Policies and Procedures
Our procedures
Custom orders are uniquely designed ideas or recreations of an existing costume you may see on our website (or elsewhere). NO COSTUME IS AN EXACT REPLICA. WE MAKE "SISTER" COSTUMES, NOT "TWINS". We NEVER copy another designers' costume exactly, but we can take components of your idea to make a brand new design. Please remember to be respectful of ALL costume designers' work!
PLEASE UNDERSTAND NO TWO COSTUMES WILL EVER BE AN EXACT MATCH OR REPLICA. EACH COSTUME IS MADE INDIVIDUALLY BY HAND. THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SLIGHT VARIANCES! (SPECIFIC APPLIQUÉ, EMBELLISHMENTS, FEATHERS, ETC. MAY NO LONGER BE AVAILABLE -SUBSTITUTIONS WILL BE MADE TO RESPECT THE CLIENTS DESIRED PRICE POINT).
WE ARE NOT A MANUFACTURING COMPANY (CATALOG COSTUME) THAT HAS LARGE FACTORY-GRADE MACHINERY TO CUT AND SEW FABRIC. YOUR COSTUME WILL HAVE SEAMS, STITCHING, AND VISIBLE THREAD SINCE THEY ARE SEWN BY HAND.
WHEN WE EMBELLISH YOUR COSTUME, WE TRY OUR BEST TO HIDE SEAMS WITH BUSTLES, SKIRTS, APPLIQUÉS, AND RHINESTONES, BUT AGAIN THERE WILL BE VISIBLE SEAMS!
Sketches are not provided for every order! One free sketch is provided for any NEW custom design created together (not listed on the website). Sketches of existing costumes will not be provided. We will not sketch the same costume in a different color. This saves time to then put into creating the actual costume!
Communication
*PLEASE KEEP IN MIND* Timely responses to our outreaches are CRUCIAL! Once your order is placed please periodically check the email address on file.
CLIENT AND BUSINESS COMMUNICATION WILL REMAIN PROFESSIONAL AT ALL TIMES. ELITE CUSTOM COSTUMES WILL NOT TOLERATE VULGER, AGGRESSIVE, OR THREATENING COMMUNICATION ON ANY PLATFORM. IF THE CLIENT ENGAGES IN THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOR, ELITE CUSTOM COSTUMES HAS THE RIGHT TO AND WILL TERMINATE THE ORDER.
*UNCLAIMED COSTUMES*: We give all clients 2 weeks to claim their costume once notified of its completion. A final outreach with photos of the completed costume and the balance listing will be made when we are ready to ship. We only allow a 2 week window of unanswered outreaches. After the 14 days, we will list the costume for sale publicly! We will not chase you down to ship your order!
Sizing/Alterations
We require 5 basic measurements to begin sewing the base of the costume. These include: chest, ribs, waist, hips, and girth. If we are creating a bra top that requires cups, we will need to know this number as well. If your costume requires additional measurements, we will let you know. IF YOU HAVE NEVER TAKEN MEASUREMENTS AND ARE UNSURE, WE ADVISE HAVING THEM TAKEN AT THE STUDIO AND/OR YOUR LOCAL TAILOR/DRY-CLEANER. If you would like to take them at home, we can provide an additional detailed video guide for you to follow.
Since the costume is custom made to your dancer, this information is important and MUST be accurate! IF YOU SUBMIT INACCURATE MEASUREMENTS AND YOUR COSTUME DOES NOT FIT, YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE A REFUND. ALTERATIONS ARE NOT PROVIDED.
*PLEASE KEEP IN MIND* ANY ALTERATIONS MADE TO A COSTUME (AT HOME) WILL IMPACT THE LOOK OF ANY EMBELLISHMENTS (SKIRTS, APPLIQUÉS, RHINESTONES, ETC.) ALREADY ATTACHED. Running a costume through a sewing machine or hand stitching over existing embellishment will cause them to shift, tear, and sometimes fall completely off. This will happen if you make an alteration or if another seamstress/tailor makes the alteration for you.
PLEASE DO NOT REPORT FIT ISSUES AFTER YOU HAVE HAD IT ALTERED YOURSELF. WE CANNOT FIX ANYTHING ON THE COSTUME ONCE ANOTHER PROFESSIONAL HAS WORKED ON IT. WE ALSO CANNOT FIX ANY ADDITIONAL ISSUES CAUSED BY ANOTHER PROFESSIONAL.
