What is with the prejudice against Davids Bridal?

I think that like every big store, people have good experiences and bad experiences. We hear a lot of DB bad experiences, because people do want to warn other brides.

Shannah G, I couldn't disagree more. We're here, in large part, to help other people learn from our experiences. I rely on WW reviews to book my vendors, especially since I live 1500 miles from where I'm getting married. I'm glad people are honest.

"Cheap-looking" is a matter of opinion, but many DB dresses are undoubtedly cheaply made. I wore a DB bridesmaid dress to my best friend's wedding and it didn't even last through the reception.

I had a good experience at DB. IMO their customer service is no better or worse than anywhere else. I hear all the time about how boutiques are so much better, but I had a horrid time at two and the lady at a bridal consignment store was rude so there's no guarantee of a good experience anywhere as far as I've seen.

As far as looking cheap, they look no cheaper than say AA dresses. It's all subjective. It's not fair to compare them to something like a Monique Lhuillier dress for example. And if you're expecting something like that than I guess it would look cheap to you.

Wow the claws are out this morning!

So just because so-and-so had a terrible time there, everybody else will too. Interesting... because I had no problems with DB. Everyone I dealt with was nice.

What I don't like is somebody calling me a "cheap" bride! I get that it's not the same quality but way to be rude.

I agree with Leanna, its a matter of opinion. And I never said anyone was cheap, I was commenting on the quality of fabric and stitching ect...

One of my BMs graduated in fashion apparel and works for a designer in the Portland area, and her whole job is checking quality before it gets sent out.

When I went dress shopping she checked every dress and veil and everything for quality. DB dresses ARE lower quality.

That said that says NOTHING against the bride. You all are beautiful in your dresses (I know, I have seen so many of you in your DB dresses and you are gorgeous) and if you are happy, that is all that matters!!

It really does have to do with the people who work there - if you hire good staff people are going to have a good experience and vice versa. I happened to go to a DB where they did hire good people and had a wonderful experience.

I don't feel that my dress is cheap in any way; I took it to an outside alterations shop because my friend recommended her and she told me it was one of the prettiest dresses she had seen. My friend later told me that the seamstress always speaks her mind so she wasn't just blowing smoke up my skirt.

So future brides - don't rule out DB. If you go online and see a dress you like, make an appointment with them. It never hurts to go try dresses on and hopefully you will have a great experience like many of us on here have had.

I had a crap experience at DB--was told there was no chiffon (for the BM dresses) until the spring. Srsly. When I called, I asked if I should just go elsewhere and was told "Good Luck". I went elsewhere. Had great luck!

A good friend went to them because she wanted a cheaper dress (price wise) and had a great experience. And she looked amazing!

They are all very different and people should voice their opinion either way--that's an important part of these forums. If the poster say they are cheap and you feel bad about that because you have a DB dress, try to realize it's their opinion and their opinion doesn't invalidate yours.

And as far as posting, it would help to point out the location of the unhelpful (and helpful) DB. Mine was in Fashion Valley (an Diego), CA and I think the jerk consultant's name was Kevin. Take that, Kevin!!

It's not really prejudice.

Some people just want to vent.

Some people believe posting their experience will help other people. That's all there is to it. And yeah, thank God people still have a right to an opinion.

I just think that it's ridiculous for someone to say bad things about EVERY DB because they a bad experience. That's childish, IMO. They have hundreds of stores, maybe more, and it is impossible for ALL of them to be the same.

Thanks Tami! I love my dress and I know that FH will love it on me too!

I also noticed that some of the alterations can be expensive but thankfully all I needed was a bustle.

I had great experiences at David's Bridal. I have shopped there for years as a Bridesmaid and now as a Bride. My MOH's dress is beautiful and I love it. Mine is beautiful and I love it. In fact, the only Bridesmaid dress I have bought over the years that I didn't like was the one of the only ones not purchased at DB. As with every store, each individual will have a different experience.

I understand giving an honest opinion about a dress and a store is appropriate. But I highly agree that they way it is worded sometimes offends others. I have to admit, I am in love with my dress, but when I read they are all cheapily made, it made me start to wonder if I am going to look "cheap" on my wedding day. But then I realized that I am in love with my dress and it doesn't matter what other people say. I went dress shopping and found this to be the dress of my dreams. It didn't matter where it came from.

You are going to get good and bad customer service in any marketplace. However, in my opinion as a small business owner, Brides, Bridesmaids tend to run to Davids Bridal and overlook what is offered at "Mom and Pop" small Bridal Salons and are blinded by Davids Bridal's prices to get you into their door! Small Bridal salons are the first place one should look!!! Their prices are what they are and you get high quality gowns, pampered,and meet with a REAL consultant with great customer service to top it off. Alterations are always going to be an extra cost, however, many bridal salons that are independent have fabulous alterations professionals at alterations and will charge you less than DB!! We also have relationships with our vendors...that offer designer wedding gowns that are from Private designers not advertised on the Internet...

