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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to wonder if anyone else has reviewed such awful service from Johnsons dry cleaners?

16 replies

cocoachannel · 26/01/2013 11:59

I have received a letter today telling me that our local branch of Johnsons closed down two days ago. The cleaning they have of mine now has to be collected from another branch. Apart from the fact I work full time and have a toddler, the new location is a central London location which despite being relatively close to the old one as the crow flies is a PITA to get to.

We have no reason to pass by the old shop so there may well be a sign up!

On top of that the customer services number is just ringing out...

Has anyone else experienced this from them. I am raging about it!!

OP posts:

AgentProvocateur · 26/01/2013 12:01

How long ago did you put your items in to be dry cleaned?

Original poster

cocoachannel · 26/01/2013 12:10

This year, and after I returned to work so no earlier than 7 January. If they'd told me then or called I could have picked them up within 24 hours.

I realise store closures are probably the start of the demise of another high street brand, but a quick call can't have been a problem. I pay however much it is per year for their priority club so they have all my details.

OP posts:

AgentProvocateur · 26/01/2013 13:07

That is pretty crap service. If it had been there since last August it would be a different story. I was in their priority club too, but their prices were just increasing all the time. I now take my stuff to a local ironing company who send it away somewhere.

PrettyKitty1986 · 26/01/2013 13:22

Once when we went on holiday for 4 days, we got back to discover that the cat had for some reason been using the half filled laundry basket as a toilet (she had a cat flap btw and my mum coming over to feed her). The whole lot was completely saturated in cats piss, it was vile.
Anyway, after nearly throwing up about 6 times, I called Johnsons and asked if they'd wash it. The woman (bizarrely) said they were used to it and it was fine. So two days (and about £30 later) I went and collected it. Took it home to unpack and met a horrible smell of cats pee again. They'd done all the laundry... And replaced it in the SAME black bag I'd shoved it in to take down, so obviously was all in need of washing again. It took me two weeks of arguing before the manager would actually accept that there was a problem with this and gave me a refund.

Lariflete · 26/01/2013 16:17

They ripped off the sash of a £300 bridesmaid dress I took in to be cleaned. They then told me that it was a cheap dress but that their seamstress was off ill and would repair it when she was back however they didn't know when she would be back.
6 months later (I'd forgotten about it as didn't need it after the wedding anyway) I got a phone call saying they'd left me voicemail messages and if I didn't collect in 7 days they would be giving it away / selling it. When I pointed out that there was no way they left a message because I didn't have voicemail on my phone the woman got arsey and said that I should have!!
When I did get the dress back, the dress was in even worse shape, with stains on and really badly sown sash but I just couldn't be bothered doing anything again.
Have never used them since.

Original poster

cocoachannel · 26/01/2013 19:40

It's really just the incentive I need to use the new independent dry cleaners that has opened up near DD's nursery.

OP posts:

Ffuntimewincies · 26/01/2013 20:05

Ruined a dress of mine about 10-ish years ago (I was lying and the chemical burn was there already apparently ). Tried again a couple of years ago, using the one at our local supermarket. Cleaning was OK but staff could barely bring themselves to serve me and the price was astronomical.

Moral - wouldn't use Johnsons again ever. The dry cleaning service at my local launderette is cheaper and better .

Snazzynewyear · 26/01/2013 20:11

Yep, they gave my DH the wrong suit back once - now mistakes can happen but the worst bit was that they rang him and were really arsily demanding about saying he had to bring it back right that minute as the other person needed their suit for a wedding. No apology, all approached as if it was his fault for being given the wrong suit. As it happened we were away for the weekend and he had brought the suit to wear, so he explained that he couldn't get back and was none too pleased about the situation himself. Once we retrived the correct suit we never went back.

Mind you, the local independent place near us is as bad in its own way. Closes at random times and takes ages to actually do the cleaning. It's hard to find a good dry cleaner; it seems to be one of those things that a lot of places do not very well but get by anyway.

TheWheelies · 26/01/2013 20:50

I've given up on Johnsons. It's become one of those places I refuse to do business with. I was always a bit when they took a detailed look at any garment I gave them to search out the stains and make a point of emphasising that they may not come out. This may be true in some cases, but the fact that there were stains was, afterall, the reason I was dry-cleaning it. It just seems odd for a specialist cleaning business to take such effort to point out that their specialist - and expensive - cleaning may not work.

The final straw came when I dropped a dress in to be dry-cleaned and they wanted to know how much it cost me, as that would dictate what they charged me to dry-clean it. WTF?! (Not sure they've changed this policy btw. I haven't been back to find out.)

theoriginalandbestrookie · 26/01/2013 20:54

Not that happy with them either. Put in a silk dress to get cleaned and they didn't tell me it was going to cost £25 if I had known I wouldn't have bothered.

Put in two coats a few weeks ago and paid £13 each and it was only after a couple of days that I noticed that they didn't seem to be much cleaner than when they went in.

Have started to use the independant one which although slow is very friendly.

SoldeInvierno · 26/01/2013 21:24

They stole lost a dress of mine, which I had paid £165 for. They kept me waiting for 3 months claiming it had been misplaced and they would find it. Then they asked me to fill a claim on and told me that the head office would be in touch with me. The lady at the shop, in Wokingham, asked me to leave the receipt with them, but I was concerned just in case they lost it as well. So, I told her that when the head office called me, I would fax it directly to them. So, 3 weeks went by and then I got a snotty letter from head office (never a phone call) saying that as I had no receipt, they could only give me £100. They attached a cheque with my name spelt incorrectly. By then, I was no longer furious. I was exhausted. I had wasted numerous afternoons, leaving work early, to go to the shop to see if they had found the dress, and the whole story was making me really upset. So, when the bank accepted to cash the cheque, even though the name was not right, I decided to give up on them and never set foot in that establishment again. As far as I am concerned, they are absolute crap.

SoldeInvierno · 26/01/2013 21:27

I remember them asking me how much I had paid for the dress. Probably, on knowing, someone decided that it was a nice-to-have. I should have said £10

Tallgiraffe · 26/01/2013 21:55

Ours is amazing, sorry to buck the trend! They've cleaned the impossible and once when I mentioned I was getting something cleaned or the Bishop to wear at the weekend they cleaned it 3 times just to make sure it was the best it could be! I think it depends on the staff, like everywhere.

GailTheGoldfish · 26/01/2013 21:56

On a positive note, someone walked into DH last week as he was carrying a full cup of coffee. I have picked up the suit and tie he was wearing today from Johnsons and they have done a fab job on it.....

escoteric · 25/09/2015 18:29

I had my Ozwald Boateng Bespoke suit cleaned and they damaged the suit. I tis now totally ruined and unwearable. There has been no comeback from Johnstons who I think I will have to take to court!

escoteric · 28/10/2015 19:11

Johnsons just got back to me after sending it to an alleged independant testing place, who said that the holes were moth damage! How can the garment be flawless before giving it to them and no holes or flaws are apparent and in a few days it comes with a hole in it! It just makes you think how "independent" is the place they send it to. Out of all the suits I have over 100, and some 20 years old the suit I purchase a few months before wearing it and wearing it once be the one to have this to occur. All my other suits have been cleaned by the local supermarket, not one problem, the first time I use Johnsons I end up with a hole it a suit costing over £1000!

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