Prom Dress Refund For Boyfriend's Funeral Refused!

[lulubaines]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/05/21...est=latestnews

[DonnaMc]

Why don't they just make an exception and refund her money. The boycotting scheme will cost them more than the price of that dress!

[lulubaines]

Why don't they just make an excetion and refund her money. The boycotting scheme will cost them more than the price of that dress!

Yeah. Some things you just do.

[endsleigh03]

That is some big-hearted compassion on the part of the store.

Idiots.

You really have to watch your step with the internet being what it is and how wide spread it is.

If they had addressed this quietly it would have been a much smarter move.

[pvezz]

Who the HELL pays $1,200 for a prom dress????

[Mammy]

Pvezz, I'm glad you said that. I nearly swallowed my tongue when I read it! I think due to bad publicity, she will eventually get a refund.

[lulubaines]

She will probably get a refund. I am sure it was all on a credit card anyway...

[KarmaKat]

Thats some bad bad press for the store. They should just give her the money back. If they had handled this right and just made an exception for her in the first place none of this would be happening. I mean its not like she just changed her mond about the dresss or her and her boyfriend broke up and thats why she's not going

[Guest]

yes they should give her the refund under the circumstances...REALLY bad press for them for sure....but I have to agree


WHAT THE SAM FUCK??? $1200 for a PROM dress??? SERIOUSLY???? Mine was $65 back in 1988 from JC Penney and I looked adorable!!!

I sympathize with the poor girl losing her first love like that...God knows death for kids that age is so traumatic...and I understand the anger about the store not wanting to budge on their policy...but my issue is...if this CHILD and/or her parents shelled out THAT much for a PROM dress...I would think they would have the kind of money to just shell out on a FUNERAL...unless these are working class parents who probably busted their asses so their Princess could go to the PROM in style...The only people I would imagine paying that sort of fundage for a PROM dress would be very wealthy people...so if they are wealthy...can't they just write a check??

a memorial fund was established for this boy...so I would assume his family is not well off and they need help to pay for the funeral if the girlfriend needs a refund to contribute...again...if this is the case...that the parents of both are not wealthy..WTF is a 16 year old girl doing with a $1200 PROM dress


Hell...I'm 39 years old and can't imagine myself spending that much on a wedding dress...I don't know...I guess I'm just beyond disgusted with how spoiled some of the kids are today...back when I was a teen I worked for anything extra that I had..including my PROM...yes I PAID for my $65 dress from JC Penney's!

[radiojane]

Oh for the love of mike! This is tragic, but it is NOT NEWS!!! We have become so self absorbed that we run to the damned press every time we feel wronged, and as a result we have a world full of people who have no clue what is going on in the world but they can pat themselves on the back for boycotting an overpriced dress store that stuck to policy even though life sucks sometimes.

[Valentino009]

I too am trying to wrap my head around the price of the prom dress story, in this tragic story. I went to Burlington Coat factory one year for my prom dress, was originally 280 dollars, (which in my mind was a lot at the time), but it was selling for $80. But $1200?!? I cannot imagine. I agree though the store should of made an exception and had this quietly dealt with....the internet is a powerful thing now a days!

[radiojane]

I spent $50 bucks at sears clearance and that was in 2003. I think the highest priced one at my grad was $600, and that was in a very rich high school. My brother tells me that last year his friend paid $3400 for her grad dress.

[Guest]

I don't even make $3400 a MONTH...it's sick...it's obnoxious and obscene when that sore of money is spent on such frivolous things

if I won the Lottery tomorrow you will never see me in an $500 pair of shoes unless I bought them at the thrift store! I guess I just was raised to appreciate the value of a dollar...I worked ever since I was a little kid...thinned apples..picked berries..walked dogs...babysat...mowed lawns...I earned the extras that I had because I paid for those with my OWN money...most kids nowadays have no freakin clue..sadly this girl's tragedy may have taught her that her $1200 is better spent on laying her boyfriend to rest

I know that sounds harsh...but funerals are expensive too

[ichabodius]

Very noble gesture for the girl to help pay for the funeral.
Apparently the store broke policy before and let the daughter return a dress in January. Im sure they will let her return this one for cash too.
http://tomsriver.patch.com/articles/...return-counter
People should cool their jets and not slander schools or a business for enforcing a clearly stated policy.
Like the daughter of the owner said if they had talked to the owner about the situation there wouldnt have been any problem.

