Oh John. If you don't mind the douchebag personality and dick-like behavior, then by all means, take your stuff here to get altered. His work is not bad. However, if you're looking for professionalism and good customer service, then run. Run far away.
I came to John to get my bridesmaid dress altered - it needed to be hemmed and the zipper needed to be fixed as it kept getting stuck whenever it zipped to an area that had a thick ribbon that was sewn in at the waist. I brought my dress in with a one-week time frame before the wedding. That's cutting it close, but it was due to the bridal salon misplacing my dress when they ordered it and taking too much time trying to recover it. When I called John to ask if he could make the alterations within a week, the first thing he asked was "Why did you wait until the last minute to buy a dress??" Dude, you ain't my mom. I explained how I didn't wait until last minute, that I was supposed to have a dress weeks ago but the bridal salon misplaced it and now I can't afford the time for them to find it, so I ended up having to buy another one. He made some grumbling noise over the phone and said fine, to bring it in so I can try it on and he can assess what needs to be fixed.
When I brought my dress to John later that day, I began to reiterate what the problem was, but he snatched the dress out of my hands and examined it. I was caught off guard and stopped talking. After a moment, he asked, "What is the problem again?" WTF?? If you'd give me a hot minute, boo, you would have gotten your answer.
I tried on the dress and John marked where it needed to be hemmed. He then looked at the zipper issue and suggested the ribbon be removed and replaced with a thinner ribbon or other material. I said that would be fine. I asked how long it would take and he said three days and then told me to call him the next day to check in on the progress. Why I have to check in on his progress was beyond me. Maybe to remind him to get his shit done?? I told him I couldn't call the next day because my sister was going to have a baby, but I would try to call the following day after. He said fine.
My sister had a baby the next day, however, the following day after that, that baby had to go to the NICU because she momentarily had stopped breathing. You can imagine the panic and distraught our family was going through seeing her little body all blue and being rushed to the NICU. I was in tears all day, praying my sweet newborn niece would be ok (spoiler alert: she pulled through and ended up just fine and is vibrant and healthy to this day). Later that day I get a call on my cell from a number I didn't recognize. I answered it and it was John. He started scolding me, telling me I was supposed to call and check in on my dress. I told him what had happened to my niece and that calling to check in on my dress was the furthest thing on my mind. His response was "Well I waited all day and you didn't call. You asked me to fix dress." I had it by then and told him to stop working on my dress, that I would pick it up tomorrow, take it to someone who wasn't a complete asshole, and ensured him I would still pay for whatever little work he needed to be reminded to do. I then hung up on him.
Next day, I went to pick up my dress and discovered it was all done. I asked when he finished it and he said TWO DAYS AGO, aka the day after I brought it in. So I asked, why then did I have to call yesterday - 3 days after I brought it in - to check in on the progress when you had already finished it? And he said "Yeah, you know, I asked you to call and you didn't." I reminded him about my niece and he said "Yeah, oh well. But still. No call. I waited." My husband was with me at the time and nearly punched him in the face for his severe lack of listening and zero sympathy.
Did the dress fit? Yes. It needed to be hemmed a little shorter, but it worked for the most part.
Was the work flawless? Meh. It was good enough for a short frame of time.
Was it worth it? Absolutely not. Had I known this guy would be such a tool and insult my family, I would've gone somewhere else.
My recommendation: Palace Cleaners on Norwalk Blvd. & Imperial Ave. in Norwalk. Family-owned business and everyone there is so kind and friendly and hard-working. Will be writing a separate review on their superior customer service, excellent alteration work and quick delivery of service. read more