LONG REVIEW - North Side Cleaners on 24th…read more
We had been using this place for almost two years for all of Rene's button-up shirts, jeans, sport coats, and my dresses--usually about twice a month.
Back in November, I took in one of my fiancé's newer sport coats, the one he specifically bought for his 40th birthday in April. We picked it up along with 10-15 other items, all in the usual clear plastic bag. The first week of December, he goes to wear the coat--and it's completely shrunk. It was so noticeably smaller that we even double-checked the bag to confirm it was, in fact, his coat.
That following Monday, I called North Side and asked to speak to the manager. I was told the owners only come in at night around closing time. I asked to leave a note with my number and details about the issue. I didn't hear anything back. On December 16, I went in person and spoke to one of the employees, showing her the collar to illustrate how badly it had shrunk. She took the coat and said she would speak to the owners and that they would call me.
Two days later, I followed up. She told me the note she left was still in the back--untouched. At this point, we were about to leave for a cruise, so I waited until we got back. I then called again on January 2, 3, and 6. I spoke with two different employees, both of whom stood firm in denying that they had washed or caused any damage to the coat. Still, I had not heard from or spoken to the owner.
I started doing some digging to figure out who the owner was. I tried to message Ivan Torres, who I found listed as the owner, on Facebook, but he didn't accept messages. I then found his mother and messaged her on January 18. She called me, and we discussed the situation over the phone. She was kind during that conversation and explained that her son worked out of town and wasn't around often, but she assured me she'd speak to him.
She also claimed that she and the employees had looked up the coat and determined it had been discontinued four years ago--when in fact we had purchased it in April 2024 at Dillard's.
On January 24, I messaged her again for an update. She replied, saying her son wasn't around and that she was too busy. On February 4, I followed up once more, since I hadn't heard back. She called me, and we were on the phone for about 30 minutes.
During this call, her tone changed. She insisted her employees did not shrink the jacket and said she didn't understand why we thought it had--because to her, it looked huge. I kindly explained that Rene is an XL and that even by looking at the collar, the shrinkage was obvious. She told me the workers had ironed it and it looked good and "huge." I reiterated that we had been loyal customers, often bringing in multiple items at a time. Her tone became less friendly, and she mentioned that none of her employees wanted to speak with me because I was "too demanding."
We paid over $600 for that coat and had only worn it a handful of times--of course I was going to be persistent!
She also said I wasn't the first or the last person to make this kind of complaint and, honestly, they didn't care. Eventually, we agreed to meet at the shop so could try on the coat in front of her and show how it no longer fit. I never heard from her again. On April 4, I messaged her saying it had now been two months and I was still waiting for her to follow up. She read the message and never replied.
At this point, I've taken it as a loss. It's disheartening, especially because as a Hispanic family, we intentionally support other Hispanic-owned businesses. But their complete lack of accountability and customer service is unacceptable. I decided to write this post after seeing announcements for new "Coming Soon... North Side Cleaners" locations in two different places. He picked up the coat--of course, nothing had been resolved.
I will attach screenshots of messages and call logs. Please be cautious when using this place.
