Igowns.com

VERY sad. It is getting more common to hear about people ordering on the internet only to be disappointed with receiving the wrong dress or NONE at all.

If you put it on a credit card, then file the police report and then a fraud report with your credit card company. They were a scam operation stealing money from excited brides.

That`s what you get for shopping online and trying to "get a better deal" instead of buying the gown at the store that actually helped you find the dress you ended up wanting. You brought it upon yourself, you ripped off the store of their customer service and time, now you got ripped off too. Fairness works in mysterious ways. This goes to all online shoppers!

Was it FAIR to the shop she "used" to find that dress? Now she has no dress and the shop has dirty samples that no one will want. I`m sure we`ve all heard this..."What comes around goes around" C`est la vive!

Stephanie,

I don`t think anyone is being mean in this discussion. I do think that brides should think about how the bridal stores are effected too. We can`t only think about ourselves and what we WANT.

It seems a little dishonest for people to think that it is okay to shop at full service stores and then take that information and use it to shop online or at a competitor and only consider price. It is not okay to use someones services and products for free and use the excuse that you can`t help it cuz you can`t afford to pay for the gown that includes the services and knowledge of a professional. No one should expect something for nothing. You`re basically stealing from the business if you don`t reimburse then for the use of their knowledge and products.

I think that the wave of the future will be full service bridal salons charging a consultation fee to work with customers in order for them to be able to afford to stock their stores with merchandise and keep quality staff. The other possibilty is that there won`t be any stores still in business and everyone will have to find their dream dress by looking through pictures on a computer screen. This won`t be an enjoyable experience for anyone.

It`s a free country but our actions do result in consequences. Anywhere from being conned and not getting what we paid for to changing the bridal industry into something that is not in our wedding dreams.

Jan, in a nutshell, you are a total idiot. You don`t know the circumstances behind why she chose to buy her dress online, nor is it any of your business. Most likely you are the owner of one of those wonderful overpriced dress stores that price their merchandise out of the reach of some people. Why should ANYONE purchase something in a fancy store and pay 4-5 times of what they can get it for here? That`s plain stupid. There is NO customer service that is worth that much.

Ditto to you, Belle. Did this woman say at any time that she went to a store to try gowns on? Sounds like a bunch of sour grapes to store owners that are losing business to online stores that can offer better prices.

Curious, your right, at no time did she actually say she went to a shop. I stand corrected. Do you really think people find the dress of their dreams in a picture and never try it on? Realistically, not likely. Possible I suppose. Why is it you think the internet sellers can sell for less? No overhead, no utilities, no staff, no rent. Bridal shop owners are not out to get "rich". You show me a rich bridal shop owner, and I`ll show you someone who made money elsewhere. All I`m saying, is look at both sides of the coin. Thats all.

I truely understand wanting to have your dream dress at the lowest price possible. Believe me, that is what I want too. But do you think the same way when you are shopping for jeans at JC Penny or bras at Victoria`s Secret?
I guess I am confused. Please some one give me some insight.
I am in the middle of planning my wedding and don`t understand where all the negativity about wedding stuff comes from.

I have two cents to put in here since I am a bride shopping for good deals. Jan and Belle, get real!! You and I both know that most people working in the bridal industry are out to take advantage of a bride wanting that "dream" wedding. If you want an example. Save the date cards - I bought over 200 for less than 50 bucks because I bought them from a business card supplier. Buy them from a wedding retailer, and pay 4x more. A cake, say its for a business party - pay $2.00 a serving. The same cake for a wedding - $4.00 a serving. Those businesses have overhead too, yet they can offer the same product for less than half. Explain that!!! I`d be willing to guess that you can`t because the truth is - The Bridal industry is taking advantage of us. Not the other way around. Bridal shops wanting to stay competitive will sell in shop and online. I know because I`ve used one. And Tina, Yes I do take the same consideration when shopping for jeans and bras. :) There is no wrong in shopping for the best that you can afford. If that means using the internet, then so be it!! The rest of you sour apples just need to suck it up!

Hi. I`ve read this post and absolutely cannot sit back and not add my two cents.

