Berketex Bride, Aberdeen

Completely let down by staff who don't appear to care! Dress arrived two weeks and two days before wedding (despite being ordered one year in advance) in a size smaller than I ordered!!!!

I ordered my dress in June of last year for my wedding in June of this year. Paid extra to get a remeasure in January. I was told delivery was 16 weeks. I called on 1 April was told they weren't expecting it in yet. Called on 20 April was told it would be in on 9 May. After several calls eventually to head office was told dress would be in 25 May absolute latest. Got the call the dress arrived today 26 May and was told unfortunately it was the wrong size (this is despite me confirming two weeks ago the size which was ordered).

Berketex office kept saying to me - we won't let you down this is what we do for living!!!

Highly recommend this shop/company is not used. Luckily I went to Elmar Bridal in Peterhead who sold me a dress they had in their shop....their service was phenomenal!!!

Perplexed as to how this company remain in business. I truly take my hat of to them!

They request you make an appointment. You turn up to it with a copy of written confirmation to be told "our appointment book is full, your name is not on the 1pm list , there has been an error in our booking system'... nothing can be done. I am only here by myself with my assistants and can only deal with one customer at a time". ( 0ver a period of 25 minutes )

It appears their booking system cannot cope with computers and manual transfer to written diary. I was flabbergasted as I had travelled 3 hours to get there."so what, I cant do anything about it" she said. Her selling point for the business was- just make another appointment - huh, how many would it take to try a dress on?

She did not use the words "**** off" but she may have well have.

Most services would divide the staff - 1 - 1 customer perhaps. A business owner would have stayed on past closing time. Discount to return perhaps? Most would even apologise profusely and try to analyse what happened to prevent repetition. Normal businesses of any type wouldn't even make this type or error. This manageress really could not be bothered, clearly evident in her mannerism and tone. Pushed for it and got the words of apology but they were hollow.

Good luck to you if you decide to go here!

Much better services and what's more dress quality has been discovered at Inverness, Nairn, and Fochabers - outstanding - nice to receive the service and respect.(perhaps the berketex assistants should go along to see how it should be done!)The services from this 3 also offered guidance too. I would happily have bought a dress from either of the 3 but alas us girls only need 1 and that comes down to choice and style.

Maria

I booked an appointment with this shop through TheWeddingSale.com. Living in Aberlour, I was prepared for the 90minute drive to Aberdeen. My mum cut work commitments (missing out on a valuable contract) to drive up from Dundee and be with me. It was shocking to turn up and be told we had missed our appointment which was scheduled for 11am that morning, as opposed to 1pm which I had written email confirmation of! The sales assistant responded with absolutely no regard to the inconvenience and upset the mess-up in the booking system had caused. We were simply expected to leave, without even the offer to have a look around! My mum expressed her disgust at the situation and squeezed an apology from the sales woman, which offered no consolation as it wasn't genuine. The sales assistant advised they were currently dealing with another customer and could not attend to another at the same time, yet surely to god in the 20minutes we spent in conversation about the issue we could have tried on a dress!! I watched as the other customer was attended to by a second assistant the duration we were there. The customer service in dealing with the issue was extremely unsatisfactory. If roles were reversed I know I could have done more, women are very much capable of multi-tasking!

Had an appointment at the Berketex bride in Aberdeen today for bridesmaid dresses, and it was just about the worst level of customer service I have ever received. We were five minutes early and were made to stand and wait while the two women in the shop stood at the till and stared out of the window. When we were allowed to look at the dresses, the selection was very poor, horrendously overpriced, and most of the dresses were ripped or dirty. We found a couple of the least horrendous ones to try on, but when we asked if we could try them on we were told we had to wait until someone was available as we weren't allowed to try them on ourselves. Someone then came to help us, and we were told to go into a changing room,strip down into our underwear and let her know when we were ready. We headed off into separate changing rooms, but were informed rudely that we had to share one as there were other appointments coming in. At this point there were three empty changing rooms and no one else in the shop. We made the decision to leave at this point, with five bridesmaids and two grand to spend I would much rather go elsewhere!!!

I made an appointment by phone for myself and my 2 bridesmaids. The lady on the phone was very polite and assured me there would be plenty of dresses for my plus size bridesmaid. I wrote down Sat 10am. When we turned up we were told that my appointment was at 11am, so I was sent away for an hour even though there were three girls standing doing nothing and there was no customers in the shop, we weren't even told we could stay and look at the dresses! When I returned, I didn't see any dresses I liked and the only one I tried which I liked was very over priced. I was also told I didn't have an appointment for my bridesmaids. The lady who served us was very impersonal, impatient and just looking for a sale. The shop was not pleasant and the girls helping had no customer communication skills. I have had lots of phone calls since because all they care about is sales.

This was the first appointment I had and it stressed me out on a day that should have been fun. Luckily I now have a stunning dress from La'Orr, which offers quality, personal service, now a happy bride again. Had a good experience at Brides Delight too.

