pissed offI've had my dress for months now (yay! organised!) but lately have decided I want to add sparkle.
I posted in the bridal forums for recommendations on places that do alterations, add embelishments, etc in South Australia. One came back for Emisha Brook Bridal. I looked at her website emishabrookbridal.com and it seemed fairly standard. I didn't want to take it to any of the "big" commercial bridal places in Adelaide, South Australia, of which there's probably only half a dozen. Bad reps from some, they churn out gowns on a production line, unfriendly staff, blah blah blah.
Emisha Brook is in Gawler, once a totally seperate town from Adelaide which is now the edge of suburbia. From where I live, it takes me a bit over an hour to drive there. (And South Australians have a reputation for any more than 20 minutes &they wont drive it).
I rang the lady, made a time on Sunday afternoon to drive there and drop off my dress, to show her what I wanted done. She lives in a new estate (it's a home office type thing with a shop) that's not on my street directory, nor on whereis.com.au so I got lost on the way and was late.
Find the place, drop off dress, discuss what I want, all is well. She asks what time I want to come and pick up the dress. It'll be ready Thursday. What time on Thursday is good for me? The afternoon?
I'd already told her I work all day weekdays, that's why I had to drop the dress on Sunday. But i figure, whatever, I say between 3-4pm Thursday.
She writes it in her diary, along with my mobile number, and writes it on her business card which she hands to me.
Fast forward to Thursday.. I leave work at 1.30pm, saying I have to go &pick up my wedding dress. I get petrol on the way &get there at 2.50pm. No one home. FFS. I ring her number, in case she can't hear me knock. No answer.
I'm busting for the toilet, so I drive two minutes down the road to the petrol station, get a drink &use their toilet, drive back, hoping she's home. It's now 3pm &it's our appointment time. No luck.
I call my fiance, get him to look up the website, find a mobile number. I call that. It's off, it goes straight to voicemail.
So I sit. And wait. In my car. Outside her place. For an hour. I keep trying to call her mobile, it's just constantly OFF.
At 4pm, I finally give up, I have to leave-- I have a family birthday dinner to get to, for which I'm being picked up at 6pm &having to buy a present before that as well. I call one more time, leaving a curt voicemail saying 'this is purewhitestars, we had an appointment for today, Thursday, between 3-4pm for me to collect my dress. I've been sitting waiting since 2.5pm and you're not here, your phone is off. Please call me back tomorrow, Friday, as I'll be unavailable tonight to talk'.
I drive back home to the shops nearby to collect said birthday present, making it there at 5.10pm.. rush around, rush back home, rush to get ready, and my mobile rings while I'm on my way home, driving, so I don't answer it. At 5.30pm.
It was her number, and she left me a voicemail saying something like 'Hi it's me from Emisha Brook Bridal.. I've only just got home and gotyour message.. if you want to come back tonight to get your dress? Call me'
What the hell? She's well-aware where I live (I had to call her when I was lost on Sunday to find the place) and how long it takes me to drive to her place. And we had an appointment between 3-4pm. ANd she gets home at 5.30pm?! Right.
Skip to this morning, I call her landline. No answer. No answering machine either.. odd for a company? I call her mobile. 'Hi this is purewhitestars? I was meant to collect my dress yesterday?'
She replies with 'Oh.. yeah i'm in the riverland. Your dress is ready, want to pick it up Wednesday?' I said 'I work. I cant come until Sunday 2nd December'
[The Riverland is in South Australia, about 2 hours past where she lives].
'Oh okay.. I'll call you when I get back then for a time'
WHAT?!
I'm so pissed off. No sorry, no nothing.. thats the most annoying part. No 'oh sorry i forgot / had a family emergency / your dress wasn't done / had to pop out' or SOMETHING?!
She had my mobile number and could have called me at ANY time to tell me she wouldn't be home.. or she could have left an extra part on the message on Thursday evening saying 'yeah but from Friday to Wednesday I'll be away...' in case I'd asked work to go back today?!
I will be having a go at her when I go to get my dress - not beforehand, in case she decides to ruin my dress as revenge.. but yeah.. incredibly pissed off. Especially taking off 4 hours from work to drive all that damn way.
And for anyone in Adelaide, knows how much of a pisser Main North Road is to drive. 90km/hr. Then 80km/hr. Then 90! Then 100! Three lanes! Then four! Then three! Then two merge! Then! Then! Then!
My dress better be damn pretty.
Sorry so long &ranty.