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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think the dry cleaners lent out my shoes?!

335 replies

crispysausagerolls · 24/09/2019 19:19

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?!

OP posts:
SeaSaltandLime · 25/09/2019 19:17

I wonder if he promised them to someone for the future (wedding or something?) and was going to clean and courier them to you afterwards?

A bit far-fetched but who knows?

Original poster
crispysausagerolls · 25/09/2019 19:17

he didn't get a chance to clean them for you

He had 6 bloody weeks!! And if he hasn’t done it why not just be honest about it? I wouldn’t have minded at all.

OP posts:
runoutofnamechanges · 25/09/2019 19:20

I think you need to try and get them cleaned before you have them dyed. Dying won't cover the stains, it will still show through. Depending on the new colour it might be a bit less obvious or it could highlight it. Maybe contact Prada for advice on cleaning them.

The shoe repairer I used to use was an authorised repairer for some labels (ie he could get genuine replacement parts). I think Prada was one of them. Unfortunately they have closed but maybe you could look for somewhere similar? They might know how to restore them.

FuriousCheekyFucker · 25/09/2019 19:22

He forgot and knowing how hysterical you are, rather than admitting it and seeing you "go nuclear" and ruin his business over a small error, opted to tell a little white lie to give himself breathing space.

Your mum knows how flaky you are and got the shoes back so she can have some peace rather than leave them with the dry cleaners and have to hear you moan for the rest of your life about how your life was ruined by an untrustworthy dry cleaner who made a simple error.

runoutofnamechanges · 25/09/2019 19:25

They were one of these places:

ldnfashion.com/features/london-top-10-shoe-handbag-repair-shops/

Obviously now they have closed down, that's no use, but perhaps one of the other places recommended could help?

GoldenFlaps · 25/09/2019 19:26

Someone up thread said "He fucked up the shoes ...". I didn't see the 'up' when I first read it. I have put two and two together Envy

Original poster
crispysausagerolls · 25/09/2019 19:26

FuriousCheekyFucker

Omg 😂😂😂 who pissed on your chips?!

OP posts:
GabsAlot · 25/09/2019 19:27

I dyed mine black didnt run or show any stains

Original poster
crispysausagerolls · 25/09/2019 19:29

runoutofnamechanges

Very good point, thank you! It’s difficult to know what the best thing to do it; will ask Prada for advice. Definitely don’t want to make it worse!

Also to the PP who said their dyed shoes ran 😳 didn’t even consider that! Is that really a thing?

OP posts:
Vivianebrookskoviak · 25/09/2019 19:37

You don't know what dry cleaners do with things when they're sent in for a clean. I sent a coat they did nothing with,the stain was still there and it was probably only coke. The woman in front of me was complaining about them colour running her white dress with a blue sash she'd sent in to dry clean(because they put it in a washing machine I was told by a friend that that's how that must have happened) when I went to drop them off and although they told me they couldn't guarantee that they would get the stain out I wasn't refunded for it although the other coat I sent they did get the perfume smell out of.
OP I wouldn't put it past them they've rented them out or done something with them.

TrollTheRespawnJeremy · 25/09/2019 19:40

Oh my god so many of you are the customers from hell.

Winterlife · 25/09/2019 19:48

He told you to come back next week...he didn't get a chance to clean them for you.

After six weeks??? He won't have a successful business if this is his idea of customer service.

Vivianebrookskoviak · 25/09/2019 19:50

Ooh just read a few pages back and saw the photo...ooh you could only dye those shoes, they look quite worn to me and more than on a wedding day. Very fishy.
Either that or he doesn't know what he's doing.
I never used that dry cleaners after they failed to clean my coat,I go elsewhere and nearer now.
If I were you OP I wouldn't trust him again and if you can go somewhere else,even further then do.

somecakefather · 25/09/2019 20:08

He had 6 bloody weeks!! And if he hasn’t done it why not just be honest about it? I wouldn’t have minded at all

I didn’t forget forget but they are wedding shoes It’s not like i need them anytime soon! So it wasn’t a priority

You're words^. What difference would another week/few days have made?

