I read your site often, and I now have a situation of my own that I would like to share with you. I am hoping that you might be able to help me or provide some guidance as to how I should proceed.

I ordered eight bridesmaid dresses from Ann Taylor on November 2. The dresses were on sale for $69.44. Even though I only needed four dresses, I decided to order eight after checking the return policy, which stated that I could return the unworn merchandise for 90 days. I did this so my bridesmaids could try on the extra dresses to ensure that they ended up with one that was the right size, and I planned to send the ones that did not fit back to the store. Like many women, I often order two sizes when I am buying clothes online, and send the wrong size back. This is not an unusual practice.

Two days later, I checked Ann Taylor's site out of curiosity to see if the dresses were still on sale. They were, but the site indicated that they were marked "Final Sale." The price was the same. I was very relieved that I had the opportunity to buy all 8 before they went on Final Sale. I double checked my confirmation to ensure that I had not
purchased the Final Sale dresses, and I had not.

Today, I got home and opened the box of dresses. The printed receipt indicates that the dresses were Final Sale and therefore cannot be returned. This leaves me with four extra bridesmaid dresses that I am now apparently unable to return. I called Ann Taylor to explain the situation and they told me that there was nothing they could do, even though my confirmation clearly indicated that the dresses were not final sale when I purchased them. The customer service representative, Carolyn, and her supervisor, Connie, continuously stated that the dresses were always Final Sale at the price of $69.44. This may have been the case internally, but the external website available to the customer did NOT indicate anything about final sale until at least November 4. As an aside, I have copies of past confirmations from orders in which I purchased a final sale product, and both the website
and confirmations clearly indicate that. So it's not that company policy is not to mention that on the confirmation, they do and I have proof. Connie eventually told me to email the customer relations address tomorrow, which I'm sure will get me nowhere.

I am very upset right now about this situation. I am actually a very loyal Ann Taylor customer! I spend a lot of money there each month, and have never had any issues with their customer service. I cannot believe, in this economy, that they would do this to any customer, much less a good one. Ann Taylor changed the terms of the purchase (adding the designation of Final Sale and therefore getting rid of my ability to return the item) after it was sold, which cannot be legal.

There's always a chargeback, but since you enjoy shopping at Ann Taylor, it would be nice if you could get them to honor their return policy so that you don't have to escalate it to that level.

Instead of dealing with phone support, consider writing a concise, clear letter explaining the problem, and showing the proof you have of past "Final Sale" notifications. In addition to the details of the situation, let them know the kind of loyal customer you've been, both in financial terms and word-of-mouth advertising.

Instead of sending it to the customer service address in Utah, however, try sending it to the executives at the corporate office in New York City.

We'll include both addresses, just in case you feel like blanketing everyone at once.

Ann Taylor Customer Service
100 Ann Taylor Drive
P.O. Box 571650
Taylorsville, UT 84157-1650
fax: 1-866-232-9266

Ann Taylor Corporate Info
Kay Krill - President & Chief Executive Officer
Michael J. Nicholson - Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
Barbara Eisenberg - Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary
Christine M. Beauchamp - President, Ann Taylor Stores
Brian Lynch - President of Corporate Operations

Ann Taylor Corporate Offices
7 Times Sq # 14
New York, NY 10036
(212) 541-3200‎
(212) 719-0120‎
(you can also try these two numbers: 212-541-3300 / 800-677-6788)

(Photo: Marcin Wichary)

Owner Elga Koehler told The Star-Ledger that the store went bankrupt in August but wasn't required by law to notify customers, or immediately give them their dresses or money back. They'll get their money back "eventually," she said, after a repayment plan was "formulated." Evidently, Elga was unconcerned about how if you snatch away a woman's wedding dress she's picked out and paid for, it will make her very very mad— a point that the angry women, several of whom were dressed in black and wearing Ugg boots, according to an eyewitness account by Daniel Edelman, sought to drive home with their protest. Apparently, their mothers never told them how to do a chargeback.

Millburn bridal shop goes bankrupt without providing brides with dresses [The Star-Ledger] (Thanks to josh42042!)

Here's MunkyBoi's story:

My (now) wife and I decided earlier this year that it was time to get married. We live in the San Francisco bay area. We wanted to make it as easy as possible for our small gathering to get together, and wound up having a beautiful outdoor ceremony... and followed it with "lunch" at Tahoe Joe's.

For those of you that are unfamiliar, it's a casual dining steakhouse with a Lake Tahoe theme and atmosphere - lots of wood-carved bears, and the food has always been to our liking - never a bad meal. My wife worked with the restaurant manager a few months in advance to get everything prepared for our group of about 50 guests.

For having so much advance notice, they were very poorly prepared. The manager wound up being on vacation for the entire week, and I can't fault him for that, but he should have made sure that someone capable would pick up the slack.

I'll summarize the meal - one waitress (nice, but seemingly somewhat inexperienced), and a couple "helpers" to assist in bringing things out. We had specific instructions on what appetizers we needed, and where to serve them, so that everyone could have a little of everything. Once they came out, it kind of turned into a family-style "pass the food around" sort of deal, and I'd estimate that a third of the guests barely got any.

The drinks went a little smoother, but she didn't know "who had what", so there was lots of beverage passing as well.

The food started coming out, and sure enough, waitress "a" didn't know where any of the dishes were going, so most guests wound up having to pass the food around the table until they got what seemed like their own dish.

I came to find out afterwards, no one got any of the "extras" that they had ordered, and a number of guests simply settled for the plate that they were given as to not make a scene.

Shortly after everyone had already ordered their food, another waitress (she definitely knew what she was doing) showed up, and promptly started tending to us. Waitress "b" handled dessert, and it was handled without a single problem. If she hadn't shown up, I can pretty much guarantee that the meal would have been a complete disaster.

We're pretty easy-going people by nature, but we felt that the manager should be aware of just how poorly most everything was handled that day, and that he should also recognize waitress "b" for the exceptional job she did in pulling their collective butts out of the fire. He apologized profusely, stated that he would speak with his staff to find out what happened, and get back to us in a few days.

This was during the last week of June (08). Two weeks go by, and we haven't heard from him, so we call - he's gone for the day, but if we call back earlier on any other day, we should be able to catch him - we leave a simple message that we called. Another week or so goes by, and we call earlier, and after checking, we're told that he's unavailable. We leave him yet another message to call us back at his earliest convenience. No word.

All I wanted was for him to let us know what happened. We're "over it" at this point, and it has pretty much become a memory, but I still felt that I needed some closure - I wanted to know why everything went so poorly. After one last attempt to make phone contact with him, I decided to contact their corporate offices in Fresno, CA. I wrote a two-page letter, that detailed pretty much everything above, and sent it off in the mail mid-August.

