I have been a longtime Atherton Dry Cleaning customer, probably 15+ years, and while I'd never…read moreposted a review, we knew and were known by Angela and Stanley Shu, the wonderful former owners. If I'd posted then, it would have been 5 stars. One time they made a mistake - my 2 (very) expensive and relatively new Canali flat-front dress pants were picked up by another customer. When I inquired and showed Angela the claim check, she worked really hard to find my clothes - using cameras (she sent me a screenshot showing me dropping them off, to confirm) she made customer inquiries, calling customers who may have picked up same day, or with similar claim numbers. And it took her 15 days (giving me periodic updates), but she literally tracked my clothes to another customer. And I got them back. What really satisfied me wasn't my relief in not losing some rather expensive pants, but the level of concern and customer service that Atherton Cleaners showed. And it was the same with Stanley , who was often working customer drop off and pick up on Saturdays which is usually when my wife or I stopped in. In addition to doing a good job, the Shu's sincerely cared about their customers, and knew them personally.
BUT, Angela and Stanley retired in early 2025. The new couple who bought out Atherton Cleaners are perfectly nice people, but unfortunately, they do not share the same customer values that Stanley and Angela showed for many, many years. We continued to use Atherton Cleaners, but recently I dropped off a French blue Boss dress shirt. I'd worn it to an event that I participated in on a Friday, dropped it off on Saturday. A week later my wife picked it up, and the new owner gave it back with what I can only describe as a severe, vertical and horizontal tear along the shirt's button placket. The owner stated that the shirt came in that way, which was simply untrue. And he denied that the rip was caused by their laundering or pressing equipment. It would have been difficult for me to create such a specific tear (see photo). And he pointed out to my wife that it was dirty, which is of course why we brought it in!
My issue is not that they didn't offer to pay for the shirt. The shirt was expensive when I bought it, but it was several years old, and it was starting to wear, although it looked nice when cleaned and it had no tears or damage when I brought it in that day. It was just worn (probably twice before cleaning), unpressed and was developing some ring around the collar. My issue was their unwillingness to just tell the truth, which was "I'm really sorry, our machine ruined your shirt". In truth, I'd probably not have asked for them to replace the shirt, because I'd realized I needed to buy a new French blue dress shirt. But as a customer, having the business look you in the eye and tell you it's your fault shows a complete lack of accountability. It's not about whether you make a mistake or not - every business makes mistakes. I make mistakes. It's just owning them and letting your customers know that you care and commit to doing better.
I've decided to take my business elsewhere, and I'm disappointed in the transition from the 5-star customer service days of Angela and Stanley's Atherton Cleaners to the newer, much less customer focused Atherton Cleaners.
