Thursday afternoon I decided to go pick-up me and Rob’s dry-cleaning, a weekly errand that should take only 10 minutes, but usually takes longer. This particular day I pull up to the drive-thru and realize I forgot my order ticket.
“No worries,” I thought, as I knew they could look up my account via our phone number.
So after a few minutes of waiting in the drive-thru one lady came to my window and I gave her my phone number and then continued to jam to 80’s music thinking that this could possibly be the quickest trip to the dry-cleaner to date. Less than 2 minutes later the lady returns announcing that my bill would be $50 and some change.
“What?!” I exclaimed, as I knew it could not be that much. To which she returned with
“You have a lot of clothes…and a comforter.” I stop her right there and explain that I had already picked-up and paid for the comforter in question a week ago. “Ok, I go check” says the lady in her accent and off she goes again leaving me to jam to the best of the 80’s.
During this time I decide to call Rob, because I had left the order ticket in his car, and had him tell me what the total should be. Rob reads off the 4 different totals, I do some quick calculations and find that my total should have been $33.63. Just as I finished adding it all up the lady returns and says, “I’m sorry, we fixed it and your total is $33.63.”
“Perfect!” I reply and I hand over my credit card and rewards card.
By this time my 10 minute trip has already been 30 minutes, but I’m still in a good mood because I have Def Leopard and ACDC entertaining me. Then finally another lady returns to my window, this time it’s the manager’s wife, and she says I need to come inside because she says I have not paid for the comforter in question.
NOW I AM MAD
I have been in the drive-thru for over 30 minutes and NOW I have to go in to talk about a comforter that I have on my bed and had paid for over a week ago. I walk in and I’m being called into the manager’s office to where I’m surprised with a video. Not just any video, a video of me dropping off my comforter over a week ago. The Manager’s wife kept saying, in a thick accent, “see you come in on your phone and drop off comforter and pick-up shirt and no pay.”
Horrified that I’m being accused of not paying for something and having to review security video, I escalate my tone. “Yeah I'm dropping it off but if you check your records you will see that I always pay when I pick up my items and I picked up the comforter a few days after I had dropped it off! And as for the shirt, I had picked-up my order the day before and PAID but that shirt had not been finished! I am a loyal customer, I bring in a ton of clothes every week.” I also remind Dry-Cleaning Lady that a few months ago they had lost one of Rob's dress shirts, I thought this would help my case that I've been a loyal customer even when they have made a major mistake.
The argument continues as she continues to show the same footage over and over again, even though I suggest she look for footage of me picking-up the comforter and paying for it in the drive-thru just days later. After both of us raising our voices I finally say, “I want my clothes, and especially my credit card that you are holding hostage behind your counter and I am taking my business elsewhere.” I gather my clothes and hit the road.
After leaving, I am so angry that I call Rob to give him a full report. Now he’s upset that I was treated like a harden criminal and he gives Dry-Cleaning Lady a call. Lets just say that Dry-Cleaning Lady is now fearful of me and the moment Rob said “Hi my name is Rob, can I speak to your manager?” The Dry-Cleaning Lady knew exactly who he was. She says, “Are you Mr. New?” her voice shaking. Rob gave his calm lecture on how to treat customers and what not, and Dry-Cleaning Lady then apologizes saying that she found the footage of me in the drive-thru picking up and paying for my comforter, just like I said.
So, now I am having to go to a new Dry-Cleaner and hopefully I will never have to be under investigation at a Dry-Cleaner or anywhere else ever again.
-Kelly
