I have been to Champion Cleaners one time, and I'm not going back.
I had seven feather pillows -- some regular size, some the longer "queen" size (20"x30") -- that I wanted to have cleaned, mostly just to get the musty smell out of them, as they hadn't been used in years. I called a few cleaners in the Broomfield area, and the woman at Champion Cleaners quoted me the best price ($15/pillow...maybe as low as $12 each for seven of them, but she'd have to see them first).
I decided to take one pillow -- the worst of them -- to Champion cleaners, just to see what kind of work they do before committing to having all of them cleaned. Also, there were some less-than-glowing reviews here on Yelp. (THEY ARE ALL GONE NOW!)
UPDATE #1: Before you get to the meat of this review, it's worth noting that the owner, Sung L., posted a follow-up note here (since deleted) here that read, in part, "Also I am talking to yelp representative that your post might not be legit." ARE YOU CALLING ME A LIAR, L.??? I assure you that what I've written here IS legitimate -- why would I make up anything? I always provide my fellow Yelpers with honest and hopefully helpful reviews. But now we see why there are no critical reviews on Yelp!
UPDATE #2: I received yet another message from the owner, Sung L., that struck a much more conciliatory tone, as opposed to insinuating that I'm a liar like he did the first time. I don't appreciate his strategy of "cudgel first, coddle later." He offered excuses, even suggesting that my queen size pillows might be 54" long! I'm sticking with my one-star review because I feel that Champion Cleaners earned it. I hope Champion Cleaners has learned that you need to treat customers fairly, and the positive reviews will come naturally from excellent service at fair prices, not due to financial reward (see below). Now, back to my review...
As I walked to the front door, I noticed a piece of paper taped near the door saying that customers would receive a 30% discount for posting a review on Yelp and Google. I took a picture of the sign and posted it here on Yelp, but it had been removed. (Note: I just posted it again.) So, yes, you can get 30% off your next order even if you post a one-star review. Of course, why would I go back to a place that I gave only one star? Clever, Sung L., very clever.
Once inside, a young woman greeted me. I showed her the pillow -- with yellowed spots on it -- and asked how much it would cost to have it cleaned. She got on the phone and had a short conversation -- apparently about the pillow -- in a language I do not understand. She then hung up and told me "Thirty dollars."
Why not just say you can't or don't want to clean it?
Regardless, I felt bait-and-switched, and I'm also disturbed by the dubious business practice of buying positive reviews. If businesses can purchase positive reviews and have negative reviews "scrubbed," either by complaining to Yelp or harassing reviewers, Yelp will be rendered useless to consumers, and that would be a real shame. So it is from a sense of duty that I write this review warning others about the business practices of Champion Cleaners. read more