Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Elite Secrets, LLC's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Elite Secrets, LLC

  339 North Charles Street Baltimore, MD 21201

• 

  Elite Secrets, LLC

  330 N Charles St Baltimore, MD 21201-4304

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/02/2024

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I never received my dress and they refuse provide a refund. My wedding is this month, June 2024. I ordered my dress in August 2023. I reached out to them several times to get the status of my dress as it should have been available in February. They called me at the end of March to tell me my dress came in the wrong color and they sent it back. They didnt contact me before sending it back. So I never even got an opportunity to see the color or try it on. And their solution was to offer me sample dress and discount the alterations. Aside from the sample size being entirely too big to properly alter. I paid for a NEW dress. This leads me to believe that they never ordered my dress at all and just took my money. I have made numerous attempts to rectify this. I have called, emailed, DMd on Instagram. My mother in law was calling daily. And they are aware because they previously commented about it before ceasing to respond. But will not discuss providing me with the dress I ordered in the correct color, another option for a NEW dress or a FULL REFUND. And now Im fighting with *************** because I can only assume they lied to them as they lied to me.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/11/2024

  In response to the complaint regarding a refund. The bride came into our shop and purchased a dress. We later was advised by the designer that this dress was discontinued. Although this was devastating news it was beyond our control as we were at the designer's mercy. We contacted the bride right away and made her aware. We provided three options: 1. Come back in and we sell the sample dress at a discounted price and also have it dry cleaned. 2. Come back in and we would provide a VIP experience and find a new dress. or option 3. A full refund. 

  The bride opted for option three however a few days later we received a call from the future mother in law stating that would prefer a refund. We immediately began to process a refund however when trying to do so we noticed the card issuer had ignited a credit card dispute. 

  We tried calling the bride and talking through things as this as we knew this would bring about another issue and also explain what we needed to do to ensure a refund was received. 

  Once the card holder initiates a dispute there is nothing we can do to speed up the refund process or interrupt the process. Currently we are not disputing the chargeback as we agreed to issue a refund to begin with. Therefore we are not sure what more we can do at this point. Our team tried to make things right for the bride as we were heart broke to hear the news about her dream dress being discontinued. We also look for complaints like this as an opportunity to do better business however in this case we find it hard to understand what we could have done differently. 

  Also we attached a photo of the charge and charge dispute. Please do let us know if there is something else we can do. Thank you 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/17/2024

   
  Complaint: 21789371
  
  I am rejecting this response because there has been no attempts to reach me. I have send all of my attempts to reach out. No one ever told be my dress was discontinued and I was never offered a refund or an option to pick a new dress. I would have gladly taken a refund or an option for a new dress which was never presented. I also went to *************** and they have no record of an attempt of a refund. I was also told that if the merchant attempted a refund my claim would not have been denied. I am still requesting a full refund to be initiated by Elite Secrets.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* ********

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/17/2024

  I went to *************** and they noted if they indeed initiated a refund my claim wouldnt have been denied. I disputed the charge with my bank because I continued to contact them about a resolution and they refused to respond. They are lying about what they offered me. They also lied to *************** and thats why my claim was denied. Did they show proof that they initiated a refund? And if they did all that they alleged I would not be filing a complaint with you and still working with *************** to get my money back. 

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/24/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnresolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased my wedding dress from Elite Secrets on 5/18/2022, and paid $1,220.59. On 9/15/22, I received an email requesting the final $523.11 payment, which was due "30 days prior to shipping date." The dress was supposed to ship in October. By December, I had not heard anything so reached out to the store, but did not receive a reply until 1/5/23. I was told that due to the Chinese New Year my dress would not ship until the end of January. I was also promised a "partial refund." Later that month, I started calling and emailing frequently, but received no response or call back. I went in person during normal business hours, but no one was there. My mother and fiancé got involved and also starting calling and emailing. We would occasionally receive a response, but never a direct answer or any sort of apology. Despite requests, we never heard from the store owner LaTonya *******. Eventually, I received a call in early February and was told there was an ice storm that delayed my dress shipment. On 2/10/23, the dress arrived, however it was damaged with multiple black marks on it. I requested it be cleaned locally and provided the name of a local wedding dress cleaner. I was told I would hear back on Monday 2/13, but heard nothing. On Wednesday 2/15, I picked up the damaged dress and took it myself to get cleaned for $350. My wedding is on 3/25/23 and rush alterations will be an additional $160. Other brides have had the same experience. There are several google reviews with similar stories, and the store inadvertently cc’d another bride on one of our email chains, and we got in touch and her experience has been exactly the same. I have requested the promised partial refund multiple times, but the store employees say they are not able to grant a refund. Despite promises that the owner LaTonya ******* would call me, I have never once heard from her. I emailed her directly as well and did not receive a response.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/27/2023

  Hello,

   

  It is our effort to do everything we can to ensure a great experience for our brides. 
  

  our brides purchased her dress paid her deposit and was advised final balance is due 30 days prior to the ship date. 
  

  we also advised often times the shop date can change by the designer however this is something beyond our control. When the ship dates change we always communicate this to the brides. 
  

  This particular brides dress arrived after we sent her the tracking information. Once her dress was checked in the next day we immediately reached out to her to advise their were spots what appeared to be either from production or shipment. We advised we had reached out to the designer and was advised we could send the dress back to be professionally cleaned by their cleaners. The bride stated she did not want to wait for the dress to be shipped out and returned. She stated she would rather just come in and pick up her dress. 
  

