Dry cleaners shrank my dress! What can I do?

LeSageMignon

I bought a satin evening dress from Coast, wore it once and left it in to be dry-cleaned. I picked it up and put it in my wardrobe, still in the dry-cleaners' covers. That was a few months ago.

I took it out last week to try it on as I was going to wear it to a wedding. I discovered that the big chiffon fan bow (imagine windmill blades) on the front now looks like a wilted weed and the dress has shrank at least one dress size! I can't close it around by ribcage and that's pretty much just my ribs, no fat (I'm a petite person). It's damaged and unwearable.

The dry-cleaners' tag is on the care label inside the dress and the dress is on the dry-cleaners' hanger with plastic covers.

Is there any point in me demanding compensation or will they just tell me to f off?!

the_syco

LeSageMignon wrote: »

That was a few months ago.

They'll probably tell you to "f off". If you had checked it straight away, sure, you may have gotten something, but saying it no longer fits you a few months later... I doubt it.

LeSageMignon

Thanks, that's what I thought :-(

I've actually lost weight since I wore it and am now wearing size 8 so they can't say I got too fat for it ;-) but yeah the time lapse is the problem.

Although they wouldn't actually know when I had it cleaned from looking at the tag, would they?

Riordan123

I doubt it but...

They might look up their books in case you took the label off a different thing, and that will surely show up the date it was handed in

Soundman

Dry Cleaners do keep records of docket numbers along side the date that they were cleaned, for issues just like this. So yes, they would know when you had that dress last cleaned by them if they checked their records. Most also use colour codes and sequential numbering for this purpose.

After a few months, you would have no recourse on this unfortunate occurrence as it would be nay on impossible to prove that you hadn't got it cleaned elsewhere. Don't forget that those dockets are created to withstand the torture of perchloroethylene (the chemical that used to be used for dry cleaning, I can't recall what is used these days). You could easily have left the docket on and the next cleaners didn't remove it. (I'm not saying you did do this by the way. Just saying that it would be difficult to prove either way).

Just chalk it up as a bad experience I'm afraid, and remember to check your items of clothing as soon as you get home in future, just in case, God forbid, you are unlucky again.

Cabaal

Soundman wrote: »

Dry Cleaners do keep records of docket numbers along side the date that they were cleaned, for issues just like this. So yes, they would know when you had that dress last cleaned by them if they checked their records. Most also use colour codes and sequential numbering for this purpose..

Who's to say she didn't have her dress cleaned elsewhere since though, given its been a number of months I don't see any way you have resourse on this

LeSageMignon

Cabaal wrote: »

Who's to say she didn't have her dress cleaned elsewhere since though, given its been a number of months I don't see any way you have resourse on this

I did not have my dress cleaned elsewhere! Does everyone else try on all items that have been dry-cleaned as soon as they're home to make sure they aren't shrunk? I think not.

It's an expensive evening dress - not the kind of thing one wears regularly.

Thanks to everyone who gave useful replies.

dudara

Given the length of time that has elapsed between getting the dress dry-cleaned and trying it on, you may not have any recourse with the shop.

Having said that, I would at least call into the shop and explain the problem. Be polite at all time, state the issue simply and clearly. You never know - if they are a decent outfit, they may do something about it.

Cabaal

LeSageMignon wrote: »

I did not have my dress cleaned elsewhere!

I'm not saying you did, my point is how do you prove otherwise if the dry cleaners say you did?

I'd imagine this would be the first argument they'd come out with given the time that has lapsed since you used their service

eth0_

LeSageMignon wrote: »

I did not have my dress cleaned elsewhere! Does everyone else try on all items that have been dry-cleaned as soon as they're home to make sure they aren't shrunk? I think not.

Given how much it costs to dry clean a dress like that, I think most people would check it hadn't been damaged or shrunk before even leaving the shop.

Even if I get a service wash & dry done on my laundry I check for damage/shrinkage as soon as I get home.

Jev/N

Might seem like a stupid question but did the tag say "do not dry clean"?

darc

any chance the fabric itself is the fault - dry cleaners for the most part now their business and folloow certain procedures with evening dresses and different materials.

possibly the fault is with the raw material used for the dress - maybe check with coast on this too!