Scam #1: Bridal Shops Cut The Dress Manufacturer Labels Off Wedding Gowns
How the scam works: Some bridal dress shops remove the dress manufacturer's label from wedding dresses on the racks to prevent you from comparison shopping with other stores. If you can't tell which model of dress it is, then you are shopping blind. This wedding gown label removing scam is illegal and unethical, yet many shops who pull this scam on you will use all sorts of Jedi mind tricks to "prove" they are within their legal right, when of course they are not. Some bridal shops do it as a means to substitute cheaply made knock offs for the original higher priced custom made couture.
How to avoid the scam: If you walk into any bridal shop and you see this nonsense, just turn around and walk out. Any bridal store that thinks this low of you, with no regard to your legal rights and operates in this unethical mode, will surely pull other tricks on you later.
Scam #2: Bridal Shops Sell Used or Damaged Wedding Gowns as New
How the scam works: The typical scenario is you order what you think is a brand new wedding dress, paying in full by cash or check, because the bridal shop does not accept credit cards. They promise you the dress will arrive in 2 to 3 months in plenty of time for your wedding. The bridal dress shop is supposed to order your new dress from the manufacturer, which is usually how wedding gowns are purchased, as they are generally custom made to your measurements. After several months go by, longer than you were told of course, you begin to panic, the bridal shop keeps stalling you, if they even return your phone calls at all. Your wedding dresses somehow mange to arrive at the shop, but only within a week of your wedding. You quickly find out your wedding gown or bridesmaid dresses are either store samples, or have been used before. They either have damage, or they are dirty and dusty on the bottom, another sign indicating prior use of your dress. Of course your dresses are in the wrong size too, another indicator that something is afoul. It's obvious this is not the order you placed, and the bridal shop is scrambling to make it appear that is the order you placed even though the dresses appear to be too big. Since the dresses don't fit, now you and your bridesmaids are required to shell out hundreds more to the bridal shop to make the alterations for the dresses to fit you.
Possible root causes for this scam: Maybe the bridal shop forgot to place your order. This happens all the time and with your wedding drawing near, they know they must produce something quick, so they find something that looks close and pray you don't notice any difference. They may cut off the label so you don't know that your wedding dress is not the real Demetrios wedding dress or the real Vera Wang wedding gown. Another possible reason would be the case of a real unscrupulous salesperson who has some previously used wedding dresses lying around that they cannot unload, and they just happen to be close to your size. So they let you order your new wedding dress, but substitute these used wedding gowns or samples instead. Often the wedding dress will have damage or residue from cosmetics on them.
How To Avoid The Scam: It's pretty hard for you to prevent another human from lying and cheating you like this. But you can improve your odds by screening your bridal shops before you go shopping there to avoid shops that have a history of complaints for this scam. You should check any wedding vendor you plan to employ in the Better Business Bureau database or on RipoffReport.com.
Scam #3: Bridal Shops Lie About Being An Authorized Reseller for Your Wedding GownHow the scam works: You visit a local bridal shop who claims to be an authorized reseller of Demetrios wedding gowns, or Vera Wang wedding gowns or other name brands, so you place your order. Of course they only accept cash or check and there are no refunds allowed once the order is placed. When your dress finally arrives (If you get anything at all), it's completely the wrong size, or the tag is removed. Sometimes you find out the bridal shop lied and your wedding gown is a knock off, not the genuine article from the genuine manufacturer as they claimed. This happens even more with online wedding gown websites, where your risk of getting scammed is much higher. In fact some wedding dress designers warn you not to buy your wedding gown online, and they don't even allow any of their legitimate resellers to sell wedding dresses online. Unauthorized bridal shops sometimes obtain your wedding dress by just ordering it through another retailer who is an authorized reseller. But this adds levels of complication and more risk for calamity.
Possible root causes for this scam: Sometimes the bridal shop can be in bad financial trouble, and can't even afford to buy your wedding gown from the designer. In desperation they'll pass off samples to you as the original couture. But former employees of bridal shops go online all the time to confess that with their previous bosses, this was business as usual.
How To Avoid The Scam: This scam is also highly prevalent because brides don't take very simple steps to protect themselves. If you know which manufacturer dress you want, go to their web site and print out the list of authorized resellers. If the bridal shop you're going to is not on the list, then you know they are not authorized to sell that brand. You should also print out available web sites of local bridal shops you plan to visit and verify all their claims of authorized reseller for the manufacturers they list. Always call the manufacturer and get from the horse's mouth. When you get to the bridal shop, ask to see their proof of license to sell a particular brand of wedding dress. If they give you any grief about it, and I can't imagine why any legitimate business would, then you should consider leaving immediately. If I was a legitimate reseller for Demetrios, you can bet I'd have signs everywhere, and my copy of the reseller agreement up on the wall. Don't be fooled by posters, you want to see the official approval from the wedding dress designer.
Additional Wedding Advice:
MerryBrides
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Create Your Own Wedding Website- Great way to keep your guests updated on your wedding!
