Working with international designers

[azntwice]

Can anyone share an experience they've had working with overseas designers? I paid my (rather large) deposit three months ago and have been waiting patiently for my sketch but haven't received anything. They got in touch a few weeks ago to say that they would be working on it, but I've messaged them multiple times and have not received any responses. Is there a large competition that's occupying most of their attention this month? Any insights would be appreciated!

 

[s2k]

Good grief, this is exactly like what just happened to my partner - a designer took his money and then - radio silence. How do these designers stay in business when they have such lousy business practices?!

 

[Dancing Irishman]

Maybe USDC is a big ordering time for them? I don't know if this is true for all designers, but I'm under the impression from my own (one) ordering experience plus talking with my coach about how he and his partner do costumes that designers generally work the most urgent requests first, not necessarily the ones they received first. Did you communicate when you need your costume?

 

[Mr 4 styles]

My pro wears their gowns They are fantastic and worth the wait. Never order custom anything in a rush and by Rush I mean three months or less

 

[MaggieMoves]

It definitely is a busy time for designers. USDC is coming up and there aren't many large competitions in August other than Empire. I'm willing to bet he's working on getting out the pro's costumes before USDC, and maybe just enough for Empire. I do love his designs, especially for Latin.

Thankfully I have a well-known designer in my backyard... it makes it easy when they aren't as responsive to requests.

 

[sbrnsmith]

I love their designs too!

 

[azntwice]

I let them know that I need the dress by September. Maybe that's still far enough off that he doesn't think it's urgent? I normally wouldn't think that it's a problem except that I've been emailing and messaging him for three weeks now with absolutely no reply. I would even appreciate a message letting me know that he's tied up but hasn't forgotten about me.

 

[danceronice]

My pro wears their gowns They are fantastic and worth the wait. Never order custom anything in a rush and by Rush I mean three months or less

Maybe a gown in three months would be a rush. But just the sketch? That's bad service. Client money is client money, whether they're a pro or not.

 

[Miss Silly]

That's odd. I had the exact opposite experience. They were very communicative and I received the sketch and dress very quickly. I do think I happened have an order that likely wasn't prime time for them. I was very happy with the design and fit and everythign about the dress, and the fact that they worked within my budget.

I know Blackpool is obviously a big one that fell in in the last three months, and I think German Open as well (coming up really quick, it's almost like the 'WDSF blackpool').

So sorry to hear that things aren't going well. At least some sort of communication would be nice!

 

[raindance]

You can look in this recent thread for some suggestions on how to get the designer to communicate with you.

http://www.dance-forums.com/threads...e-dress-vendor-who-also-has-your-money.46927/

If it were me, at this point, after three months with my money and not even a sketch yet, I would formally request a refund (by registered letter or similar) and look for another vendor. There are probably various explanations for the delay, but for me it would have crossed into a point where I no longer trust the customer service from a company that treated me like that, and I would like to find a vendor that I could work with more comfortably. YMMV, of course, I am just giving an armchair opinion.

 

[singndance]

If you need the dress by September, and you have no sketches yet, and you have paid a large deposit, that is a cause for concern. It's too bad, their dresses are really beautiful, but this is terrible customer service. I contacted them once several years ago about a design, but was unable to get a callback or an email, so I never pursued it further. I hope you can get their attention, or at least get a refund and find another designer who can take on the project with short notice.

 

[TakeTwo]

If you need the dress by September, and you have no sketches yet, and you have paid a large deposit, that is a cause for concern.

Makes me wonder since I've never ordered custom from a dancesport designer: What is an average timeline for a custom gown from one of the big guys, assuming no hiccups/back-and-forth (or how much back-and-forth might one anticipate)? Consultation, deposit, sketch, any check-ins before final product(?), fitting and tailoring if needed(?), final payment/shipment? Sounds like peak season may back things up a bit.

These last couple threads make me hesitant to consider custom, but it also sounds like other DFers have had great experiences going that route. I'm curious either way.

Good luck, azntwice!

 

[azntwice]

Makes me wonder since I've never ordered custom from a dancesport designer: What is an average timeline for a custom gown from one of the big guys, assuming no hiccups/back-and-forth (or how much back-and-forth might one anticipate)? Consultation, deposit, sketch, any check-ins before final product(?), fitting and tailoring if needed(?), final payment/shipment? Sounds like peak season may back things up a bit.

These last couple threads make me hesitant to consider custom, but it also sounds like other DFers have had great experiences going that route. I'm curious either way.

Good luck, azntwice!

Thanks! They mentioned that it is about 6 weeks for the whole process.

 

[azntwice]

Just wanted to post a quick update here for everyone who was helpful -- I was able to reach them by calling their office yesterday, and I received the sketch this morning. I spoke to them morning and they was very nice and explained that they have been tied up with a series of upcoming competitions and shows, and apologized that the sketch took longer than usual.

 

[TakeTwo]

Just wanted to post a quick update here for everyone who was helpful -- I was able to reach them by calling their office yesterday, and I received the sketch this morning. I spoke to them this morning and they was very nice and explained that they have been tied up with a series of upcoming competitions and shows, and apologized that the sketch took longer than usual.

Good news! Hope it's smooth sailing from here on out.