Hello Ladies, I've been reading this forum for quite some time but have yet to post. I particularly  frequent the Milly Dress boards and have found it exciting to watch the process of many of you getting your dresses. I took the plunge and ordered my Milly gown at the end of October and everything seemed smooth sailing through the ordering process, etc. and my test dress was fabulous (even with the crappy fabric!) but I'm beyond frustrated, disappointed and just OVER my experience at this point. I have been very patient with them up until the last few days, but I'm about to lose it.

First, my dress is a month behind schedule and it's just been moved into stage 4...so I imagine it will be a while still. While my wedding isn't for some time, I had a bridal portrait shoot with my photographer scheduled for February which I now know is not going to happen...and I'm not even ready to reschedule it because I don't think there is ever going to be a happy ending to this story.

So...beyond the fact that they are very behind schedule (and I know about the Chinese New Year, but I ordered at the end of October...they had plenty of time to get my dress done before the holiday, especially considering I requested ZERO changes on my test dress...so I'm NOT being difficult or picky), I requested samples of the beading options from Annie 2 times and both times I was promised I would have them by the end of the week. I wasn't sure what the hold up was, I figured it was just like the fabric/lace samples and they'd just have the options readily available and be able to email them. But, she "promised" that she'd email me the bead samples by end of week. End of the week came and went and I asked again on the following Wednesday. The next morning I awoke to an email saying she was very sorry, she "promises" she will send them by end of week again. End of week comes and goes...I get nothing. Then...drumroll...the following Monday I get an email with photos of my dress with the bodice COMPLETELY BEADED! WTF?  I did not pick out the beads, I never saw my options, they put sequins all over the dress and I apologize if this offends anyone but I absolutely HATE sequins. This could be due to the fact that I spent 8 years in dance class and had countless dance recitals/costumes covered in sequins...I just can't stand them. This was a contributing factor in the reason I opted for a custom dress, a lot of designers use sequins and I don't want them.

So, I log on to have an online chat with Annie that evening and tell her we have major problem with the dress, as I did not ever receive sample beading options, I asked more than once and she promised me twice I'd have them by the end of the week to no avail. Then I check my email and find the dress beaded with beads I never approved and it's covered in sequins?!! She tells me the workers just went ahead and did the beading on my dress because of the particular lace I chose, the usually bead that lace the same way each time and she's very sorry. I ask her if the sequins can be removed and she tells me "NO" and says it would ruin the dress. I reiterate that I do NOT want sequins on my dress and I did not pick those beads and she just keeps saying she knows and she's sorry. No option to fix it, no option to remake it, just yeah, I know, sorry. 

Since they are unwilling to remake the top of the dress, or fix it, I tell her I think I'd like my money back as this was their mistake. Then she asks me if there is a "method" to solve this problem. I ask her what she suggests to fix the problem and she offers to cover the sequins with swarovski crystals. I'm still not happy at this point as my dress has been ruined in my eyes and I agree to accept the crystals. After I say okay, she then tells me they can't cover the sequins with crystals because it's too expensive, but she can offer me a whopping 100 crystals which is a $25 value (whoopie!). I ask her if that is enough to scatter over the top and bottom portions of the dress with both have the same lace pattern because the top and bottom of the dress need to match and she tells me "no"...but I can buy more for 25 cents a piece so it all matches. I then reply that they messed up my dress and I certainly wasn't going to pay extra for anything for them to help fix the mistake they made to my dress. She tells me she understands and then simply asks me what I want to do...like the ball is in my court....but she's not giving me much in way of options just basically wanting me to suck it up and take the dress as they made it.

