Hi, hoping for some good advice. I bought a prom dress for my daughter from an independent dress shop it cost £400 and had a value of £450. The agreement with the shop is that it would be ordered, I would collect it and take it to a seamstress to be shortened (they are made to standard length so this is common practice) I would then return to the shop with the dress to have it steamed by them ready for the prom. The dress was perfect on collection and it was agreed it was perfect when I dropped it back to the shop for steaming. However when I collected the dress it had water marks on the chiffon. The owner contacted the manufacturer who gave instructions for resteaming. I was asked to collect the dress the next day with promises it would 'be perfect'. When I returned the next day the dress was actually worse. I left the dress for a further day and the next day which was the day of the prom returned to collect it but it still had marks. The marks were not so bad that the dress couldn't be worn - I had no other option of outfit for my daughter. But it did have marks that could be seen when closely inspected and I have photo evidence of this. I reluctantly took the dress and my daughter wore it agreeing with the retailer that we would speak after prom. She requested I return the dress to her which I did. She has now sent it back to me with a letter saying neither she or the manufacturer take responsibility because the dress was independtly altered and I accepted the dress. I had been required to pay the full balance on original collection of the dress. Do I have a claim???? Hope someone can help. The fault definitely occurred as a result of the steaming.

I put a £900 deposit down on a dress in October 2016 with a small wedding dress shop. I signed a contract that said that it is not possible to have a refund of the deposit. It was ordered and when the dress arrived in March, I went into store to try it on. It had loose threads and rows of beading falling off the front of the dress (costing £1700 in total). The store assistant apologized and said that it was not good. I left the store and the dress in their care and said that we would try and sort something out. I had to leave and I did not take photos. A family member and the store assistant witnessed the poor quality. I decided afterwards that it was not good enough and I just wanted a refund as time was ticking on the wedding and I was worried that it would fall apart on the day. They offered to sort it out which I rejected due to inconvenience. I sent them an email and then an official letter quoting the consumer goods act, how they had breached the contract and that the store assistant had already agreed that it was unsatisfactory quality. The owner is continuously saying that it is satisfactory quality and the manufacturer has offered to have a professional adjudicator prove this. They have said that I am not entitled to have my deposit back. I am concerned that they have fixed the dress since I went and that this adjudicator would not be impartial. What can I do next? I feel that the matter has been handled unprofessionally but we are arguing about what is satisfactory quality. For the price of the dress, I would have expected it to be perfect but it really was not good enough and I am a reasonable person. I work away so its really hard for me to get back to the shop to sort anything out. What can I do?

Tomorrow I'll be interviewed for a job as a kitchen porter. My flatmate works there and is going back home and will recommend me for when he finally quits. The head chef knows I have a past in office and IT, so he won't be very trusting of me (or so my flatmate told me). What to wear for the interview: if I go too casual, he might think I don't take the interview seriously; if I go suited and booted, he could think I'm overqualified. Any suggestions? [i'm desperate and I really need this job]

HI Everyone, Im hoping you can provide me with some good advice. My sisters best friend gets married today, My sister has spent £150 + on her bridesmaid dress, She now cannot attend today, She has recently become very poorly through mental health and deteriorated in the last three weeks. The crisis team have been involved and a consultant psychiatrist. She has been off from work as her job as a nurse since before christmas and from the 7th June will only receive £81 a week sick pay, ( her outgoings amount to £1200 a month) Her friend ( the bride) has suggested that she does not come to the wedding. i fear this may be through not wanting the hassle or embarrassment, My sister does not know this as she is very confused. The dress has been altered but only very slight adjustments, I.e one stitch in the bust panel and shortened on the straps just a few inches. I need to try and get a refund for this dress as she simply cannot afford to have a dress she has paid £150 that she hasnt worn and financially cannot afford, What grounds do i have if any to try and get a refund. Also this was paid with using a credit card Many thanks for your time

I have had a similar experience at edinburgh high riggs, but this is more complex. On the 8th dec 2014 i was asked by a security guard to take down the hood from my hooded top. I did but pointed out it was winter and a number of people were wearing hooded jackets and hats who were already in the building. The security guard insisted it was hoodies in particular. On the 16th of feb 2015 I go sign on again, this time a different security gaurd tells me I can not wear a hooded jacket; i tell him of my last experience, but this makes no difference. On entering the building i noticed an older man wearing a baseball cap so file a complaint. It is apparent that it is not the item of clothing you are wearing, but the demography of the population that the security gaurd decides yo fit into. I am a guy in his 30s, i tend to wear hoods in scotland not because I want to be affiliated with the hoody culture, but cause its cold here. I found the treatment humiliating and giving people preferential treatment like this is surely illegal

My other half bought two dresses from a well known high street store, tried them on at home and returned them, they refused to refund one dress as it had a stain on it. They are blaming us for the stain but it was already marked but we cannot prove this. They are saying there is absolutely no way they would have missed it as they check all dresses at point of sale, but they clearly did miss this and the other faults on the dress which are in addition to this - there is a clasp missing at the top of the zip at the back and a couple of other minor marks. It is clearly a well tried on shop dress. They have flatly refused to refund the dress and we now have to contact customer services. The dress still has the anti tamper tags intact with a very large heavy label attached so it is obvious the dress has not been worn out of the house. We want to take this further and will take it up via email (there is no tel number) and just wanted some advice on the best approach. The dress was £120.

Hi, I'm new to the forum and need some advice on a recent wedding dress cancellation. I'm getting married next year and in July this year, I chose a beautiful dress at a chain wedding dress shop. I was asked to pay a 20% deposit, which I did on the day. The remaining amount was not due until December and this is written on my contract. Last month however, due to a change in circumstances, I had to cancel the dress. I knew that I would lose the 20% deposit I had made as it was non refundable and the contract clearly states this. I rang,emailed and wrote to the head office in mid September and received a written reply last week (October 19th). The letter stated that the contract was non- cancellable but out of good will they would allow me to break the contract if I paid 50% of the dress. I have looked at the contract I received and see nothing about a non cancellable clause. However, there is a clause stating that 'customers are required to pay a 50% non returnable deposit on the date of ordering..' However, on the date of ordering, I paid 20%, which I believed to be the non refundable deposit and was not told anything about a 50% deposit. I feel a bit frustrated that they have now turned around and said I must pay 50% when on the day the agreed deposit was 20%. It is quite a lot of money (500pounds) which is not an amount I am keen to just throw away! Do I have a leg to stand on with this? I believe that as the deposit was agreed on the day at 20% that this 50% clause becomes irrelevant. However I may be wrong... Advice welcome as I only have a week left to pay before they take legal action!! Thanks in advance:)