Called at 1:20 asking if they do pants zipper mends. Initially, he was friendly and said yes he offers those. Just to be sure on my end, I asked a few clarifying questions. Or I tried to. He interrupted me as I was starting to ask my questions and he said "Just bring them down here so I can look at them." Trying not to be irritated, I laughed it off and said, "okay, I will be there shortly!" and then I get hung up on. I get here and the open sign is on, so I walk up to the door and pull on it but it's locked. So I look down and see a "closed, please come again." I go back to my car and call to see why. "I had to make an emergency run, I should be back in about 15 minutes, does that work?" I said, "I guess it's going to have to, but I did call and say I was going to be here so it's a little ridiculous that you're not here." He says, "I left a sign, I should be back at 3, did you see my closed sign?" To which I responded with, "no, as your open sign is lit." He says, "no no no, the sign below it that says I'll be back at 3:00." I'm not going to sit here and argue over professionalism, so I stated "I will be going elsewhere. This is ridiculous that your open sign is lit, you knew you'd have a potential customer, and you're incredibly unprofessional." Why would I want to pay someone who can't even switch off the open sign if it was actually an emergency run? Thanks for wasting my gas and my time. read more

A Almost Free Alterations - Open sign on, no one there. - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - Bakersfield, California

I requested their service and I was denied, I asked for a skirt to be tailored and they did not want to do the job. I told them I had no issue with the outcome of the tailoring I just needed it done and I would have pay regardless, but I was wrongfully denied. What's the point of having a business if you're not going to do the job, waste of time and they lost a potential customer. read more

Prices are outrageous. They charged 80.00 for a pair of jeans to be hemmed in 2 days. I get charging more for 2 days but come on. The jeans were only 150 and you want 80 to hem them. Vibe is very pressured. read more

First time I've been here, was hesitant because of all the bad reviews, lol, but i had to see for myself. These guys were great, I had a good overall experience, great service, great work done on a long sleeve shirt that I purchased online. Will definitely be going back. read more

Please consider getting a quote from another place before committing to services here. The name does not represent the business at all. I was quoted 3 times more than other businesses. Also the business owner is the rudest man I've ever met. He also insulted me and made me uncomfortable. I really dislike giving negative reviews to local business, but this man needs to consider changing how he treats potential customers. I wish I could give zero stars! read more

I arranged for my girlfriend to drop off her jeans to be altered 1 week ahead of time and was told "you tell me when you need them to be ready" - great to hear as she was taking her altered jeans on the trip of a lifetime to NYC. 1 week later she comes in to pick them up on the day they were supposed to be ready and the shop is closed from 1-2pm. So she calls 4x and gets no answer. It does not rollover to any other number. Next day she comes in at opening thinking she will get her pants and be on her way to her flight and it takes 10minutes to even find the pants. AND THEN THEY ARENT READY. What was happening to them for a week? "We can do them right now" she is told. "Where do you live?" (Insinuating that they would do as promised and deliver them) You missed it big time here. A simple communication or accountability for your service goes a long way. Business is built on quality service and quality products. And this had neither. read more

I just recenly bring a garment to be repair And the service is terrible they claim to be almost free but their prices are way high but that's not the problem. I wasn't able to go pick my garment up so I send my wife to get it. And the guy start flirting with her making her uncomfortable very unprofessional bad service hight prices!. read more

Very friendly and treats everyone like family. brought in 3 items and the price may initially seem expensive but i believe it's fair. Timely pickup and exactly what I wanted. I am satisfied and will be coming back for future needs! read more

Terrible service. The man that helped me was so rude. He made me wait while he had a big fight with the woman that works for him. He was verbally abusive to her. I only needed a pair of pants hemmed and it took him two weeks to do it. Do not go to this shop, unless you like being treated like crap. read more

I came to this location before and it was a whole Lotta guys hanging out in the front and it was kind of scary but I went in and there was no women in there to help me just men they wanted me to try my outfit on. I said no I'm not trying to get in a weird situation so I just said bring it up 2 inches and when I picked it up, it was totally perfect so I went back here today to drop off three outfits That are similar to the last outfit that they fixed and he was super persistent on telling me that I have to try these outfits on. I am not comfortable trying things on when I already know how short I need it to be so he argued with me for quite some time, and I just had to go because now it's five minutes before work, I do not take my clothes off in strange places and yes I know this is an alterations place but the items that I brought or tennis dresses if I say I want it to inches shorter it should be just that. Done. I had to walk out and I will have to continue my search to look for somebody else. Keep in mind I have enhanced body parts that I don't want any man touching or looking at me that's not my husband or dr. My expectations just are that a woman would greet me and help me and who am I to tell somebody how to run their business I will just have to find a different business that seems more normal for the way that I have been going to for the past 50 years. read more

I actually never got started with this business because I could never get an estimate for the work I inquired about. They only assured me that they could do the alterations on the garment I described and I should get it to them right away. I had been given several blouses that were just a little too large. Since I live a fair distance away, I didn't want to waste the gas to drive in to their shop for alterations especially if the price was more than I wanted to invest on used clothing. So, after submitting a request for an estimate from Yelp and making rather frustrating phone call to them asking for a minimum estimate and getting no figures at all, I assumed they probably didn't live up their name of Almost Free Alterations. read more