Original poster
crispysausagerolls · 25/09/2019 20:16

You're words^. What difference would another week/few days have made?

*your words

My words on here, not to him 🤷🏻‍♀️ He told me they would be done in a week. And again, another few days or a week wouldn’t have made a bit of difference, so why not say “sorry, haven’t gotten round to them yet”. I would’ve been like “ok great!” Since I went in there full of apologies for picking them up so late!

OP posts:
hesatwunt · 25/09/2019 20:25

@crispysausagerolls does it have a racecourse?

hesatwunt · 25/09/2019 20:27

@crispysausagerolls oh and more Indian restaurants per head of population than any other place in uk 😂

Original poster
crispysausagerolls · 25/09/2019 20:44

hesatwunt

PM’d you!

OP posts:
Bobbiepin · 25/09/2019 21:14

@crispysausagerolls & @hesatwunt if its the place I'm thinking of can you PM me too so I know which dry cleaners to avoid please!

MamaPeas · 25/09/2019 21:34

Ditto what @Bobbiepin said @crispysausagerolls & @hesatwunt 😱

NumbersStation · 25/09/2019 21:38

The fact that he didn’t want to hand back the shoes before having an another attempt and offering to courier makes me think he is professional and takes pride in what he does.

It is unfortunate that he didn’t just say so when you went in (if he forgot to do them) but we all make mistakes.

As do I. After your update I’m inclined to go with @FuriousCheekyFucker.

Original poster
crispysausagerolls · 25/09/2019 21:51

NumbersStation

Yes; I’m sure that the dry cleaning man who doesn’t know me from Adam knew I must be exceptionally high maintenance and difficult and contrived to tell porky pies as he is so terrified of me! And by the way, the “nuclear” comment has been taken out of context (laughably), because it would be utterly appropriate to go nuclear if he didn’t give the shoes back and pretended he had never seen them/had taken the ticket so I had no proof. As basically happened to the woman with the remarkable kilt story a few pages ago.

Some people are such unpleasant shits on MN, really! I can’t be THAT unreasonable as most other people on here also found his behaviour to be suspicious. And it’s probably because he “only” lied about doing the work. But yes, this is of course somehow MY fault because it’s AIBU so at least some posters need to pile in on the OP 😬😬😬

mamapeas and bobbiepin

All that said - I can’t give the location because I don’t want to actually damage the reputation of the dry cleaner’s! I think he basically got caught in a silly lie. Not great but unlikely he did anything really untoward/not enough evidence either way to damage/defame anyone! Shame though as I’d love to know who uses MN near me

OP posts:
NumbersStation · 25/09/2019 22:38

I’m guessing that you are calling me an unpleasant shit.

But I didn’t say you were unreasonable to want your shoes back. I also said it was unfortunate he didn’t explain what had happened on your visit.

I know he had 6 weeks to try to clean your shoes and he should have told you why they weren’t ready.

I do wonder what was said for him to agree to give your mum the shoes when the job wasn’t done. And without a ticket. Does he know your mum?

He may be worrying about negative reviews/gossip. And after the stuff on here, who knows.

And I don’t think you’ve been piled on either.

But if we at waving phrases like unpleasant shits about then if the shoe fits Wink

Ratherberightthanhappy · 25/09/2019 23:51

I think the dry cleaner was looking sheepish because he was wearing them behind the counter

Original poster
crispysausagerolls · 26/09/2019 06:44

NumbersStation

I haven’t said I’ve been piled on - in fact 99% of posters have been hilarious/wonderful/my partners in crime here. The one deeply nasty, personal post is the one you agreed with, hence my comment.

My mother has used him a couple of times and when I dropped the shoes off I made mention of something he was altering for her that was a bit out of the ordinary, but as I said we live in a tiny village and he will have probably seen us walking past 100 times or more since they opened here. She just went in and described the shoes exactly/said she knew I had been in yesterday but I needed them for a dancing lesson today. They had a long discussion because he really, really didn’t want to return them like this. If I had been her I probably would’ve just left them with him once he had seen them. But I will go to a Prada on Monday which is the most sensible thing to do anyway.

The whole thing is silly and I wish he had just been honest.

OP posts: