To think the dry cleaners lent out my shoes?!

[crispysausagerolls]

Finally got round, two years later, to dropping my wedding shoes at the dry cleaners to be cleaned. Not sure if relevant to the story but they are a fancy pants designer shoe (for context, nice and only worn once by me on wedding day). Bit marked so wanted them cleaned. This was 6 weeks ago and I forgot to go and get them. Went in today and the guy looked extremely bloody shifty and said he cleaned them but as I was late he got a special whitener which arrived yesterday which he will use on them for a special touch so I can’t get them until next week. I did not see my shoes. I felt he was lying to me somehow but accepted the story, relayed it to DH who says I’m an idiot and they have clearly lent them to a friend or something similar and I should’ve said it’s fine I want them now.

Is this a thing?! Do dry cleaners do this?!

And ive never paid upfront for cleaning

You might not have before photos, but do you remember the shoes having the same amount of marks near the toe area?

Maybe they were worn, maybe they weren’t. Maybe the cleaning attempt accentuated the marks even? They certainly don’t look clean, wondering what he actually did!

I didn’t even know that shoes could be dry cleaned!

I don’t know why he didn’t just say “Sorry, these can’t be cleaned. Here’s your refund.” No shame in that.

I suspect that he doesn’t really know what he’s doing with shoes. Get them dyed professionally somewhere else - an electric blue or emerald green would be fabulous- and for goodness’ sake don’t let him at your wedding dress!

Jeez did you party in a muddy field?

Those toes are very grubby
Give them a go with a baby wipe

Hope you get your shoes back, but FFS wear them!

They wee designed and made to be worn and enjoyed! Each time you wear them will be a reminder of how happy your day was and even if they get wear a little, it shows how your marriage is enduring.

Don’t keep things for best, or for memory, or worse for someone else’s wedding

Live today

Oh for god’s sake so much drama.

He’d completely forgotten to do them and shat himself when you came in, in case you told your scary mother.

Don’t use a baby wipe ! They are probably silk satin , a baby wipe will wreck them.
I agree with dying them a bold colour. My friend has very similar shoes, and hers are shocking pink, they are stunning with a simple navy dress.

Then you can wear them for cocktails on your anniversary.

Definitely have them dyed. They're unwearable as they are.

Take them elsewhere to be cleaned. I think you may have a better result x

There is a huge mixture of opinions of 1) people being surprised that you can even clean shoes professionally and 2) people thinking I should give them another go!

Any recommendations for professional shoe dyers in Surrey? Probably safest to get them done black, then I can wear them with anything... and the stains will be covered...

According to my mother he seemed to think he could get them cleaner than this

I wonder if they're grubby because they didn't clean them well, or because someone else has worn them in the meantime. (I have a suspicious mind)

You have been lucky expecially with the ticket, My hubby once dropped off his kilt, pure wool, cost a bomb and weighed a ton, we were told 2 weeks for cleaning, but I was rushed to hospital just before collection, he rang then and they said they would hang onto it till he could get away from hospital. It was a personal family tartan Kilt, it was his Grandads before he got it, and his Grandad had died a year previously. But he went just 4 weeks after dropping it off and at first they claimed it must be in their storage due to the timescale (It is a chain of Dry Cleaner's), like you the lass took the ticket and said "I'll ring you as soon as we get it brought back up) a week later we rang for an update having not heard anything to be told abruptly by the same lady that we must have collected it already and asked if we still had the ticket, which she already knew we hadn't. We reported to police as we had the transaction recorded but at first they said that only proved we had dropped it off not that we hadn't picked it up. It was only by fluke that my husband was going through his dash cam to see if it had caught a theft from neighbours garden when he realised it had been recording outside the Dry Cleaners the first time we had been to ask, as he had parked in the spot right by the door it caught the whole conversation and her keeping the ticket. Police went back and told them they'd need to either produce the kilt, go through their insurance as a lost item or they'd have to treat it as a stolen item. Suprisingly enough it was found next day they claimed it had been in storage however we found a wedding favour box in the kilt bag and kilt had clearly been worn and had marks on and one of the lether buckle straps looked as though a small animal had chewed it. Police decided to charge one member of staff with theft in the end because the favour box had the bride and grooms name in, which matched up with photos on their facebook page, one of which you could see the guy wearing the kilt. Turned out to be the husband of the woman we had spoken too. Ironically reading some of the posts a number of scottish guests had slated the guy for wearing the wrong tartan and wrong size kilt, as he was clearly too tall for it. I couldnt believe the audacity of them, expecially when the officer said they seemed surprised at been charged as "They had returned the kilt" we ended up having to get it cleaned elswhere and repaired which their insurance had to pay for. Now I always insist on a ticket until we collect it properly, no excuses.

Missing the point here but I believe wiping them over with vodka may (and I do say may) bring them up better than they are now.

Brocks1981

Oh my goodness! 😱 that’s actually one of the craziest stories I’ve ever heard! Jesus fuckingchrist. So pleased that you got the kilt back! 😳😳😳😳😳😳

Leah2005

I suppose at least I would have some leftover vodka to drown my sorrows with if it didn’t work 😆

@crispysausagerolls I live in a Surrey village with a less than reliable dry cleaners-wonder if it's the same one! I had an odd incident with an evening dress which came back with different stains to the one it went in with 🤔

I’d ask him for a refund TBH.

Dye them, I doubt you’ll ever get them clean. Black or navy is practical, but beware, my shoes were dyed and then bloody ran cos it rained on the day I wore them. (No choice, I was 300 miles from home at a wedding)

hesatwunt

Interesting! More info on the village...?

He told you to come back next week...he didn't get a chance to clean them for you. Hell mend you, serves you right. You admitted you didn't need them so you could have left it a week.

The amount of hysteria on this thread over these shoes is absolutely ridiculous.