artschoolgirl
03-05-2002, 07:26 PM
I ordered a dress from them based on the high recommendations featured on this site, so I feel others out there should be forewarned. While I would say in their defense that the staff is pleasant, the dress they sent me far from perfect, their ordering procedure was misleading and I am not a happy Pearl's Place bride.
My mother placed the order over the phone and they told her they would "charge half of the gown to place the order," but neglected to mention it was half of the retail price. The receipt they sent to her was illegible as it was the yellow carbon copy so when her credit card statement arrived she was upset to see a much larger amount had been charged. While this could have been a misunderstanding, I feel they should omit the usage of the word "half" in their ordering verbiage and be more clear that the charges are based on "retail" and not what you are paying.
After only 4 weeks of placing the order, a message was left on my parent's answering machine that the dress was being shipped out and would arrive in 7 days. This was a pleasant surprise as I was expecting the dress to arrive in April. Unfortunately I received the dress 8 days later and it was not what I was expecting. It was crammed into a small box and seriously wrinkled (I antcipated some wrinkling but it looked dreadful). I really think they should throw in a hanger and a bag when a $1400 dress. Beyond the wrinkles, the gown has construction flaws in the darting which may have only been apparent if tried on. But, the slip sown under the dress is actually longer than the outside of of the dress and there is a black mark on the back which I feel should have been caught.
I called Pearl's Place and spoke with someone who recommended I overnight the dress back to them so that they could return it to the manufacturer who in turn will make the determination what to do. I have a problem with this "solution" as they have been paid in full and if I send the dress back I have no dress and am out some serious cash. In addition, why should I have to pay the return shipping? The woman I spoke with was pleasant but defensive.
On a scale of 1-10, I would rate my experience as a 3. If I had it to do all over again, I would not buy a dress from Pearl's Place or over the internet. "You get what you pay for" really rings true here which is sad when your wedding dress should be perfect.
My mother placed the order over the phone and they told her they would "charge half of the gown to place the order," but neglected to mention it was half of the retail price. The receipt they sent to her was illegible as it was the yellow carbon copy so when her credit card statement arrived she was upset to see a much larger amount had been charged. While this could have been a misunderstanding, I feel they should omit the usage of the word "half" in their ordering verbiage and be more clear that the charges are based on "retail" and not what you are paying.
After only 4 weeks of placing the order, a message was left on my parent's answering machine that the dress was being shipped out and would arrive in 7 days. This was a pleasant surprise as I was expecting the dress to arrive in April. Unfortunately I received the dress 8 days later and it was not what I was expecting. It was crammed into a small box and seriously wrinkled (I antcipated some wrinkling but it looked dreadful). I really think they should throw in a hanger and a bag when a $1400 dress. Beyond the wrinkles, the gown has construction flaws in the darting which may have only been apparent if tried on. But, the slip sown under the dress is actually longer than the outside of of the dress and there is a black mark on the back which I feel should have been caught.
I called Pearl's Place and spoke with someone who recommended I overnight the dress back to them so that they could return it to the manufacturer who in turn will make the determination what to do. I have a problem with this "solution" as they have been paid in full and if I send the dress back I have no dress and am out some serious cash. In addition, why should I have to pay the return shipping? The woman I spoke with was pleasant but defensive.
On a scale of 1-10, I would rate my experience as a 3. If I had it to do all over again, I would not buy a dress from Pearl's Place or over the internet. "You get what you pay for" really rings true here which is sad when your wedding dress should be perfect.