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Bad experience at Charles the Tailor in Los Angeles

BlvdDandy

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I just got back from the conclusion of a bad experience at Charles the Tailor in Los Angeles, and thought I'd post it here, both as a cautionary tale and as a way of venting my frustration. In any case, I'll try and keep it short.

Basically, I found the perfect tuxedo after a long search, and brought it to Charles to have it tailored. He's done stuff for me in the past, and--though he's quite expensive--he's really, really good at what he does. I needed the alterations done in two weeks, for an event.

When I picked up the tuxedo, I made the foolish mistake of not trying it on. I didn't try it on until right before the event, which is when I realized that in place of the side tabs on the trousers, Charles had added belt loops. Side tabs, along with no pleats, were the only two things I required in my pants, so I was obviously disappointed, but at that point it was too late to do anything.

When I took the pants back to Charles today, he swore up and down that the belt loops were original and were already on the pants, and that there would be marks on the pants where the side tabs would have gone if he had changed them. As you can see from the original ebay auction, that was clearly not the case, and I never would have asked for belt loops.

Charles offered no solutions or apologies, just excuses. I'm now left with an almost perfect, but not quite perfect tuxedo, and I imagine every time I put it on, it's going to be that much worse thinking about the experience I went through.

Anyway, thanks for listening guys, there's absolutely no one else who would have remotely appreciated my frustration.
 

JLibourel

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Why not just have him remove the offending belt loops and sew in suspender (braces, if you prefer) buttons? That seems like a quick'n'easy fix that he could probably perform while you went out for coffee or something.
 

dba

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Did u show him the printout of the ebay auction?
 

teddieriley

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Originally Posted by BlvdDandy
That's what he's doing now, and I'm sure it will be fine. My only problem is that he's going to charge me for it. The whole thing just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

What!? Did you show him pics of the exact suit you purchased on e-bay which clearly don't have belt loops!? If you know for certain they didn't have loops before you brought the pants in, I would not pay him for removing the loops. That's ridiculous. I would have told him charging you would not bode well for future business or future recommendations and that you intend to write about your experience.

Here's a question though, did the material of the loops match that of the pants? Can you make loops from, for example, the extra material from the hem?
 

BlvdDandy

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I'm going to show him the printouts when I go back in, and hope he does the right thing and not charge me.

As for the loops, I imagine they are in fact from the manufacturer, and were stowed in some pocket I neglected to check.

Thanks for the replies, I'll let you know how it turns out.
 

Baron

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That's too bad. I used to use Charles, too, but I use Paul at Wilshire Tailor now. I think Charles does better work, but I found him hard to communicate with and I didn't trust him to do things exactly the way I wanted him too. He has a way of being dismissive when listening to suggestions.
 

the.chikor

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Originally Posted by BlvdDandy
I just got back from the conclusion of a bad experience at Charles the Tailor in Los Angeles, and thought I'd post it here, both as a cautionary tale and as a way of venting my frustration. In any case, I'll try and keep it short.

Charles offered no solutions or apologies, just excuses. I'm now left with an almost perfect, but not quite perfect tuxedo, and I imagine every time I put it on, it's going to be that much worse thinking about the experience I went through.

Anyway, thanks for listening guys, there's absolutely no one else who would have remotely appreciated my frustration.


Don't feel bad-you're not the first one this has happened to. I do not use him anymore because of a few of these type "incidents."
 

Mr T

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Originally Posted by BlvdDandy
I'm going to show him the printouts when I go back in, and hope he does the right thing and not charge me.

As for the loops, I imagine they are in fact from the manufacturer, and were stowed in some pocket I neglected to check.

Thanks for the replies, I'll let you know how it turns out.


The original auction mentions the loops were in a bag in a trouser pocket.

I agree with the others that you should not be charged.
 

JLibourel

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If the loops were included with tuxedo when you delivered it to Charles, it may be argued that the very act of delivering the garment with the loops implied you wished them attached.

On the other hand, if you explicitly requested side tabs, it would seem to clearly imply you did not want belt loops attached.

So, should you get the refund for the charge for the labor of attaching the belt loops? It is an interesting ethical and legal question. I wonder how some of the many lawyers in this forum would answer it.
 

petitnoblesse

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I use Wilshire Tailor and have always had amazing service. I would think of switching tailors if I were you.
 

PLANofMAN

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Being fashionable enough to buy a tuxedo, you should have thrown the belt loops away, as they have no place on a tuxedo. Sending them to the tailor along with the tuxedo lands some of the blame on your shoulders. Wearing a belt with a tuxedo is a major breech of a style that has been firmly in place for over a hundred years. I recommend that you change tailors. A tailor that would sew belt loops on a tuxedo without protest is not a tailor I would want to frequent. I would point this out to him. Especially since he should have pointed this out to you.
"Charles the Tailor" would be better renamed "Charles the Alteration Guy."
I myself have removed belt loops before, and it can be done in a matter of minutes as long as reasonable care is excercised. If he wants to retain your business, he should do it free of charge. Instead of ranting and raving, you might try apoligizing for accidently leaving the loops in the pocket, leading him to believe you wanted them attached. Then point out that you did not ask for them to be attached. The results might surprise you.

Advice from your neigborhood butler
 

polar-lemon

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Originally Posted by PLANofMAN
Being fashionable enough to buy a tuxedo, you should have thrown the belt loops away, as they have no place on a tuxedo. Sending them to the tailor along with the tuxedo lands some of the blame on your shoulders. Wearing a belt with a tuxedo is a major breech of a style that has been firmly in place for over a hundred years. I recommend that you change tailors. A tailor that would sew belt loops on a tuxedo without protest is not a tailor I would want to frequent. I would point this out to him. Especially since he should have pointed this out to you.
"Charles the Tailor" would be better renamed "Charles the Alteration Guy."
I myself have removed belt loops before, and it can be done in a matter of minutes as long as reasonable care is excercised. If he wants to retain your business, he should do it free of charge. Instead of ranting and raving, you might try apoligizing for accidently leaving the loops in the pocket, leading him to believe you wanted them attached. Then point out that you did not ask for them to be attached. The results might surprise you.

Advice from your neigborhood butler


I really don't think it's his fault for leaving the belt loops in the pocket- it looks like he didn't even know they were there. It's a damn tuxedo, and the pants even had side-tabs to boot; in any situation, if the customer doesn't specifically request the loops to be put on it, they should not be put on, but this was furthermore a real no-brainer.
 

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