Customer service can suck anywhere..it's just that horrible experiences are more postworthy/"sexy" (myself, I had a great experience there). People tend to erroneously extrapolate/generalize their personal experience to the whole entire chain..with anything that's common error.

It's like saying if a barista at Starbucks messes up your order that all Starbucks' workers everywhere are incompetent..Just doesn't make sense..but what people remember is that they didn't get the right coffee..or attended to by a bridal consultant or whatever..It's not really an opinion, people share their experiences of what actually happened and think that applies to stores everywhere.

I bet if we made a poll; have people like a post that says: good experience at DB; or "bad experience at DB" the good will outweigh the bad.

Also, a lot may have to do with the brides expectations..if they heard a lot of bad things about a particular store, then they go in expecting that and may tend to interpret a consultant's behavior as rude, when she says she'll get to you in a minute, she's with another customer..or perhaps the consultant is having a bad day and that is why she didn't greet you within the first 10 seconds of entering the store for example. :shrug:

David's Bridal is a franchise, not centrally managed. Thus, someone's experience at one store says absolutely nothing about the experience you'll have at a different store.

That being said, they do have a policy throughout the chain of asking for your phone number and e-mail address when you make an appointment, then selling your information to every wedding vendor in the world. You may want to refuse to provide the information, or give fake ones, if you're not big on vendor spam.

The first time I went to DB was great, the consultant was amazingly helpful. I found a dress I really liked, but wanted to wait and see if I saw anything else.

The next time I went was at a different store. The consultant was juggling two brides the entire time, our appointment ended up running too long because I couldn't get her to bring me dresses to try on, she was very snippy with me, and then when I found a dress I liked, LITERALLY every person working in the store walked by and commented on it. Two or three people, I may have thought it a happy coincidence or it was beautiful. That many though, I kinda felt like she told them to come say something :x

Um yea the DB store here is pretty new, less than 6 months old so I thought that MAYBE I would be lucky and get some decent service...nope.

While the consultant I had was sweet, she was a complete idiot and so was her sidekick. I went in there with a specific style. Explained this over and over. They kept pulling dresses that I DIDN'T want. Time and Time again. I kept going back to the displays showing, literally pulling the display down and showing them both what I wanted! Still went flying over both their heads 90 mph!

I finally got so frustrated I started to sweat, get angry...I had to leave. I didn't even make it into the room to try anything on. I felt defeated. It was NOT a good appt.

Funny though, they called the next day about my appt and I told them not to EVER call me again. If I change my mind, I'll call them, doubtful but I will IF I want their services, or lack there of.

I think it is just like everything else. If we get crappy service we report it. If we get great service we don't. We should be reporting both in every case. I have been two davids bridal 3 times for 3 different dresses, in three different states. 1st was a store in TX. They were great at the sale point when the dress came in they did not want me to try it on, I would not sign for it before I tried it on. 2nd was a prom dress, they kept showing me really beaded LONG dresses and I wanted a short brown one, they did not want me to try it on before I signed for it either. 3rd was for wedding dress. I had not been looking at their tags prior. made in china! I found that interesting I guess it was like olympic uniforms. The girl was wonderful, the manager wanted me to buy a 4 and alter it. I wear under a zero. We got rid of the manager and the girl was a great help but I just could not buy a dress that I could not try on in my size. I got a resale dress.

I had a wonderful experience there. I was a walk in, and was treated better there than I was at ever other shop I went to that I had a appointment for. My FMIL was taking me around the store with the consultant changing the all the bling to see what looks good. Had some great shoes to wear. I love my dress, and how I look in it. Now I have been a bridesmaid several times. I did order a dress that came in too short.. They let me exchange it for a equal or more expensive dress in the store that fit... So they do try to make you happy. But then again you cant please everyone....

I have to weigh in on this because I've experienced both ends of the spectrum from them. First time we ever went in there was with my mom and two sisters to look for bridesmaids dresses, the lady at the front was RUDE! She totally ignored us at first even though she wasn't busy at all, and then when I got her unwilling attention she kept asking if I had signed up, I said "No but I will if I need to" and she asked 2 more times as if she didn't hear me! Then she went into the back and didn't come back for the longest time so we all said screw it and went to look for dresses ourselves.

Then the manager saw us looking at dresses and asked if we've been helped so I said no, the lady left us, I told her I would sign in. The manager was very nice and helped us a lot with the dresses, so she made up for it. The alterations guy was a bitch lol I wanted to slap the attitude out of him too, but the manager and one of the other consultants redeemed DB for me. Its hit or miss.