Bra-vo Intimates Custom Bras & Swimwear

Reviews 3

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Jessica Bancroft Herzig

Its unfortunate that I am having to write this negative review since I have been a long-time customer of Bra-Vo but my recent experience with this store has compelled me to tell my story to others before somebody else falls into the same disheartening scenario I did. First of all, I want to say that Im a huge advocate for local, small businesses. Its hard work and can be risky but I do believe there is also an extraordinary opportunity to provide exemplary customer service when owning your own business because you have the rare chance of being able to connect and interact with your customers on a very direct, personal level and nothing is MORE personal than shopping for undergarments and I have to say Bra-Vo and specifically the owner, Rebecca, have COMPLETELY DROPPED THE BALL ON THIS!! I struggle to find undergarments that fit me properly because I am a large chested girl, I need a customized, quality fit and because of this I have come to willingly accept that quality doesnt come cheap and am happy to pay $50-$100+ for one bra/item no problem. But with that price, I also expect the best and with proper care and maintenance, I expect the garment to last for a reasonable amount of time. So earlier this summer, when I was coerced into paying close to $150 for a Panache Balconnet swimming tankini I expected it to last longer than one season!! The owner, Rebecca, insisted this was the suit for me but it started to completely fall apart after wearing it for only 3 months! The "supportive" straps were unraveling and the fabric covering my chest/torso was stretching out excessively and becoming practically translucent (in the right light you could literally see through my bathing suit)!! There is no reason this bathing suit should have been falling apart like this and so soon after buying it, too. I figured it was either defective, maybe the quality wasnt as good as I thought, or the owner at Bra-Vo didnt size me correctly & sold me a suit that wasnt a proper fit (but I wouldnt know because she wouldnt ALLOW me to try anything else on, not even a different size)!! Regardless of the cause, I definitely did not expect the unbelievable MISTREATMENT I was given when I politely called them about the issue initially and then brought the suit back into the store to show them the damage in person. I was treated as though I was a dishonest CON-ARTIST trying to swindle a new free bathing suit from them!! They didnt seem to care that I have been a regular, loyal customer and have literally spent hundreds of dollars on their merchandise over the years. They accused me of purposely abusing the garment!! Absolutely ridiculous and OFFENSIVE, especially since I really liked the bathing suit and was really bummed when it started falling apart! It was also clear that there is some contradiction with regards to endorsing the products they sell. On the one hand, they speak very highly of the products they carry and vow to stand behind them (especially when you are in there shopping and they are trying to make a sale) but on the other hand, if ANYTHING happens to go wrong with that product (at no fault of the customer), they completely absolve themselves from the situation and offer no sort of assistance whatsoever!! And BOY ARE THEY RUDE!!! No apologies, no empathy!! Their motto is "THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS WRONG"!! I told them I couldnt BELIEVE this is how they treated their customers and I made it clear something needed to be done, so they finally sent it back to the manufacturer for review. That was in early September, almost two months went by with NO UPDATE, finally this week I received a package direct from Bra-Vo with my old bathing suit crumpled up inside with a generic note stating the item did not qualify as defective. I called the owner again (who again was extremely rude) and informed her I will no longer be shopping with them anymore, I now question the quality of the products they sell and I let them know I would be writing this review and not shockingly her response and attitude to all of this was simply "WE DONT CARE".

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ADRIENNE LUCKEY

I really debated writing this review, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt that the owners and sales staff needed to understand why brick and mortar stores are losing to on-line sellers. I went in to Bravo the Wednesday before Christmas to be fitted for a smaller bra size. The second bra that I was given fit perfectly and I asked for any other bras in my new size. I was told this was the only style in the store in my size, so I asked for a second one. I was very excited to have a properly fitting bra as I went to spend the Christmas holiday with my family in Los Angeles. On Thursday I pulled one of the two bras out of the Bravo bag and tried to put it on - but it didnt fit anything like the one I tried on in the store - the reason? I was given a smaller size. The other bra was the right size. So off I went to LA with only one fitting bra. This week I went back to the store to return the wrong size bra and I was treated as if I was some kind of scam artist trying to steal $50. The same clerk who served me before Christmas handled the return. She denied that it was the wrong size and even quoted what she put in the computer on my profile - which was NOT the size she told me in person - she entered the wrong size. She wasnt sure of what to do since I had removed the tags, but brought them with the bra. She went in the back to whisper with the manager. Between the two of them they then proceeded to pull another bra off the rack and compare them. They wanted to know where the second bra was; they asked what bra I was wearing! At no point did either of them acknowledge that they made what was really a simple mistake. There was no apology. THIS WAS THEIR MISTAKE! When the manager finally agreed to a refund and I asked to verify which credit card to give her she said she didnt care and then told me the refund would take a full billing cycle??? Theyve lost a customer and based on other reviews that I just read, Im not the only one..

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Stephanie Hay

Id like to say first that I never write reviews, good or bad, but our experience here was so horrendous that I feel its my only recourse. I was there yesterday with a friend looking for something for my daughter to wear under a prom dress. No one addressed us as we entered the store even though it is quite small and only one other customer in sight. We found our way to the adhesive type under garments without any help. I have no experience with adhesive type bras so we waited patiently hoping that on of the two employees that were literally less than 10 feet from us behind the counter would come to our rescue. No one came. Eventually we had to stand in front of the counter to get someone to help us. She was of little to no help because as she stated she wasnt a "bra fitter". Its a store that only fits bras!! Thats what you are claiming to be experts at! We did learn that those items are non-returnable even when unopened. We told them we would get my daughter and be right back for fitting. We left, picked up my daughter and returned within 15 minutes. We again were not addressed as we entered the store. Again we stood at the adhesive undergarments. Again no one asked us if we needed help. After about 5 minutes, my friend again went to the counter. She stood directly in front of a women who appeared to be a manager, although we cant be sure because SHE NEVER EVEN LOOKED UP TO MAKE EYE CONTACT!! 3 minutes went by. 3 MINUTES of someone standing directly in front of her and she didnt have the courtesy to lift her gaze from a piece of paper she was writing on. 3 minutes! Appalling. We left the store without what we came to buy from the "experts". We immediately went to Harps in Birmingham where we greeted and helped by two wonderful women. Do yourself a favor, go to Harps!