Charlotte Dry Cleaning & Alterations

I am not usually one to write a bad review but this is one situation where I feel my story must be heard. I have been a loyal customer to this dry cleaner for over a year now and 3 weeks ago I took two items (a dress and sweater) to be cleaned. When I picked up my items and took them home, I went to hang my sweater up and noticed that on the front there was a lighter coloured patch. When I went to feel it, it felt as if the material was completely changed, hardened, and almost looked melted. It was very noticeable and the sweater was ruined. But my story isn’t about how they ruined my sweater. Mistakes happen, that’s the risk of going to a dry cleaner. My story is about how they treated me through this whole process. I went back the next day and spoke with one of the employees. She said she would send it back to them (them being this “third party” company that does all the cleaning, and apparently makes all the decisions…). I also asked what usually happened in these scenarios and she told me that their policy was 10x the cost of the cleaning service. Given the sweater was worth over $150, the $70 I would be getting back didn’t even come close to compensating so I told her that we could discuss more once she heard back. Two days went by. I was supposed to receive a phone call but when I didn’t I went in to talk to someone. She pushed me aside and asked me to wait until the 4 other customers behind me were served (I am guess she didn’t want a scene). She then told me that they told her there’s no way they could have ruined the sweater and that I was responsible. I was so offended but she just shrugged at me. I then said I was not going to accept the $70 and that I would want at least $100 for the sweater. She said she would have to call and ask. She called me Saturday and said that they would not pay more than $70 and I also found out that to be able to get this “compensation” they would need to keep my sweater. I said absolutely not, that it was my property, and that payment was not an agreement of passing ownership, it was payment for damage. As a consumer I could respect the 10x policy on the back of the receipt but nowhere was it written that they could keep my property, damaged or not. She told me that if I wanted to keep the sweater they would only give me $35 in compensation. This argument went back and forth for about a week and a half over the phone, until I finally went into the store to talk face to face. At that moment (as silly as it felt) I broke down in tears from the frustration, lack of respect, and overall situation. I tried to plead my case one more time and then 6 days later I received call saying there was no change in their response. After all this, feeling backed into a corner with no choice, I accepted the $70 with great pain knowing that they took full advantage the situation. I was accused of lying, they offered me barely any compensation, they took my property (which was more about the principle of it), and they carried out the situation for 3 weeks instead of trying to resolve it as soon as possible. It was also incredibly frustrating that they had to keep going to this “third party” person and it took days, even a week, to get an answer. As I stated, I know people make mistakes but knowing how I was treated I would never return to this dry cleaner again. I don’t know if anyone has ever experienced something like this before at any dry cleaner. I would love to hear your story. Any tips on consumer rights? Better Business Bureau? The Canadian Fabricare Association?

Instead of cleaning they added dark stains on custom tailored shirt. Then tried to fix it three times, each time adding new blotch of stains. Finally, came back today and they showed me my gray shirt...it was completed bleached with blotches EVERYWHERE. After 30 minutes of negotiations, they offered $27 for a $200 custom tailored shirt. Every shirt We’ve brought in has had to be re-cleaned twice. We really wanted to give this family a chance. My shirt is now in the trash. Out of pocket money, time, effort and one of my favorite shirts. YOU DECIDE.

Great alteration services! She was helpful, friendly and explained what could be done very clearly. Reasonable prices for downtown core!

Go if you want your clothes ruined and not be compensated for the damages they have caused. Lady is extremely rude.

So I have been going to this dry cleaners for a couple of years nows. They are nice people, and the service was always good. I went to get the sleeves of my trench coat shortened, and since I was there, decided to get the coat dry cleaned as well (it was not that dirty, only worn a handful of times because the sleeves were too long). When I got the jacket back, I noticed that the buckles of the coat were wrapped in aluminum. When I unwrapped the aluminum I noticed that all the corners of my buckles had frayed. The lady told me that they had followed the instructions on the label and therefore were not liable for the issue. I was upset, but since they had followed instructions, I understood that they were not to blame. When I got home, I looked at the label and it read "remove all accessories" - they therefore DID NOT follow instructions. I went back the next day to state my case. The man at the front refused to take responsibility and said that they dry cleaned hundreds of trench coats with no issues, and that he personally applied the aluminum on the buckles to protect them. I told him that the care instructions clearly states that you need to remove accessories before dry cleaning. He then proceeded to tell me that my jacket was "extremely dirty" and that the buckles were "already peeling" when he received the jacket. That sent me into a rage. The jacket was PRACTICALLY BRAND NEW, I had barely worn it because the sleeves were long. I told him that he should have told me before I dry cleaned the jacket what the risks were. Had I been informed and the jacket had returned to me in this condition, I would have had no grounds to be upset. He then had the audacity to tell me that I should have given him clear instructions on how to clean the jacket. EXCUSE ME?!?! I don't know the first thing about dry cleaning, which is why I send it to dry cleaners who are the experts. They then gave me an address to a place that sells buckles, and told me to find replacements which they would replace for me free of charge. This was not an acceptable solution to me. They expect me to go and find my own replacement? As a business, I would have expected them to handle issues like this more effectively.

Dropped off a dress to have it hemmed at the bottom. The job was extremely well done and within a few days (quick service) - dress looks wonderful I'm very happy with the result, will continue to use Charlotte's moving forward:)

Don’t go to this place for dry cleaning. They will ruin your stuff and won’t compensate at all. My sweater came back shrunk from medium men size to xxs women size. There are many other dry cleaners around this area. So do me a favour and go somewhere else.

I've been going to Charlotte Dry Cleaners regularly for almost 8 years, and I'm always impressed by their friendliness, professionalism and service. In that time i only experienced one mishap, when a dress shirt went missing, and they immediately offered to reimburse me in store credit. Otherwise, the experience is seamless. Shirts, suits and dresses usually take about a week, depending on the day you take them in, and I've also used them for alterations, jackets, blankets and ties. Prices are a bit high if you're accustomed to uptown/GTA rates, but consistent with others downtown, and better than the financial district a few blocks away. I strongly recommend them for anyone living or working in the area.