Within a few days, we receive a next-day air envelope from Tahoe Joe's corporate. My letter had been sent to a "district manager" kind of guy as far as I could tell, and he had forwarded it to the president of the company. The president hand-wrote a letter of apology, indicating that he had not yet contacted the manager of the restaurant to find out why things had gone so terribly, but that he knew that he needed to address the matter immediately, and that he would let me know what came of it. He also included a $250 gift card for the chain as a token of apology.

I appreciated the token - we spent a significant amount of money for the meal, and we still enjoy their food very much. I certainly appreciate action from an executive on a personal level - it shows me that he really does value what customers have to say, though I doubt many people mail in that many complaints about the place. I am a little disappointed that I haven't heard from him since. I'll likely get back in touch with him soon, just to satiate my own curiosity.

In short, I'll applaud the executives at Tahoe Joe's for seemingly taking action. We've already returned to the restaurant for dinner since then, and we'll be back again sometime.

PS: The hand-written letter does make a huge difference.

Correction: the handwritten letter accompanied by a $250 gift certificate makes a huge difference.

Emily says:

On Wednesday, I got bullied into buying a dress that I liked but couldn't really afford. I should have stayed firm, but I caved, and now I find myself in this situation. Even though David's employees claim that you can walk away with any dress in the store, they told me I had to special order the dress I wanted and it would take up to 6 weeks to come in.

It's been 72 hours of thinking on it, and I absolutely have to cancel the order. Since I haven't actually received the dress, I called to see if they would cancel the order and refund the money. The employee said that all sales are final, but that doesn't seem right since I haven't yet received any merchandise. At this point, they have my money AND they have my dress order, but refuse to help a girl out. According to her, once it is in the computer, there is nothing anyone can do. Like she can't pick up a telephone and call the distributor (or, tell the truth that they probably haven't begun processing the order yet at all).

They try to justify it by saying that I have "special ordered" something, so they wouldn't be able to sell it to anyone else. I ordered the dress, but there's nothing "special" about it. I tried the same dress/same (average) size/same color on in-store, and they would certainly be able to sell it someone else (provided they didn't force that customer to special order it as well).

The best they could offer me was an in-store exchange for the SAME amount. They do not issue store credit. They refuse to refund money. In order for me to get a cheaper dress, I would have to wrangle all my bridesmaids to try on dresses on the same day, and order them all on the same day as part of the same transaction to equal the original total. (Thus forcing the girls to get their dresses at this hateful place also.)

I'm considering contacting Visa to do a chargeback, but if the David's policy is "All Sales are Final" - will they be able to do anything?
...

I am planning to meet in person with a manager tomorrow, but for now I have only heard bad things.

There is a fundamental irrational policy problem at this store that is not adequately explained when you purchase from them. Have you heard any positive news of people getting money back from this outrageous company?
Any suggestions?

Emily, when we first read your story, we wondered if the Mail and Telephone order rule that states that orders can be canceled before they are shipped would apply to you, but it doesn't look like it does. (Any lawyers out there want to explain this law?)

We looked at Visa's merchant agreement found a section on merchant agreement violation disputes that says Visa will help mediate conflict over the following issue:

"The merchant has failed to properly disclose their return policy to the cardholder at the time of the transaction."

Since the store did not explain that you couldn't cancel before the order shipped, you could argue that the store did not properly disclose this policy to you.

This type of dispute isn't a chargeback, you'd be disputing that David's Bridal violated their Visa merchant agreement by misleading you about the return policy. If you'd like to read about how Visa deals with these disputes, click here (PDF). (Read the section "When Chargeback Rights Do Not Apply")

Anyone have any luck canceling an order at David's Bridal?

(Photo: foundphotoslj )

UPDATE: Emily was contacted by David's Bridal about this story and they worked out compromise:

I spoke to the person at David's, and she put me in touch with a CSR who after a little phone tag confirmed that they can do a partial refund if no merchandise has been received.

I already have an appointment to go back tonight - and they will theoretically now be able to refund the difference in what I purchase tonight from the original.

(Mmm, we'll take another slice of that delicious cynicism pie, please.)

www.cakerental.com

Lisa writes:

My name is Lisa. My husband is a USMC Sgt. who recently left for his third deployment. He has been stationed at Camp Pendleton (I live in Oceanside) but was most recently stationed in Jacksonville, NC. Before he left I took his wedding ring to be re-dipped in gold to make it look nice before he left. It takes about a week and is about $40 (any store can do it). I picked the Kay Jewelry store in the local Jacksonville mall because it is a well known chain. While I was there the salesperson asked if she could clean my rings for me. I let her. The next evening we were out of town when I noticed my wedding band had a (tiny) diamond missing. I had no clue where I lost it.

A week later I picked up my husband’s ring from Kay Jewelers. While I was there I half-jokingly asked the salesperson if they found a diamond in their cleaner. Crazy enough – they had it. It was scotch taped to an index card with no name or notes, by the register. They happily took my wedding ring and agreed to repair it. We were again out of town when it was ready so the day we returned I sent my husband to the mall to get it before they closed. When he came home I opened it up and put it on. My first impulse was that it wasn’t my ring. Upon closer inspection it seemed to be my ring only it had been made nearly unrecognizable. Among other things, there is a tiny beaded edge on the top and bottom edges of the ring that was completely gone in some spots, but still there to just barely be made out in others. And instead of being one width and thickness it now tapered off where the diamonds stopped and looked, for lack of a better word, "smooshed" at the ends. It no longer sat flush against my engagement ring.

I returned first thing the next morning and gave my ring to the manager, explaining it had somehow been damaged. She was skeptical that it could have happened at their (offsite) repair shop but she took it back. I was upset (in tears) and wrote out a detailed explanation of what was wrong with the ring. When I got home I contacted the store where I bought the ring and they emailed me a photo from the manufacturer. I printed this email and brought it back to the mall the next day so the manager could also send that to the repair manager. It was originally purchased on 7/20/07 (our wedding day) at another jewelry store and I do have all the original receipts.

I was supposed to have the ring back from the second repair in about 10 days. When 14 days had gone by I was calling daily, waiting for it to come back. I was finally told they couldn’t repair my ring but that they would “remake” it, using the same diamonds (as if I could see that they are the same). They wanted to use the email photo to send to a ‘laser shop’ to have the ring cut. At this point I contacted the corporate customer service office by phone. I told both the store manager and the corporate customer relations person it is very upsetting to have lost my (actual) ring now just because I agreed to have it cleaned. Even having it recreated, it still wouldn't be "my" ring. I'd of course rather have mine repaired to its original state but if that really wasn't possible I'd at least prefer to have the same ring from the same vendor instead of trying to remake it from a tiny email photo. I asked why they couldn’t just get a replacement from the manufacturer. Neither one could tell me if they could do so or not. They just took the information and said I could expect the ring in about a month.

