Nigel Rayment Boutique - www.nigelraymentboutique.co.uk

The team were fantastic in finding my perfect dress. They were patient and calmly, attentive whilst I tried on 15 or so dresses. The sales person recommended one which I liked but it was too tight. She sent a video to their talented haute couture, alterations person to check if it could be adjusted. I collected it last week and it now fits perfectly. One staff member had also been out to find a matching hat because they didn’t have one in-store. I was slightly concerned that it might not suit or be the correct colour but I needn’t have worried…. it’s just right!

I’m not used to buying for big occasions but their team made it an enjoyable process.

Really surprised by previous two poor reviews. My experience was very different. I was delighted by the help which I received from staff. I felt they knew what they were doing and I trusted their judgement. Extremely happy with my purchases!

Very disappointing visit to the London Boutique. Travelled especially from Southend. Received no welcome or even acknowledgement of my arrival. Eventually selected two outfits myself after standing around at length. An assistant begrudgingly pointed to a free changing room. Still received not one word from anybody, except from another customer. Decided to leave the shop, having received no offers of assistance. I had phoned the shop beforehand to check if I should book an appointment but was told it was not necessary. Appreciate the shop was fairly busy, but a simple hello, and offer of assistance as soon as anyone became available would have sufficed. Upsetting experience as I had high hopes of finding an outfit for my daughter's summer wedding.

I’ve never been much for forum reviews, as I suspect people generally make the effort to moan rather than praise, but my soon to be mother in-law recently visited Nigel Rayment Boutique on New Quebec Street, London, W1 and it’s finally prompted me into action. As with most mothers it seems the importance of what they wear to the wedding runs an incredibly close second to the bride. With our wedding a mere five months away the pressure is now unbearable, which resulted in her fated visit to the Nigel Rayment Boutique in Jan 2014.

What proceeded was an example of hard sell that would shame most second-hand car dealers. She was engulfed by three sales assistants, who proceeded to throw a selection of outfits at her over a period of two hours. She was consistently reminded that January was an exceptionally busy month for the Boutique, that they only got one delivery and that stock was very limited and moving fast.

My mother in-law, who suffers from sporadic fainting attacks, is of fairly poor health and tires easily seems to have been worked into a right old panic. When she asked if they could hold a dress for her daughter to review she was told that this was impossible and that she should purchase the outfit there and then. She asked if she could return it and was told she had three weeks to bring it back.

As a result she bought a dress that is clearly a size too small and made her way back to the store 5 days after purchase. Predictably she was now made aware of the Nigel Rayment policy to issue a store credit but no refund. She explained that a store credit isn’t exactly what a pensioner, living on a modest income, requires after being pressured into purchasing a £600 polyester dress, a size too small for her. She spent a further two hours attempting to negotiate with the shop attendant who phoned Nigel Rayment himself and was told it was a store credit or nothing. Amazingly she was then pressured into taking the store credit (against our advice) further weakening any legal recourse she had.

Thinking we could surely reason with Nigel Rayment ourselves my better half emailed him explaining that this was a highly pressurised and misleading sale, which ended up in her mother purchasing a dress that is obviously too small for her.

I quote Nigel Rayments reply “she said she was working towards losing weight..”. I quote the sales assistant who said the 100% polyester dress “would give” and to top it all off Mr Rayment kindly finished off his email with “If you feel you have a case then feel free to pursue the issue but as far as I’m concerned there is nothing wrong..”.

We’ve now told a distraught mother that we will foot the bill and have a Nigel Rayment store credit up for grabs. I imagine, even if this was transferable, it would fetch a pittance on e-bay.

The e-bay price would however be a true reflection of Nigel Rayment Boutique product and service.