I genuinely wish I didn't have to write this review, but my experience with Gunderson Cleaners deserves to be shared as a cautionary tale.
Amongst 13 other dress clothing items, I brought in a slim-fit dress shirt, worn only a few times, to be cleaned. When I picked it up, everything looked fine at first but within 48 hours, I noticed a perfectly straight tear about 2 inches long along the sleeve, well below the elbow. It wasn't "wear and tear"; it was clearly the result of a hanger snag or equipment damage.
When I brought it back, the same employee who handled my drop-off and pickup immediately acknowledged the tear was caused in-house and assured me I'd be reimbursed, saying a manager would follow up. She was very apologetic and reassured me it would be addressed. That gave me confidence in how Gunderson handles mistakes. Unfortunately, that confidence vanished quickly.
Then I got a call from Dawn, who took over the situation and that's when everything changed. Instead of listening or showing empathy, she argued with me over the phone, insisting it was "elbow wear and tear." I calmly explained that another employee had already admitted it wasn't, and that the tear wasn't even near the elbow. Dawn snapped back, "Fine, I'll send it to the manager," and that was the end of the call.
That was Saturday. Several days passed without a word. Then, on Thursday, I finally got a voicemail from Dawn saying, "The boss said no claim and that's as far as we go" No explanation. No apology. Just a flat denial. When I went in to discuss it, she said it was "wear and tear from your elbow" which is impossible based on the location of the damage and contradicts what the original employee said.
To make matters worse, Dawn then told me I'd have to personally call someone named Denise (a regional manager) to try to resolve it -- but refused to give me contact info for Jim, the production manager who actually denied the claim. So, not only did they damage my new shirt, I'm now expected to chase down multiple people just to be heard. Why is the customer responsible for escalating a claim caused by the business? Who has time for this nonsense? Especially when I had just dropped off 13 items and paid over $130 that same week?
And that's another part of this story - Gunderson is not cheap. Their prices are among the highest in the area, consistent with other reviews and feedback I encourage you to read. You'd expect a level of professionalism and customer service to match the cost.
Regardless of how this ends, I'm extremely frustrated and disappointed. It's not even about the $60 shirt anymore -- it's the principle. This was handled inconsistently, dismissively, and without accountability. The fact that I now have to escalate on my own just to get a fair look at something this simple says everything about how Gunderson operates. I have an audio recording of this and a voicemail to ensure this story is straight.
I'll gladly take my business elsewhere if it means I never have to deal with this kind of treatment again. What if this was a $100 or even $200 shirt?
If you value your time, your clothing, or even basic customer service, please take your items somewhere else.
Buyer beware -- once your clothing is damaged, Gunderson's "customer care" disappears. read more