My husband is now gone on his third deployment and every day I am without my wedding ring. It is traumatic enough to have him gone, to be without my wedding ring is even worse. Because I returned to Oceanside after my husband deployed, the repair shop shipped my ‘remake’ to the Kay store at the Westfield shopping center, Plaza Camino Real. I got a call to come pick it up today. I was optimistic that this whole mess was about to be over and I would have my ring back. However, the ring that was sent was not a good replica of my wedding ring. It was wider and thicker than my ring and while 'close' in style, it simply was not the same style as the ring it was meant to replace. My ring was very delicate looking and this was like a brick in comparison. It did not look like a 'set' when worn with my engagement ring. I was devastated again to give the ring back to the manager and tell him I could not wear it. The store manager was very sympathetic but didn't know anything of how the ring came to be in his store. He promised to make some calls tomorrow to the NC store and to the corporate office but I knew there was nothing he could do tonight and I was upset and in tears so I left the store and came home.

The information on the ring (manufacturer and style number) was available but it's clear no one at the repair shop contacted the maker to get the dimensions of the ring. I was concerned that this ring was going to be remade from a photo in an email (not a decent size photo or even one of high resolution) which is why I gave them the information on the vendor. I have been patient with this process but I have had enough. I told them I don't want a remake or something 'close' again. If my ring is beyond repair I want the same ring, from the same manufacturer. Close may be good enough for a costume piece someone wears occasionally. It isn't good enough for a wedding ring and certainly not my wedding ring. It has now been several months since this began. My ring was damaged in their repair shop. I don't believe it was intentional but this failure to replace it now feels malicious and cruel.

Short of hiring a lawyer and suing them I was looking for any advice or assistance you might be able to give me. I don’t want to drag this out. I don’t want anything but my ring back. Any suggestions?

Lisa adds:

I have been told time and again that Kay doesn't deal with Master Craft (the maker of my ring, style #R9018-026) so I won't be able to get the same style. I contacted Master Craft myself yesterday and found out from them that they DO in fact, do business with Kay. I am INFURIATED that I have been put through this, lied to and caused so much emotional distress for THREE MONTHS when my ring could have been IMMEDIATELY replaced. I have spent multiple nights sobbing because my ring is gone. And now that my husband is deployed to Iraq, it is even more painful not to have it.

No one at the corporate office or the NC store where this happened has even said "we're sorry this happened to you". Instead the store manager and the first customer relations person I've dealt with (Carol) have acted like I was trying to scam them. It has been beyond frustrating. I did nothing but let the sales person clean my ring and now its ruined.

Lisa already wrote to Kay's executive office asking for help. If they don't respond, you don't need a lawyer to sue them in small claims court. North Carolina's small claims courts hear any cases involving items worth less than $5,000. Read our guide to small claims court to help prepare your case.

(Photo: Lucid Nightmare)

According to Smart Money magazine, reception costs average 46% of the total wedding bill. As such, the best tip for saving money on a wedding is to limit the reception — which means limiting who you invite. But how can you do this? How can you turn away people you want to share in your special day?

CNN suggests you quiz potential invitees to see who really is connected in your life. Those that know you well and are part of your life get invited, those that don't, stay home.

What sort of questions do they suggest? Pick among these:

1) Name the city I'm living in now.
2) Name at least two of my closest friends.
3) Name my current employer and my past employer.
4) Do I have any kids?
5) Do you know the name of my fiancé? Bonus question: Where and when did we meet?
6) Do you know where my parents are and whether they are still alive?
7) Name at least two of my hobbies.
8) How old am I?
9) Where did I go to college?
10) Name my last boyfriend before this engagement.

Their suggested scoring system: score of 50 percent or below — not invited; score of 50% to 60% — waiting list; score over 60% — get an invitation.

Now they don't recommend you literally send out tests to potential guests, but instead float a few of these questions out during your engagement to see who really is involved in your life. And those that are connected are people you will probably want to invite. The others are the ones that add size (and cost) to an already expensive day.

Yeah, this system might be a bit awkward or somewhat crass, but it sure beats selling tickets to your special event.

Should you be invited to my wedding? [CNN]

— FREE MONEY FINANCE
(Photo: Ben Popken)

Brandon and Eleanor write, to Doubletree/Hilton:

I am writing to you because of an extremely unpleasant interaction and stay that my husband and I had at the Doubletree Hotel Chicago-North Shore in Skokie, Illinois. I had blocked 50 rooms at the hotel for our wedding weekend June 27-June 29, 2008. I cannot even begin to express the frustration that I had dealing with the hotel and reservations staff, which I will outline for you later in this email.

I travel approximately six weeks a year in my position as [redacted] I usually enjoy staying at Doubletree Hotels (and other Hilton Hotels), but I do not believe I will stay again after all of the hassles and excess charges that my husband and I endured.

Here is an account of our experience: I blocked the rooms in November, 2007. Since we live out of town, as do many of our guests, I made sure that 50 rooms were blocked. I even remember asking if that high number was possible to block. I was told it would be fine.

On May 10, 2008, I received a phone call from one of my guests, telling me the block was full. I was shocked to hear this, and immediately called the hotel. They told me in a very curt manner that the block was indeed full and that 13 rooms had been booked. Of course, I told them that we had 50 rooms blocked, so this must be a mistake. They informed me that only 10 rooms had been reserved.

After much discussion and debate, they said they could open five more rooms ONLY. I was furious that seven weeks before my wedding, I had to book another block of rooms at another hotel, without even an "I'm sorry" from the Doubletree staff, who tried on two occasions to blame the error on me.

After blocking the rooms at two hotels, I called about 10 days before the wedding to ask how many rooms were blocked so that we could hand out gift bags to our guests. Imagine my surprise to find that 35 rooms were booked at the Doubletree. Obviously, there was enough room to expand out the block. This was quite aggravating!

When we went to give the gift bags to the front desk for delivery to each of our guests, I was again dismayed. We were told that there would be a charge of $1.50 per bag to simply hand the bag to each guest. I agreed to the $54 charge because I had no other option. I asked some of my recently married friends if the hotels that they had blocked for their wedding charged them for the same service. They had not been charged and were also shocked to hear of this fee, especially because we had filled 35 rooms of the hotel. Additionally, my in-laws had paid for breakfast for nearly 40 guests on June 29, 2008! This made the nickel-and-dime charge even more offensive.