Yes, I own a full service bridal salon. Yes, I do carry high end designer gowns so that prospective clients can come in and try on, touch, see, feel the gown they are planning to buy. Yes, I show by appointment so that I (or my one and only other bridal consultant) can carve out the time you deserve when trying on wedding gowns. Yes, I keep regular business hours, have lights, heat (or AC), employ a certified tailor for alterations, have a professional grade steamer and iron system to press your gown, and have a full size van so I may deliver your gown to you the day before your wedding. Yes, I pay taxes to the city, county, state, federal government, school district, and any one else who I have to pay them to. Yes, I support your sisters, nieces and nephews fund raisers in the local community. And YES, we charge full retail (which is not 4 to 5 times as an earlier post stated) for my gowns. You CANNOT compare my in store price to a price you receive on the phone from someone who will never see you, never spend time listening to your questions about every aspect of your wedding, never spend time showing you dresses (not once but 4 times because grandma couldn`t come the first time or your sister from college must see your dress), never have to work alteration miracles with you so that "you look like you have cleavage on your wedding day", never show you and let you try on your gown on a day you had a bad work experience and need a lift, never do anything besides take a 10 minute call from you, get a deposit, get in a dress, and ship it to you. I WILL MATCH. Let me repeat that, I WILL MATCH, any legitimate price (must be in writing) for any gown I carry in my salon BUT I expect you to match your expectations. I expect you will not come in and try on gowns, I expect you will tell me what size to order you, I expect you to tell me which of the sometime 3 or 4 color offerings you want (not for me to research it for you), I expect you will give me a 50% deposit, and I expect when the gown is in, to ship it to you. This ladies, is the bottom line difference between buying a dress in a full service bridal salon or buying from a no service, no frills, answering service. I can offer both.

And btw, for the poster that said she doesn`t want to pay 4 or 5 times cost for anything, I hope she doesn`t shop at Victoria Secrets, Bath and Body works, the Gap, Old Navy, etc. Read their shareholders report and you will see who is really "ripping you off".

Liz, it`s very nice that you are on here trying to justify the tremendous markup on your merchandise. The bottom line is that not everyone can afford to pay for your services. Not every bride has thousands of dollars to throw away for something that they can get from an online vendor. Not everyone needs to have an intimate relationship with a salesperson. The markup in the entire wedding business is a crime. Anything that is remotely associated with a wedding is marked up to the gouging point. Disposable cameras....look at the plain ones and the ones with doves or what have you on the package. Does it cost more to produce one than the other? NO. But, hey, lets change the packaging and charge 3 times as much because the bride is willing to pay for it. Do businesses that sell general merchandise pay less for their inventory and their cost of doing business (heat, electric, etc.) than a wedding vendor? NO, I don`t think so. The whole wedding industry is like a bunch of vultures that prey on the `fairytale` image. And some of the biggest offenders are the so-called `full service` bridal shops, as is evidenced on this website. Not every bride needs someone to `hold their hand` and help her pick out the shade of white, or any of the other services that you mention. Not every bride wants all the other garbage that comes with buying a dress at a high priced store. I tried that route myself. After dealing with pushy, rude, inconsiderate sales people (and NO, I did NOT even try on any of their merchandise at any time), I finally went the internet route. I bought my Eden Bridals dress on Ebay, never worn, tags still attached. I knew what my measurements were, and I didn`t need a salesperson to do that. I paid for it, it was shipped to me in probably the same fashion that dresses are shipped to your store. I took it out, hung it up, same as your store probably would do. I contacted an independant seamstress who is now letting the sides out, cutting off the train, rehemming the dress, and is making me a lined cape with the fabric that used to be the train. And she is steaming and pressing my dress. My total outlay for this dress is $201.50. My dress is beautiful, exactly what I wanted, and it didn`t cost me the price that it would have cost at your store. Because I haven`t bought into the `fairytale` garbage, I am having a very nice wedding for what it most likely would have cost just to buy the dress at your business. Oh, and by the way.....I do know what the markup is at Victoria`s Secret, The Gap, and all the other stores you listed, and have enough common sense to not do business there, unless I have a coupon in my hand.

Not sure why someone would accuse us of "using" bridal shops without knowing all of the facts. We did not use and abuse bridal shops to find the right gown. Shannon has used ebay and the internet to do a lot of shopping. She was confident that from past experiences that she would not be scammed. I am paying for her gown and all of her accessories and she was trying to save me some money. For someone to say someone else deserves to be stolen from is very uncharitable. Does not say much for you. No one deserves to have their money and their dreams stolen. Shame on you and shame on the thieves. Thank God their are moral people out there than not.

Thank you for the information Stephanie. I appreciate the effort you put forth to help us out. I forwarded your website to my daughter so she could view your gowns now that we are searching again.

