Say Yes to Paying for the Dress

Last week, I ordered a wedding dress online from a big U.S. retailer. It was on super-duper sale (about $250) and I had been stalking it for months, with a gleam in my eye and lust in my heart. Because I’m living overseas for a few months, I had it sent to my mother’s house. I tracked the package and saw that it had been delivered, but my mom said there was no sign of it. She checked in all of the usual weird places UPS hides stuff, went around to her neighbors, but still no box. I got in touch with customer service and explained that I had never received the package. They were incredibly nice, and told me they would immediately send another dress, and to refuse delivery if the original shipment showed up.

It turned out that the dress had sold out, though, so yesterday I received a notice that they had refunded the purchase price to my credit card. And then this morning, the dress showed up! Mom was kind of fuzzy on the details, but I think she’d put a hold on her mail that she forgot to mention when I was freaking out about lost packages. My mom is a delightful lady, but does not exist in the same world of logic and reason as the rest of us.

So obviously, I would like an excuse to keep the $250 refund — maybe you could tell me that it’s some sort of karmic reward for managing a long-distance relationship for years, while in grad school? — but probably what I really need is for someone to tell me that I’m being a dick. Help? — M.

Hi M., if you’re looking for an excuse to keep the $250 refund, you’re not going to get one from me!

Logan, upon hearing about this dilemma, said: “Dear person, even I say you need to pay for the dress, duh.”

Meaghan said: “I would personally call the people and let them know, because I am Catholic, but I think technically she could keep it, if she needs it and isn’t afraid of bad karma. But then what if the company sees her wedding hashtag on Instagram? I would worry about it and it might ruin my wedding.”

So that’s three people who are saying that the right thing to do is to call the company and pay for the dress. The company seemed quite accommodating! They offered to send a replacement dress if it were available! The way we keep good businesses in business is by paying them for their merchandise and services.

Photo: Nathan O’Nions

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