Just yesterday, I was about to pay my credit card bill when I realized that another charge of $75 from the Doubletree Hotel was billed to my account on June 29, 2008. Again, I called the hotel. I was told that the charge was for transportation of 18 people to the reception site a mile and half away. I told the accounting department that I had NEVER authorized such a charge. I do not know if my guests used the hotel's transportation, but my husband and I never booked the transportation, never rode on the transportation ourselves, nor authorized such a charge.

The hotel has since reversed this charge because of my complaint, but it is just another example of our unsatisfactory experience. Additionally, our guests who blocked rooms early were told that the shuttle was free. Only closer to the wedding did the shuttle begin to charge a fare. I only discovered this myself and was never contacted by the Doubletree staff, nor were my guests.

Finally, when my Mother-in-law booked her room, she was told that she would have to pay a higher rate for the Thursday night she planned to stay. When she told the staff that she was under the impression that the wedding rate was valid Thursday through Monday, she was again met with a discourteous and unhelpful rebuttal. I was surprised to learn of this just a few days before the wedding because I was also told that the rate was valid Thursday through Monday. She and several guests mentioned that they were unable to book anything online. The rate was apparently only accessible by phone, contrary to what my husband and I were led to believe.

We were even given an online booking code to give our guests, but they could not receive the rate using it. My husband and I are embarrassed and irritated that our block was handled so unprofessionally. I have advised a close friend who is getting married in the area not to block rooms at that particular Doubletree Hotel, and I have advised my other friends not to block rooms for their weddings at Hilton or Doubletree Hotels because of our bad experience. I am dismayed that the Hilton Family of Hotels, a company that I so highly regarded, disappointed us so much on the biggest weekend of our lives. A reply would be much appreciated.

Sincerely,
Eleanor

Men's Wearhouse was so torn up over the situation that they gave Brad a $10 Shell gas card that didn't work.

Brad writes:

On Saturday, I got married to the love of my life. The ceremony and everything was great, but my tuxedo rental was a complete disaster.

A couple of months prior, I had set up our account in Nashua, NH. The account had my tuxedo, my best man, two groomsmen, my father, my now brother-in-law, and our ring bearer, bringing us to seven tuxedos total. We decided to use Men's Wearhouse. It is a national chain, and that would make it easier for everyone to get fitted and coordinated, since I had people coming to Vermont from Ohio, Rhode Island, and the DC Metro area.

We all met on Thursday at the Williston, VT location to pick up our tuxes, and hit a problem. My entire tux did not fit. The jacket and vest were both too tight, and the pant legs and shirt sleeves were too short. Added to that, my father's tux jacket was also too tight. The only thing they could do for us was to re-order the parts we needed, lengthen the pants, and get everything ready for Saturday morning. This was a bit of a problem, since the wedding was at 2pm Saturday, but about a 90 minute drive from Williston (in Fairlee, for reference). However, the employee we spoke to (Stacey Brower) was unwilling to make any other arrangements, so my father drove up that morning to pick up the rest of the tuxedos.

Forward to Saturday, my father arrives back at the resort with our tuxes a little after 12. I start putting mine on, when I find another problem - there are no pants in the garment bag! I called the store in Williston back, asked to speak to a manager (I believe his name was Tony), and while he did apologize, the best he could offer was to meet us halfway. So the tuxedo is now incomplete -twice-, and both times the management at Men's Wearhouse is unwilling to bring the items to us. My father had to meet them halfway (speeding down the back roads of Vermont is rather dangerous), and the pants finally arrived, though the ceremony had to be delayed. I only noticed later that the new vest's bottom button had fallen off, and was floating around inside the garment bag, and the jacket's sleeves were not hemmed - they only tucked the sleeves in and ironed them, so the sleeves started falling apart shortly after the reception began.

As some sort of compensation, the manager of the store gave my father a $10 Shell gas card. In a hilariously obvious twist, when my father attempted to use the card, he found out it wasn't even activated.

So here's why I'm writing you. Men's Wearhouse really screwed up big, and made an already stressful planning time that much more stressful. I'm hoping that I can get some publicity out there, and recommend people never use Men's Wearhouse (or MW Tux), since they apparently can't handle a tuxedo rental when given a second chance. My tuxedo was free, as part of their promotion - if your account has five tuxedos, the groom's becomes free. Ours had six, plus mine. I can't really get my rental any more free than it was. However, my father's tux was incorrect in the first place, and should have been at the very least, heavily discounted. I would also like for Men's Wearhouse to do something for my guys. Yes, their tuxedos may have been correct, but they were part of this account that included a free tux rental that was messed up. Therefore, they should be receiving at the very least a partial discount, as well.

You could fire off the almighty Executive Email Carpet Bomb to george.zimmer@menswarehouse.com, but if time isn't a factor, we would send a letter with all the style and class Men's Wearhouse failed to deliver. Doll up your complaint in the form of a thank-you note. Put it on nice stationery, exactly as if you were writing to your Aunt, and send one to each of Men's Wearhouse's executive officers at:

Men's Wearhouse
6380 Rogerdale Road
Houston, TX 77072

(Photo: Getty)

While Target's competitors make it clear that their coupons are one-use affairs, Target's coupon expressly orders their cashier: "return card to guest." According to one Target manager, this means "one use only." Go figure.

In case you needed another reason to avoid Target's wedding registry, read Nick's sad story:

Dear Consumerist,

My wife and I registered at Target for our wedding registry. We shop there often and were very happy with the selection of items we would be able to register for. Our experience went pretty well, until we tried to buy the items that were still left on the registry. We're hoping you'll be able to make a difference like you did with the whole gift receipt issue.

When we signed up for our registry, at the bottom of one of the pages, was a note about getting a coupon for 10% off everything left on the registry. The exact words were: "For up to 90 days after your wedding, save 10% on all items remaining on your registry. Look for a special coupon in the mail". Excellent, we thought, we'll be able to buy everything on our registry, but we won't have to buy it all at once. I figured that Target would have some restrictions, so I made a mental note to check the card carefully once it came in the mail.

