Santoshi, Southall

Hi, has anybody had any experience at Santoshi (good or bad)? they have my dream lengha but to date they've come across a bit snooty and im not sure if i should go ahead with the purchase.

please please tell me they're ok!!!

Hey I had a really good experience with the main guy there, Sanjay. He's really friendly and enthusiastic, gave me some great ideas for wedding lengha. Although I found them pretty expensive so chose to go elsewhere in the end! I'm sure you'll get good service.

What's the outfit like?

hi, oh good. the lengha is the maroon one on their website. they're are £800 more expensive than my second choice and as my in laws are paying for it, i feel quite bad going for it. plus, they wont budge on price, i dont know how much of a made to measure service they offer i.e i know that they take your measurements and send them off to india but what if it needs adjusting once it comes e.g. if ive lost weight etc. and it annoyed me that they were selling their shop piece at £1600 but it was on sale so it wouldve been something like £1200 but if i wanted a brand new piece for me, i would have to pay 15% more than the shop price so £1800. i've never come across this before cos how many people are size 8 and how many brides want an outfit that loads of other people have tried on??

as i've said on another thread, i thought traditions- which is where my second choice outift is at- were so much better in terms of customer service and the guy there had loads of ideas and spent lots of time with me.

so im in a dilemma- do i buy my second choice outfit which

(a) is cheaper (b) my in laws like just the same as the santoshi one (c) better customer service

but
(d) isnt my first choice and (e) the one in the shop was turquoise and i really want to wear maroon which they are happy to change colours etc but i dont know what the final product will look like

or

do i go for the santoshi one which is the one i like and take the risk on customer service issues???

aarghh

I'd say ask Sanjay about what happens if you lose weight before wedding, they should really alter it for you I would have expected.

Also, I went into Santoshi about 10days ago now and he did tell me that they're not charging the extra 15% at the moment due to current economic climate! So worth calling up and asking...try haggling a bit too maybe!

I know what you mean about not seeing the finished product before you order it... :\?

Good luck, let me know what you decide to do! x

I'd say ask Sanjay about what happens if you lose weight before wedding, they should really alter it for you I would have expected.

Also, I went into Santoshi about 10days ago now and he did tell me that they're not charging the extra 15% at the moment due to current economic climate! So worth calling up and asking...try haggling a bit too maybe!

I know what you mean about not seeing the finished product before you order it... :\?

Good luck, let me know what you decide to do! x

Thanks Selina

My other half went to Santoshi at the weekend and they didnt mention dropping the 15%. Instead, he was being pushed into buying the shop piece at full price. He got so annoyed that he ended up just walking out

I just rang Santoshi's and they confirmed they're dropping the 15% !!! I wouldnt have known if it wasnt for you so thanks Selina!

[Modified by: BabyL on March 11, 2009 12:50 PM]

Yay! Glad I could help Oh I wonder who dealt with your other half?? That Sanjay guy wasnt pushy with me... he actually told me to go have a think and come back when I was ready! Don't forget to find out if he'll charge for alterations! x

cant believe i cried when i went on Saturday, and no, they werent tears of joy!

they said they'd sent the sample that i'd tried on 3 times before back to india for whatever reason so they had a new one made only this time,

1. the fabric of the top was different to the skirt which looked wrong and also gave the look that the top and skirt were a slightly diff colour

2. the embroidery on the top was OTT (what i'd loved of the previous sample was how delicate it was)

3. the shape of the top was totally different, it was longer and had a V shape at the bottom

4. it had sleeves on (which i wanted) but they were really embroidered with a big design

5. the shape of the neck was completely differnt too

what got me was that they were insisting that there was no difference to the top other than the addition of sleeves- it was only when i pulled out the magasine picture that they said, oh yes, it is a bit different.

then i'd mentioned previously i'd wanted the skirt to be more fitted, and they said no problem, but this time round it was such an issue

furthermore, they said they wont be charging the 15% on top of the shop piece price but get this... since the last time i went they'd increased the shop price by 15% anyway!!!

any way so i cried on my h2b's shoulder in the middle of the shop. bless him.

they finally agreed to give me the lengha at the old price and have the top in the same fabric as the skirt and they'd try to make the embroidery similar to their old shop piece but were giving no guarantees.

after 90 min of being in the shop i was told "if you dont like it then its best you leave". i was gutted but scared as i'd been to so many shops that i didnt want to have to start the search all over again. i ended up going for it anyway but now i just feel ill thinking about it all and having spent all that money, what if what i get isnt what i asked for??

Oh my goodness Baby L! That sounds awful! What terrible customer service! It's not like wedding lenghas are cheap. Frankly I think you deserved so much better!


Tanya xx