Bridal shop leaves some brides in a bind

Bridal shop leaves some brides in a bind

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Story Published: Feb 19, 2008 at 2:03 PM PDT

Story Updated: Feb 19, 2008 at 2:32 PM PDT

By Shellie Bailey-Shah

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PORTLAND, Ore. - It's normally the focal point of any wedding - the wedding dress.

Brides-to-be scour bridal magazines, the Internet and one store after another in search of the one.

For Katie Smith, it seemed almost too easy. She found her wedding dress at the first dress shop she visited. It was the first dress she tried on.

"It's exactly what I always wanted," she said. "Perfect. It was perfect."

So she ordered the dress from Tres Fabu, a bridal shop in the Westmoreland neighborhood, and gave the owner, Jan Schumacher, a deposit for $438.75.

That was in March of last year.

"They told us that it would take between 4 to 6 months," she said.

She checked back in September but was told it would be another month.

But October, November and December passed and she still had no dress.

That's when Tres Fabu stopped returning Smith's calls. When she finally confronted Schumacher, the store owner claimed the dress was held up in customs.

Kailyn Marcus heard the same story just a month before her wedding as she was waiting for her custom-made gown.

Then she called the designer, who told her Tres Fabu never ordered the dress. In fact, Marcus said, the store wasn't even authorized to order the couture gown.

She ended up with a floor model.

KATU ended up going with Smith and her fiancé back to Tres Fabu to try to get some answers.

After waiting for nearly two hours, Schumacher left through the store's back door without answering any questions.

"She knows that these girls most likely won't be back in for more business so why does it matter if she jilts a few brides," Smith said.

Plenty of brides have complained - 32 on Citysearch and 11 to the Better Business Bureau in the last 36 months.

The day after KATU's first visit to Tres Fabu, the owner called to say she would send a refund to Smith in the mail.

When it never arrived, we went back.

This time, Smith got a check and a letter that stated: "by cashing this check, you agree ... to no longer speak ill of Tres Fabu Bridal or its owner, Jan Schumacher, to any media sources."

The check bounced, but eventually the bank overdrew the account and paid Smith. Now she's ordered the dress from another store for $300 less.

So when you're choosing a bridal shop, do the following:

  • Check Citysearch and the Better Business Bureau for any complaints. You can also check with the state attorney general's office.
  • Know that the same dress can often be found at more than one store, despite what the salesperson may tell you. So shop around.
  • When you tell the store your wedding date, give a date at least a month earlier to give yourself some wiggle room.
KATU Problem Solver Reporter Shellie Bailey-Shah wants to hear from you. Got an idea for an investigation or a tip?

Click here to contact Shellie

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