I would not recommend Cape Cod Alterations…read more
When we were shopping around for alterations for my daughter's wedding gown, we chose Cape Cod Alterations because we were quoted approximately $260. The gown ultimately needed to be taken in and hemmed. After the first fitting, the dress had been taken in so much under the arms that it was painful for my daughter to wear, requiring an additional trip to have it corrected.
When we returned on the date they told us the gown would be ready, it was not finished. As a result, we had to cancel a planned trip to New York so that we could pick it up the following day. When we returned the next day, the fit issue had been corrected, but a sharp piece of boning had been left protruding from the dress, requiring yet another return visit.
What was especially frustrating was being told that we needed to pick up the gown quickly because they had had it for too long, were busy with prom season, and did not have room for it--despite the fact that the repeated delays and corrections were not our fault.
When I finally picked up the dress, I was shocked to be charged $900. When I questioned the price, I was told the alterations were more extensive than originally anticipated. While I understand that costs can increase, going from a quoted $260 to $900 was unexpected and, in my opinion, unreasonable.
The final disappointment came one week before the wedding. My daughter, who lives out of state, came home and tried on the gown only to discover visible chalk marks all along the hemline, and the dress was still too long. We immediately brought it back and asked whether the chalk marks could be removed and the dress shortened to the marked line. We were told they were understaffed that week and could not help us.
After paying $900 for alterations, we were left scrambling one week before the wedding and had to find another seamstress willing to rush the work. That cost us an additional $550.
The entire experience was stressful, expensive, and disappointing. Multiple return visits, missed deadlines, quality-control issues, a much higher-than-expected final bill, and the refusal to address problems discovered just before the wedding have left us extremely dissatisfied. Unfortunately, I would not use Cape Cod Alterations again.