Shipping
Our custom calendar opens every year on APRIL 1ST. This is when we begin to accept orders for the following season. Our calendar fills QUICKLY. We only accept 30 custom orders per month. Our calendar fills at a first come first serve basis. We suggest placing your order about 4-5 months prior to when you need it in hand. The earlier the better! This guarantees shipping is available for when you need your costume!
EXAMPLE: In the 2022-2023 season, our calendar was closed as of September 2022. This means our calendar filled completely from 4/1/22 through 9/1/22. We stopped accepting new orders in September.
When you inquire about a custom piece, we will confirm a "need by date" from you. If our calendar permits, *THIS IS WHEN YOUR ORDER WILL SHIP- NOT BEFORE OR AFTER* We suggest asking for your costume to be shipped about 2-3 weeks prior to their first competition. If there are any delays in our process or shipping, we will be sure to communicate this with the client in ample time. *PLEASE DO NOT GIVE US THE DATE OF THE ACTUAL COMPETITION, WE WILL NOT SHIP BEFORE THE DATE GIVEN* IF NO DATE IS GIVEN, IT IS A STANDARD 15 WEEK PROCESS.
All pieces are shipped via 2-3 day priority shipping via USPS. Shipping is included in the price of the costume. If you require a more expedited shipping service, additional cost is expected. Price varies depending on customers location. We will communicate prices prior to shipment.
IF A PACKAGE IS STOLEN, LOST, OR DAMAGED, IT IS NOT ELITE CUSTOM COSTUMES RESPONSIBILITY! ALL PACKAGES ARE SHIPPED AND INSURED BY USPS (up to $400). CLIENT IS RESPONSIBLE TO CONTACT USPS TO OPEN A CLAIM! JUST BECAUSE YOUR PACKAGE HAS BEEN STOLEN, LOST, OR DAMAGED, DOES NOT MEAN WE WILL REFUND YOU. USPS WILL DEEM IF A REFUND IS GIVEN. THIS IS WHY WE PAY FOR SHIPPING INSURANCE. Unfortunately, there is not much that our business can do if this happens to your package. We will require a case number from USPS to keep on file.
IF FOR ANY REASON THERE IS A DELAY CAUSED BY BUYER, WE CAN NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR LATE DELIVERY!
ELITE CUSTOM COSTUMES CAN NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE BY LIMITED OR NO COMMUNICATION BY CLIENT THAT WOULD CAUSE A DELAY OR NO DELIVERY!
Payment
All clients are required to make a 50% deposit of the entire costume cost once the costume design has been approved. THERE ARE NO REFUNDS, NO RETURNS, AND NO EXCHANGES! NO EXCEPTIONS!
Payments must be made via Quickbooks Intuit custom invoice (sent to your email) with a credit/debit card, Apple Pay, or Bank Transfer. Personal checks will NOT BE ACCEPTED. Any questions regarding your actual processed payment can be asked directly.
PAYING A CUSTOM COSTUME DEPOSIT AND/OR FINAL PAYMENT FOR YOUR CUSTOM OR READY TO SHIP ORDER ACKNOWLEDGES YOUR UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE ARE NO REFUNDS FOR ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.
There are NO REFUNDS, NO RETURNS, AND NO EXCHANGES for ready to ship costumes. All ready to ship costumes are custom made in standard US sizes and not custom cut to your dancer's measurements.
There are NO REFUNDS, NO RETURNS, OR EXCHANGES for custom made to order costumes! THIS IS INDUSTRY STANDARD! If there is an issue with your custom order, Elite Custom Costumes will work with you directly to rectify the situation. You will NOT receive a REFUND because the costume is not what you envisioned. All custom costume orders come with a free consultation to discuss your order (if needed). Once design is finalized, it cannot be changed!
After you receive your order
After you receive your order and within 1 week -IF FOR ANY REASON it doesn't fit properly or you are experiencing an issue, please contact us immediately so we can discuss next steps. Elite Custom Costumes will work with you to find a common agreed upon solution to the issue. Contact should not be made regarding order issues if it has been in your possession for more than 2 weeks. We track all deliveries. We are a very busy small business and can only devote so much time to each individual order!