She then basically guilts me into letting them add the $25 worth of crystals to the dress by telling me that her manager will punish her if I cancel my order.  So, I tell her I am not upset with her, and she has been very nice but I am very disappointed that my dress was messed up and she says sorry again... I ask her to send me photos ASAP of the addition of the crsytals on the bodice, and in my mind I'm thinking I really have no choice but to probably pay for more cyrstals to add to the bottom lace hemline of the dress so that it matches the bodice, but I'm taking it one thing at a time... So...I sit and wait for new photos of the bodice and instead I get photos of the skirt and an email from Annie asking me to comment on the "gathers" on the skirt. Well it looks TERRIBLE and nothing like the test dress or my sample dress/inspiration dress. The gathers are uneven, the bottom hem is uneven and because it's tucked and pulled up in some spots but not others so it's totally out of sorts and unsymmetrical. I spend an hour playing in photoshop trying to figure out how I can draw and communicate the issues with the dress, mark up the photos, send the sample photos and their own test dress photos back to them again and an email also explaining in detail what the problem is.

I also inquire about the issue with the bodice and the crystals..asking what the status is on that since I didn't get any update on it and only pictures of the skirt in progress. Then I told her that I wasn't sure from the photos but it really appears that there is a small zipper under the corset/laceup on the back of my dress. Starting at like the natural waist and going a good distance down. I can't explain this but it looks like the dresses only laces down the upper back and then from the natural waist down the rest is a zipper. I asked her to confirm if that was the case and told her that the lacing of the corset was supposed to go down across the top of the buttocks basically.

My email is ignored, none of my questions are answered, but I know she got it, because today I get a new email with pictures of the skirt and Annie asking me to look at the gathers in the skirt again and comment. Once again, the hemline is uneven because the gathers/pick ups in the dress have no rhyme or reason and they are pulled higher in some spots then others which is causing the bottom of the dress to lay uneven. How can they not notice this? I honestly can't even believe they'd send me these photos. I mean isn't it bad enough they made a mistake and I'm stuck with a dress that isn't even to my liking, now they just seem so careless about the entire thing and to send me these photos of the dress looking so half-hazard and carelessly made is so maddening. It's like salt in the wound.

At this point, I'm waiting for the online chat tonight and honestly I'm SO over it. I was so confident this was going to be a great experience and it's turned into a nightmare and I'm feeling so deflated.

Has anyone had a similar experience that turned out okay int he end, or should I just walk away from this and move on?

(So sorry for the long post, and for complaining on my first post, but you guys seem to be the milly experts and I need some guidance)

GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRL - I feel you. I totally get  you. I went through the EXACT same situation that you're currently in (check my other previous threads in this group). In all honesty - the dress came..and it looked "ok"..I wasn't thrilled..I wasn't "satisfied"..the whole back and forth thing RUINED the experience and my dress. I now associate nothing but feelings of anger and frustration w/the dress. I wish I could say I'm "happy" with the outcome but that would be a lie...I'm just glad the whole dress making experience is OVER.

That said - if you really want your dress from them then keep pushing them to re-make the top. They didn't get approval from you to move forward w/the beading and that's THEIR fault so why should you have to accept that?

Annie asked you what they can do to resolve this - simple - re-make the dress. If they don't re-make it then make sure you get your money back. If they refuse to give you your money back then file a complaint with PayPal.

Either way - good luck. I can relate to how frustrating this experience is b/c it sounds like you're experiencing what I went through.

2010bridetobee,  

I'm sorry you are going through so much frustration.  If it's any consolation my dress is also about a month late but they have been accommodating my requests for changes thus far.  I think perhaps with the Chinese New Year they are just extremely stressed out and may even be cutting corners to try to get everything done.  You mentioned that you don't need your dress right away.  Perhaps you can let things calm down a bit and ask them to remake the bodice for you again.  Afterall, you didn't approve it and it is wrong to expect you to just accept something you don't like at all. I wouldn't give up.

I have been told my dress will be done before Chinese New Year but I haven't seen any pictures for the last two weeks so I don't know how my dress is progressing at all.  When I contacted Annie yesterday to check on my dress, she told me that the girl who was making my dress was out sick this week.  Although, I have always been very patient and polite in all my correspondence with Annie, that made me think about how my wedding dress is really not worth making someone sick or stressed out.  I don't want so much bad karma to be attached to my wedding dress.  I'm just taking the Zen approach (for the sake of my mental health) and hoping that things will turn out ok as they have for so many other Milly brides.

