It seems to be a rising trend in the scam world for businesses to take deposits for merchandise the customer does not and will never receive. As the date of receipt draws closer, the business disappears and so does the money. One of the most common businesses guilty of this crime is bridal shops. One such shop, Sabrina Bridal in Stratford, New Jersey has been one of the more recent to leave wedding parties stranded.
Numerous wedding parties were trying to contact the shop to pick up their bridesmaid dresses but were told numerous times that they would be “one more week”. Finally fed up, many brides and bridal parties went down to the shop located on the White Horse Pike to demand their dresses in person only to find the shop was closed and for sale.
Many of the brides hunted down the owner’s telephone number and address and began hounding the owners who just hung up on the customers. And this is when panic set in.
Brides had to make other arrangements. Their bridesmaids had to put out more money for new dresses in hopes that they could fight for their money back somehow. The happiest time of women’s lives had suddenly become even more stressful. Many of these parties have now had to back track because of the burden the company put on the brides, their families and their friends.
But in the case of Sabrina Bridal, there was no scam. The bank foreclosed on the owners. The bank locked their doors with many customers’ dresses still locked inside. The owners have also broken their silence and contacted
It is not farfetched in this economy to see businesses going under. I personally am not faulting the owners of the bridal shop for what happened. I do however fault them for the way they handled the situation.
Instead of addressing the problem and making their customers aware, they put off informing anyone by repeatedly telling them their merchandise would be ready in just “one more week”. The tactics taken by Sabrina and her husband have thwarted any hope of regaining their former clientele. The vast media coverage in the surrounding area will not allow it to happen.
Had they handled the situation professionally, they might have retained some of their loyal customers when the couple got back on their feet after the economic blow.
All-in-all, the gist is to be careful who you trust. Receipts and written documentation are the best protections you have against these happenings because, especially when paying cash or check, it is going to be a fight for your money.
I do have to say, that as one of the bridesmaids effected by this foreclosure, I hope that everything happens for a reason and our new dresses will make the wedding party look so much better than wearing the dresses that we all tried to purchase from Sabrina Bridal. I wish all the brides and bridal parties who are not only effected by this instance the best of luck and remind them all to just breathe and keep a level head to make the bride’s big day memorable. In a good way.
