of tailors and seamstresses, small towns have word-of-mouth, and you can even check with area college/university/high school drama groups for references. If you were told the changes would cost $15 and they suddenly gave you a bill for $400+ after the services were done, you need to make the choice to either give your money to someplace that — at best– has really bad customer service communications, or at worse is usurous, or to walk out without paying and take them to small claims court — which would be difficult if the first salesperson didn’t put the low price in writing.
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Has anybody had any bad experiences with David’s Bridal when purchasing a gown?
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My daughter is very upset with her experience with David’s Bridal in CA. Even though she made an appointment, the sales person who was supposed to help her was helping another bride-to-be at the same time. She was also letting the other bride-to-be’s two friends try on wedding dresses. One of the friends was already married. She was sitting down discussing her second job & college, etc with the three girls. When my daughter needed help, she brought her dresses 2 sizes too big and told her they looked great. When I asked her to bring a smaller size, she looked like she was bothered. She was too busy taking pictures of the other three girls in their wedding dresses. When my daughter picked out a smaller size the sales clerk told her there would only be $15 in alterations to shorten the straps. When my daughter went in for the fitting, they wanted to charge her $390.00 for the alterations. The dress only cost $349.00. The seamtress told her the dress had to be taken in everywhere. My daughter opted to only have $265.00 worth of alterations. So now she is paying over $700 for a dress that does not fit. We had to pay for the dress in full before we left the store & had to pay for the alterations after the fitting and before any alterations were done. We are very upset!!!! We recommend that no one go to David’s Bridal. My daughter feels her wedding has been ruined by this store. Her wedding is less than 2 months away & she does not have time to start over.
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Wasn’t it victory who said… > My daughter feels her wedding has been ruined by this store.
Why? Because she had to wait in line? Because she bought a dress that didn’t fit? Because she didn’t do any research and get her own alterations elsewhere? Because she was parted from her (probably your) money in a way that was easily avoided? For the love of GOD – why didn’t YOU stop this utterly tragic event while you had the chance???? <Oh, the humanity…> — Joe Pucillo Baltimore, Maryland USA To reply by email, please remove the .xx from the address.
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> Wasn’t it victory who said… > My daughter feels her wedding has been ruined by this store. > For the love of GOD – why didn’t YOU stop this utterly tragic event > while you had the chance???? > <Oh, the humanity…>
How was this forseeable? When my daughter tried on her dress she was told by the sales clerk, Kathy, that there would only be $15 alterations for the straps & the hem wouldn’t need adjustment. There was no disclosure on the costs of alterations & we were given false information by the sales clerk. We certainly would have walked out of the store and bought the dress somewhere else if we were given the truth!! You are right, we were ignorant in believing that we were walking into a reputable store.
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