10/20/09

I like to call this place Ultimate B****

by ajkajari

So, I got a horrible sales woman during my appointment at UB. Doesn't sound out of the ordinary, considering the rest of the reviews. And there was nothing new with mine: rude, bored, acted like I was wasting her time, sighed with frustration when I asked to see more dresses, gave dirty looks, the usual. I unfortunately ended up loving one of the dresses I tried that day, but refused to give them my money. So I went in search of salons out of town who carried Monique Lhuillier, as conveniently, no one else did in Chicago. As I was about to travel to make the purchase, my UB saleswoman called to offer me 15% off. What's a girl to do? Of course take the good deal. Luckily I did not have to interact with my saleswoman again, and actually had some very pleasant experiences with veil and jewelry purchases, fittings, etc.

So here's the deal, if you want a fab, couture dress, they're it. Apparently there's actually a really friendly salesperson who works there, so figure out who it is and ask for her.

• Pros: Great dresses
• Cons: Salespeople, attitude

06/23/09

Completely ruined my enjoyment of wedding dress shopping.

by BelindaK

I was planning a wedding at fairly short notice (4 months) and was hoping to quickly find a beautiful wedding dress. I was in Chicago on a night-stop ( I was a Stewardess) and popped in to this store. At first I seemed to be ignored, then finally one extremely snooty youngish assistant came over and half-heartedly asked some questions. I explained that I didn't live locally and was looking for a dress that was ready to go. I was given a snooty look and she disappeared returning with three dresses. She just plonked them in my dressing room, no explanations or descriptions. I discarded two as they were not was I looking for and decided to try on the third. I asked the assistant 'Is this silk?'. She gave me a filthy look and curtly replied 'Of course' before walking off. I always thought that choosing and buying a wedding dress was to be a beautiful and fun experience. This assistant was rude and arrogant or maybe she was merely prejudiced (I'm English). Had I not been so time pressed to find a dress I would not have bought the dress I tried on, however it fit perfectly and was ex-display so was indeed ready to go. I definitely do not recommend this store unless they change their staff and their attitude to clients. For the prices they charge brides to be should be getting a far superior service.

• Cons: Snooty assistant. Unhelpful.

12/22/08

Stay Away From Ultimate Bride!!!

by ADMO

Ultimate Bride should be ashamed. I purchased a $5,000+ bridal gown. When I arrived in store for my first fitting, the dress was an absolute mess. The dress was too small in the waist and enormous on top (the owner of UB measured me improperly). The sweetheart neck that UB promised would be raised when ordered in the proper size, was gaping and ill-fitting. The unusual side seams of the dress were, as UB later admitted, pinned at the back when I tried on the store sample; this altered the look of the dress and made it impossible to determine whether I actually liked the dress as designed. In short, the dress could not be worn. Despite all of this, UB refused to do anything. Further, from the moment I raised my concerns about the dress, I was treated awfully. The manager of the store mocked me; one seamstress told me I should exercise more; the owner was unavailable for any discussion. When UB finally conceded that I could not possibly wear this dress on my wedding day, I was given one select dress in exchange. I did not have any say in the dress I was given. The dress they gave me cost nearly $1,000 less than the dress I purchased, and they refused to refund me the difference. They told me alterations would be free. In fact, they charged me over $500 (it took weeks to get these charges reversed). Just days before my wedding, UB charged me for overnight shipping but then shipped the dress two day delivery. I was constantly on the telephone with them trying to sort out these problems and imploring someone to help me. And the nightmare went on and on. This was one of the worst experiences I have ever had and negatively impacted the weeks leading up to my wedding. Stay away from this store! There are plenty of bridal stores in the city that carry the same dresses and you will be spared the attitude, incompetence and unnecessary stress.

• Pros: ONE nice sales associate.
• Cons: See Review.