I have debated writing this review for…
I have debated writing this review for a long time, but I feel my experience with Suzanne Neville deserves to be shared.
I paid a deposit of over £1,500 for my wedding dress the year before Covid. My wedding was subsequently cancelled due to the pandemic and postponed for 12 months.
During that time, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent chemotherapy. Understandably, our wedding then had to be cancelled again due to my illness and treatment.
I went into the shop in person to explain what had happened and ask whether, given the truly exceptional circumstances, they would consider refunding my deposit. At the time I was in the middle of chemotherapy and had lost all of my hair, so they could physically see what I was going through and the state I was in.
Importantly, the dress had not even been ordered at this point. We hadn’t selected or ordered a size, no fittings had taken place and the process of actually making my dress had not begun. They also had plenty of notice that the wedding would not be going ahead.
Despite all of this, they refused to refund any of my deposit.
I then contacted Suzanne Neville herself and explained the circumstances directly, hoping that some compassion or discretion might be shown. She also refused to refund the deposit.
I completely understand that businesses have policies surrounding deposits. However, there are exceptional circumstances where I believe compassion and basic humanity should come before rigidly enforcing a policy. Being diagnosed with breast cancer, losing your hair through chemotherapy and having to cancel your wedding as a result surely qualifies — particularly when the dress hadn’t even been ordered or made.
It wasn’t simply about losing more than £1,500. It was the complete lack of compassion shown at what was already one of the most frightening and devastating periods of my life.
Years later, it has stayed with me. Wedding dress shopping is supposed to be an incredibly special and personal experience, and I would have expected a company operating in that industry to treat someone facing circumstances like mine with considerably more empathy.
Sadly, based on the way I was treated when I needed compassion the most, I could never recommend Suzanne Neville.