[pvezz]

Very noble gesture for the girl to help pay for the funeral.
Apparently the store broke policy before and let the daughter return a dress in January. Im sure they will let her return this one for cash too.
http://tomsriver.patch.com/articles/...return-counter
People should cool their jets and not slander schools or a business for enforcing a clearly stated policy.
Like the daughter of the owner said if they had talked to the owner about the situation there wouldnt have been any problem.

This is how I feel, too. She was obviously aware of the return policy when she bought the dress.

[okidoll]

They might have rethought their policy. They now have a huge boycott going on against their store.

[DietCokeofEvil]

There are two sides people... This is from the local newspaper- the Asbury Park Press. I copied the article because linking it will only last so long...


FREEHOLD — Like many of her friends, Jackie Genovese had excitedly planned to attend prom this year, dress-shopping months ahead and coordinating the big night with her date.
Then tragedy struck: Her boyfriend, 17-year-old James Volpe, was killed in a two-car crash May 13. Devastated, Jackie, 16, said she’d hoped to return her $1,200 dress to help James’ family pay for funeral expenses.
But when Genovese’s family tried to return the dress May 14, owners at Diane & Co., in Freehold, home of Oxygen reality show “Jersey Couture,’’ refused a refund and offered a store credit instead. The news spread: By Friday afternoon, more than 2,100 people had joined a Facebook page urging members to boycott the store. Many flooded the show and business’ fan pages with messages lambasting owners Diane Scali and Kimberly Gambale for their decision while other area businesses offered Genovese help with fundraising and donations.
“(The Volpes) were like a second family to me and I felt (getting the dress money for them) was the least I could do,’’ said Genovese, a sophomore at Jackson Liberty High School. “I’m completely heartbroken and I’m heartbroken for (the Volpes). All I wanted to do was give the money to my boyfriend…He was the best kid in Jackson…and everyone is just coming together.’’
Jackie was at the Jackson home of friend Briana Whelan, 16, to see Briana off to her own junior prom at Jackson Memorial High School Friday night. Briana’s mother, Nanci Whelan, started the Facebook page late Thursday night.
“I know all stores have policies, but at times there’s extenuating circumstances where you make the decision to do the right thing,’’ Nanci Whelan said. “I think it’s disgusting how (Scali and Gambale) handled the situation.’’
Meanwhile, the boutique’s owners said Friday night they don’t plan to give a refund for the dress – a yellow, floor-length strapless gown they say will no longer be in season. Gambale, 31, and mother Scala claimed the teen’s mother, Dana West of Jackson, had asked to return the dress before James Volpe’s death.
After his death, West became demanding and verbally abusive about the refund, Gambale said, adding that on Saturday she still didn’t know the girl’s date had actually been killed.
“So, what do I do? Do I give money back to every other girl who wants to return a dress?’’ Gambale asked. “I will not give her money back, especially after what (Jackie) did -- the harassment, the negativity that she’s caused. If every single person on Facebook, instead of writing comments, would have donated a dollar, you would’ve had a million dollars by now.’’
Gambale said her family sends the Volpes condolences but Jackie Genovese “is not welcome in my store.’’ The boutique has been in business for 35 years and “we will be as successful as ever because our customers know the true us.”
West said the family had previously only asked to exchange the dress and was never disrespectful to the owners.
“(Jackie) has a store credit but she’s not going back in the store,’’ West said. “(What Diane & Co. has done) is almost like stealing.’’

[ichabodius]

How bout they just bury the boyfriend in the dress and be done with it. Im tired of people causing a scene when they arent the exception to the rule.

[RaRaRamona]

Oh for the love of mike! This is tragic, but it is NOT NEWS!!! We have become so self absorbed that we run to the damned press every time we feel wronged, and as a result we have a world full of people who have no clue what is going on in the world but they can pat themselves on the back for boycotting an overpriced dress store that stuck to policy even though life sucks sometimes.

This like the people who ran to be interviewed when they didn't like the TSA patdowns. They need to get over themselves.

Very noble gesture for the girl to help pay for the funeral.
Apparently the store broke policy before and let the daughter return a dress in January. Im sure they will let her return this one for cash too.
http://tomsriver.patch.com/articles/...return-counter
People should cool their jets and not slander schools or a business for enforcing a clearly stated policy.
Like the daughter of the owner said if they had talked to the owner about the situation there wouldnt have been any problem.