Fast forward 5 months, we're now married and ready to buy what's left on our registry. The coupon comes in the mail and it says "Take 10% off any items remaining on your Club Wedd Registry. See back for details". We check the back side for details and note the date that it expires (actually 85 days from the day of our wedding, not 90), and two sentences that seemed to explain the policy best. "Limit one 10% coupon per Club Wedd registrant." and "Cashier: Scan the coupon, scan the registry bar code and return card to guest." (Side note: we also registered at Bed Bath and Beyond, whose 10% coupon loosely read "THIS IS A ONE-TIME USE COUPON!" Maybe not quite so strong...but close) After reading those two sentences (and taking into account how strongly BBB worded their coupon) we decided that it must mean we can use that coupon any number of times until the expiration date and we would get 10% off on the items that were remaining on our wedding registry. Why else would they return the coupon to us if we couldn't use it more than once?

So coupon in hand, we went to the nearest Super Target (since the Target in town is old and doesn't have as much selection) to see what items from our list they had in stock. We found quite a few of the things we had registered for, but didn't buy everything because we needed to bring a bigger vehicle for some of the items and money was a little tight since we had just gotten back from our honeymoon. It wasn't a big deal though, we would be able to come back later with a bigger vehicle and get the rest. We go to the register with the items we had room for, received our 10% off and got our coupon back from the cashier. Perfect!

The very next day, a certain high demand video game system that we had registered for happened to be in stock at our local Target, so over lunch we went in to buy it. The cashier rung us up and scanned the coupon and got a nasty error sound with a message that said the coupon is not valid or has been used. Of course it's been used, we've got 90 days to use it to get the stuff from our registry! The manager comes over to see what the problem is and tells us that she has only ever used the wedding registry coupons as one use. What!? We tell her none of the information we got said that, plus why would they return the card to us if it was only good for one use? She wondered the same thing, and after consulting with someone over a walkie talkie, decided to give us the discount and told us if we wanted the 10% off of anything else we had to get it right then. Well great, we each had 5 minutes left before we had to get back to work, so we just took the discount and left without buying anything else from our registry.

I've tried calling the Club Wedd toll free number, but they've been no help and when I was able to escalate my call they simply told me that the coupon was one time use only and they could not reactivate the coupon. We've been extremely happy with Target up until this point, but now we just feel we've been lied to. In the information they gave us there was no indication that we could only use this coupon once. We directly affected at least $1300 in sales from items on our registry, not to mention everything else our guests bought because they happened to be in the store. All we want is to get 10% off the items left on our registry, whether that be through another one time use coupon, or a coupon that is reusable, like the information led us to believe. We've already told several other couples and they thought the coupons were reusable as well. Maybe Target should also change the wording so other couples don't have the same problems we did.

Thank you,

Nick

The fine print is clear: this is a reusable coupon that provides 10% off items stuck on the registry. Target is a massive corporation, with plenty of cash to throw at soulless corporate lawyers. If they wanted a one-use coupon like their corporate compadres, they should have printed one. But they didn't!

Fire off an Executive Email Carpet Bomb, and if that doesn't restore the discount you are owed, ask a small claims court to enforce Target's poorly written contract.

Rebecca got one of those calls from her mother that everybody dreads. "Is there anything you think you should tell me?" her mother wanted to know. Rebecca's mom got a piece of junk mail with Rebecca's first name and her boyfriend's last name and was under the impression Rebecca had snuck off for a Vegas wedding. She hadn't. After Rebecca calmed her mother down, she tried to figure out how Rite-Aid, where both had worked for a time, had merged her name and her boyfriend's. When Rite-Aid gave her the run around, we advised Rebecca to try an EECB to get some answers. Read her email, inside.

To The Board of Directors:

Good Morning. I am sure you can help me with a little problem that I am having with your company.

Last Friday, my mother received a piece of mail from your company's current promotion regarding the "gas giveaway" if I switched my prescriptions to you. Annoying as any other piece of junk mail is, this one was particularly disturbing. It was addressed as:

Rebecca J*****
[redacted]
[redacted] CT

My mother called me where I live, in Vermont, and told me of the mail that I had gotten. It turns out, my last name isn't J*******, it's F*******. My boyfriend's last name is J*****, though. When she called me, she was extremely agitated and excited (and not in a good way), over the fact that I had gotten married behind their backs. My mother had just gotten out of the hospital with congestive heart failure and a massive infection, and the last thing that she needed was to be excited.

I spoke with one of your customer service representatives on Monday, and she assured me that I would get a call with someone from "corporate" yesterday. I waited all day without a call. She told me that the marketing comes from the pharmacy division. My boyfriend hasn't had a prescription filled at a Rite-Aid in two and a half years, the time we've been together.

We both worked together at Rite-Aid, but never once marked myself as being "connected" to him, except by address.

I cannot figure out how my first name got linked with my boyfriend's last name. Simply what I am asking for help with is to find out where this came from.

If you could help me, it would be greatly appreciated. I simply want to know where this name came from, so I can get it removed, and make sure it doesn't happen again.

And about the piece of mail? If your pharmacy can't even get my name right, and is linking me to other people I'm not even related to (yet), how can I trust them to get my prescriptions right? More than likely, I will never do anything personally identifiable with Rite-Aid again. I was once a loyal shopper, but if this problem cannot be solved, I may never shop there again.

Thank you for your time, and for reading my email.

Looking forward to your response,

Rebecca

It's one thing if a customer loyalty program gets confused about your name. Irritating, but unlikely to actually hurt you. It's another thing completely if the pharmacy decides you'd be better off married and starts sending junk mail to your mother's house in another state. If the pharmacy makes such an appalling, counter-intuitive mistake about what name to use on annoying junk mail, how badly are they going to screw up your prescription? If you're having trouble with Rite-Aid, the link with tips for sleuthing corporate contact information is here.

(photo: Clean Wal-Mart)

My wife-to-be and I had registered at Target for our wedding, knowing that consumers have had a bad experiences returning items off their registry without a receipt. Well, we got ourselves married (yay!) and lo and behold, we had present duplicates, including a set of blenders that lacked a gift receipt.

We went in and exchanged the duplicates that we could, and complained (loudly) about the blender that we couldn't. What we didn't expect was for the rep we were working with to pull us aside and tell us to come back in a few days and we should be able to return it off of the registry.

I went in this morning, and it did! They have re-added the Gift Purchase Log, and you are able to return items off of that without a receipt if you let them scan your ID. The rep I was working with this morning was unaware of the change, but the manager set her straight right away!

Victory for the consumer!

We are pleased to hear that this silly policy has been fixed.

(Photo: crawfishpie )

1. Prioritize: Are flowers and a gown especially important? Spend your money there, and reign in other expenses.

2. Don't be afraid to haggle. Mention that you're willing to recommend your vendor's services to all your friends and cousins and sisters who, oh my god, like, just got engaged! What a coincidence!

3. June wedding? Real original! Be flexible with your date. April and October are perfectly nice, and far less expensive. For an even better deal, get married in February.

