How do I loathe thee? Let me count the ways. I absolutely believe in karma and thus would not be this dramatic if I were not still fuming about the last time I felt absolutely ripped off here. The establishment also seems to be female-owned, which I LOVE, but my experience must be shared.
Being new Decatur residents last year, we felt a deep-seated need to support local businesses--plus it seemed quite close and convenient--and thus left our beloved cleaners out on L'ville Highway.
The first drop-off experience was nice enough, but when we came to pick up I was literally shocked at what our bill had come to--and it's just me and my husband, so we'd not dropped off all that much. I took a deep yogic breath, let it go, decided to be gracious and not "pitch a fit."
A couple of months later I realized that I desperately needed a number of new pants hemmed, and noticed that they offered this service. Again, with the appeal of "convenience," I stopped by one afternoon only to be told that this woman on duty didn't handle the alterations and I'd have to come back the next morning when the owner was there. I begrudgingly came back the next morning and was led to the very back of the store to a tiny, yucky bathroom and was told to change there and come out when I was dressed. Mind you, I had several, several pair of pants to have hemmed that day, so this process was lengthy and sticky because of the humidity of the back of the operation. Since the owner was pinning me up [presumably then sending off my pants to an outsourced alterations location] and she was minding the store, this process took even longer because she kept being interrupted by other customers dropping off dry cleaning. I finally left, picked them up later in the week, and was again SHOCKED AND DISMAYED by an almost $500 bill. I am not kidding. I asked to go over the itemized list of what I'd dropped off, and the woman refused to provide it. She did provide a pricing list, where I realized that hemming--which is usually $8-12 everywhere I've EVER gone--was anywhere from $14-26 PER PAIR, depending on the lining, the fabric, etc. I was furious and vowed not to go back.
HOWEVER--clearly I'd not learned my lesson just yet and the gods were hell-bent on teaching me--just a few months ago I went back out of desperation and the siren song of "convenience" and "supporting local business" and "believing the best in people" again had me at the steps [er, drive-up] of Your Cleaners. I dropped off 2-3 blouses and a pair of pants, and needed them the next day.
They were, indeed, waiting for me when I came to pick them up the next day, but I realized when I got in the car that 3 or 4 of the enamel buttons on one blouse and 2 on the other very similar top were completely missing. This has not happened ONCE in the several times I took them to our other cleaners. I went back in and asked the woman on duty about this, and she basically harangued me for even INSINUATING that I was asking for a refund or blaming them for this. She was incredibly rude, edgy and condescending and I hadn't even asked for any remuneration. I asked if they typically wrapped buttons, sequins, etc. in tissue paper or took any precautions for vulnerable fabrics or materials, and not only would she not comment, she turned it around on me for not thinking about it before I brought in my clothes.
I am at this point, extremely red in the face, completely out of my Zen mode, and vow to make my experience known to the community. So there you have it. Ridiculous prices, surly "service" [I hesitate to even use that term in this context] and "convenience" don't add up at Your Cleaners. read more
