Ack! Ugly dress story

Around my 3rd or 4th week in SL, I made my first Big Purchase, as dress that cost 500L, in one of the "couture" level stores. I was (and am) very happy with this dress. I had to contact the designer for a little help with the prim skirt, and she was very nice and I complimented her a lot on her work.

In that designer's same store was a gown. I wanted that gown. However I had already spent too much on the dress, so all I could do was moon over the gown. I took a snapshot of it to show people. I pondered it. The skirt part, in the ad on the wall, looked like mysterious browns with glowing embers and shifting light. I just knew this gown would be the gown to end all gowns.

Well I had pondered it long enough, and two days ago I went ahead and bought it, which meant that I was going to have two nice dresses (I can't afford to buy all of them!). I couldn't wait to try it on.

It is the ugliest thing I have ever seen (clothing-wise) in SL. It is irredeemably ugly; it's not a matter of getting it to fit right. Fitting perfectly it's still the ugliest dress I have ever seen. It somehow manages to make my skinny av look dumpy by eliminating her waist and making it look like her boobs sag low. That magical brown skirt? It looks like pale mud. The top is so awful I can't even say, "Well at least I can wear the top with jeans." No. No. I never want to see any part of this thing again.

700L.

Now, in the past I have not hesitated to contact the designer if there has been a technical issue with the outfit. But what would you do if you bought something like this and you knew the only possible thing you can do with it is throw it in the trash?

You might try and play with windlight settings some and see if its a matter of lighting. Sometimes it might be good for expensive clothing purchases like that to ask if you can see it modeled before purchase so you know for sure you want it. As you had already purchased from this person in the past, the designer might be happy to help a new, semi regular customer by seeing what can be adjusted more.

Sorry this was your experience as your 2nd clothing purchase. Alot of times shopping in SL ends up being more a lesson learned in being more careful and patient in deciding on a purchase. Put some time into what you write in the note to the designer (avoiding OMG I want to throw it out!) and it might be a really simple fix instead of throwing it out.

I've lost count of the oops purchases that I have made.

I would definitely contact the creator. You might not get anything out of it but at least you can go on record as having noticed the fact that the dress in package is not exactly as it is represented on the picture.

Always take some caution if the models in the adverts don't have normal body shapes.

That's my motto, and it seems to work for me.

Some of the outfits made for Frankenbarbies will be terribly distorted on anyone else, and vice versa.

Some designers know how to make an outfit than can scale between monster and human, and some do not. But even beyond that, its just good to be able to see at least some of their work on a model that doesn't have distorted proportions.

Another thing to consider is price. If they're charging over 200L for a single outfit - make sure you know somebody who has bought from them, or have seen people wearing it, or at least some of their other work.

Since some of you are creators yourselves, how would you suggest I word what I write to this designer? Because if I write it myself it's going to come out as, "OMG I want to throw it out!"

This isn't my second purchase in all of SL, it's just my second more expensive purchase. I have thrown out plenty of other stuff. I know in general it's "let the buyer beware" on SL. One thing I don't like is how certain hair vendors will give you a demo that is a very pale color so that flaws aren't as easily seen. I'll buy the hair in a dark brown, then, and end up muttering wtf. So even demos aren't necessarily a guarantee.

I bought a less expensive dress the same day I bought this disastrous gown....a 300L dress that was actually in the recent fashion show. It doesn't look well made, to my surprise. The skirt is made of dark-colored prims that each end in an inverted "V" shape, and half of them have strange white lines below the point, which it seems to me is unintended coloring on the edge of the actual prim shape, and also one of them seems to have some accidental white on the side edge. Also the outfit did not contain all the elements shown in the ad. I did contact that designer (very politely), and she never responded.

So that was 1000L down the tubes in one evening. I actually became quite anxious and went staggering away from the computer. I might just be all done buying dresses! Getting one good one out of 3 at these price ranges is not good enough. Melodie that's a good idea about asking to see them modeled...if I'm ever temped again that is exactly what I will do.

Another good thing to do is just yell out in the group channel, see if anyone has bought from that creator before, and ask them to model for you.. I'm always willing to model if there is chocolate involved! ^^

Dear Designer:

I recently purchased "item name" from you and wanted you to know that I am really not happy with it. I first saw it on a shopping trip when I purchased "name of dress originally purchased" (which I love), and fell in love with it, so I saved up and went back to buy it. But when I put it on, it didn't look like it looked in the picture on the vendor In fact, it so displeases me that I really do not feel that I can wear it.

Then:

I do not expect a refund, but wanted you to know that I was unhappy with the product, in case there is something you can do to fix it before someone else feels the same way I do.

or....

