Going to Court

I am not a lawyer nor do I play one on TV. Any legal advice I may give is really hearsay. What is worth going to court over is really up to the individual bride but with the wedding industry the way it is I do understand the desire to. Somethings need challenging while others are better left alone. Here are some situations that might help you to see that yours may be not as bad as you thought.

added February 2004

I was planning a wedding and unfortunately it won't be happening any more. My fiance and I broke up for good.
We put a down payment on a dress and matching gloves. The dress was being purchased off the rack since it was perfect and fit me so well already.
Now that we don't need a dress any longer, my mother called the store to ask about some sort of refund.
We were expecting not to receive a full refund because of the way these shops are, but now they are trying to tell us that they have already ordered a $150 dollar veil and that we need to pay for.
I NEVER decided on a veil at all! Let alone ordered one!
That, plus the off the rack dress that we haven't even fully purchased, yet and the gloves, also off the rack.

Thank you

Is there anything we can do about this?

You can refuse to pay the balance and take the chance that she does not sue you for it. She may be too busy to bother filing, but if she does, you can even go to court and plead your case and maybe win, but it's a risk. It might be worth it to you to get some legal advice that is geared to your local laws.

added June 2003

HELP

I am being sued for not purchasing my wedding dress. I am normally a size 10 or 12. After my measurements were taken a size 20 dress was ordered. I may have a thick waist but I am not a 20. The sales person took my measurements and when the dress came in it fell off of me.

They eventually did alter the dress however, two days before my wedding, Thurs evening at 8:30 PM to be exact, I was getting married on Sat I tried the dress on and the dress was too tight in the waist and the under slip was still at size 20. They said that it would be fixed for pick up on Friday. I stated that I wanted to try the dress on and they stated that it would not be possible because the dress was ready to take home.

I was charged an extra $75.00 for the large size and refused to pay. The store owner said if I don't pay I don't take the dress. Things got a little heated and she stated, "Why don't you leave like a lady while you still can."

The bottom line is now she is taking me to court because I signed her contract. Yes, I did sign the sales slip without reading it but I did not know that I was signing a contract and no one told me. I was never told that I would be paying extra for a size 20 and was never told they were ordering this size.

Do you have any advise for me?
Janet

My first inclination is to tell you to stand up and give your story in court. It is not going to be easy because she will be mean and probably lie about everything. Do you have witnesses? If you don't it could be a nasty fight. She does have a signed contract, the law is on her side. If you don't have witnesses you are going to be all alone with only your word. It stinks, but that's the hard side of it. That's why I wish the system could be changed.

My best advice at this point is to seek out some legal advice. If you have never dealt with a lawyer ask your friends if they can recommend someone. Call for a consultation. It will probably take an hour and not cost too much, but it will be worth much in helping you to decide to fight this or not. It might be worth protecting your future to just pay her off, even though it will pain you to do so. Perhaps the lawyer you choose can contact her and offer a settlement amount to make it easier and less expensive. Lawyers have ways. It's not a disgrace to use one.

That's just what I think. It's really up to you and your new husband.
Wish I could be of more help.