Alter It Hawthorn — Local services in Melbourne

I visited Alter-It Hawthorn to take in a pair of jeans after losing weight. My jeans are now completely ruined—incredibly disappointed with this outcome. Not only are the pockets absurdly close together, the belt loop is shredded and there are pulls in the fabric where pins pierced and tore fibres. I called Alter-It Hawthorn directly to spare the negative online review, and to ask if anything could be done, but after the unbelievably sarcastic, defensive and accusatory response I received, I have no choice but to comment in a public forum. This was unsettling as my tone (initially) was polite and simply asking if anything could be done to rescue the jeans—I had to ask her at one point to please refrain from being so defensive. Also note, I hardly ever leave reviews, and feel compelled to, given the experience I just had. The woman said, “I told you the pockets would be too close together, you saw how it would look in the mirror, etc. etc.” and before she tries this defence in response online, please know that I have ZERO expertise in alterations, sewing, etc. An “expert” should explain, with authority, what WILL happen, provide alternatives and/or recommend against the alteration. This woman casually, lightly mused that the pockets “could” wind up too close together, but when she kept on pinning, I assumed that meant she decided the distance of the pockets would be fine. I trusted that. I also don’t have the expertise to imagine what a pair of jeans will look like when they are stuck full of pins. Additionally, at no point did she mention that I would lose the original top-stitched seam, which definitely would have given me pause (especially now that it disappears then reappears weirdly in the crotch—like a permanent wedgie). She also told me that “no one has ever had a problem with my work” and that I was the first, which clearly isn’t true based on the reviews I just read on this very forum. Furthermore, she told me nothing could be done to save them and no money could be refunded because “they did the job they said they were going to do” and that “I know it sounds harsh, but it’s your problem.” I was so furious and shocked frankly that I ended the call with profanity. Anyway, the photos are below—you judge for yourself if you think they look “fine”. I refuse to be gaslit into believing that they are. *Note, the last photo is how the jeans looked originally. I showed the comparison to a group of people yesterday and every single one of them burst out laughing (expletives from some). I suppose the consolation is that the $90 I paid for this botch job went towards brightening their night...

So I had a small alteration on my wedding dress here(went fine)…was convinced not to take out the zipper and put a corset back in the dress at this visit - even though I was very uncomfortable and I did want this alteration, so when I picked the dress up on my second visit I asked please would they have time to do the corset back alteration- was assured dress would be ready on time and that the alteration was possible so I went ahead- upon receiving my dress back 2 days before my wedding…I am absolutely devastated at what they have done- eyelets are uneven and go way further down than what was discussed - my wedding is tomorrow and I have to wear a dress that’s essentially been butchered… the initial minor alteration they completed went fine but the corset back is a bit of a disaster…I wouldn’t recommend to go here if you want anything complicated done on an...

Santha and staff are super friendly and highly skilled tailors, it's our number one go-to place for all our clothes repair and tailoring needs. We've had numerous garments kept in good repair over the years thanks to Alter It Hawthorn: hems, pockets, rips and tears, you name it. I've always found the quality of the work to be very high, and good value for money. Santha once did an amazing job replacing the elastic in a pair of pants with high sentimental value - no small task, and I was very happy with the result. I recommend them very highly: before you throw out a beloved shirt/jumper/pair of trousers, take it to Santha to see if something can be done...