Unfortunately I cannot give any positive marks to Madeline's boutique. To make a long story short, they demanded a $150 restocking fee for a dress that only cost $400. I consider this a total cash grab.
I went dress shopping on October 28, for my brother's wedding. I was trying on dresses with a junior stylist, who was great, but she forgot to explain one crucial thing. The return policy (or lack thereof) was never explained to me. I was pressured into a deal in the store that I was told would only last the hour. Leaving me to have to make a quick decision. Despite this, I decided to go home with the dress with the intention of trying it on later because you can't take pictures in the boutique at all. When I was cashed out, nothing was explained to me, and the receipt wasn't handed to me; it was put directly into the garment bag.
Fast forward one week, and the dress had been hanging in the garment bag untouched. I decided to try it on again and realized I had made a horrible mistake. I called the store to figure out my next move for returning the dress, and that's when the policy was finally disclosed to me. If I had known the policy the day I purchased the dress, I would have never taken it home. I spoke with someone who said the manager would call me later on, but I didn't hear back for the rest of the day. The next day, I called again and was told I could speak to the owner. They never called me back. On the third day of calling, I finally spoke to someone over the phone who was rude (I wish I got her name), and she assured me the owners would call me. To my surprise, I never heard back. Finally, I got to speak with a manager again, Monique, who assured me she would do her best to help me, and I truly believe she did just that. Of course, it took two days to get any sort of information.
My options for a dress I felt pressured to purchase were that they would take it back, but I had to pay a $150 restocking fee, also known as a cash grab, for a dress that was taken home off the rack. If the dress had been ordered in, that would be fair, but it was purchased from an in-stock selection and not even taken out of the garment bag for more than 10 minutes. I asked if I could speak with the owners, as that was an option given to me prior. I was told, "Well, you can't speak to the owners of Gucci." Then why promise that the owners would call me in the first place?
All in all I was forced to accept the $150 restocking fee because it was better than holding onto a dress that would never be worn. However, I will never set foot in Madeleine's again. For a company that has been around for 26 years, you'd think they would know to explain a policy and allow for their errors to be corrected. Do not shop here without being aware of the return policy. read more