Alts - West Village — Local services in New York

I went to the West Village ALTS location for the first time. I was SO excited to use them finally. I was running late to my first appointment and had promptly called ahead to let them know my estimated arrival time. When I came in the women at the front were unfriendly and unwelcoming when I arrived. , one of woman curtly told me that if I’m going to be late, I need to call ahead, as per their policy. I informed her that I had, in fact, already spoken to someone on the phone. Then the women next to her said, yes she called. While this seemed rude to me I took it as an honest mistake so I let it go.

The dress alterations themselves were amazing, expensive, but I had peace of mind knowing the work was done well. I believe I paid around $180.

A week or so later I emailed them to say how much I appreciated the quality of their work and mentioned that I now needed the hem taken up by 1-2 inches, as the shoes I plan to wear for the event had changed. I was aware of their 30 day adjustment policy and referenced it. They responded confirming and told me to make another booking, so I did.

I traveled an hour on the Metro-North to get there. When. I arrived l, I confirmed that since it was an adjustment to an existing alteration, I would not be charged again. It was only then that I was informed, for the first time, that because it was considered a “new” alteration, I would be charged again.

Apparently the manager, James LaMar, confirmed he wouldn't make an exception. But he never came out to speak to me to tell me that. The gentleman who was at the desk was the one relaying the information. He seemed kind.

Considering I already spent $180, and this was a minor adjustment within their stated 30 day policy, I was disappointed that they were unwilling to take up the dress by just 1-2 inches without an additional charge. On top of that, I had traveled 50 mins specifically for their service, which I had heard great things about. It may make sense to respond to emails thoughtfully and intentionally so this mistake dosnt happen.

I work full time in a customer service/ customer facing role and understand the value of good service. I was genuinely excited about using an alteration service for the first time, and I am immensely disappointed. I will not be returning and find it a shame that customer care seems to be such a low priority.

Expected so much more. I am moving back to manhattan and would have use them going forward but they obviously do not care about...

I'm putting this review here as a public service announcement. Please never trust these tailors if you have any sort of a strict deadline. I came in one morning with a coat whose sleeves needed to be shortened. I asked the tailor if he could re-fit the coat in one day because I was leaving the next day for an important meeting in a different, colder city and would need to take the coat with me. He, and the front-counter person, promised that they could do the job in one day, no problem — and they were so nice about it that they even waived the rush fee. We agreed that I would pick the coat up the next day at 11am; I paid for the service; and left.

The next day I got super busy so I didn't get back to Alts until 2:30 pm, hours after our agreed pick-time, when I was on my way to the train station (rolling my suitcase behind me, but without a coat on because I had been expecting to pick up a coat and take it straight on the train with me). But my coat was not finished. The tailor, they told me, was still working and one sleeve was, at that moment, literally detached from the body of the coat. Again, this was over three hours after the designated pick-up time.

I ended up getting on the train without a coat. The customer service office contacted me an hour later by email and offered to FedEx the coat to the city where I was staying, then told me the next morning that they would not FedEx the coat because FedEx couldn't guarantee timely delivery. (Since when doesn't FedEx do overnight delivery?) When I asked for a refund for the service not performed, they said they would give me a refund if I signed an agreement not to post a review describing my experience on social media.

Well.

As you can see I didn't take the refund. I decided I'd rather help out someone else who might think they can trust this place to do what it says its...

If I could give zero stars, I would. I trusted ALTS with my dress for a wedding, and the experience was an absolute nightmare. After holding my dress for 9 days, they returned it unfinished, with unraveling hems, chalk marks, a missing promised finger loop, and a closure poorly secured with only a safety pin. They also failed to inform me that they didn’t have the proper tools for the delicate fabric, leaving me no time to seek another tailor.

When I requested a refund, they would only agree to process the refund if I signed a release form promising not to speak negatively or leave a negative review. I find this to be a shady and unfair business practice, especially given the subpar work and additional costs I now face to fix their mistakes. Avoid this place if you need reliable, professional alterations.

EDITED IN RESPONSE TO OWNER'S RESPONSE: As a business owner myself, I find it unacceptable to attach stipulations to a refund when you have admitted that one is warranted. If I recognize that someone is entitled to a refund, I provide it without requiring them to waive their right to share their honest experience or speak negatively about my business. Furthermore, you mentioned a "30-day policy" in your response, but I was contacted via survey within the week that my alterations were completed. I picked up my dress on September 26th and was contacted by your team on Monday, September 30th. This timeline clearly shows that my initial concerns were well within the 30-day period. I do not appreciate the dishonesty in retelling this situation, especially as the delays have been caused entirely by your team's lack of response and action. Despite multiple acknowledgments from your team that I am owed a refund, I am still waiting for it to...