4. Ok, fine, the February wedding may not be the hottest idea, but instead of getting married on Friday or Saturday, consider Thursday or Sunday.

5. Long engagements save money. You've got your whole lives ahead of you. Make your grandmother wait an extra few months and take advantage of seasonal sales that can halve the cost of pricey dresses.

6. Invitations are pretty and all, but people throw them away. Consider printing them yourselves or letting people RSVP online.

7. Understand the business. Flowers and cakes are expensive because they're labor intensive. Simple but elegant cakes taste as good but cost far less. Similarly, exotic flowers are nice, but make the displays less time-intensive.

"All these things add up," [Alicia Rockmore, CEO of Buttoned Up Inc] said. "I think it's just remembering that at the end of the day, people are there to celebrate your wedding. They're not there to see what $500 flower arrangements you have on every table. Just remember that people, your guests, are never going to notice the details that you do … Don't get overwhelmed on every little, tiny thing that you need to spend money on. The most important thing is that they're going to be there to support you."

Bridezillas seriously scare us. Before you get carried away with wedding plans, sit down and read Rebecca Mead's One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding. It'll save your sanity, and the down payment on that house you're going to want in a few years.

Getting Organized Cuts Wedding Bills [WDSU]
(Photo: Getty)

She writes:

As a long time fan of Target, I am absolutely disappointed about their new "return" policy. I couldn't wait for the day to get married, and with regards to this letter, couldn't wait to open a Target wedding registry of my own! Only to find out Target has become completely untrusting of their customers and treat us as if we're thieves! We sent our wedding guests almost exclusively to our Target registry, which malfunctioned, and now we have duplicate sets of gifts that we cannot return.

When we attempted to return them, and showed how the gift registry malfunctioned, they insisted that it was our guests' responsibility to attach a gift receipt & accepted no fault. Of course, since our guests were purchasing from a wedding registry they trusted, none of the guests attached a receipt. Not to mention it looks pretty tacky to tape on a receipt to an expensive, nicely wrapped gift. So the manager suggested we go back to our guests and ask for a receipt so that we can return their gift. We felt that would be very rude to do to our guests, and just do not feel comfortable disappointing people like that, especially after they spent so much money on a gift they thought we would love. The manager also told us "that's the point of a registry, to get what you want" - Of course! But that doesn't mean we need two croquet sets, two coffee makers or two wine racks! We felt we were being very reasonable, we didn't even want cash back; we would gladly accept store credit.

To top things off, I received a wok in the mail that became damaged during shipment. It came wrapped in target paper, included target shipping paperwork, and all we wanted was to exchange it for a non-damaged wok or receive store credit. They still proceeded to tell us that we needed a gift receipt, and refused to return it for us until we talked to upper management. The whole process took over 30 minutes!

We have received over $1000 in gifts from our Target registry, and if we would have known about this absurd return policy, we would have stayed with Bed Bath & Beyond and Macy's, both of which have no problem with satisfying their registry customers. I do wedding photography for a living and talk with brides on a daily basis, I'm warning everyone to stay clear of Target's wedding registry. I hope Target realizes quick what they are doing to some of their biggest fans.

Target, it's a sad day for you when people feel more welcome at Walmart than your store.

Ex-Customer of Vero Beach Target,
Chrissy

"B" is the sales lady, and "S" is Seattlest:

B: What color do you want? Grey? Black?

S: Brown, actually.

B: Brown. That's a different choice for a wedding.

S: That's the idea.

B: Light brown? Dark brown? Tan?

S: Dark brown.

Bitchy pulls out a black pinstriped suit and brandishes it at us.

B: This is dark brown. Is this what you're thinking?

It isn't. It's black.

S: Well, not really.

B: It's dark brown. But we won't have this in August.

She hangs the suit again and stares at us.

(Thanks to James!)

"Men's Wearhouse Presents: How to Lose Customers and (Negatively) Influence Sales" [Seattlest]
(Photo: Getty)

The next day, Amazon followed up with this email:

We're contacting you about the e-mail message we mistakenly sent to you indicating that an item was purchased from your baby registry; this message was sent to you in error. We intended to send you an e-mail regarding your Amazon Wedding Registry, but the text of the message was incorrect. Please watch for a message regarding your Amazon Wedding Registry in the next day or two.

We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

I'm glad that the situation has been cleared up, but only after causing several high-stress and awkward moments of, "Did you fill out a baby registry while you were drunk?" among recently married couples I know.

(Thanks to Julee!)
(Photo: Getty)

Now, the Wall Street Journal has tracked down the filing so we can bask in the litigiousness of it all.

According to the filing, the florist is accused of "materially failing to perform in accordance with" their agreement by " substituting different and less expensive flowers than the ones required under the contract, and failing to provide specific items Plaintiffs paid for." They're also accusing the florist of "using wilted and/or browned flowers, leaving the event without filling half the centerpieces with water" and "using dusty or dirty vases."

One interesting part of the complaint (from a consumer standpoint) is the bride's assertion that she was falsely lead to believe that the florist didn't accept credit card payments, and such deception is a common tactic of shady wedding vendors. From the complaint:

"It is a common scheme for wedding vendors to claim that they do not accept credit card payments and instead require money to be paid upfront and in a non-refundable form. Wedding services are unique in the sense that payment is usually required upfront prior to receiving services, not after. Often, dishonest vendors insist upon payment by cash or check so that in the event of a dispute, it will be harder for the bride to get back her money. "

Elana Glatt, Tobi Glatt, and David Glatt V. Posy Floral Design Studios, INC and Paula Arakas (PDF) [WSJ via WSJ Law Blog]

(Photo: Getty)

When pressed on the issue the manager on duty (Manager 1) stated that there was a mold problem and the rooms needed to be cleaned, etc. which was to be done that weekend. The manager offered no apology and offered to book reservations at a hotel 45 minutes away, which, in my opinion is not exactly a fair trade-off.

The next day my dad went to the hotel and attempted to reserve a room for the weekend of the 27th. The manager on duty (Manager 2) said that they were all booked. My dad pressed on for awhile, and upon getting nowhere inquired about the mold problem. Manager 2 stated that there was no mold problem that she was aware of and that all the rooms were simply booked for Skate America. At this point my dad let on and told her who he was and explained the full story.

Manager 2 stated that the block shouldn't have been canceled and that Manager 1 had acted inappropriately. Both of my parents went to the hotel this morning and were told by Manager 1 that there was nothing he could do and he continually refused to even provide a room for the bride and groom, stating that the other customers were international guests and therefore had priority even though our block (and many of the actual rooms) had been reserved over a year in advance.

