looking for help & advice as unhappy with 'bespoke wedding dress'

I'm so sorry you've had such a terrible time. I have no advice I'm afraid but I didn't want to read and run. Hopefully somebody on here can offer some advice as to what to do. Glad you've managed to find a dress and I really hope you get your money back x

With money changing hands im not sure where you stand, did you sign a contract / order sheet? (Anything with terms and conditions of the order)

Yep, surely if its a bespoke dress you must have given instructions as to what you wanted in writing? I'm having my dress made too and have a long record of emails between me and the dressmaker describing exactly what I want and changes to the mock-ups. I can't imagine they have made a custom dress just from verbal description.

This is worrying. You have no evidence that you objected to the dress at previous fittings because this was all done verbally. My advice is that you need to contact Consumer Direct/ Trading Standards straight away. You need professional advice now.

The laws are different regarding custom made products and I fear that getting a refund will not be straight forward now that you have paid the balance.

This is a tricky one because, as others have said, anything which is bespoke made to a person's instructions, doesn't carry the same rules regarding refunds. When you asked her to make it, how did you describe how you wanted it to look? Did you take pictures you had drawn or photos of other dresses or verbal descriptions, samples of the types of fabric you liked? If you have all these as evidence, then you may have a case for some compensation provided that the finished dress doesn't look anything like the description you gave her to work from.

Trading Standards is definitely the route to go down as they can advise you the correct procedure to follow for lodging a complaint. If you don't get any joy following their procedures, they will take investigate further for you provided there is a case to answer.

I'm glad to hear though that you have got the dress of your dreams and hope that you manage to get some recompense.

Just an odd coincidence but im watching judge judy with the same issue... they ordered custom quincinera (sp?) dresses but they where the wrong colour they lost only because they wore the dress and it was said if they had to buy a new dress then they would of been refunded because the original would be deemed unfit for purpose

you could contact citizen advice, trading standards, your insurance, credit cards or attempt to sue etc... attempting to sue a china company is impossible but if you bought it in this country then the person you bought it from is accountable, if you have pictures showing the dress is unfit for you to wear or badly made then you have a right to object

Contact your insurance also get in touch with the CAB. The dress you purchased should be fit for purpose which by the sounds of it isn't the case seeing that the lady is suggesting you get a boob job (rude!).

do you have pictures of the dress and particularly the areas that don't fit? you might need that if you want to sue them. Make sure you get advice before you collect it. They should be willing to speak to you on the telephone. Also contact trading standards.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a new dress. It may not be bespoke but there are so many options. If you don't mind one that's been worn before you could get a fantastic bargain.

If the bespoke dress was provided and still didn't fit then the product was not 'fit for purpose'. Have a look at the Sale of Goods Act and it does say that a product must be fit for purpose. My understanding would be that you might have a claim for a refund if it never fitted you as you couldn't use it as your wedding dress? I have found that citing the Sale of Goods Act and fitness for purpose obligations often gets retailers to be a little more helpful... may be worth a try.

Oh love, you poor thing. I'm so sorry that you're having to deal with this stress right now. I think we can all feel your pain, and all read your post with our hands over our mouths just feeling so terrible for you.

I think you need to speak to local trading stanards and citizens advice about where you stand.

Also, go along to the shop again. Put the dress back on. Take some photos. I know it's not an easy task, but try not to cry or get shouty and upset. You are more likely to get what you want by reamining calm and in control.

Be specific about what you dislike. Show them the photos, and point out exactly what is wrong with it. Tell them, it must be rectified. The dress isn't fit for purpose, and doesn't fit you as a wedding dress should. Remain as calm as you can. My boyfriend has a great technique: You ask them a question, then shut up, let them answer. And then at the end of their answer you remain silent. They will start talking more. The more silent you can be, the more they will dig themselves into a hole and start making themselves look bad. It really does work, and you end up getting the truth out of people eventually with it - it's naughty, and so difficult when you are cross, but please try it. You might be surprised at what they end up saying and doing.

And I think it doesn't hurt to gently remind the store about the power of social media and the internet. That negative reviews for a company like this can be incredibly damaging. But that you will have no choice but to be negative if they don't finish the dress to a proper standard.

Wishing you all the luck in the world. Please write back and let us know how you get on. And in the meantime big hugs. x

A while back, there was someone with a similar problem (think it was a guy posting on behalf of his b2b), does anyone remember this, or know their out come? I didn't post on it so didn't get any updates. If they resolved it it might be worth going down the route they took.