Wiessmans's this season - have been perfect! They have shipped early and have called well ahead of time to let us know what costumes are running a little behind.

Art Stone - NO "Good Morning, how can we help you today?" It's "Art Stone". Called today because costume ship date was Jan 19th and haven't received them today 1/30. Ohhhhhh ----- "We are waiting on materail to complete your order but we'll ship them for FREE since it's passed your ship date".

Ummm.... I have a dress rehearsal this Friday because these costumes had plently of time to get here. So, I now have to tell my NEW competition parents that this is how the dance world works and I am sorry for the already schedule time off work, the switch in weekend visitations with parents, etc.....

A simple phone call from Art Stone WEEKS AGO would of been NICE! The lady could of cared less. She says "What do you have a show this weekend or something" as careless as she could of said it.

SO glad I gave Weissmans another chance! The costumes have been very well made and great quality. On the other end - year 3 of crap from Art Stone so this will be my last year using them! Last year it took me 3 months later to call them for them to tell me "O. we don't carry that item anymore. We will put a credit on your account if you'd like".

If they have a customer service department they need to hire "NICE" employees or atleast train them in customer service. Answering the phone with a bad attitude doesn't go well with Studio Owners! GRRRRR...........

Ok - off my soap box! Sorry for the rant!

Sorry for your troubles, but thanks for posting. It is good to know. I ordered from Weissmans also, My first time with them, so glad to hear your input there. And I have been staying away from Art Stone because of quality & sizing problems a few years back.

I have had very rude customer service people there also this year.

Ah, costumes. My favorite subject. I'm glad you posted this; it's good to know how other people are being treated. (And "we don't carry that anymore" after 3 months? Excuse me?!)

My Art Stone order arrived very early, the costumes are beautiful and beautifully packaged...and very, very small. As in measure the kid, get the size from the size chart, and then size up at least 1, maybe 2 sizes just so they can get it on. Good grief. *shakes head* Costume Gallery is running small too, but not that badly and I already knew that and sized accordingly. So, another 12 weeks to replace. This is why I order early. And why I hate sizing costumes.

Art Stone's customer service is always rude and I really dislike their company as a whole. I haven't ordered anything from them for about the last 2-3 years now.

However my bone to pick this year is with Reverence and A Wish Come True - both who are not going to deliver on time. I ordered costumes back in November and they were both supposed to ship mid-Jan. A Wish Come True's costumes won't arrive until 4 days before my first competition, and Reverence is "supposedly" shipping next week. Both claim that they have had issues getting material from overseas.

I have a dress rehearsal on Feb 10th and I won't have the bulk of my costumes that should have been here 2 weeks ago already. How disorganized is that going to make ME look now??? Looks like I'm going to have to start ordering in Sept...sigh.

This was my first year ordering from Art Stone. Now I'm nervous...

Art Stone is hit and miss and if I really wanted one of their costumes, I ordered in mid-December. I did not use any costume companies for dance team, we had them made, to avoid all of this stress.

I never, but one time, had issues with Weissman's, and it was because one particular material that they used, ran out and they could not get more. It was very popular and that was not their fault.

Oh, so glad to be able to add to the Weissmans's love.
I had a student sign up for a class last week and I am instantly sick with dread at the thought of calling to get a costume added to my order. So I look on Weissman's website to arm myself with info. and their "current ship date for the item is 5/11", and Of course I need it in April, (breathe).
So I call, prepared for a fight, and this angel named Sue answers the call after waiting only 30 sec.'s on hold. She seems geuinely as concerned as I am and willing to do whatever she can to help me. She says she will take the new order to her manager, gives me her name again, her direct extension and says she will call me within three days...she adds that if I am feeling nervous during that time, I can call her to check in and see what's happening. (wow)
So two days later, I have a message from St. Sue on my answering machine that says that the costume I added will be shipped along with my original order and arrive March. She is sure to mention the size and style number to be sure it is correct, and her name and ext. number again if I need her further. I am thinking I may call her to see if I can take her to lunch!
Yeah Weissman's!

I have the opposite problem with Art Stone. Everything we get from them is huge. We almost exclusively get our nicest ballet costumes from them, so the formed bodices. Always too big. I got the costumes this year two weeks after I ordered, had to exchange 3 of the 4, and had them back in another two weeks. With the exchange I still got them before I got anyone elses. The are beautiful, as usual. I wouldn't say they are friendly on the phone, but I never find them to be rude.

I had not had problems with anyone yet this year, or so I thought. See my post about my huge issue with Reverence.

I have no experiecne with Art Stone but I do have to say that Weissmans has been good! At least on timing. The girls ahve not tried on their costumes yet but they do look very small to me! Here's to hoping they fit!

So sorry for your troubles! It is annoying if the companies are not consistent, then we do not know what to expect.

I also had the opposite sizing problem with Art Stone. I only ordered tutus from them and had to send 4 bodices back for a smaller size and still have some altered to make them fit right. My office manager handles the costume companies so I don't know how their phone etiquette is but we got everything in time, the re-ordered bodices were a little scary...arrived 3 days before a show.