TRADING standards officers are warning people in Wiltshire to check the credentials of their dry cleaners after a number of complaints over clothes and soft furnishings.
People in the county have complained about ruined wedding dresses, expensive suits being lost and custom-made items being spoilt. One consumer had a completely different rug returned after placing it for specialist cleaning, while another had a set of £500 curtains ruined.
Trading standards officers are recommending that customers find out what sort of compensation procedure their dry cleaners will follow if things go wrong .
Sue Wilkin, senior adviser with Wiltshire County Council Trading Standards, said: "We trust our most valuable clothing and textiles to dry cleaners without making proper checks on their reputation. Most reputable business will have a compensation procedure but some do not."
She is advising people to take the following steps to protect precious possessions:
Check what compensation procedures are in a place by asking for written terms and conditions;
Use businesses that belong to a trade association such as the Textile Service Association;
Ask for assurance before leaving garments that the business can deal with the textile concerned. A reputable dry cleaner will point out any potential problems before taking your garment;
If unsure, seek a second opinion.
As part of an on going survey of dry cleaners, Trading Standards Consumer Advice Service would also be interested to hear from any local consumer who has experienced a problem in the last six months.
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