This is not the review that I wanted to write. I understand that small businesses, especially in the bridal industry, are struggling and are just trying to make a go of it, and I want to be part of the solution. However, our experience with Avenue 22 was frustrating from the start. They initially told the bride that it would be at least four months before her dress arrived; totally understandable, as it was coming from China, and there is a pandemic on. It arrived closer to the six month mark, but still ahead of the wedding date. When the bride went to pick it up, it was FOUR sizes too big, and missing an optional piece that she stated clearly that she wanted. Granted, the optional piece wasn't listed on the invoice, and it could be said that the bride should have checked, but in fairness to her, it's not her job, it's theirs. At this point, we started to worry, as the intended wedding date was only two months away, and it was obvious that Ave 22 wasn't going to be able to deliver the dress by that date. They did agree to give her a discount on the optional piece.
The bride told them that the dress had to be in her hands, in the right size, with the optional piece, within two months, in order to make the second scheduled wedding date. They balked, citing the pandemic. At this point, I stepped in to politely remind them that the new delivery date was eleven months after the initial order date, and the error was entirely theirs, so they needed to make this happen. I also told them that we had already made the alterations appointment with the seamstress, which required train tickets and moving medical appointments, and that we had scheduled that appointment on the basis of their assurances that it would arrive in time. I didn't want the bride to panic, even though I know full well how these things can go sideways. Response from Nuno: they would "try to make it happen". I should hope so.
The dress arrived, we picked it up and we were off to the seamstress with a happy bride. Temporarily. The seamstress and I agreed that I would do one part of the alterations so that family had a hand in the final stages. Problem: there was no obvious way to attach the optional piece. The manufacturer wouldn't talk to me because I'm not a retailer (separate review for their useless response to be posted), so I had to call Avenue 22. Here's how that went: The hardware is definitely there, you just don't see it. Me (over FaceTime): I'm showing you every scrap of fabric that the seamstress cut off. No hardware here. Nuno: Then the seamstress must have cut it off. Me: I seriously doubt it, as we had two conversations about it, and she understood perfectly that I was doing this stage, but you can call her, ask her, then get back to me tomorrow. Nuno insisted that they "turn each dress inside out" (his exact words) to make sure that it's complete before leaving the store. That would mean that *they* missed seeing that the hardware wasn't attached to the dress, non? He asked *me* whether the bride had tried on the dress with the optional piece attached before taking the dress. Huh? Isn't it *their* job to know whether they followed their own policy of not allowing the dress to go out the door without a try-on?
I know that the seamstress was working the next day because I talked to her, and she confirmed that the hardware was NOT attached to the dress. In fact, the hardware was attached to the optional piece, so it was obvious that someone had to attach it to the dress. Neither the bride nor I knew when the dress was ordered that it came with "some assembly required", which is why the seamstress and I decided that I would do it at the first fitting. We are now more than two weeks later, yet Avenue 22 hasn't seen fit to call me back to apologize for accusing me of "missing" seeing the hardware, nor to make this latest screw-up of theirs right.
Word of warning to future brides: review your invoice carefully, ensure that it is the right size, confirm that all optional pieces are listed, get an estimated delivery date in writing, and, oh yeah, have them put in writing which portions of the dress you will have to make arrangements for or sew yourself. You don't get much for your multi-thousands of dress dollars these days.
I am being generous in giving two stars to Avenue 22. Two stars is intended to connote a fair experience, which this was not. The sticking point is that of their multiple errors, the only one for which they took full responsibility was the sizing fiasco, which is also the only one that was inarguably entirely their fault. That failure to acknowledge mistakes and make amends conveys a lot, and it's why I cannot in good conscience recommend dealing with Avenue 22, despite my fervent wish to support struggling sectors of the economy. read more