"Taken To the Cleaners"

When I was growing up one of the jobs I held one summer was delivering dry cleaning. This was back in the days when you could have your clothes needing dry cleaning both picked up and delivered. Why I got this job is beyond me except I think my father knew the guy who owned the dry cleaning company. So I became the boy who picked up and delivered the dry cleaning.

This also gave me time to hang out at the dry cleaners while I waited for calls to come in for my services. I got to know all of the people who worked there and uniformly they were a great bunch. They worked hard, were polite to the customers, and if there was a problem the customer was always right.

Now cut to the present. I have most of my clothes cleaned at the cleaners - at least all of my shirts and pants. I use up just about all I own and then I take the whole kit and kaboodle into be cleaned. I do not want starch in my shirts but I like them to be fresh and crisp.

Over the years I have had good cleaners and bad cleaners. Recently I thought I had found the best. The people were friendly and they did good work. But lately my shirts began to have spots on them when they came home. I mentioned this to the owner and he said that he had some kind of soap that was doing that and he guessed he would have to change soaps. No I'm sorry, can I do them over, or anything else.

Then came the straw that broke the camel's back. I gathered up a ton of shirts and pants and took them in. I told the girl at the desk I thought I had twelve shirts and seven pair of pants but she might want to count them. She scooped them up and wrote on my ticket that I had twelve shirts and seven pants.

When I went back to pick them up the owner came out and told me I had only had twelve shirts and five pair of pants. He said they counted them after I left and that is all I had. When I said I had counted them and I counted seven pair of pants, he said I had told the girl I "thought" I had seven pair of pants. I explained that was only terminology, and that I had offered to let the girl count them while I was there. Then I added she had written seven pair of pants on the ticket. He responded she only put down what I told her.

I was furious but what do you do. Do you sue the guy for theft of pants? I couldn't prove I had brought in seven pair. I was totally frustrated and still am. What do you do in a situation like that? All I could think of was to tell him I would not be back. He didn't seem to care, and if he doesn't care then you have no way to win your case.

So now I am back looking for a new dry cleaners. I want one where the customer is always right - or at least some of the time. I want one where my business is important. Basically I just want my business to be appreciated. Is that too much to ask? 

 

 

 

 

 

©2006 Jackie K. Cooper

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