Our wedding was the first week of August; tuxes were fitted at Fireweed Tuxedo by mid July and "packed up". We were told they would remain that way, on the hanger as fitted, till the day we came in to get them. After we picked up the tuxedos (not permitted by the owner til day-of wedding), we discovered that of all five, my fiance's (the groom) didn't fit.
Confused by the fact that the tux was apparently being put together that morning, when we'd done a fitting weeks earlier, and the yellow receipt carbon looks like a Korean menu with tons of writing that is NOT on the white copy, we called immediately after the wedding and were told that the owner was out, but we could hang onto the tux at no charge until he returned from vacation on Thursday or Friday (Aug 24th).
We brought the tux back in on Friday (yesterday, the 25th) and questioned why the sizes on the actual clothes didn't match the writing on the slip, and why the slip had been written over and changed multiple times, as well as the shoddy condition of the shoes/accessories. The owner, David Yu, could only talk over us to reply with 4 different phrases:
"I give you most special deal. Why you complain? You should thank me!"
"That slip no mean anything; that just a paper. It not mean anything."
"I should charge you late; you late and I charge you $17 a day."
"It fit before. I fit you and put into bag. You get same tux I fit you with."
He couldn't manage to answer any of the following:
1. Why was the tux NOT in the bag (the way he claims to have packed it in July) the morning we picked it up?
2. Why did the clothing sizes not match the fitting slip sizes? (oddly, the written-in sizes are all two inches too big and match the clothing sizes, but not the size my husband was fitted for or actually WEARS)
3. Why did the cuff-link break, the shoe fall apart, and the pants practically fall off all day?
4. Why did two other separate parties come in that morning with the same complaints about their tuxedos?
5. How did he propose to charge us late fees on a tux that was A. WRONG and B. Approved for being kept longer by his store?
6. Why did he insist that "best fit" meant the tux shirt/jacket only looked right as long as my husband kept his arms at his sides? (Twice yesterday my husband raised his arms away from his hips to show the owner the problem with the fit and the man became irate...??). If my husband (then fiance) so much as checked his watch, the jacket showed four inches of sleeve.
Finally Mr. Yu just began yelling in Korean and then said that "No one" (threatening) complains in his store and "gets away with it", that he would be charging us late fees for every day that we'd kept it past the original return date, no matter what the secretary had okay'd. When we told him that, under the circumstances and if he were going to charge us fees anyway, we'd be taking the tux back as physical evidence for a small claims suit, Mr. Yu grabbed my arm and held me against the counter (I was no longer holding the tux) until I had to yell and wrench my arm away as my husband tried to step in.
In snatching at me again, Mr. Yu broke my (admittedly cheap but one of a kind) bracelet, left a twine-burn on my wrist, and as beads showered all over his store began yelling "What bracelet? I never see no bracelet!", before a word left my, or my husband's lips. He got on the phone to his attorney, and we got on the phone to the cops, then waited outside.
The attorney showed up, then the cops about five minutes later. Oddly we were "in the wrong" when the attorney went in, but as soon as the attorney and the cops came out, they informed us that Mr. Yu "understood the situation, and fully apologized".
Doesn't get my bracelet back, or undo the stress of the whole situation, but it was some small recompense. Please keep in mind, we brought him $600 in business and we never once asked for a refund or for any sort of monetary compensation; we just wanted an explanation and an apology. Not once did we ever hear an I'm sorry from Mr. Yu for his shoddy product or obvious errors.
Needless to say, better than a small claims win which might cost more money than we get back, and better than a refund which we'll never realize given Mr. Yu's "do-no-wrong" attitude, is for everyone who reads this to spread the word and hit this shady business owner where it really hurts: in the bank account. If you know anyone planning a wedding, PLEASE tell them to avoid Fireweed Tuxedo and it's owner Mr. Yu, no matter what "most special deal" he might offer.
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