I purchased it on "date" at your "shop" and the transaction number is "number". I would like a refund.

Here is a picture of how it looks on me:

*attach snapshot*

Sincerely,

Me

Thank you! Now, how do I attach a snapshot? Do I have to pay to upload it?

I don't understand uploading pics....when I uploaded my profile pic, I made a nice small rectangular pic in Paint Shop Pro from an emailed snapshot because the profile pic fills a rectangular space, then SL seemed to insist on uploading it as a distorted looking square, and then SL stuffed it into the rectangular space which didn't look too awful, but that was the last time I ever messed with things like that in SL.

BTW lest I sound too negative in this thread, there ARE vendors who are consistently excellent. At Pixeldolls, if you buy something it will either look just like in the pic or it will look better.

You should be able to drop the snapshot into the notecard. Unless the server is having issues, it should attach fine. Unfortunately it is a charge to upload the picture, if you save it directly to inventory it shouldn't distort or anything.

I had an issue with shoes not looking right, and after sending a photo to the designer who sent one back of how they looked on her we were able to figure out my graphics card was dying. It was well worth the 10L to find that out.

You could word your note to the designer that the item you received is not the same that was shown in the ad poster. By that you are implying false advertising or, gee wiz, maybe they put the wrong piece in the box? That would give them an out, in case they want to refund you and save face. (Don't hold your breath, though)

Be careful of ad posters that look heavily photoshopped. If someone takes the time to digitally fix things like hair sticking through shoulders or smoothing jagged edges, they could well be also playing with prim textures and alignment issues.

The white line you see at the bottom of those prims is someone now knowing how to deal with alpha textures and is a problem with designer ability.
However, prims will very often be of a different colour than the clothing, because of light settings. If you can modify your outfit, it can sometimes help to play around with the background colour of an item to see if you can get it a shade darker or lighter (make sure to make a copy, first!)

There is a reason people don't usually offer demos for even very expensive outfits. They'd lose a lot of sales. I know I've buried many a purchase in my inventory because it's not what I thought it would be.

I really do get upset and disappointed when I purchase an item or two and love it, then go back and spend more money and end up hating the more costly items.

Since you did buy something there that you really do like, definitely try the approaches given for contacting the seller -- and definitely mention how much you loved the first dress you bought. You will have to pay to save a snapshot to your inventory -- L$10. Then just drag it in to the notecard.

Worst case scenerio, console yourself with the fact that L$700 is about $2.50-$2.75 US, though even that is a lot inworld to some folks.

Welcome to SL.

The fashion show is just a thing for favored merchants - people on the friends lists of people who became Linden employees. Don't assume it infers quality. Buy your clothes by inspecting other people and finding out who made what they are wearing. Or asking - friendly people will always send you to their stores of choice.

In part, that means you might have to start hanging out with people who have your tastes in fashion. Kinda like RL...

I buy all of my hair from a very small list of designers.
Not because quality is generally bad, but for consistency. Each avatar has one merchant that I will buy from for that avatar. Buy your hair not based on shops, but on inspecting other people and finding out who made the hair they are wearing.

For me, hitting dance clubs in Sl had the same effect it can have in RL - I became exposed to a lot of fashions on actual avatars, and my own wardrobe started to grow with a lot better quality than the 'freebies' I'd been gathering before.

There are plenty of scenes in SL for different tastes. Its perfectly fine to take some time off from buying and join a scene or two until you've found things you like being worn by others.

700L.

What is that? About $2.75?

You ever buy a sandwich and threw half away because you couldn't finish it? In the last month you've probably spent $2.75 on a few dozens items that gave you no more than 2 minutes of pleasure or diversion.

You gotta keep this in perspective.

It's amazing how purchases can add up in SL. I can go back over my account information and calculate how much money I've spend on things I liked vs. how much got thrown away since I started maybe six weeks ago, and I'll bet I wouldn't be very happy. It's easy to say oh well it was only 2.75 for one item. That's how I justify a lot of my foolish spending. I have been astonished at how much money that can add up to. When I found out how much money I've spent in SL in the last month just on shopping, I almost died. So when something like this happens, it really brings out that feeling of, "What on earth am I doing here wasting my money??"

And BTW I never throw food out in RL. If I can't eat half my sandwich the rest goes home with me to eat later.

I don't doubt what you're feeling. I think the psychological component is magnified when we think of something that's $700(!) instead of $2.75.

The reverse can also be true. Just like you, I tell myself, "It's only $2.75" and then marvel at the amount I manage to spend over time.

It gets you both coming and going.

It may only be $2.75 or a buck fifty, but when buying a useless item it's money that went from my pocket into someone else's without any benefit for me.
This isn't a charity event.

