I hate getting ripped off!

When I started this blog, I really wanted to stay away from negativity and not use this as a venting method, but I am going to have to do that today...

As you may know, Betsy and Whitney are getting married this summer, and I want everything to be absolutely perfect for the wedding. Although the bridesmaids dresses I bought for each of their weddings are beautiful, I thought it wouldn't hurt to take them to get altered a little and raise the hem. Since I had no clue of who to go to in North Carolina, I googled a few places and called the first one on the list, called Ba's Alterations. It was a Vietnamese run shop that had been located in the area for over 20 years. Ba told me to bring the dresses in and she would have them finished for me by the following Friday (I sort of waited until the last minute). While I was still being fitted, a lady came in the store to pick up a shirt, which I heard them say was $12.50. I thought, "That's a very reasonable price. This shouldn't be too bad." Little did I know...

On Friday, I mentioned to Steven as he was getting ready for work that I was going in to town to pick up my dresses. He is sort of the unofficial "budget person" in our household, so I told him to expect a bill of 30-40 dollars max. Later that afternoon, I went to Ba's shop to pick up my dresses. I handed her my debit card to pay, and as she was swiping, I heard her say the total would be eighty-six dollars. I did a double-take. "Ma'am, I must have misunderstood you. Did you say eighty-six dollars?" I asked. She shook her head and said,"Yes, eighty-six dolla."

Side Note: Before I continue with my rant, you must know that I am a very cheap person about most things. I like to have nice things, but I would rather have nice things at a reasonable price. The dresses for Betsy and Whitney's weddings are not long formal dresses. They are very modern short length dresses, which are much less formal. And another thing, after being fitted, Ba decided that all she really needed to do was take the dresses up one inch each...

As I was signing for my dresses, I said, "Ba, I am not a confrontational person, so please know that I am not trying to be rude. I just need to know why you charged me so much, so I can explain it to my husband." Her only response was "Eighty-six dolla. Multiple laya." She kept repeating that line over and over again.

Moral of the story: Don't assume anything. Always ask!