This message goes out to Belle...
I am Nancy`s daughter and NO I never went to a dress shop to try on the gown I ordered from IGowns. Even if I did, you are telling me that my mother and I deserve to get ripped off?
I feel sorry for you that you are so angry and bitter. It`s a shame you have nothing better to do than sit around and try to make unfortunate brides feel bad. What a nice person you are.
It`s unfortunate that most dress shops are rediculously priced, otherwise us brides on a smaller budget might be able to buy from you. I`m sorry, but I refuse to pay and arm and a leg for a gown when I can get practically the same one at a fraction of the cost. Oh, and you were right about one thing...
There is something called karma. Just remember, by wishing bad things on others, it might just come back and bite you.
Oh, and Stephanie thanks for everything. I look forward to doing business with you.
:)

You go Shannon......that woman has a very poor attitude, and it sounds like sour grapes because her business isn`t going so well. I am another one who happened to find my dress on line, fortunately, I didn`t have the problem that you did. Not everyone has the need to have their hands held by a mollycottling saleswoman. Hope all goes well for you.

As for Belle, get over yourself.

Hi, I was ripped off by Michelle Studebaker. She is a cruel person who did nothing but lie to me repeatedly and never sent me my wedding dress. I had to buy a new one last minute 3 days before my wedding. The whole ordeal was my worst nightmare. I deserve more than a just a refund for my dress after all she put me through but I cant even get that. Can someone please help me? ry2179@aol.com if you have any info. Thanks!

Regardless of the question of retail vs. Internet, the bottom line is Michelle Studebaker (now Michelle Priest) has ripped off more than one person.
My client was ripped off by Michelle Studebaker as well. I tracked her down to David`s Bridal in Clackamas, OR (503-653-9800) on Oct. 14, 2004 and she was pissed I found her. She asked that I call her at home (503-653-5373) which I did. She eventually promised me the dress, then left me a msg on my VM about three weeks ago saying the dress was in and she was FedExing it the next day. Big surprise, the dress never came. Now her home phone is disconnected and her mobile is the only number I have (971-222-9910), but she hasn`t updated the msg in a week, so I don`t hold out a lot of hope for that number either. By the way, she is apparently now going by the name Michelle "Priest" (sp?), which is ironic. She is a thief and a liar. I kept the VM msg and will download it to a website when I have a chance to show what a liar she is. I would have respected her more if she just came out and said my client wasn`t getting anything, do what you have to do, rather than being lied to. She is a bad person, do not trust her.

My daughter bid on an wedding gown on ebay and was told she did not get the high bid but she could order the dress for the high bid price which was $635.00. The person who told her this was Michelle Studebaker. I sent a check to Ms. Studebaker for $644.42 for the dress including shipping and insurance. Needless to say we have not received the dress and Ms. Studebaker has seemingly disappeared. If anyone has information on this person`s location, I would be interested in knowing as I fully intend to take legal action against her. I found a certificate of Assumed Business name at the Secretary of State, Idaho internet site. This is in the name of Studebaker Enterprises and signed by Donalyn Michelle Studebaker with the same address)1706 Gilbert St. Coeur d Alene, ID 83815) that I mailed the check to. She does business with Bank of America 501 W. Appleway, Coeur d Alene, ID. This lady is obviously a criminal. If anyone has anymore information, please let me know. I sure would like to see her answer for what she has done to everyone.

Hi,
Try mailing a complaint to Attorney General State of Idaho
700 W.Jefferson Street,Rm.210
P.o.Box 83720
Boise,ID 83720-0010

This is very odd. I actually bought 4 bridesmaid dresses from igowns via Ebay in May or June of last year. I received exactly when they said I would and they were well made and very beautiful. I actually was recommending this place to a friend and couldn`t find it. I`m sorry to hear all this.

She is a TOTAL thief!! I found her on Ebay as Discount Gowns, all feedback was good, no complaints registered at the BBB. Ordered my gown and she stopped communicating with me after she got my money. Told me she had lukemia and that her assistant would take care of business while she PERSONALLY watched my case from her home. All lies!

She started getting negative feedback on Ebay so she made her feedback private so unknowing brides-to-be couldn`t be warned. So she discontinued her Ebay stint and started iGowns. Just a new name for and old scam artist. NEVER do business with this woman or you will get ripped off!! I would be happy to testify against her if anyone files charges. I still have records of all my communications with her. All you brides who have been ripped off by her TAKE ACTION!!! There is power in numbers!!