Creators should be held accountable for displaying their merchandise in a way that allows people to make an informed purchasing decision.
If we don't, what's to stop people from slapping pretty pictures on ad posters for things that are utter crap?
Consistent results is what gives the well-known establishments repeat buyers. People learn what to expect and revisit their stores.
If I buy a RL sandwich that, for all it's pretty wrappings, is awful, I don't go buying another one from the same place.

That said, if in SL people come to distrust ad posters and don't feel that they have any way to complain about this, new or little-known designers suffer the consequences as people just become less willing to try new things.

This is exactly why I literally scour the grid looking for good quality freebies/cheapies. It drives me absolutely nuts to throw something away and even more so when I have spent money on it.

AK - when you take a snapshot you can save it to your inventory rather than downloading it to your hard drive. The latter is mainly for editing it or putting it online somewhere. If you just need a copy to send to the store owner, then just save it to inventory. Uploading it from your computer or saving it within SL cost $10 Lindens per image file.

If you like their things, perhaps request a store exchange. Explain that you love their work but this particular dress just wasn't what you thought it would be. Begin and end with a compliment - that can't hurt. It will take the sting out. Hopefully the store owner will see this as a business transaction more so than having their feelings 'hurt' by someone not liking their gown.

It happens.

As for feeling the pinch, well, not everyone can spend $20 dollars a month on this hobby, so people should understand that. It may be less than $3 dollars, but that may have been the person's only $3 to spend, at least on a gown, as well.

Freebie hunting might also be a good way to take a break and lessen the feeling of spending too much money. You can still add some great outfits with little to no cost to your inventory and it will send you to new places and meeting new people.

This.

I have had far more experiences than I can count with clothing that looked great on the vendor board but looked absolutely hideous on me. Sometimes it's just the nature of the clothing item (particularly with system skirts - these are always hit-or-miss for me). Sometimes I've even bought clothing that looked spectacular on the model displaying it, but still looked awful on me.

In real life, you could just take the offending outfit back for an exchange or refund; but due to limitations in SL's permissions system, one cannot do that. The reason is that most clothing items are sold no-transfer. This is a good thing in that it allows one to make as many copies of the different outfit items as she wants to mix-and-match outfit items and keep them organized in folders; and it allows one to make a backup copy of prim clothing (flexiskirts, for example) before modifying the original to fit (mistakes happen, and I've had many a skirt go horribly wrong because of a mis-click of the mouse). Unfortunately, it also means you cannot return the outfit, as the permissions simply won't let you.

Some designers ship their clothes with the ability to transfer them. The caveat, though, is that they are almost always flagged as no-copy, which means you cannot make multiple copies for different outfits, and you have no recourse if you screw up editing your purchase.

I just thought of a way this whole permissions mess can be fixed in a way that protects a designer's intellectual property while at the same time preserving a purchaser's right to return an unwanted purchase. Since SL already keeps track of the original creator on all items, the permissions system should be modified to automatically grant transfer/no-copy permissions to any and all items transferred back to the original creator regardless of the existing permissions settings.

Thoughts?

Yes - and hunts. Do you have some freebie blog addresses? They offer current and up to date freebies. Also, join DSN, it is a great way to learn about new designers, and have freebies literally dropped on your avatar nearly daily. There is a DSN kiosk at the cartel hangout as well as many places in SL.

As for hair, try to see if the hair shop has a free pack of color samples. That will give you some idea how their colors look. Also if the hair is mod, you might try adjusting the color in the texture panel. Just click on it and choose edit, then the texture panel.

AK, If it is transfer I will trade with you or just buy it from you for what you paid.

I think that's why they coined the term years and years ago, "Buyer beware."

Nor me, terrible waste. I am trying to cultivate a different attitude when it comes to my inventory though. It's stuffed to the gills with freebies from my early days which, although I know I will never wear, I hang onto just in case they might "come in" LOL! Like in RL where you might save a crappy t-shirt to wear while gardening. I have huge folders with names like "not too horrible tops". They need to go!

I have made lots of shopping decisions I have regretted too, although I think I do better here than in RL. At least here you can change your shape just for that one outfit if needs be. It is a tiny amount of money and it can take the sting out of the situation to think of it like that, but in the proportions of SL economy it's quite a big purchase. When I was new, lots of us were playing the "game" of putting together a good wardrobe on just what we could earn inworld so I can understand how this feels like a big setback.

Loads of brilliant ideas in this thread. That sample letter somebody posted looks good. I might save a copy just in case it "comes in" LOL! Inspecting other avatars is a good idea too, although I usually ask people where they got their stuff as it's a good way to strike up a conversation. Definitely freebie hunting, too.

Katheryne, make a jira, I'd vote for that.