I had called today and asked for a rough estimate of how much it would cost to just shorten my wedding dress. Now I am not stupid I know it would not be accurate and I said I understand it will not be that price but a rough estimate! 200-400 very simple. I was going to bring my dress but now I will not be bringing it here. I was very polite and the man on the phone was being very difficult for no reason at all! I understand the need to see the dress but I had given details on how I just need it to be shortened in the front and everything else on my dress was fine! I let him know I was just very petite and gave other details. And he went on to act like I was stupid. Don't recommend going here :( read more

Almost free my @#$, He already over priced still keep pushing for two days service so he can charges $35.00 for pair jean to make it short, and not too please to take your work if you told him no rush just pay the Regular price. Than he just won't promise when can he finish other " two days expensive jobs " to start doing yours. Do your self a favor Find other honest person to do business with. read more

I came here to get my pants tailored and the service was timely. However, the tailor lectured me on life and in the middle of my musical theatre performance, the newly tailored pants ripped at the seam. The only thing that was almost free was my testicles. read more

Brought in a couple of suits to be altered and paid $240 to find out later one of the suits wasn't altered. I went back to show him and refused to fix it what was already paid. POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE! Scammer. read more

Great place for your alterations needs. Professional place if you need your alterations same day they have no problem getting it done.

This review is purely on the customer service I received and his honesty. I called just before closing time and asked if he would wait for me until I got there 10 minutes later, and he responded saying to not rush or speed or get a ticket and that he'd be there waiting. When I arrived I was still panicking because my item wasn't fitting properly and I had a quick deadline.. He had me try it on and sure enough he was able to close it up. After asking me a few questions and having me move around in it, he told me the honest answer that I should not get this tailored and I'm better off keeping it as it is. I genuinely appreciated his courtesy and honesty. read more

I sent my daughter there thinking that she would get the best service there, but apparently not!! he was rude didn't have no patience and degrading to her!! How dare him !! We will never be back there again.! read more

We have used this business several times for alterations. I had pants hemmed, my spouse had jeans made into shorts, after a pair of favorite jeans got ripped on the leg. I've also had a dress taken in, and my sister had her dress clothes for a wedding altered. I find the owner to be really nice and funny, and they have always given us a fair price and had our items ready when promised. My sister's order was a rush, so it cost a little more, but they had it done the next day! read more

Been going here for 5 years and I've never had a problem with the quality of work. As mentioned in other reviews, don't pay for expedited unless you need it next day. Work is usually done in 3 days. While some might find the owner a bit odd, I think he's hilarious. read more

Initially I wasn't going to post a review, mainly because the guy was super nice to me but the quality of work was not the same. I brought my duvet cover in to get a couple of small tears sewn and to see if he would be able to switch the buttons to snaps. He would be able to do that, however I had to purchase the buttons myself. Which was weird but whatever, I head to Michael's to purchase snaps. A week later it's ready to pick up....$100 for this?! He couldn't even sew the holes from the buttons?????smh read more

A Almost Free Alterations - The snap he attached...on top of the hole for the old buttons. - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - Bakersfield, California

Kinda expensive, repaired a couple zippers, i didn't need to rush for them to be fixed so time wasn't an issue

They charged me twice on my debt card Refused to acknowledge their mistake even When I should them proof? What a racket!! Never going back read more

The owner Clarence has helped me out twice. I take my fire retardant clothing to him for simple repairs like zippers, torn pockets and ripped seams. Price is very reasonable as FR clothing is expensive as it is, so it makes sense to pay 5-10$ for a repair on pants that cost 80$ and still have plenty of life left. Chatting with Clarence is a treat and he seems to have the heartbeat of the surrounding neighborhood. I've lost so many nice articles of clothing to damage and it makes me wish I'd known of this place sooner. You must bring in your item you want repaired to get a quote and it seems some people are unhappy that he won't quote sight unseen but it is just good business practice to have the item in hand before he gives you a quote. Turn around time is very convenient for me and again, I really appreciate Clarence's conversation and hospitality. read more

Perfect fit on all my 4 items I needed hemmed and tapered. I was very pleased with the results plus the customer service was friendly and took the time to make sure measurements were exact. Thank you I'm very happy with my pants and the price was very affordable! I will be doing my alterations here from now on. read more

A Almost Free Alterations - Perfect fit on all 4 of my tapered and hemmed items!! - Sewing & Alterations Near Me - Bakersfield, California

Owner is an down to earth cool dude and they do great work been there an couple times for alterations and work other places wouldn't even touch upfront and stick to the prices they quote you couldn't ask for a better place read more