Stores have rules. Always ask before spending that kind of money. I feel like she might have tried to return it even if she'd worn it to prom. that's why they have this rule about returns.

They might have rethought their policy. They now have a huge boycott going on against their store.

i seriously doubt any of their customers are boycotting. i sincerely doubt most people who joined the fb page have even heard of the store, much less ever planned to shop there in the first place.

How bout they just bury the boyfriend in the dress and be done with it. Im tired of people causing a scene when they arent the exception to the rule.

Good idea!

She could have sold the dress on ebay. She could have told the whole story & probably made twice the price of the dress.

[ichabodius]

Seems like the family is more focused on returning the prom dress than the death of the boyfriend. Wonder what the boyfriends family has to say about this.

[ichabodius]

Actually I think its really shitty of the girl and her mom to make the return an issue considering the circumstances. I call shenanigans.

[neilmpenny]

They wanted to return the dress before the boyfriend died, and got denied the refund? I gather when mumster found out how much her little darling spent on the dress she threw a loop and told her to return it. Then the boyfriend died, and they used that fact as leverage to get their earlier denied refund.

Charming lot aren't they?

[ichabodius]

Seems they did refund the money to the purchaser of the dress - the girls father.

[cloudddae]

She could have sold the dress on ebay. She could have told the whole story & probably made twice the price of the dress.

That would have been an excellent idea...

[Miho]

Stupid spoiled wench who thinks she is entitled to things. If princess had enough for a 1200 dress tell her or her breeders to dish out the money for the funeral. First of all she shouldn't be doing that in the first place. It was her high school boyfriend who in 10 years she wouldn't even remember or care about. Too many girls are drama queens these days. It is high school this isn't the defining moment in your life and if it is then you have serious problems.

Rules are rules and life sucks.

[woohoogirl]

That would have been an excellent idea...

I agree...spoiled brat probably didn't think of that...maybe she's too good for ebay. I love ebay!!!!

[Barbossa]

$1200 for a prom dress? You'd think if she had that much jack to throw into a high school dance, she'd have the money to bury her BF. Besides, isn't it up to the deceased's family to pay for the burial?

[Barbossa]

How bout they just bury the boyfriend in the dress and be done with it. Im tired of people causing a scene when they arent the exception to the rule.

Thanks for the laugh on this fine Monday!

[cleanskull]

Spoiled little bitch shouldn't even be news. No wonder the world thinks we all are loonies.

[Morty]

Sorry, I'm still stuck on $1200 for a prom dress to think of anything to say...

[radiojane]

. Too many girls are drama queens these days. It is high school this isn't the defining moment in your life and if it is then you have serious problems.

Indeed. At what age does that "the world doesn't revolve around me" epiphany actually happen?

[pvezz]

They wanted to return the dress before the boyfriend died, and got denied the refund? I gather when mumster found out how much her little darling spent on the dress she threw a loop and told her to return it. Then the boyfriend died, and they used that fact as leverage to get their earlier denied refund.

Charming lot aren't they?

This is what I think, as well.

LOL @ Ichie and burying him in the dress.

[Mammy]

Radiojane, I suspect for a lot of girls who were raised to think they are just extra special, "the world doesn't revolve around me" epiphany NEVER happens.

[pixiepereira]

My kid dragged me into Betsey Johnson and got a dress on clearance for $260. I kept bitching that it was a fortune, even tho she pitched in $70 of her own money. Then I look on ebay and find the same dress for a lot less. Anyway, lesson learned. Off tangent, I know - just wanted to bitch.

[CORONERGAL]

Kudos to the girl for wanting to help with the funeral expences. If her family wanted to return the dress BEFORE the prom, then shame on them for making such a stink in the light of this tragedy.
And now for my two cents. In "82, when I went to my and my bf's proms (seperate Catholic high schools), I went to a mall shop called the "5, 7, & 9 Store". It specialized in clothes in those sizes (I LONG to be able to fit in a 7 again!!). Anyhoo, for both our proms I bought my dresses there and dubbed myself the "Polyseter Princess". They were under $50 and were cute as hell! All I can say is thank heaven my daughters are both grown or I would be known as the evil, unfair mother come prom time. I look at prom dresses in nearly the same light as wedding dresses. Why shell out $$$ for a dress that's going to be worn once?

[wildcatgrrl]

I remember 579! Never had the money to shop there, but I remember it. It was around into the 90s as well, I remember it from middle school.