BREAKING NEWS: DBS to file for bankruptcy Monday July 18

[alandenisefields]

BREAKING NEWS: Discount Bridal Service/Martins to file for bankruptcy

From the news desk at the BRIDAL BARGAINS book, Denise & Alan Fields

(Boulder, CO July 11) Discount Bridal Service and Martins Bridal of Baltimore will file for bankruptcy late this week or early next week, an attorney for the Maryland-based company told BRIDAL BARGAINS authors Denise & Alan Fields today.

We reported last week that the company had closed its web site and informed some dealers that their orders would not be shipping. Rumors about the company surfaced after it announced a “vacation� for two weeks starting July 1. Discount Bridal Service is the largest discounter of bridal apparel in America with 500 dealers nationwide.

Connie Hare, a Baltimore-based attorney representing Discount Bridal Service and Martin’s, called us Monday morning and said the company has closed and planned to file for bankruptcy late this week or by the latest, July 18. The company will file for Chapter 7, liquidation.

Before the filing, the company will be shipping out some bridal gowns to brides whose weddings are close. Hare told us these goods will be “comparable� to what was ordered, but may not be exactly what was ordered.

The attorney also told us the company was returning payments made for orders after June 15 (checks will be returned; credit cards were not processed after June 15). These checks will go out this week. NOTE: Orders and payments received BEFORE June 15 will not be refunded but become part of the bankruptcy.

Here is the latest Q&A:

Q. Where is my dress? My wedding is in two weeks!

A. If your dress was to be delivered in the next 30 days, it is possible your dress is hanging in the manufacturer’s warehouse. Two discounters have graciously offered to help stranded brides. They will contact manufacturers and attempt to get the dresses released. We will try to help---here’s what you should do:

1. Email us at [email protected] with your name and contact info (email, phone, cell). Tell us the dress(es) you ordered---manfacturer/designer, size(s), color, delivery date. We will forward this on to other bridal apparel sellers who will try to help.

2. If you paid via credit card, CONTACT your credit card company immediately to dispute the charge. You will have to pay for the gown(s) again----but if you receive a refund on the DBS payment, you will only pay for the dresses once.

Q. My wedding isn’t until October, but I am worried about my dress.

If you paid by credit card, immediately contact your credit card issuer to dispute the charge. Hopefully, you can get your money back and re-order the dress from another source.

Just to repeat: Discount Bridal Service and Martins have CLOSED and won’t be shipping any orders. Yes, the company is shipping a small amount of goods this week for brides whose weddings are in the next 2 weeks, but that is it.

Q. This is a disaster! How can I help?

We are shocked and saddened by the sudden collapse of this company. If you have a dress you’d like to donate to help stranded brides, please post word at a special message board we have established to help with this crisis:

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=174&topic_id=1&mesg_id=1&page=

MEDIA ADVISORY: Denise & Alan Fields will be available for interviews by satellite in Denver, CO or by phone 303-442-8792 to help get the word out.

Alan & Denise Fields
Authors, BRIDAL BARGAINS & BRIDAL PASSPORT
303-442-8792
[email protected]

[mmurphy79]

what am i supposed to do!?!?! I need my maids dresses. Some were paid with in cash!

[Caryboberry]

This is so bizarre. Any word on why?

I feel really sorry for my DBS Rep. She told me she has bills to pay and hasn't gotten paid.

I am glad I paid with a credit card and can dispute the charge.

Cary

[Jennifer Leister]

Yes, as reps we were told nothing and because DBS stopped processing credit cards many of my customers paid me, and I turned over a check. This leaves me in an awful circumstance, because I can't afford to reorder, and I'm sure the bride can't either. Hopefully, I will be able to help my brides find a solution. But any bride in this circumstance has to understand that neither did we know this was going to happen when they took the order, but nor do we know exactly what to do right now.

[Liddy]

This is such a bummer! :-( I just got my Anne Barge gown from a wonderful ebayer. It came complete with tags and everything for $110. The seller is "Sophinabina" she has been selling samples from a closed out bridal salon in the Troy, Michigan Area they pop up online every week or so. If you are a size 10 look her up.

-Liddy

[serihn1979]

i just received a call from my DBS dealer, Melinda, and she was happy to report that most of the things i had ordered were just received excpet for the mother of the brides dress that was ordered. but she told me that she called the company, mori lee, and is trying to out right buy the dress for me. She will be losing money on this but said she will try everything she can to get it for me. She has helped so much and feels horrible about everything but what can we do. She did not know about this. All we can do is hope for the best and wish her all the luck in the world. This is not only inconviencing us but also our DSB dealers. She has a family she has to care for and now she is out of business without any warning.
THIS IS NOT YOUR DBS DEALERS FAULT. DO NOT BE MAD AT THEM. MELINDA IS HELPING ME ANY WAY SHE CAN AND HOPEFULLY YOUR DEALER IS HELPING YOU TOO!

[Authorized Retailer]

Every bride should contact the closest full-service salon who is an AUTHORIZED DEALER for the designer/manufacturer who has your merchandise. You can check the manufacturers website to find out who the authorized dealers are in your area. The manufacturers want to ship this merchandise, but they can only ship to authorized dealers. If you want your gowns, rely on a reputable full-service bridal salon in your city. Deal with them face-to-face. In addition, be sure to call your credit card company and have all charges to your DBS dealer reversed immediately.

[Lparys]

Understandable but we tried that for the Bridal Gown and they wanted to charge her another $650 for the dress! There was no assitance for the situation what so ever! Then what do you do? Pay the $650 and double the price for the same dress???

