Here is a copy of the letter I sent to the owner of Andrea's:\r
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7/24/09\r
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Dear Karen, \r
I’m writing to let you know that my experience with Andrea’s Bridal was awful, from start to finish.\r
Actually, let me back up. I did try wedding gowns on and that experience was fine. I believe the girl who helped me was Tina and she was sweet. I didn’t find anything I liked, which of course is not an issue since we all have different tastes. However, I saw so many lovely bridesmaid dresses that I decided to bring my maid-of-honor to Andrea’s, despite that I purchased my gown elsewhere. \r
The girl who helped us was in outer space (I wish I could remember her name..blondish hair, blue eyes, glasses, very ditzy). She did not help us pick anything out, nor did she help us try anything on. She stood there, completely useless (which makes me wonder why a scheduled appointment was required). We did manage to find something without her help. Upon checking out, it took her 20 minutes to get the order straight and then I left with the wrong receipt. She called to tell me she realized she gave me the wrong receipt and she would put the correct one in the mail. The mailed receipt never came so I tracked you down, and you sent it to me. She seemed so inept that until I received the correct receipt I had no way of knowing whether or not she ordered the right dress!\r
This was back in February. I was told the bridesmaid dress would arrive mid-June. So as of mid-June, when I didn’t hear anything, I started calling your shop to inquire about the dress. Each time I called I got the answering machine. Nobody returned my messages so I kept calling. When someone did answer I was told that you are the only person who can check on orders (that in itself seems non-productive). I left several messages for you to call me and you never did. Since you didn’t return the messages, I kept calling. About 75% of the time I couldn’t even leave a message because the phone’s mail box was full. Talk about lack of concern for your customers.\r
Thankfully, I picked up the dress today (late July, not mid-June) and never need to deal with you again. Can you tell me why it arrived over a month late? I have only one month to get this dress fitted for my maid-of-honor. Do you care? I doubt it. If you cared, you would have returned my calls. Better yet, the dress would have arrived when you said it was going to. \r
I’m left to wonder if this is how you treat all of your customers. Perhaps because my purchase wasn’t a big ticket item, my business isn’t important to you. I’m so glad I purchased my own gown from a shop that truly values customer service. I cannot say the same for Andrea’s. In fact, I have encouraged all of my friends and family to avoid Andrea’s. I believe it would be less of an aggravation to drive to Canada and back than to shop at Andrea’s. Your service is terrible.\r
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Pros: No pros
Cons: See below..there are many
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