My complaint that I wrote to Berkertex on 23/03/13

Upon arriving at the Aberdeen Store in May last year I was greeted by a lady called who is no longer with the company for very obvious reasons that appeared to be a very friendly and professional woman who was more than helpful with my bridesmaids trying on several dresses and she was very accommodating regarding one of my bridesmaids who is very conscious of her weight. We found a dress that we liked on the 3 bridesmaids that I had with me and they looked lovely in it. I had three of my bridesmaids, my mum and my future mother in law with me on the day. I was told by her that there was an offer on the dresses where if I bought 2, I would get 2 free so I was immediately encouraged to purchase the dresses that day as if I didn’t I would not be eligible for this deal. I was unsure about the colour but I was told this wouldn’t be a problem and that I could decide that later and that she would contact me to let me know when the latest day was that I would have to confirm a colour. I initially told her that I was considering the Victorian Amethyst but was still unsure, I was assured that she would take a note of this and that my uncertainty was not a problem. I even went away for lunch to talk it over with my bridesmaid and the mums and we all thought that it was a fantastic deal that I was unable to ignore so I went back that afternoon and confirmed my order. At this time I was reassured that all alterations would be done in house at no extra cost and that there would also be fabric ordered at no extra cost for making wider straps for one of my bridesmaids who was uncomfortable in a strapless gown. I was also told that for my bridesmaid in Glasgow, it would be possible for her to be dealt with by the Glasgow store and that as they were a national company Berkertex would be more than happy to accommodate my cousin in Glasgow. I left the shop happy that day that I had finally found a dress for my bridesmaids and that I had another thing crossed off my list.

Problems first started to become apparent when my bridesmaid in Glasgow was treated very sharply by the Glasgow store. She was told it wasn’t their job to help her and she was made to feel that she was causing them an inconvenience. I called the lady at the Aberdeen store to complain about the way in which my cousin had been spoken to and treated and she suggested that I contact the Debenhams concession on Argyle Street and for them to do it which I did. I was assured at this time that her dress could be sent there for alterations etc. My cousin went to the concession and was measured. I was happily reassured at this point.

Recently I had been into the shop several times and spoke to different ladies each time. I had spotted the purple colour and thought about it and decided that this was the colour that I would go ahead with. I was told by a lady that day that I would need to write to confirm my colour selection had changed from Victorian Amethyst to Purple, which I did. I was then subsequently contacted by letter informing me that this was not possible and that the dresses had already been cut and that I would have to pay another £150 to have it changed. I was OUTRAGED!!! For whatever reason this led to several phone calls over a 3 week period where we finally came to an amicable agreement that we would pay another £150 on the understanding that we would receive a 5th dress. On speaking to your advisor at head office he asked me about alterations and I said that I was so unhappy with the service that I had received that I was considering having alterations done privately as I was becoming very impatient with Berkertex but that I would use the in store seamstress if the problems were rectified to my satisfaction.

I then arranged with your Aberdeen Store to go in and have my bridesmaid measured for the 5th dress and to try the style on. It was at this point that I was informed that there was not extra fabric on order, that you do not offer in house alterations and that sending one of the bridesmaid dresses to the Glasgow concession was out of the question and that it wasn’t company policy to transfer gowns internally. I was then handed a business card from one of your assistants and told that I had to arrange alterations myself and that I would have to pay an extra £45 for the fabric for the straps. I did this and left as I have had enough problems dealing with Berkertex and no longer want to have any further dealings with your organisation.

I would just like to point out that it has become very clear that I was lied to repeatedly during my first visit to your Aberdeen Store and that I find this absolutely deplorable. I have several witnesses that can confirm what I was told and promised the day that I originally ordered the dresses. Berkertex seem to have no user friendly way of communicating between stores or in communicating with head office which is an unacceptable way to be running a business in 2013! My dealings with Berkertex have been nothing but a disappointment from start to finish. This is a shocking way for a customer spending the best part of £700 to be treated.

I would ask you to inform your manager of the above and ask you to make sure that he or she gets in contact with me regarding what they intend on doing regarding my above complaint. I would hate for another bride to be put through this experience because I hadn’t said anything. This standard of customer service is quite frankly offensive and something needs to be done.

I attended a Fashion Show in the Aberdeen store this week, and it was the best I have ever been to.

It was informal, fun and informative, the staff worked hard and made sure everyone was spoken too individually.

I will be going back for my bridesmaids dresses.

The manager said the she intended having regular Store Events like this one.

It really was a great night and what a difference it made seeing the actual dresses on other people.They looked so different on.

Wine and nibbles were laid on and as I came straight from work,they were appreciated.

Well done and thanks for a great evening.

After a last minute let-down by an online store, I contacted this shop to query if they might have any dresses in-store that might be suitable for a 'black-tie' event, ie an evening dress. The staff were extremely helpful, and by the time I arrived at the shop less than an hour later, had already looked out a selection of outfits. I 'shortlisted' two and came back the next day with husband (for a second opinion). The outfit I eventually bought was beautiful and the shop pressed it to ensure all creases, etc, were removed and it looked its best . . . the event I was attending was that evening, and I was really delighted with my purchase.

In short, staff were helpful, attentive and gave great advice.

14th aug 2010,would never buy from this shop or tell anyone to get a dress from here.were given wrong prices when ordering,dresses way too big for younger children.not very helpful in the shop,treated like second class citizens,was very disappointing wedding day is meant to be the best not for us it wasnt.dressmaker said poor workmanship and dresses not worth the money nearly £350.

I bought my dress from this store over a year ago and the experience I have had with them has been fab. They were so supportive from my first appointment to my final fitting, even when nerves were taking over, and I have told all my friends about it so I thought I'd share my opinion here aswell!