[bride]

One of my bridesmaids is in Mexico on vacation for the next week (so I can't contact her to tell her to call her credit card company) and the other paid with a visa check card. We didn't know this, but because its a debit card she was only allowed to dispute the charge within 60 days of payment! I don't even know the policy for the maid in Mexico's card. We feel so screwed because we had to order so far in advance and now because they charged her card so long ago we can't do anything. The dresses obviously aren't custom ordered! One was a size 12 and the other is a 16! The bridal industry really makes me sick.

[Bearnme]

Melinda at Bridal Affairs in Poughkeepsie, NY is the consummate professional. Yesterday, she called to tell me about the AWFUL mess DBS has made for all of us...brides and dealers. I cried for most of yesterday, but thankfully, my dress was shipped out the day they went under! Melinda said she will pay out of her OWN pocket to the dress makers who are asking the brides to REPAY, as DBS NEVER paid them! That is up and above the call of duty! While many dealers are just walking away, Melinda is in the trenches with us. What did DBS do with the money that the brides paid months ago? Their professionalism is nonexistent and they never gave the dealers any indication that the end was near. To claim to be on vacation and DODGE dealer calls is unethical! The owners and those in their chain of command should be accountable for the heartache they have caused many people across the country. I hope there are more dealers out there like Melinda, who are doing EVERYTHING in their power to help the brides. For those of you who have to repay for your dress, just know that what comes around goes around and those who ran DBS will know what it means to be let down in a big way at some point in their lifetime. Bravo to Melinda for being so honest & trustworthy!

[panthur]

I used an MBNA mastercard. I'm waiting to see if they will refund my money. They say it's normally two weeks until they get back to you and six total before the issue will be resolved. My DBS dealer is Dianne Greene and she has been helpful. She also owns a brick and mortar store so she is still an approved vendor. She's said she'd update me by the end of the day today on where my dress is. Hopefully I can get my refund and make payment to her or directly to my manufacturer to still get my gown!

I am lucky that my wedding is not until February! Hang in there, girls and keep us updated on whether you get refunds via your credit cards or not.

[SynchronicityBoutique]

Although Synchronicity Boutique isn't really a bridal store, I do sell gowns, including gowns intended for bridal parties, for every size from a little girls' size 7 or 8 (sometimes even smaller) through to women's plus sizes. I will sell anyone with a receipt from Martin's the same number of dresses at my cost. I'm not looking for publicity for this, but I can imagine how stuck people feel. In many cases, I can get dresses literally overnight. Our most expensive gowns are usually well under $400 (retail), and my cost is about half of that (shipping would be extra... I'll show people the receipts and that will be their only other cost.) The only other requirement would be that I have to ask for payment in full up-front because it's literally what the dress costs me, and without that, I'm stuck with the dress, and that dresses are final sale only. We have dresses and samples that run the gamut in sizes, and we're even running a 75% off sale now with many dresses that would be perfect for brides, mothers of the bride, bridesmaids, flower girls, etc.

If you're interested, look on my web site (it's a new one and not very exciting, but it lists brands), www.SynchronicityBoutique.com Obviously, if you're not in this area it's tough, but I'll try to help if I can.

SYNCHRONICITY Boutique is in Pikesville in Hooks Village- 25 Hooks Lane, Suite 105. My work number is 410-486-8866. Again, if I can help out, I'd be honored to.

I hope this is beneficial.

Best wishes,

Karen

[Briane Workman]

Hi I'm a maid of honor for a bride in Michigan about to have a nervous breakdown. Do you think this Melinda woman could talk to me and tell me what she thinks we should do? Of course all the dresses were paid for in cash and none of us can afford to pay again. Help!

[Briane]

I'm the manager of a bank and she should be able to dispute any charge at any time. Tell her to contact someone with higher authority at her bank.

[serihn1979]

i too am dealing with melinda to get my mothers dress released and though she also said she would pay it out of her own pocket my mother and i refused to let her do that. she has a family to take care of and for us to just think of all the brides she must be doing this with we just could not stomach that. so in the end we are paying for the dress. i know that she can not do this for everyone but i hope there are other dealers out there who are trying to help out their brides the most that they can.

[melinda]

here is melindas website. when i checked it said it was being remodeled. but it still has her phone number on it. hope this helps.
http://bridalaffairsbymelinda.com/

[elizabetha]

Hi, I am a dealer here in MD and I am doing everything I can for all of the brides I wrote orders for..... HAS any bride posted about a dealer not helping or being unreachable.. WOW, I sure hope not... I know what DBS did is horrible beyond explanation but I truly hope as I write this there are NOT any brides out there who don't know what is going on b/c their dealer is hiding in the shadows too. This really needs national media coverage......

[JoAnne Schnepp]

I would also like to offer help for any dealer or bride who needs it. I have about 15 flowergirl dresses here at home...all NWT and I will offer at my cost any dress for any bride if you just email me.

I have one set of 5 BM dresses by Dessy...NWT, periwinkle....they are all a size 10...so the BMs would have to be all sizes 8,10,12 for this to work, but I will offer them for what I paid for them

Have also about 20 wedding gowns...various sizes...many of them NWT, but discontinued styles, all sizes from 6 to 18 in case anyone is really desperate. I do not need to make money on this...just cover my costs only. I am already out a couple hundred for the one bride I have who has to rebuy her gown from Demetrios, so I really can't just give away anything either. I have pictures and a website so if anyone is in need, please email me. I am located in Tucson, Arizona.

[email protected]

JoAnne