We have requested documentation of the mold problem and have yet to receive it or any indication that it is forthcoming. As of this writing none of the guests have been notified that their reservations no longer exist, in fact several of them have received emails saying that the Sheraton can't wait to welcome them as guests in a few weeks! We've attempted to escalate the issue via national customer service to no avail and have seemingly exhausted our options at the specific hotel itself. Any thoughts on where to go from here?

Pseudonymously,
Calvin Rigatoni>

UPDATE: Calvin writes:

My mom was able to get all the rooms she needed in another hotel nearby after a separate wedding party canceled their block. After much back and forth and discussions between the Sheraton and my parent's lawyer, the Sheraton agreed to pay for all of these rooms as well as transportation from the hotel to the reception, etc. They've still offered very very little in the way of apology or further explanation, but at least they've attempted to make right (or cover their respective a**es depending on how you look at it.)

I keep trying not to think about my father in the lobby waiting for a shuttle that never came, or what might have happened to friends and family who decided to drive after drinking because there was no shuttle to the hotel. These thoughts are overshadowing my memories of our otherwise perfect wedding, and I'm furious!"

Congratulations on your wedding, Natalie! Marriott's executive officers should hear your story. Ole J.W. is pushing 75, so you may want to direct your complaint to his direct subordinate, Marriott President William Shaw. Call (301) 380-3000 and ask for his office. Tell your story to whoever picks up, though don't be surprised if they're less than willing to offer free lifetime stays.

(Photo: egvvnd)

"The dynamic of the wedding industry is that most people get engaged at Christmas, and most people who are planning [a wedding] get distracted by the holidays," says Alan Fields, co-author of "Bridal Bargains." The result: very lonely bridal-shop owners anxious for business.

"Best Time to Harvest Deals in Autumn" [SmartMoney]

(Photo: Maulleigh)

The inside of a faux wedding cake crafted by Fun Cakes contains mostly plastic foam, with a secret spot reserved for a slice of real cake to be shared by the bride and groom...
"The only difference is the inside. Nobody can tell," said Kimberly Aya, whose 3-month-old company also bakes real cakes.

Budget Brides and Grooms Rent 'Fake' Wedding Cakes [ABC 7]
(Photos: Manassas Cakery)

I did get married in October, and I did wear a wedding dress. But it was not my wedding dress: the simple, strapless, A-line gown that made me feel teeny-tiny. (I'm not.) The dress I got married in was my Back-up, bought off the rack two weeks before the big day, in the kind of frenzy I'd sworn I'd never get sucked into.

Which is why, to this day, I haven't even looked at my original wedding dress. I can't. I'm still mad at it.

"Um, I don't know how to tell you this, but I'm closing my shop," said Paula, the owner of the adorable bridal boutique where I'd found The Dress. My first thought was, Poor Paula. I was not yet jaded or wise enough to think, Poor Me.

This was mid-August. The wedding was still two months away. The last thing I wanted to become was the clich d hysterical bride, so I chose to believe Paula's weekly promises that the dress would "definitely be in by next Friday."

And then one day, Paula stopped returning my calls. The gate to the shop came down. For good.

It was time to become hysterical.

In less than 500 words, of course. —MEGHANN MARCO

Take My Dress. [Via Brooklyn Record]

Starting next Wednesday, Las Vegas will only marry the drunk and stupid between 8am to Midnight, seven days a week. Concern mounts that this will damper Las Vegas' reputation as Marriage Capital of the World.

"They just can't run down to the bureau at 3:05 and be married by 3:10. They have to give just a little thought to the process," said County Clerk Shirley Parraguirre. Who is this 'they' Shirley is talking about? Apparently, Hollywood Celebrities like Bruce Willis and Britney Spears, who only feel safe from paparazzi getting married at 4am, reeking of booze and poor spontaneous decisions.

Vegas Closing 24-Hour Marriage Office [ABC] (Thanks, Mark!)

But after signing up with numerous companies' wedding registry services, Colleen's noticed a trend that irks her: they always assume she's taking her husband's name. She's not. She equates the assumption that she will take her husband's last name to be bordering on the misogynist.

Our bet is basically that it's not a calculated slight, or even misogynistic... it's just companies being lazy. I'm personally not entirely sure it's worth getting pissed over — after all, the rampant accumulation of outlandishly priced material goods is the real point of a wedding registry. They can slap "Mr. and Mrs. Asshole" on the label as long as me and my bride get our swag, as far as I'm concerned. But then again, I'm a guy, and don't have to deal with the petty misogynistic persecutions of a male-dominated society. And really — is it so hard for these companies to add a tick box to indicate that a bride is keeping her name on their forms?

Colleen's great email is after the jump

You know what really grinds my gears, Consumerist? What grinds my gears is all the presumptions people make about you when you are getting married. Obviously there is the white dress and the minister and cake and all of that — none of which we are having. The biggest one is that the bride will change her last name.

Of course, 90% of women do change their names after getting hitched. I am not one of them. I don't care if anyone else changes their name, in fact I think it is a sweet gesture, but it's not for me.

There are a lot of reasons why I'm not changing my name. They range from the selfish (my partner's last name in unpronounceable and unspellable) to the feminist (I do not automatically become his property), but it ultimately boils down to the answer that Steve gives people when they ask why I am not changing my name: "It's her name."

I have resigned myself to being defensive about the name change. I don't have to say anything except, "It's my name, and I don't want to change it." If pressed, I say, "Family isn't defined by last name and neither is devotion." There isn't anything more to say, and I'm at peace with this decision.

So, dear Consumerist, we recently registered for wedding gifts. Two weeks ago, I got the first shower gift from one of our registries, Bed Bath and Beyond. It was addressed to "Colleen G. and Steve R." Today I received the first shower gift from the other registry, at Marshall Field's, which will soon be Macy's, and it was addressed to "Colleen and Steve R."

I'm pissed.

Not only are we not married yet, but the presumption that I am taking my partner's name upon marriage is both wrong and a big leap for a company to take. Does Marshall Field's/Macy's as an institution not recognize that we have different last names? The shipping address is "Colleen G. and Steve R." and so is the billing address. Apparently someone coded their database to automatically put the groom's last name on the package. While I'm sure some brides are delighted to see their "new name" on a package full of kitchen implements, I'm not one of them.

This is lumped in with all those other wedding things that I find extremely offensive, like the Bedazzled tank top that says in pink script, "Future Mrs. Groom's Name," or the bouquet toss or, for fuck's sake, the whole handover of the woman from her father to her husband at the altar. I have stopped being pissed about these things because it's a losing battle. But this thing with the registry, it's got to stop.

