You took your favorite dress to your Dry Cleaner for a professional clean and when you got it back, it was damaged.
Should your dry cleaner reimburse you for the damage?
Yes, he should if it was the Dry Cleaner’s error. Every garment comes with a care label. The care label is placed in a garment by the manufacture of the garment advising on how the item should be washed. Following the manufacture’s cleaning instructions is imperative to maintaining the garment’s integrity and ensuring it looks “like new” after a cleaning.
All dry cleaners are required to launder or dry clean the item according to the care label. If the dry cleaner did not follow the care label then most certainly your cleaner should reimburse you the value of an item if it’s returned damaged. But be prepared, the value of the item, and what you will be reimbursed, is not what you paid for it years ago.
Think of your clothing as cars with speedometers. Dry cleaners use the National Fair Claims Adjustment Guide to determine the value based on the garment’s original price, age and condition when they must pay a claim. It’s impossible to be reimbursed for exactly what you paid for an item.
Classic Cleaners will always yield to the care label instructions when cleaning a garment. There have been very few instances in which a customer requests that we detour from the care label. If that happens, we consult with the customer to explain possible outcomes and we ask the customer to sign a release.
There’s been many general articles written trying to convince the consumer that dry cleaners are out to get you and your money. In reality, if that were true, no dry cleaner would be in business for long. Once the entire neighborhood/town/city found out a Dry Cleaner’s customer service was bad and the cleaning was of poor quality, they would refuse to patronize that Dry Cleaner and the company could not sustain.
Classic Cleaners has been in business 28 years. Our #1 job -and objective – is to help you maintain your wardrobe in like new condition for as long as possible. It’s in our best interest to provide the highest quality care to your garments, households, and specialty items; as well as provide the highest level of communication and customer service to our customers. Our focus is to professionally clean your items the way the manufacturer has advised so they look great year after year.
If you’re ever in doubt or have questions regarding our cleaning methods, please ask the manager at the store you frequent or contact us anytime. And, check out our post the truth about professional dry cleaning for more information.
-S.O.
