Not All Buttoned Up

Dear Alisa and Gina,

I recently bought a gown for a family event. Throughout the alterations I tried it on and everything was fine. The day of the event, as I was getting dressed, the zipper broke. We tried to fix it but it wasn't working. I ended up wearing another dress in the car on the way while a friend worked on the zipper. It was finally fixed well enough to be worn for the party and I changed back into it, but worried that it would open up on the dance floor. It didn't. Even though nothing happened some friends are telling me I should return the dress because of my stress, and because a repair was necessary. I feel funny about it because I wore it. I do want the shop to fix the zipper though. What do you think? ~ No Harm Done

Since you were able to wear it, you're right not to ask for your money back. Take it in, get it fixed, and tell your friends to zip it. ~ Gina

I think you definitely need to have a conversation with the shop owners. While they might not have a legal obligation to pay for anything, they may want to know they carry merchandise that is less than stellar. Rather than start off the conversation with a specific demand, why don’t you try telling the facts of your story and see how they respond? ~ Alisa