  We advised this was something we wanted to ensure the designer took care of as this should not have arrived like this however the bride stated she did not want to wait. 
  

  The bride opted to pick up the gown despite our recommendation as once the dress leaves our shop we would be unable to cover any charges for cleaning. 
  

  We tried hard to convince the bride the cleaning  process would not take long however she insisted she would rather not wait. 
  

  We are truly sorry for the experience as we understand the importance of having a good experience when planning your wedding. And tried to accommodate the bride to ensure she walked away with the perfect dream dress. Please do let us know if there is any additional information we can provide or recommendations on what we can or should do differently. Thank you again 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/01/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The response does not address the partial refund that I was promised in an email for the shipping delay. It does not address the absolute lack of communication from the store owner.   Furthermore, “We tried hard to convince the bride the cleaning  process would not take long however she insisted she would rather not wait” is a false statement. I never received any communication after the initial call about the stains on the dress or any explanation of the cleaning process. I was promised a call from the owner that Monday which never came, so my only option was to pick up the dress and have it cleaned myself.   The cleaning part is irrelevant at this point. My main grievance is still the shipping delay, lack of communication, and promised refund that I never received.  None of this was addressed in their response.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******** ********

  Business Response

  Date: 03/04/2023

  Hello,

   

  This bride decided to pick up her dress against our recommendation. The designer was made aware that the dress arrived with marks on it. We notified the bride right away and advised we would be sending the dress back to the designer to either clean the dress or replace it. The bride stated she did not want to wait for that to happen she'd rather pick up the dress as it. We advised if she picked up the dress as is she would be taking responsibility for any flaws and agreeing we were no longer responsible for replacing or cleaning. It is our goal to ensure our brides are happy. Our distributors stand behind the product we sell and will always make things right if there is an issue. It rarely happens however when it does we take full responsibility. In this situation the bride opted not to allow the process to work on her behalf. We also attached the pick up slip signed by the bride upon picking up her dress. We also explained what the signature meant and her taking the dress against our recommendation. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/09/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Once again, this complaint is not about the dress arriving dirty and the cleaning. The complaint is about the extreme shipping delay and the dress arriving 3 months late. Due to this delay, I did not have time to send it back to the designer for cleaning, but that is beside the point. My issue is with the delay in receiving the dress and the lack of communication about the whereabouts of the dress, leaving me with extreme stress and even having to go shopping again for a new dress. The refund I am requesting is not for the cleaning, it is for the dress arriving long after the time it was promised. Again, I have in writing that a partial refund would be given, which I have attached to this complaint for the second time. This refund is NOT related to the cleaning costs, which I have covered myself. The refund is for not receiving the dress in the timeframe given when the dress was purchased. I am simply requesting a partial refund which I was promised in an email on 1/5/23. When I spoke with the store multiple times, they reiterated that this refund would be issued by the owner. It has now been over two months without receiving any refund. This complaint will not be settled until this refund is granted as was promised. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******** ********

  Business Response

  Date: 04/13/2023

  Hello,

  On March 24 2023 I was contacted via email by a representative from your company with the email address of ************************

  He requested additional information to show the bride picked up her dress and before allowing us to resolve the issues with her dress. The bride stated she did not want to wait and chose to pick up her dress. She also signed a pick up slip, (see attached) agreeing to accept merchandise in it's current condition. Please advise. Thank you 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/16/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The business continues to ignore and refuses to respond to my complaint. As stated multiple times, the reason I am filing the complaint is due to the long delay in receiving the dress and lack of communication on why the dress was delayed and when it would arrive. As also previously states, the store promised a partial refund due to the delay (again see attached email). I have paid for the dress to be cleaned and altered and am NOT requesting reimbursement for that, I am simply requesting the partial refund that was promised. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******** ********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/23/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased a wedding dress in April of 2022. I was told by the sales associate est. arrival was August. August came and went never received a call stating the dress was delayed. Called in November, spoke with Tarsha who informed me the dress was supposed to arrive October 14th. She asked if I could give her a week to call the dress maker to check the status of my dress. Two weeks goes by, no call so I called back and Tarsha tells me she has a shipment coming in but my dress is not showing on the shipment invoice but sometimes the dress maker will just send the dress. She states she will call me back and let me know if my dress came in or not. No called back, it's now December. Call the store, speak with Tarsha and get the same story. No dress, shipment coming in, my dress not showing on shipment invoice and she will call me back. No call back, now the store is closed for Christmas. I call back once the store reopen, Tarsha not in. Call the first week of January, speak with a sales associate who informs me my dress is held up because of Christmas and Chinese New Years. I went off. My dress could have been held up for Easter, 4th of July, or Labor Day. A dress ordered in April should not be held up for holidays in December and January. I asked for a full refund. The sales associate tells me she will have the owner call me back because they have a no refund policy. I paid for a product and the store cannot honor me receiving that product. If the store can guarantee a product then the store has to give a refund. I ordered a dress in April of 2022 for a March 2023 wedding. I have no dress and do not trust the store to do alterations in a timely manner. The customer service and communication is very poor and I do not want any dealings with this store. I just want my money back