Jos A. Bank — Local services in Holmdel Township

THIS ONE-STAR REVIEW REFLECTS MY EXPERIENCE WITH MIGUEL AND MARIO ON FRIDAY 11/10/2023

I used to have fond memories of using Jos. A. Bank when I found my “interview suit” over 8 years ago at this Holmdel branch, which lead to much success for me professionally.

My father and I recently went back and ordered 4 custom made suits. We worked with Joe and Theresa, who were both excellent!

On Thursday 11/9/23, I went in for my 1st fitting once the suits were in. Although the pants did not fit quite right, the tailor Marlena did a great job in trying to make it work. The manager Theresa was also great, reassuring me that if the suit doesn’t fit right in the end, they could easily return the suit and get it re-ordered with the proper size to make it perfect. She advised to come back in the following day, and although Theresa wouldn’t be in, the tailor Marlena would and she knows all the corrections that need to be made.

On Friday 11/10/23 at 4pm, I went back for my 2nd fitting and Miguel was filling in for Theresa. Right from the start, Miguel was stand-offish, distant and not helpful. Marlena let out my jacket, and I asked Miguel how does it look now. Rather than giving me his feedback, he said you can just check it out for yourself by looking at the mirror. Ok, I thought, no big deal. Looked good to me. Next, the break in the pants seemed off. In fact, the left side seemed longer than the right. There is a language barrier with the tailor who speaks mostly Russian, but she is sweet as can be and communicates acceptably through hand gestures and minimal English words. Rather than Miguel being proactive and guide me or validate my concern about the leg length, he remained silent, unconcerned and had me micromanage for the next 15 minutes confirming there was a leg length asymmetry. When I asked him if he noticed the leg difference from the start, he said of course…and that’s it. No concern about helping me, and I I felt if I wasn’t paying attention, he would just let a client go home with a butchered suit without batting an eye. I realized this in the moment, and kindly asked him if he would like to go help another customer rather than helping me. He responded, the tailor is the one who is helping you, and he actually left! I was relieved he did, he did not carry positive energy and I enjoyed working with the tailor one-on-one. She made corrections and requested that I come back later that evening at 8pm.

On Friday 11/10/2023 at 7:30pm, I called the store and spoke with Mario to let Marlena (the tailor) know that I am 5 minutes away and am coming in for the 3rd fitting as she requested earlier in the day. Mario was unfriendly on the phone, put the call on hold mid-sentence, and said he let her know. One minute later, he called me back and he said Marlena was already halfway out on the parking lot and she’s not going to help me with the fitting, and he told me to come back in tomorrow. That seemed unusual to me, and since I live over 20 minutes away from the store and was only 2 minutes away, I told Mario that I will try the suit on any way since she made the adjustments. I was in the car with my wife and two children who were sleeping, and we both thought it sounded strange that the tailor would just leave. I called the store back and spoke with Mario again. I told him I was just pulling in to the Holmdel parking area, and if there was any way I could speak with Marlena. He said you’re in the parking lot, go tell her yourself, and he hung up on me!

On Friday 11/10/2023 at 7:45pm, I met with Marlena who was certainly NOT packed up and out the door in the parking lot. She was not rushing to leave and was calm, patient and a professional — unlike Jos A Bank’s Miguel and Mario. I am so upset on so many levels. It’s not about spending over $2000 for “custom made suits” that were not perfect. Things happen and customer service and care always foster a healthy relationship. The frank disregard for a client, and disrespect and misdirection makes me hesitate about ever setting foot in this Holmdel...

I hate leaving negative reviews, but my experience at this Jos. A. Bank location was so poor, I feel compelled to warn others, especially if you’re renting for a major event like a wedding.

I came in as part of a wedding party to be fitted for a rental suit. During the fitting, the associate (an younger woman) actually insulted the groom’s choice of suit. If the suit is so unworthy, why is it being sold and rented by the store? It was incredibly unprofessional and completely unnecessary.

When I came back to pick up the suit, I was helped by a younger gentleman who was pleasant and gave me the suit bag. I tried it on and waited for someone to come take a look in case anything needed adjustment, but all of the staff vanished. No one was on the floor. After a long wait, I gave up and decided it would have to do.

After changing back into my clothes, I packed the suit back into the bag. Still no one around, so I flagged down a tall male associate to check me out. Instead of helping, he snapped at me for packing the suit up myself, something no one had told me not to do. He rolled his eyes, groaned, and repacked it himself. Then, when I mentioned I could always iron the shirt if needed, he cut me off and barked “DO NOT IRON OUR STUFF!!! STEAM ONLY!!” in a raised voice and a hostile tone. Again no one ever told me prior that I couldn’t iron the shirt. Completely uncalled for.

To make things worse, the return policy required me to drop the suit off the very next day, on a Sunday, after a late wedding where I was nowhere near a store. No flexibility, no courtesy.

The whole experience, from being talked down to, to being yelled at, to the complete absence of customer service, was unacceptable. If you’re considering renting for a wedding or important event, look elsewhere. There are online rental companies and other formalwear stores that understand the importance of these occasions and treat their customers with basic respect. This...

Very disappointed. Sure, they measure decently and they were prompt. That’s the only reason they are getting two stars. Besides buttons popping off the jackets (thank God my mother-in-law is a seamstress) and studs snapping in half as we put them into the shirt holes, when my groomsmen, and I got dressed on the wedding day, I looked around the room and noticed that I was the only one in the necktie like I had ordered. everybody else had a bowtie which I had specifically told him I did not want . It would’ve been bad enough if we had all been in bow ties, but instead, I looked underdressed, compared to my own groomsmen. The response at the counter was we could’ve adjusted it when we tried it on but number one nobody is checking the tie at that point, they are just worried that the shirt pants and jacket fit, but number two, my groomsmen were from all different locations so I didn’t even see their tuxedos until the day of the event, which was of course too late. So now I have a wedding photos in which I appear to be dressed more casually while my groomsmen look very formal. Their response at the counter? Your tuxedo and your sons’ tuxedos tuxedo have late fees because you came back two days after the event instead of the next day! Sorry… I was a little busy the next day.

I had come here because my friend had a nightmare with Men’s Wearhouse for his wedding (don’t be fooled..they’re owned by the same company i later found out). Was hoping for better but apparently these places can’t get it right.

EDIT: They “graciously” waived...