Ban Custom Tailor

BUYER BEWARE! Ban the tailor is a totally dishonest man — and arrogant in his belief that his customers are stupid! I asked him to enlarge the waistband of a new pin-​striped skirt … we agreed that he would use the fabric inside the waistband and then replace it with a solid fabric. The fee was $ 75.00. When I picked up the skirt I noticed that the waistband inside was untouched but that the fabric used to enlarge it was identical. I asked him where he got the fabric and he replied «I had it». Puzzled, I asked him a second time and he gave me the same answer. Further, he charged me a sales tax and when I protested, he insisted it was legal. When I got home I turned the skirt inside out and discovered that he had cut into the sides of an inverted pleat (leaving it hanging free of the waistband) leaving the fabric raw and likely to unravel. I also checked and learned that alterations are not taxed. I returned to the shop and confronted him and all he said was «I’m sorry». When I said I would notify the NYC tax bureau he returned the tax. He ruined my skirt and cheats the city while collecting taxes … be warned… he lies!

If I could leave no stars I would.
I have used Ban for a few months, mostly to shorten skirts, take in a dress, etc. nothing too involved and was happy with his work. I recommended him to a few friends and found using him to be convenient.
However a few months ago I brought him a dress to be taken in and HE LOST MY DRESS. He told me it would be ready on a Monday and I told him I would be out of town and would pick it up later that week. When I showed up Thursday of that same week to pick it up he couldn’t find it. Was not apologetic, just told me to Come back after the weekend, maybe someone would return it.
I came back and he still could not find my dress. And now he started blaming me. As if it was my fault because I had the nerve to leave the dress with him 3 extra days. I kept saying — you lost my dress and you’re yelling at me ?! His racks are in no order and he has no system for keeping track of anything.
Finally he agreed to give me a credit.
I didn’t really want to go back to him but when my husband needed a few things shortened I took them to Ban. Once again he was nasty and gave me a hard time, yelling at me about which receipt to use, etc. I just kept saying to him — you lost MY dress, how are you yelling at me!!! How are you still in business?!
I will never go back there. Not even to use the remaining credit I have.
He barely speaks English so that exacerbated an already difficult situation but was totally in the wrong. Never apologiZed for losing my dress and was just plain nasty after.
Would never recommend him to anyone.

I had a good experience here and found the work to be well done.
I had a gown taken in and hemmed. While it was pretty standard work since the dress was flowey, the timing is worth it. The shop is open early and stays open late. Its also open on the weekends which is rare for a tailor in the area.
I found owner to be friendly and professional.
A little pricey but for convenience, its worth it.
Cash only.

Brought in a jacket last fall with a stuck zipper. Owner told me it would be $ 18 and would take a day. Instead I walked it two blocks to a local shoe-​repair shop (the highly-​rated Evelyn & Sam:
) and the owner fixed it in an hour for $ 5.
I later Googled/​Youtubed and saw that it was a relatively simple repair that involved a pair of pliers and a little lubricant (you can use soap in a pinch). $ 5 was reasonable — Ban’s $ 18 estimate was not. Zipper still works fine six months later.

I came in with two pieces that needed very minor alterations, something that would normally cost $ 10-​$ 40. He wanted $ 95! There’s no way I would pay that. I know it’s Manhattan but come on.

My bf and I went to Mr. Ban to tailor a suit. He was very professional, courteous, and actually quite funny! The suit came out perfectly and fits my bf to a «t.» It cost less than $ 200 which is amazing. We will definitely be going back!

For priding himself for over 25 years, Ban’s tailoring is one of the worst tailoring shops on the Upper East Side. In addition to being unprofessional, Mr. Ban is very rude and inappropriate. I recently brought two dresses in for alterations and both came back terrible! He measured incorrectly, the dress ended up too small and Mr. Ban was unable to take the dress out. After explaining to him the dress did not fit, he proceeded to yell at me, throw the dress on the floor and use his fingers as pretend guns to shoot me! I was unable to get my dress back without paying full price and now my bridesmaids dress is beyond ruined. DO NOT USE THIS TAILOR.

$ 58 for upper torso alteration on a silk taffeta JCrew dress. Basically the top of the dress was two sizes too big.
The work done was ok, I noticed a bit if bump on the new side seam. Also, I wanted the darts on the chest taken in for a more snug fit but Ban basically said no — cue awkward moment of me in my dress being flabbergasted while he smiles and tells me to change. I was on a strict timeline (maybe cause for the no?) which he met and the overall work was good and the price wasn’t outrageous, but a little cleaner job would have put this to the 4 range. I will use them again and maybe with less urgency I’ll be able to bump up the star.
CASH ONLY!

Was really surprised not to see a review of Mr. Ban’s work! I’m a rather petite girl, and brought three dresses to be taken in, up, and hemmed. All different delicate fabrics too. He did a beautiful job, and I’ll be bringing any alternations to him.
Two things to note: Mr. Ban takes CASH only, and is a little pricier than I expected. That said, for the work I needed done and the job he did, I was happy to pay it.