Dress ruined by dry cleaners

Am sick as I type this. Took a designer dress (the only one I own and am ever likely to own) to be cleaned last week. There are two cleaners on the street. Cleaner A is more expensive and has a good reputation. Cleaner B is cheaper and I have never had a problem there, they cleaned this dress on the only other time it's been cleaned, without a problem.

As I wanted the dress for a family wedding this week, something told me to take it to cleaner A. They charge €30.50 for a dress whereas the one across the road was €16 when I got it cleaned last time. But because it was an important occasion and a special dress I took it to cleaner A anyway.

When I took it in the person behind the counter pointed out three rows of beading at the top of the dress (almost a collar type). She said there was no guarantee that this would not be damaged in the process and got me to sign something to say that this has been explained to me and I wanted the dress cleaned anyway. Big mistake!

Collected it today...and the middle row of beads has completely disappeared. I asked where they were and was told that they had melted. They say the dress was cleaned in accordance with the label and that I had been warned. I pointed out that it was fine when cleaner B had done it and they said that was just lucky.

The dress was bought in a boutique abroad, so I can't take it back to the shop. Do I have any recourse or is it just bad luck? It's suspicious that just the middle row disappeared and that all of the middle row did. I feel sick about the whole thing. If it had happened at cleaner B I would have blamed myself but I expected more from cleaner A at the price they charge!

i am sorry for your troubles but when they asked you to sign you should have hightailed it out of there. you are scuppered unless you can prove wilful damage, why not ask cleaner b why they never mucked up?

noah

ps i have to admit when reading this it made me smile and i have had a bad day

Is it really beyond repair? Some clothes alterations/repair services can be very resourceful.

Sorry to hear that this happened to your favourite dress especially when you have a big event coming up

Would you get away with the beading remaining as just two rows with a gap between? Maybe when you get over the shock of the damage and think things through you just might get away with it.

There used to be a shop near the Half-penny bridge that sold many different type of beads but they were not cheap and replacing three rows could work out quite expensive. Not sure if they are still there.

Are there any beads on the cuffs that you could use those instead for the neck?

Penneys do some very cheap and large stoned bracelets that might provide something useful instead of what you presently have.

Hope you get it sorted.

Thanks guys. It's hard to explain the dress...these jewels aren't really replaceable.

The thing I signed was to accept that the risk had been explained to me. As the dress had been cleaned before without a problem, I could see no reason to be worried.

I've noticed dry cleaners are very nervous to take anything with any beads/sequins/gems on them these days, I took a load of costumes to be cleaned after a show (to another cleaner) and they also wanted forms signed. That time I walked away because the costumes were borrowed and I couldn't take that risk for someone else.

I'm still at the sick in my stomach stage..will see what happens when that passes. At the very least I am going to write a letter to the manager of the cleaners stating that I am not happy with what happened, or how it was handled. The fact that it's only this row is very odd. Why would one row melt (but not leave any residue) when the row above and below didn't? Why are some stitches loose but others tight? How do I know that they actually did clean the dress in accordance with the label?

Hi, I had a similar problem, the colour in my dress went patchy. I didn't notice until I got home as nothing had been said to me in cleaners. I went straight back and they said cleaned it as per instructions and the dye probable wasn't set correctly by manufacturer. So I contacted manufacturer and they advised me to get a letter from the cleaner stating they cleaned it according to instructions and to send this along with dress to manufactuer (basically the designer) and they would test it for correct manufacturing (they could test if dye set correctly - colour fast I think). If it failed the test manufacturer would reimburse me if it passed to go back to cleaners.

Unfortunately I lost the letter cleaners wrote me in a house move so never got to send to manufacturer, but maybe you can ring the head office of the designer and ask them what to do. If the label says dry clean then it should be safe beads and all, if it can't be dry cleaned then how are you to wear more than once. Basically the blame lies somewhere other than yourself, form signed before cleaning or not. You are going on label and if it's not safe then it's the designer's problem.

Good Luck

Yes I agree with Catering141.
I lost a good dress many years ago with bead melting too but had no luck with the dry cleaners.
I would try the advise above and see where that goes

Sheshells, much and all as you loved the dress you're going to have to get over the loss of it. It was clearly explained to you that there was a risk, and who knows the other dry cleaners might have done the same damage. That is the problem with very expensive clothing which requires specialist cleaning. Look on the bright side, now you've an excuse to buy a new dress. Or borrow one.