To expect the drycleaners to tell me that it would cost a fortune before they cleaned my dress ?

[rookiemater]

Grrr am still seething. Dropped in DHs suit and my dress from a wedding yesterday at Sainsburys dry cleaners. Went to pick up today to be informed that my dress had cost £25.00 to clean !

The blinkin thing only cost me about £80.00 and I have worn it to two weddings so had I known I probably just wouldn't have bothered or tried to get it done cheaper somewhere else. Admittedly it was silk but I just didn't think it would be that dear.

It was the assistants attitude that wound me up, when I exclaimed quite politely that it seemed rather expensive and it would have been nice to know when I handed it in, firstly she blanked me, then when pressed gave an infinitismal shrug of her shoulders as if it was too much effort to even do a full shrug.

Ok I know I should have asked, but am I right to be a teensy weensy bit annoyed ( oh and also am premenstrual and trying to conceive so could be taking things a bit seriously at the minute)

They should have told you. Of course you could have asked - but I think they should have a policy of telling you up front. Those bastards. (I am also pre-menstrual and TTC).

what, you didn't ask how much it would cost first ?- that was daft !

Well yes MAS clearly I know that now .....

why didn't you though ? it wouldn't occur to me not to !! [sanctimonious emoticon]

usually they write the price on the ticket where i go... but i think they should have pointed it out as it is a lot for cleaning one item.

you were silly not to ask
why wouldn't you

I don't leave in dry cleaning often, so I guess I assumed it would be around the price on the board for dresses which was £7.50. But hey I guess I learnt my lesson.

I just found the shop girl intensely irritating, if she had just said, oh yes its because its silk, or something, anything, then I wouldn't have felt so bad. But she looked so unbothered about the whole thing that it just wound me up slightly.

I once took trousers in to be taken up and was glad I checked how much it'd cost as it was some ridiculous price- went elsewhere..interestingly they have since closed down

Thank you dittany feel slightly vindicated now. If it had been a fancy independent dry cleaners I might well have asked, but it was Sainsburys for flips sake, I have hired their carpet shampooer plus soap mix for an entire day for the same price, so I made a naive assumption. That I'm a bit annoyed about.
On the upside I got a beautiful Bodenish dark brown suede jacket in their clothes department for £40.00 that would have cost me at least £80.00 elsewhere so I suppose in a way I'm quids in.

Our drycleaners always give us the charge when we book the drycleaning in. Was it so expensive because it was done in 24hours?

I must admit if I had seen dress=£7.50, I would have assumed thats how much it would be.

YANBU, but next time ask.

No cheshirekitty I didn't ask for it to be done fast, they just said it would be ready today.

Am doubly annoyed because also paid £9.99 to get reduction on dry cleaning for a year, after this episode I never want to go their again.

Have you asked why it cost £25 when it says on the board a much lower price?

Message withdrawn

...DH brought DD a silk dress from Hong Kong, the cleaning bills were 400 times the cost of the dress.
Ah well...but they should have told you, or had a set of charges on the wall?
Didn't they write it on the ticket?
They charge by length and wack extra on if it's silk or wool so it does add up.
Mind you my local dry cleaners are excellent.

No colditz, I'm a bit premenstrual today and she was about 16 so I couldn't be bothered getting into a discussion with her.

Good idea Ruby I will try and write a letter tomorrow.

I am a dry cleaner( pls dont shout at me..!!) When we give the ticket it has all the details on the ticket including price and when to collect etc..

We do not tell the customers the price every time. The price is there for them to read and if they think it is too much they cann just take it back no probs. (this v rarely happens btw).

I thought it was normal practice to have the prices on tickets as we have a quite hi-tec till you would think Sainsburys would too.

I dont know where you live but we charge around £15 for a silk dress going up to £25 for bridesmaid type silk dresses. We are quite rural. Dry cleaning solvent and electricity and machines etc are hugely expensive and sometimes a delicate item may have to be cleaned on its own so this may explain the price.

Oh don't worry widgypog, I don't have a blanket intolerence of dry cleaners, just those with poor customer service.

I didn't get anything with the price on it, because I have one of those Priority club members.

Must go off and send in my complaint.