Customer Reviews for Sofia's Alteration & Cleaners
Richard Vargas on 3/8/2017 10:54:09 PM
At first I felt like I was experiencing a "Seinfeld" moment feeling like Costanza going delusional for feeling like some elusive sweet-acting hustler swindled me. However a sigh of relief came over me when I saw reviews echoing similar woes on Yelp.com
However for the sake of the raving reviews on her skill and hospitality, I'll try my best to be as clear as possible about my particular case.
What reeled me into having her alter three of my favorite pants was my experience having Sophia alter my daughter’s dress for a "Quinceanera". My wife couldn't stop giving her accolades on a job well done on the dress and how her friend, a loyal customer for years, recommended Sophia highly. After reviewing the job with my wife and having her explain the in's and out's of the alterations what sold me was the price--$20. This was commendable for I would think that a dress is a little bit more complicated than hemming pants...
Now when I came by with my pants I received the legendary good Old Italian hospitality and charm that only an elder can actually give. I saw immediately why many find her such a warm soul. She took my measurements and we went back and forth on the length. She insisted on cutting it a certain length that I felt was short and somehow I caved in on her recommended measurement. After all the hype shared prior to her service I thought her advice would be sound right?
Unfortunately the hems on all three pants were too short. A classic case of the customer is always right. So now I was stuck with several "high-waters" ready to cross streams! After a moment, I came to terms and considered that the least she could do was unroll the hem job and salvage whatever length of the pants to correct their lengths. Up until this point I wasn't even compelled to post any reviews on her yet. It's what happened next that appalled me.
I had my wife take the pants because my schedule is super packed and the only reason why I had time to take my pants initially was because I did so during a vacation break. I also thought if Sophia saw an old customer who she pleased with her craftsmanship, then maybe there would be some alleviation that I didn't totally dismiss her abilities and that she could make things right. I'm sorry to say that she immediately dropped her old world charm and went cold-pan hustler and without budging told my wife that it would cost an additional $5 per pants to fix them. Man!!! This is what basically compelled me to post up this experience.
Business 101- the customer is 99.99% right. If the business makes the mistake and entrusts you to fix it, don't hustle them for more cash. Instead prove that you are that cornerstone business that stands out from the rest because you have integrity. Especially if the customer was unsure of recommendations made on the business’ behalf.
With Sophia and any other seamstress I think the best route is to just simply test their work on something you pre measured and bring the numbers. Bring the measuring tape upon pick up and double check before paying. If you're satisfied then still bring the numbers and double check before paying for any work done afterwards, because at the end of the day it's all about getting tailored service that suits to the customer's liking--not the tailor/business.
HOPE this was helpful and I know this experience could have happened with any other tailor, sorry 5 star posts, but it happened with Sophia.
