I have been bringing my clothes to Meifei for more than 20 years, despite the fact that she has never remembered my name or treated me warmly, even after I've complimented her on a job well done or inquired about a recent trip to see her family. I've always let her attitude slide, because she's a talented seamstress and I highly respected her work. I've recommended her to dozens of people through the years, have always picked up and paid on time, and even overpaid at times (on top of her already steep prices), in order to show her how much I appreciated her craftsmanship. Over the past couple years, however, her level of customer service has fallen beneath what any sane person would find tolerable. Several times after I've driven all the way over to the Marina, double-checked that the "open" sign is on the door, searched and paid for parking, and then arrived at her shop, she (or someone else in the tiny, cramped shop) has opened the door to say, "We're closed," with no explanation and without telling you when they'd reopen. (This happened to a couple friends of mine as well.) Today really took the cake, as I went through the aforementioned steps, even going the extra mile and calling ahead of time to see if they were open (however, no one ever answers the phone). When I arrived, the sign on the door said they would be open until 6 p.m., and it was only 3:20. Maifei was there in the shop, alone, and when I knocked, she reluctantly got up, partially opened the door and said, "Not today, I'm done today" and quickly shut the door before I could ask her when she WOULD be open. I mean, she literally slammed the door in my face while I was mid-sentence. She did not say "hello" "or "I'm sorry, I'm so busy," or anything that would have softened the rejection. Holding my dresses in one hand, I knocked softly with the other hand once again, so that I could try again to find out when to return. (Thinking about it now, I was pretty pathetic not having walked away at this point.) She cracked the door open the slightest bit, yelled "Not now" and literally slammed the door in my face. I was so shocked that I was almost shaking. I cannot believe that someone would have the nerve to run their business that way and treat a longtime client that way. I get that she's in demand, and know that she could have been stressed with too much work. But really, after so many years in this business, you'd think she would have learned by now to post a sign in the window, or leave a message on her phone service, when she's closing early, or at least have the courtesy to apologize for turning someone away--especially someone who's made repeated efforts to drive across town and has paid parking in the very expensive neighborhood. But nope. She'd rather go the route of arbitrarily slamming doors on clients and forcing them to go back and forth and beg her to "allow" them to pay her a ton of money for her services. After taking this crap from her for a while now, I'm finally done. Like a toxic relationship that's finally run its course, my relationship with Meifei is officially over. You may not be there yet--I get it, I do--but trust me, you will be at some point. I've already found someone else highly recommended and will NEVER return to this establishment. Relationships and mutual respect are important to me, and there are other business owners in this city who put a value on those traits as well. read more