Good luck.

@ Kaytana: I just went back and read about your experience and woah...I can see how you relate to my ordeal. What the heck is going on with them? Have they bit off more than they can chew or what?  Regardless, this has just turned into a nightmare. I'm not even sure having them remake the bodice is a good idea, despite the fact that I can't stand the way they beaded it and the sequins, it's the only part of the dress that looks good at this point. I'm afraid of what it may look like if i wereto have them remake it again.

I stayed up until 1:30am trying to log in to the chat this morning. They weren't online at all. I just checked my email and I never did get a response from Annie about my concerns. I don't know if she wasn't there yesterday or if she's ignoring me now or what.

@Snowyflake: I totally get you. I have been so NOT high maintenance about this from the get go. They sent me the test dress, I praised and approved with NO changes. They send me photos of the lace on the bodice, I approved with no issue. I went back and read through all my emails with Annie and I actually just casually asked when I would see samples of the beads for the dress on November 26th. Her response to me:

For the beading,I will send you beading photos when making your real dress, do not worry:-)

I hadn't received anything about the beads by January (and my dress is already past due at this point, but I didn't even mention that or ask about timeline) so that's when I casually asked about it again. Just inquiring...just to be sure! Then the promises started to come. And, then everything started to fall apart. It's not like I was emailng her every week asking for status updates, etc. I NEVER asked once for an update, just waited till she emailed me and responded. That's it.

I'm not per se in a hurry to get my dress. What I had scheduled in February was a photo shoot of me in the dress for my grandparents. They are not doing well and we don't know what the future holds for them in terms of them being able to make it to the wedding. So, I'm disappointed that I don't have the dress on schedule, but haven't made that the big issue at all. The big issue is the dress was made wrong in the bodice and the skirt looks like crap and nothing like the test dress.

Then it all went downhill when she sent me the email with the bodice of the dress completely beaded and sequined. The fact that she's ignoring my questions and they have just moved on to the skirt is really alarming, frustrating and unprofessional.They should have been bending over backwards to accomodate me seeing how my dress is overdue and wrong. But, instead it's as if they just don't care at all anymore.

I agree about not wanting to be worked up about it, but it's hard not to, and frankly, I don't want to be worked up. Not about a dress! The dress wasn't even one of the big things on my list, I care more about the shoes then the dress (I'm a shoe nut!) but I can't be wearing a dress that is all uneven at the bottom like I made it myself!  For them to expect me to just take a dress that they've already made wrong, with a bottom lace section that looks different from the top beaded/sequined/crystaled? bodice and with a skirt that is horribly messy is just unacceptable.

With the way the dress looks now, it's not even like I could sell it on ebay or something and recoupe some of my money back.

I called my credit card company yesterday afternoon and asked them what the procedure would be to get my money back since I paid through PayPal but used my credit card and they said since I haven't received any merchandise and I have correspondence with them showing what they have done is incorrect I can dispute the charges and get my money back directly through the credit card company. I suppose I could also go through PayPal, I'm not sure how successful most folks are with that. I've heard good and bad experiences.

I don't know I'm at a loss. All I know is this sucks and it's exhausting. Thanks for the support.

Man, I'm so sorry this is happening to you. I was getting frustrated FOR YOU while I read it. I 110% agree with Kaytana...tell them you want the dress remade-to your specific liking- or they need to issue you a refund so you can find someone else to make your dress. This is ridiculous...and everyone knows I'm a complete advocate for Milly...but if I were in the situation, I would've been P.O.d to the max!!! 

