ComplaintsforPierce Cleaners

• Initial Complaint

  04/02/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I reached out to this company when my house was vandalized and explain the situation and gravity of the condition of the items that I needed washed and dry cleaned. Company agreed to do the job. I was asked to separate items so there was distinction between dry clean and wash ,which I did and also tried to reached out to let them know what was what. I could not reach them and my clothes returned with the receipt and invoice stating Wash and Fold only. None of the items were in dry clean bags, so I asked the employee if anything was dry cleaned, she said no nothing at all was per my request to have Wash and Fold only. I reach back out to the company to address the situation both an email and in voicemail . I was sent voicemail and email stating that they did in fact dry clean they did not charge me for the 5 bags of dry cleaning that I sent out just wash and fold and Etc. I called back and left a voicemail stating why I felt the way I did and the fact that things were shrunk and melted, I received an email in return. Stating that they were right they went above and beyond for me and essentially brushing off my situation. My items definitely were not handled appropriately and I have video voicemail and the emails all stating what I wanted what I was told I have pictures of the clothes that are shrunk and melted. Insurance was covering this so it is not even a concern about the money but my items especially my vintage items that cannot be replaced is upsetting. I have a few items that I cannot find as well a belt to one of my jackets pair of pants I have the belt it was returned pants were not. At this point I have at least 10 items that have been messed up I haven't even been through everything due to not knowing what this will result in.

  Business response

  04/10/2024

  We would like to thank Ms. ****** for her business, and we are certainly empathetic to her situation that caused the need for the cleaning in the first place, but we do dispute a number of the claims she made.
  

  Initially, when Ms. ****** contacted us about the job, she misled us to the extent of the damage and the work involved to fix it.  She initially stated that someone had broken into her house and urinated on a number of her items.  We agreed to clean those items for her.  Only after we arrived at her house were we informed that it was not only urine, but the items were liberally covered in human feces.  We were not going to take the job (as we generally do not deal with pathogens / biohazards), but Ms. ***** pleaded for us to do so and we did. 

  The items in need of cleaning were in bags (as they would have to be for safe handling and transport) but there was no identification as to which bags were for dry cleaning and which were for wash & fold.  Ms. ****** had the opportunity to explain that to our driver at that time – since the bags were not labeled – but did not do so.  We told her that due to the biohazardous conditions of the items, we are not going be able to individually read the care label and sort items by cleaning process – as is our normal process. 
  

  Most of the items we could see were items that could not be dry cleaned at all (using our extensive experience in clothing and fabric identification).  For example, Ms. ****** sent in leather/faux leather boots, beaded / sequin clothing, toys, stuffed animals and what appeared to be electronics.  We cleaned everything to the best of our ability considering the circumstances and the conditions the items arrived in.  We have videos of a number of the items we picked up and cleaned.
  

  We responded to all or almost all of Ms. ******’s emails and phone calls.  We may have missed one as we have been having trouble with our phones / internet (and can show a work order from ******** to validate this claim) but any missed communication was certainly not intentional…but we did communicate with her throughout the process.
  

  As for her claim that some of her items melted, we saw no evidence of that when we folded the items and readied them for return.  All of her items were washed, dried & folded (as most of her items appeared to be machine washable from our initial inspection).  Her “unique” items were all “line-dried” and those that went in the dryer went on Low heat (as is our standard practice for ALL items that come into our cleaner).  Nothing went into the dry-cleaning machine (to prevent feces from contaminating it).  Dry cleaning is generally the only times items melt in the cleaning process – due to the chemical and the high heat used in the drying process.
  

  Ms. ****** also claimed she is missing items.  We do not have any items at the shop that are not assigned to another customer.  As part of our normal operating procedures, we “clear the line” everyday to ensure that all customer items are accounted for and ready for pick up.  Any items would have been found then (or certainly by now) and returned to her.  She said she sent in rugs (and other items) that we do not clean – for any customer.  If they were sent into the shop, they would have been immediately returned (as they are generally too big / hard to properly clean in our machines).
  

  She was not charged for any work we could not do and we actually charged her less than our normal rate for a job such as this to try to help her out.  Although we feel we have done everything we could possibly do considering all of the factors involved in this situation, we are willing to work with her to resolve any outstanding issues she may have related to this job.  Thank you.

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