Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/14/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My 17-year-old daughter went in to get a prom dress. She was told she could put a deposit on the dress, not knowing the dress would not come home with her. She paid $150.25 and was told there was a remainder of $230.00 to be paid next week. After she paid, she then learned she would not take the dress home with her. (She is 17; she thought the transaction was similar to buying a car she said. You pay a part, then take the dress home and then pay the rest. She didn't know she would leave without a dress.) She was told the total would be $345 and was misled in that aspect. The total amount to be charged was $380.25. There was a fee of 17.25 for a 'card charge' and my daughter was told it would be 20 cents. The whole transaction was misleading, and ***** discussed this with me. I tried to resolve the issue with a phone call to the owner, Anna. She talked over me, and began to raise her voice, to which I reciprocated. She ultimately hung up the phone with me, and I called right back. She was snotty and stated, "Are you going to stop yelling now?" I told her she needed to refund my daughter the $150.25, to where she stated it was a final purchase. NO WHERE on the 2 receipts that my daughter has are there any words to state that fact. Anna continued to say that she would discuss this matter "Wither her attorney." All I requested was my money back, for a dress that isn't even in our custody! My daughter has no money to get another dress, no dress, and prom is this coming Saturday. I am proceeding with small claims court should Anna not refund me in full tomorrow. I attempted to go into the store today, but to no avail as the store was closed. I will try tomorrow, but her abhorrent customer service is lacking in kindness, truth and forth righteousness.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/24/2024

  At Anna Joy’s Bridal all sales are final, no refunds. Signage is posted in all dressing rooms and at the check out desk, stating this policy. On April 12, 2024, ***** and her 21 year old sister shopped at Anna Joy’s Bridal and Formalwear for a prom dress to be worn the following weekend. They were in the store for over three hours, trying on gowns of different styles and price ranges. Once she decided to purchase a gown, her sister asked if she could put down $150 on the gown. We agreed because we had been told that they had been in contact with another family member to secure funds for the purchase. As standard procedure, we do take deposits and you can pick up the merchandise once the full payment is made. The two consultants working with the customer explained our policy, wrote the invoice, and ***** and her sister agreed. A credit card was presented for payment of the dress, tax, and credit card service fee. Several hours later, ******, the mother of *****, called and requested a refund put back on her card. Ann was with other customers and told the mother that she could not discuss this at the time. The mother started talking loud and fast, blaming Ann for persuading her daughter to purchase the dress, and stating that her daughter was only 17 years old and did not understand that she could not take the dress with her until full payment was received. The mother stated in her complaint that this was like buying a car, you put money down and take the car with you. To buy a car, you must secure a loan from a financial institution, who then pays the dealer. Thus, the dealer gets paid and the consumer must pay off the debt. The dealer is not out the money, because the car is paid for. ***** nor her sister obtained a loan so Anna Joy’s did not receive full payment for the dress.Sunday morning at 10:00 am, ******, the mother, calls and starts talking fast and raising her voice, demanding that she receive a refund on the dress. I could not get a word in the conversation because the mother continued to talk loud and fast. She stated that she was coming to the store immediately to get a refund. My only recourse was to hang up on her. She called again and I did not take the call because I felt threatened by the mother. On Monday, I sent the mother a text message which follows:Ann, Mon, Apr 15 at 11:52 AM:  “ I would like to set up an appointment with you and your daughter to resolve this matter. I would like the opportunity to discuss what happened in the store. I request that you take the opportunity to have a mutually respectful discussion with no raised voices. My experience has taught me that temper solved nothing. Patience, manners, and a quiet tone were more effective shields, and weapons against most confrontations. Please let me know your availability.”There was no response about making an appointment like I asked. Just another call from the mother, making demands, accusations, and insulting comments to me. By now, I am getting very frightened for what danger I could be in. On Tuesday morning, I reviewed the receipt and told my staff to be prepared to call the police department, if the situation got out of hand. The mother arrived, without making an appointment, and immediately began loudly demanding a refund. I responded that I had some legal information to discuss with her. Her response was that she didn’t want to hear what I had to say, continued yelling, and stated that there were no legal issues. I refused to return the refund to her credit card, because someone else's card was used. I was frightened of what this woman would do, so I wrote a check to *****, refunding the $150.00. I just wanted her to leave my store, because I was afraid of her physically attacking me.The mother is threatening small claims court but not willing to have a meeting with me, herself, and her daughter to resolve the matter. I had someone willing to underwrite the balance on the dress if she was financially unable to come up with the money. The mother told me she was not interested in discussing this with me, she just kept talking fast, with an elevated tone talking over me with her demands. I was very frightened. Her anger was nothing I had encountered in 32 years of public school teaching and 24 years being in business. ******’s complaint to the Better Business Bureau was written before she agreed to meet with me to resolve this matter. It is my legal right to have a no refund, no return policy. I presented her with the opportunity to meet with me to resolve the issue, in a respectful and civil manner, which she refused. She chose to harm my business through her ***** Review and report to the BBB. I feel that this matter could have been resolved with a civil and polite conversation.