Metro Detroit bride goes to court over wedding dress measurements

Dress drama: What consumers can learn from wedding dress lawsuit

DETROIT – Dawn Dunford will be walking down the aisle on June 4, but she says her dream wedding dress turned into a nightmare. She's so frustrated with the dress store, that sold her the dress, she's filed a lawsuit.

 

At issue, Dunford's hip measurements. In the lawsuit filed on March 17, she claims the store employee measured her hips incorrectly. So, when she showed up five weeks later the dress didn't fit properly.

 

"She came back in and she re-measured me and she took a measurement of my hips, and she said, 'You're 2 inches bigger than the original measurement,'" Dunford said. 

 

Be careful with custom clothing

 

Dunford is suing "The Perfect Dress" on West Jefferson in Trenton.

 

The store stands by the measurements, saying they were taken by an experienced employee. The store offered to order another dress, but Dunford says they wanted her to pay the extra fee to have the delivery expedited. She refused and decided to file suit.

 

"They were in the wrong. They took the wrong measurements. I didn't come in and hand them my measurements and say, 'Here order me a dress to these measurements.' And they were wrong," Dunford said. 

 

While Dunford blames the store, it's important to point out buying a custom dress of any kind (wedding, prom, other special occasion) is more complicated than buying clothes off the rack. Local 4 Style Expert Jon Jordan says a custom purchase does put more responsibility on the consumer. 

 

"If you are going to get custom clothing as opposed to something off the rack, then your commitment would be to be the same size you were measured for," Jordan said. 

 

The sales contract Dunford signed says, "The Perfect Dress is not responsible for any measurement changes, weight loss, gain or pregnancy."

 

It's important that consumer read clothing contracts and understand all the rules and restrictions. Refunds are almost never allowed for custom clothes. Consumers should make sure they understand the contract 100 percent before signing on the dotted line.

 

"I would also have a very, very thorough conversation. I would ask questions and bring a lot of 'what if' scenarios to that conversation,"  Jordan said. 

 

Weight-loss documentation, key evidence?

 

Dunford says she has evidence that will prove there was a measuring mistake and she didn't gain weight during those five weeks. She told Help Me Hank she's been on a medically-supervised weigh-loss program and has been charting her progress almost daily. 

 

She thinks the information will help her win in court.

 

"If I hadn't documented my weight loss and my weight and my measurements, it would be 'he said, she said,'" Dunford said. 

 

 

The store wrote Dunford's hip size into the contract at 42.5 inches. Dunford said she has been 44.5 inches in the weeks before the first fitting, and didn't notice that detail in the paperwork.

 

"I haven't gained weight. I haven't lost weight. I'm pretty much the same size. A few pounds isn't going to gain or lose inches," she said.

 

Jordan said for anything custom-made there is little room for error.

 

"How often have you heard of people in interior design who get the measurement of the custom cabinet wrong?" Jordan said. 

   

Dunford is waiting for her day in court, but she is convinced that she is right and unafraid to talk about information many women would prefer to keep private.

 

"I'm curvier. I mean I'm not a size two, I feel comfortable with who I am. It took me a long time to get here, but I'm comfortable with who I am," she said.

 

Dunford filed her suit in small claims court, but the store has hired an attorney which moves the case to the civil docket. The next scheduled court date is June 27. 

 

As for her wedding day, Dunford couldn't wait for the court's decision, so she's ordered a dress from another store and says she'll be ready for her big day.

 

Help Me Hank will keep you posted on how this plays out in court.

 

 

 

 


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