I wrote a letter to Marshall Field's a few minutes ago. I didn't threaten to un-register for gifts (which could cost them more than $4,000 in sure-fire, no-hassle sales), but I did mention that I was sad, confused and offended. I also asked them: What do they do with homosexual couples? Or couples who will combine their names after marriage? Or is everyone who registers there a white dress-wearing, garter-dancing, Best Day Of Her Life-ing girl?

If you follow the Bridal Industrial Complex's rules, this is supposed to be My Day. So why are they not following my stupid fucking shipping instructions?

—

Any ideas, Consumerist? My gears are so ground by this, I have to go to the machine shop on Monday.

UPDATE: "Dearest Consumerist,

Thanks for posting my email! It excites me to no end, and by that I mean I linked to the article on my blog and all my internet friends will think I am famous.

Something I neglected to say, in my long-winded attempt at charming your pants off while expressing feminist rage while still being funny, is that while registering we gave Marshall Field's specific shipping instructions — just my name, actually — that they overrode. Which is really why I wrote to you in the first place.

Yours in stilettos and Calphalon,
Colleen"

Dear Consumerist,

I'm writing for help with Amazon's "Your Lists" feature. I don't object to Amazon's attempt to get me to want/buy more by creating ever more wish lists. I do object, however, to the Wedding List. I am a lesbian, and cannot get married in 49 of the 50 states. Seeing that Wedding List prompt every time I visit Amazon is like being greeted with a hot stick in the eye. Could you please prevail on Amazon to introduce a "turn off" switch for the Wedding List?

Thank you,

Teresa Ortega

What do you say, Amazon, a little help for the ladies who like ladies? Or anyone who doesn't want to be reminded of the matrimonial bliss they could be purchasing right now in the very near future?

Demographic targeting only works if the population slice is smaller than a breadbox warehouse.

"For a limited time, any man who buys a De Beers diamond engagement ring and is subsequently rejected by any woman will receive a full refund of the purchase price, no questions asked. That's the De Beers DeDifference."

Talk about aspirational. Talk about selling the promise. Talk about a giant, honking piece of artificially price inflated rock!

This ad appeals to the guys who casually work their articles of conspicuous consumption into everyday conversation.

As they say, you don't sell the diamond, you sell the hubris.

Robyn Allen asked Target via the contact form to fix her list but as of this morning it was still there. [Archival here]

"I'm sure the bridal shower guests will be suitably confused when they go to print out my registry," says Robyn, "but maybe that will make things more interesting."

Odd. But at least now we know where to get the full monkey bedskirt to compliment our demi and mini monkey bedskirts.

UPDATE: There's definitely something funky going on with Target's cast iron cookware, as seen in this very heavy looking, "Chenille Throw" [archival here] and this culinary inspired "Swimmingly Purple Art Box." [archival here] (Thanks to Christopher!)

Until 3/5 Barney s warehouse sale with 50-75% off on nearly everything. Except style. Effete levels remain at 100%.

2/25. For only $25, you re allowed the privilege of letting pros sell you a wedding. 'The Bridal Event At The Pierre' is for sophisticated brides to, "enjoy fashion shows and speak directly to the tri-state s most celebrated wedding professionals in floral design, invitations, photography, music, cake, jewelry, honeymoons, reception sites and more!

Do they sell husbands, too?

Paul D. writes:

This is half customer complaint, and half wedding horror story.
I got engaged last January, and got married last July. Around March of last year my parents generously decided to pay for a great honeymoon vacation to Puerto Vallarta: airfare, lodging in their time-share condo, and some cash to spend. Awesome. Thanks, Mom and Dad.

My dad ordered the airline tickets online through Orbitz in April. A couple of weeks or so later, the paper tickets arrived. Flights were being handled by Delta and America West.

Then things went bad. In June, my then-fiancee and I moved to a new house. Despite our best efforts to keep our sh*t straight, we managed to totally lose the tickets in the move. Gone. Couldn't find them even after tossing the entire house and the boxes in the garage. Okay, that much is our fault.

With the wedding date rapidly approaching, I called my dad and explained/apologized. He said "no problem" and offered to get on the phone and see what could be done. He called back a few days later complaining of being on hold for interminably long periods of time, and then getting the runaround and having to speak to several different people; typical phone customer service stuff.

But the resolution, as he was told, was to purchase a new set of tickets (with identical itinerary) and "apply" for a refund of the old ones. It was going to be $1600. Fine. No big deal; they assured him that the refund application was a formality and that the circumstances surely merited a full refund of the original tickets.

Okay, where can I do this? "Oh, any America West ticket counter. With blah-blah-thousand locations throughout the US." Great. So mom and dad hop in the ol' minivan (mom insists on driving a minivan even though there haven't been kids in the house since the mid-90s) and drive 540 miles from Northern Virginia to Lexington, KY for the wedding.

Upon their arrival, my dad gets on the phone again to inquire about the location of the nearest America West ticket counter. Surely with 3 relatively major airports within an hour's drive...

Lexington-Bluegrass Airport? No.

Louisville Airport (1 hour drive)? No.

Cincinnati (1 hour away)? No.

Columbus, Ohio. 3 hours away.

It's Friday afternoon. The wedding is Saturday evening.

My dad the hero gets up at the butt-crack of dawn, the day of his eldest son's wedding, and he and my 84-year-old grandfather drive the 6-hour round trip to Columbus to get the replacement tickets. While they were at the ticket counter, making small talk with the ticket agent, dad mentions that he drove all the way from the DC area (9 hours) only to have to drive an additional 3 hours to get these tickets.

The ticket agent's response? "Why didn't you get the replacement tickets from our counter at Dulles International?"

Dulles is a 10 minute drive from my parents' house in Centreville, VA.

It is by sheer virtue of the celebration of his son's wedding that my father did not beat the hapless ticket agent heavily about her head and neck. Dad and grandpa arrived at the wedding literally 5 minutes before the ceremony was to begin (although we would have waited.)

We had a pretty good time in Puerto Vallarta (there were some further setbacks, but that's another story). I am eternally grateful to my dad and grandpa for all the trouble. I've apologized many times for losing those tickets. Despite a certain amount of culpability on our parts, Dad still blames America West's convoluted lost-tickets policy, and the phone customer service folks for not mentioning that simple fact which could have saved a lot of trouble and stress. By the way, the refund DID in fact come. It took 3 months.

Needless to say, we are strictly e-ticket these days, and we avoid America West when we can.
Thanks for your time and continued efforts on behalf of us poor consumers everywhere; I subscribe to your RSS and read the site every day. Keep up the good work.