Horror Weddings: When a Dream Dress Turns into a Worst Nightmare

Huge bills, refusal of reimbursement, unfitted creations and completely different from what was planned: a boutique in Saint-Hyacinthe puts its confident brides-to-be through the real test to make the dress of their dreams.

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Champagne Boutique Customers! Thousands of dollars were lost and they were left without their wedding dresses, just days before their wedding, our Bureau of Investigation found.

The Saint-Hyacinthe business rents, sells and manufactures bridal and evening dresses. Management claims “high quality” products as well as “unique creations, designed and made to measure by local artisans in close collaboration with its customers”.

However, this experience turns out to be a nightmare for many brides-to-be.

“Of all the scenarios I had in my head, I never imagined the experience she'd put me through,” Andre-Anne Hale sums up on the show. IThis evening airs on TVA at 8 p.m.

Bride-to-be Andre-Anne Halle, co-owner of Champagne, Claudie Tessier, during the unveiling of her wedding dress… Green Credits: Photo by Andre-Anne Halle

Photo provided by Andre-Anne Halle

$3000 gone

The young lady lost $3,000 in the mishap, and ended up with a not-so-white — lime green dress! — a few days before his union (see other text).

Andre-Anne Hale is not the only champagne customer! Have a painful experience. Many users took to social media to express their displeasure, criticizing false promises, hidden fees and poor service.

For example:

In these cases, champagne! It systematically refused to refund them, saying it was its policy.

Complaints to OPC

According to the Office of Consumer Protection, it has received about ten complaints regarding the champagne boutique! For the last two years, especially for misleading or unfair practices.

“These complaints relate to problems with wedding dress rental or repair, for example, the merchant charges more than expected or does not deliver the dress at the agreed time,” summarizes Charles Tanguay of the OPC.

The two brides have also started a small claims process in hopes of recouping the thousands of dollars they lost.

Champagne! protects

In an interview, Champagne! Boutique co-owner Cassandra Borrett said her establishment has seen strong growth with more than 400 customers last year…almost everyone is satisfied.

“The experiences you reported to us (…) remain isolated cases for me because 95% of them are satisfied,” she said.

Champagne Boutique Owners! In Saint-Hyacinthe, Claudie Tessier (left) and Cassandra Bourret (right). Photo taken from Champagne Facebook page

Photo taken from Champagne Facebook page

The store maintains that it informs its customers about its refund and cancellation policies and provides a telephone service from 9 am to 9 pm every day to provide alternatives in case of problems.

“This does not mean that the solutions we propose will be accepted. But we are doing everything possible to get there,” adds the young entrepreneur.

– In collaboration with Maude Boutet