I took my wedding gown to a local cleaners who has a good reputation and they wound up ruining the dress. I had a coffee stain on the top where there was alot of beading. The beading which was silver, is now discolored and brown. The cleaners saya they are not responsible for the beading, but they never told me there was a danger of this happening. She is willing to give me back half of what I paid for the cleaning, but the dress is ruined!
Has anyone had this experience? What can you do?
Thanks for any advice :)
PKASHANSKY
Posted:
Member since
Re: Cleaners damaging gown?
I would take the half! not that its right BUT if u watch judge judy, they will take off the cost of u using it anyway. If u sit in court, u will pay th costs of the courtroom and filing papers and may not win anything anyway. You should beware future brides from using them. How horrible!
girlygrl33
Posted:
Member since
Re: Cleaners damaging gown?
YES Please let us know who you used!!!!!!
oakslady
Posted:
Member since
Re: Cleaners damaging gown?
dont take the half !!! you shouldnt pay a cent for the cleaning - not one damn dime ! you get a full refund for the cleaning - my cleaners ruined my gown too - i was about to take them to court when my designer offered to fix the gown for free. otherwise their asses would have been meeting me in riverhead.
they get to pay whatever it takes to return the gown to the condition it was in at the time you gave it to them - take the photos from your wedding of the gown to small claims court. they have to pay the cost of the beading - and take it to a good seamstress for an estimate.
if they offer to pay for the seamstress i would leave it at that - unless you signed a paper saying they arent responsible for damage then they have to fix it. dont go by judge judy that is arbitration not an actual court situation. please keep us updated amy
PKASHANSKY
Posted:
Member since
Re: Cleaners damaging gown?
Oh no! I didnt see u say pay half the cleaning! I thought u meant half the dress. Holy cow dont give them a dime and yes u should put there name down on here so we know who not to use. OMG I would sue them for the cleaning and the dress. I thought u were saying they would give u half the money on the dress. no, no, no....no $$$$ for cleaning!
cmrka
Posted:
Member since
Re: Cleaners damaging gown?
Thank you for your advice! I am going there this afternoon to speak with the owner and I will let you know what happens. You are right, they should have to pay!
It is the cleaners on the corner of Straight Path and Wellwood Ave in Lindenhurst - fm me if you want the name...
PKASHANSKY
Posted:
Member since
Re: Cleaners damaging gown?
Good luck! Dying to hear your results! I do not live over there so I would never run into this place anyhow. Also, I dont understand what 'not responsible for beadwork means'. Most dresses have beadwork....sooooo.....the sign should read 'Cant do bridal dresses'!
oakslady
Posted:
Member since
Re: Cleaners damaging gown?
some cleaners do have you sign a paper they are not responsible for damage while an item is being cleaned - dont ever sign those - it is giving them free reign to do whatever they want people now adays noone wants responsibility for their actions
lullabella
Posted:
Member since
Re: Cleaners damaging gown?
If the cleaners ruined my gown I would not take half or even a full refund. I would take them to small claims court!!!
cmrka
Posted:
Member since
Re: Cleaners damaging gown?
*** Linden French Cleaners in Lindenhurst ***
Well, I went there yesterday to speak with the owner, Kim, and it was a disaster. She would not accept any responsibility and said that it was a danger that this could happen. I was never warned that any damage could happen and I never signed anything. She kept saying how much work they put into cleaning it (I had a coffee stain on it). I said “What is the sense of having a clean dress if it is ruined!”. This lady was a completely unprofessional and only wanted to give me $85 back! It is a $750 dress and I paid $175 to have it cleaned! Once I mentioned small claims court, she held the $85 in my face and said “I’ll take my chances in court” and would not give me the $$. I told her to keep her money and walked out…. Unbelievable…
So, I am reporting her to the BBB and I’m off to court!
Thanks for all of your advice!
AlwaysSnow
Posted:
Member since
Re: Cleaners damaging gown?
good luck with this...what a crappy situation
PKASHANSKY
Posted:
Member since
Re: Cleaners damaging gown?
Thats horrible. Just as a reference. the better business bureau does crap for you. a month before my wedding my hair designer died my hair green 5xs in 1 process, cursed me out, and cut my butt length hair to my shoulders to get rid of the green. then charged me 275. BBB did nothing it was her word vs mine.
cjik
Posted:
Member since
Re: Cleaners damaging gown?
Were they able to remove any of the coffee stain? It sounds as if it got worse rather than better. Did she offer to reclean it at least?
I have had cleaners or shoe repair people point out that something would be difficult or impossible to clean/repair. If she did make this very clear, and you decided to go ahead with the cleaning anyway, I don't think you have much ground to stand on, unfortunately.
I agree with some of the others--it's probably not worth your money and time to take her to court. But, you can threaten to do this and see what she does. I would compose a letter rather than stating this verbally. Also, contact the Better Business Bureau and see what they have to say there.
cmrka
Posted:
Member since
Re: Cleaners damaging gown?
Most of the coffe is gone, there is a tiny spot still there. She never warned me about ANY damage that could happen. At this point, it is more about the principla than the money. It is not right for her to take advantage of a customer...
