Big mistake now even worse

[tree6199]

Hello all. You have helped me so much with a couple other situations, I am hoping you can come to my aid again. Very long story short, I thought I had lost a suit of a dry-cleaning customer. He demanded cash and produced a receipt. The suit was brand new and cost $370 which I paid him. Leagally I had to pay him 80%, but he is a good WDF customer, so I figured I'd get the money back in the long run by keeping him as a customer and not having my name trashed through the town. Now, two weeks later, the suit appears. This was not my wholesaler's fault. It is mine. If he doesn't want to give me back a dime, is that the end of it? What would you accept back from the customer?

[Fred50]

Did he buy a new suit? If so, then you probably won't get it all back. However, you paid this guy 100% of the cost in good faith, so see how he responds when you tell him that you found it.

I would not give it back to him without a significant sum of $$ in return. Fair is fair.

[Mungo Spike]

I had a similar situation when I first opened. My drycleaner lost a good customer's dress, which she needed for church in a few days. I didn't want this nice old lady going to church naked, so I paid for the dress (and billed the drycleaner). A week later the dress shows up, but the old lady doesn't have any money to pay me back right away. Neither the drycleaner nor I want her dress, so I give it back to her and trust that she'll make three $20 payments to me.
She stopped coming to the laundromat and never made the payments ... so much for trusting people.
Lesson learned: According to my drycleaner, in my state the law allows 30 days to resolve the situation before making payment. Since that incident occurred, I've taken advantage of the 30-day period and I find that these situations typically work themselves out quickly - usualy within a few days or a week.

[Silent Roo]

I would contact the customer. In my state you also have 30 days. I never pay before the 30. I have only ever lost (more than 5-10 days) 1 item.

If I refund and it shows up later I offer to sell it back to them. If it is a good customer I have been known to return it, with or with out reimbursement. I know it is tough to eat $370. However a suit can be cheap advertising.

[Buddy_Amoroso]

THIS IS WHY I HATE DRY CLEANING!

~buddy

[fishmanz]

Since I opened just over a year ago, I have had 3 such incidents and have discontinued my dry cleaning service altogether. I didn't make enough money for all the hassles. I don't like dealing with things that are out of my control. Laundry is my main focus, not dry cleaning. Laundry we do ourselves or the customers do it self serve style. No fuss no muss. No 3rd party to worry about.

[Anonymous]

THIS IS WHY I HATE DRY CLEANING!

~buddy

I hate it tooo . But loseing stuff just happens once in a blue moon. What about the people that drop stuff off and never pick it up. Thats alot more money than a dress once in a while. Hundreds every year !