If it were me (and take into consideration I have no shame when it comes to complaining about things I've paid for that aren't right-lol) I would've probably asked that it were completely done over (from test stages and everything), I was sent beading IMMEDIATELY so I can choose the beading I want and NOT what the workers 'feel is best" AND, finally, I would've asked for a percentage off of what I paid for them missing their deadline AND the turmoil that you've gone through. I would stress to her that you have bridal pictures coming up and need your dress ASAP. 

For ladies that are reading this who are thinking about ordering from Milly...do your research all around. I had a great experience with them-as did a few others-but, as you can see, Kaytana and OP had the exact opposite, which is a shame because Milly is messing up their image! UGH!!!

Sorry honey!

Thanks, e!  The problem at this point is I can't get even get a response or get in touch with Annie. No response to my last 2 emails and no one available online last night. Not sure where this leaves me.

I came across an email address called: complain@millybridal.com  and also noticed that Annie copies someone on our emails a lot and I wonder if it's the manager or owner. Do you think it would be worth it to email those to addresses?

For anyone wondering about what I am talking about when I say the dress is uneven at the bottom.  Here is a photo of the test dress...You see how the top layer of the skirt is straight across the bottom? The bottom layer will have a lace underlay, but the satin skirt should be even across the front.

THIS is what they are trying to give me now:

WTF is that? So, they want me to take a dress with beading I did not choose, sequins I do NOT want and a skirt that is completely uneven and wrong and not at all like their own test dress? And, now they won't respond? I really don't think I'm being unreasonable here.

*HUUGS*

I really hope they pull through for you. Like I said - I can totally relate to what you're experiencing. I agree - the test dress and your actual dress do not look the same b/c all the pick-ups are different and the bottom of the gown is not even. That said - they couldn't be possibly "done" with the bottom. It looks like they can still go in and trim the fabric to make it even. Maybe they just want you to look at the pick-ups?

I'd give them a few more days to respond. I know that Annie checks this group and these boards so she's likely well aware of how you're feeling right now.

*HUGS* again

And total side note - umm....we are in TOTAL agreeance that the dress was s'posed to be easy..and that shoes matter 1,000% more...you're a girl after my own heart!

Yep, I would copy everyone on an email when you send it. I'm not sure who her boss is but when she copied people on my emails, I would ALWAYS copy everyone. :) When are you trying to go online to chat? I always had the best of luck after 9PM (EST) because it's daytime over there and someone is always on. I have a feeling as its getting closer & closer to the holidays (for them) it's going to be harder to get in touch with someone. 

Keep emailing and be sure to get on and try to chat. 

The dress is pretty but it's definitely NOT your test dress & I agree with Kaytana...they can't be done. Did they say this was the final? Did you send them an inspiration picture? Maybe you can draw on the inspiration picture (in Microsoft Paint) and show them what exactly needs to be changed. 

At this point, you need a percentage off (money back), a veil & RUSH order. The dress is wrong & that's that. 

Besides that...it's not your problem if someone gets punished for something being wrong. Wrong is wrong...she played a guilt trip on you...

Ugh. They're upsetting me!

ok, this is freaking ridiculous.  i'm honestly flabbergasted (yah i said it) that you're dealing with the same company that made my wedding gown!  i, like erudolph, had my dress made thru milly and could not be hapier with it.  they were accommodating, on time, and did everything i asked.  but girlfriend, if i was you, i would be PISSED!!!  i totally agree with e, not only should they TOTALLY FROM SCRATCH remake your dress (WITHOUT asking you what THEY should do...wtf?!?), but it should be at at significantly lower price, and be shipped out like, yesterday. and a free veil! that is so unbelievably unprofessional...i'm seriously astounded!! and i am a big advocate for milly as well, but maybe i will start rethinking my recommendations.

i would not just accept it.  i mean, under no circumstances would i accept it.  go thru paypal, your credit company, heck i would say even get a lawyer.  i mean that's totally ridiculous.  i hope that they are reading this thread and see how they're ruining their good reputation. this is unacceptable, and i hope you stick with ur guns and everything works out for you sweetie!!  pls pm if i can help at all or you need anything!