I recently had bought a costume that did not fit. Since it was too small in the top, I thought it would be a good solution to convert the back from a zipper to a corset. The corset would be more visually appealing as well as hopefully take care of the sizing issue. I did not feel comfortable enough with this type of work myself. Based on a recommendation I headed over to Almost Free Alterations. I went over my thoughts with the owner, whom was really nice. He told me what materials I'd need to buy for him to complete the work. I ran to Joanne's and came back with what he had requested. He assured me it would be beautiful and totally functioning. I came back once it was complete and while the job wasn't terrible, it hardly seemed worthy of the $150 I had to pay. He left the original zipper in place next to the newly added corset which was not at all visually appealing. Likewise, all he had done was sew on ribbons with a few strands of the rope ribbon for the ribbon lacing to run through. The stitching was far from perfect, but it would at least suit my purpose (so I thought). I did have him tie it while I was there to show it fit, which it did well enough. It was not what I had hoped for and far less than I expected given how much I had paid for it. I didn't think much of it, but after I had tried it on, he rather quickly shoved it in the bag and sent me on my way. Later, once home, a few days later, I pulled out the item and realized that the loops that the lacing would go through were already fraying and pulling from the stitching, seeming far from secure. I also had the chance to look more intently at the work. I did not have time, nor the patience, to take it back. Additionally, I really had no faith in their ability to fix it for me in time for my party. Instead, after some talking to friends I decided to try and fix it myself. I had to cut off the zipper and then stitch on new ribbon loops that would securely hold the lacing so I didn't have to worry about a loop pulling out while I was at the party. I should also note, a few days after I had dropped it off, I got a call from someone at his shop offering to do the work for $50 less. Unfortunately, I had paid in advance and really didn't feel comfortable taking the work away since he and I had agreed and at the time I had total faith he could deliver. Now I wonder, if that really would have been a better deal in terms of money and quality. TL:dr The work was subpar and overpriced. In the end I had to do the work myself after blowing $150. I will not return to his shop and highly recommend that you look elsewhere. read more

See all

Very unprofessional and dishonest. They were not willing to fix an error and when I questioned it they said to come get my stuff.

Got to be the worst business I have ever stepped foot in... right when I walked in he didn't welcome me in at all he just stared at me all creepy. I was letting him know what I wanted to do with my clothe then asked me to hand him the clothe and he would just snatch them out of my hand all rudely. He seemed like he was on drugs and I wouldn't recommend this business for anyone to go there. There is a lot more that happened I just don't want to share it on here. This place needs to go out of business if that was the owner of the place read more

I'd give zero stars if I could. The guy working there is creepy and sexist. I originally went there because I saw good reviews. He was treating the customer before me well and when it was my turn he started getting stupid. read more

Just called to ask for a pricing, and the person who answered was very rude. He was upset i called to get a quote over the phone on a hem. Absolutely will not check this place out simply from bad customer service. read more

Always great service and great work. Definitely recommend for alterations. Have taken many items there over the years.

Very overpriced, and the shop was completely disorganized. The alterations came out good but the dress was completely wrinkled.

Always such a good job and we love the owner we have been coming here for 10 plus years always great work.

I went there today and I couldn't understand what the lady was saying. If your going to make alterations, English is a must...She never even allowed me to tell her what I wanted to have done. She did however show me the prices for alterations. For my suit jacket alone, 85$ for about a 3-5 day turn around...that was the cheapest. At those prices, I might as well invest in new suits... read more

The name is a complete joke they overprice their services. With the amount they charge, you would be better off buying a new pair of pants.

Stumbled upon this place in search of someone to replace a snap that had come up missing on my boyfriend's favorite pair of mountain bike shorts. I had tried my normal tailor, but was told they didn't provide that service any longer. Almost Free Alterations got the job done in a few short days and for what I thought was a very reasonable cost. Very happy. Thanks! read more

"Almost Free Alterations" $250 no rush just to tailor 2 suits and 1 pant???!!! Yeah that's totally "Almost FREE" total rip off and on top of that the dude was clowning around too much about how I want it fitted to me and you can't even ask him a question or suggestion cuz then he starts being rude and saying "don't ask me how it looks" never coming back here to get body shamed or even to get your garments tailored. Terrible customer service for the price. read more

I've been here twice: once to get a new suit altered and another time for a zipper repair. My suit alteration experience went fine. The process is slow, so make some time if you do take something in. The man likes to chat and take his time working. And he's usually the only one in there helping. The suit was ready in about a week, which was fine for me. But if you need the fixes done quickly, be prepared to pay extra. They charge by the day. My zipper experience was not horrible, but also not so pleasant. I took in a bag to get the zipper repaired after it came undone. The man said he would have his people take a look at it, and call me later. I left my number and waited. Five days later he called to tell me the bag was ready. OK, but why didn't he call ahead of time to tell me he could fix it and give me a quote? I went in to get the bag, which was fixed nicely. But he charged me $30, and didn't call me ahead of time to tell me how much it would be, or even that he was going to be able to fix it. That's not good business. A simple call and price quote would have been nice so I could decide whether to keep it there to fix, or go somewhere else for business. In this case, I had no choice but to pay what I thought was unreasonable just to get my bag back. In all, this place is not run very professionally, or consistently it seems. I'm much more comfortable taking alterations pieces someplace else next time. read more

Is to expensive The labor I do not recommend it I took a leather jacket and they charge me 160 for just a zipper no good I don't recommend it read more