Q.
After getting my clothes
back from the dry cleaners I get the feeling that no one has
inspected the items prior to putting them in the plastic bag. I see
stains and poor pressing that I should not get.
Aren't cleaners supposed to make sure the clothes are right
before putting them in a bag?
Steve
Chicago, Illinois
A.
Steve, yes they should. But very few cleaners
thoroughly inspect every garment. Inside and out. Of course, that
fact won't stop ordinary cleaners from swearing that they do. But
they don't.
You see, careful, thorough inspection takes a full-time
commitment. And, if the cleaner has any quality standards, an
uncompromising position on every aspect of the process. Including
stain removal, cleaning, finishing, repairs (buttons, snaps, hooks,
eyes, shoulder pads, seams, hems, zippers, etc.), and
packaging.
The problem is that many ordinary cleaners claim that they
inspect each and every garment. They even use the term "hand
inspect", implying that their inspections are careful and thorough.
Yet, these same cleaners typically assign the inspection task to
the first customer service employee with some free time on their
hands.
A bigger problem is that the "inspector" is very often also the
garment bagger. Whose primary focus is on getting your garments
into a bag and onto the conveyor or into the delivery truck, and
who simply doesn't have the time to carefully and thoroughly
inspect each and every garment. From top to bottom. From inside to
outside.
Let's
assume, for argument's sake, that the garment bagger did, in fact,
find something obvious on a garment -- a stain or wrinkle on a
garment; a rippled collar on a blazer or sport coat; a missing
ornamental button; a loose hem; a broken zipper; etc.
What would they do? Return it for recleaning, refinishing,
replacement or repair? Highly unlikely!
After all, why bother with a careful, thorough inspection when
the entire modus operandi of the ordinary cleaner is geared to
getting your garments into a machine, onto a press, and into a bag.
ASAP. They're in by 9:00 and out by 5:00; or picked up on day 1 and
delivered on day 3.
At ordinary cleaners, careful, thorough inspections just get in
the way of their "production system".
If you have a question for Stu, send it to questions@ravefabricare.com.
How can I help you?