Billy’s Alterations

DON’T take your dress here!
Had to buy 2^nd $ 1200 wedding gown shipped priority b/​c I let them touch my first. They’re in the back of Robin’s Bridal, where I bought the first. I’ve done alterations professionally (I didn’t do mine b/​c I was busy altering my bridesmaids’ gowns). I couldn’t believe how many shortcuts they took, along just destroying it. I’ve spent 6 – 8 hours trying to fix it enough to sell half price, but I’m not done.
They said to come for first fitting under two months before wedding and tried to schedule fittings 3 weeks apart. There wouldn’t have been time to finish at that rate.
They jaggedly cut the ribbon sash – it was half the length it had been and fraying. When I said I wanted a new one, they said they’d switch it with someone else’s, leading me to believe they switched my original with someone else’s messed up one (going from dress to dress until someone doesn’t notice), or they had no issue lying about messing up mine, since they were willing to be deceitful to the next person who would get it.
They cut my corset-​back laces really short w/​o my consent and did not sew up the ends, which frayed. I had to sew them later.
Many beads were falling off after altering b/​c they cut the threads they were on but didn’t re-​secure the beads. I had to secure them myself.
Many lace appliqués were fraying as if they’d been cut (they shouldn’t have been). I haven’t tested fray-​checking yet, as it can stain, but I will probably have to.
They did not trim hanging threads after sewing; I had to trim them, both inside and out.
They did not backstitch any of their machine stitches (or knot their hand stitches). Both came loose, and I had to go back and sew some of them.
They sewed the brooch on upside down. It was obvious which way was up; they should have noted it prior to removing, or if unsure, check Robin’s sample’s brooch.
The sash was sewn on crooked. It was only a bit better after I complained. I had to fix later.
When I asked them to do an easy fix so the lace layer would lay flat without wrinkling under my big bust, they said they would (after I had explained the easy concept 5 times), but when I came back in, it wasn’t done. I also asked them to alter the bust shape, so it was less pointy – they said they couldn’t (I was trained in design – they easily could). She said it was pointy because of the boning, which is stupid. Boning itself isn’t pointy (unless you kink it) – it was pointy because of the shape of the princess seams, which may have been fine for someone with a smaller bust, but it did not look right on me. If you want anything different than their «standard,» they cannot/​will not accommodate you.
I said I wanted a certain bustle, but she didn’t know there were more than 2 types after being in the business for 30 years. I’m not even 30, yet I can think of 6 modern bustles plus variations.
Taking up the lining/​tulle layer was awful. They didn’t cut it first, so I had fabric bunched up messily where the new seam was. I asked them to do it over – I had to explain several times for her to understand. Communicating was difficult. They did a better job the 2^nd time, but not great. They didn’t serge the edges of the fabric after cutting, so it frayed. I had serge it myself.
The hems were uneven. The outer lace layer was loosely and messily hand sewed on top of the original lace layer. It is really obvious there are 2-​layers of lace (even 3 somehow in some areas) by looking from a distance. This is a lengthy fix (that I can’t perfect, since they cut the lace in half and did not give me the fabric they cut off) that I have not yet tackled. To do this properly, they should have removed the lace from the mesh and re-​sewn it by hand after moving it up, then cutting off the mesh. Instead they just cut straight across the lace/​mesh and stuck it on top of the other layer. In some cases, their laziness wasn’t so detrimental, but for this, they took a major shortcut that permanently ruined the appearance of the gown. This will have to be improved to sell.
When they did the hem, they cut it 1+ inches off the ground, so my flip flops and feet (I can’t walk in heels – I’m a bit disabled) were sticking out. I am 5′ 2″, meaning I can only sell to someone who’s about 4.5′ tall if they wear heels. The chances of me selling this dress after spending so many hours fixing it are slim, so I’m out over $ 1200 and a lot of time. I made a claim with wedding insurance (WedSafe), but they don’t cover alteration mishaps.
They stole 1) my 2^nd set of laces (the ones I wanted! it came with a thin one and thick one), 2) the certificate saying the dress wasn’t a knockoff, and 3) the bag of replacement beads. They also threw out the fabric scraps, so lengthening it again to sell isn’t an option. Due to the style, it actually wouldn’t have looked too bad. They really screwed me.
Please save yourself the stress/​money and take your dress to Custom Alterations. See my review for them.