If your clothes have been lost or damaged by a dry cleaner
Dry cleaners are legally required to take ‘reasonable’ care of anything left with them. You can claim compensation if your belongings are damaged or lost while in their care.
Even if the dry cleaning company has a sign or notice saying they aren’t responsible for items left with them, this isn’t necessarily true. They can’t opt out of this responsibility just by putting up a sign - it can be considered an ‘unfair term’, which means they’re still liable.
If you’ve had poor service
If you’re unhappy because the dry cleaner hasn’t cleaned your items properly, see our guidance on complaining about a service.
Make a complaint
As soon as you realise there’s a problem, contact them and explain the situation. They might offer you compensation straight away.
If they don’t, you should ask them to either:
- cover the cost of repairing the item
- pay to replace the item (if it can’t be repaired)
It might help to say that you’re aware that “traders have a responsibility of care under the Consumer Rights Act 2015”.
If they have to pay the cost of replacing the item, the maximum they’re obliged to offer you is the value of the belongings when they were left, not what they would cost to replace as new.
You’ll probably be asked to provide evidence of how much it originally cost - for example, a receipt. The dry cleaner can then offer you a reduced amount depending on the condition of the item - you’ll have to negotiate the cost with them.
If you make a complaint
If the dry cleaner is part of a national chain, you could get in touch with the customer services department of their head office and make the complaint to them directly.
If you’re unhappy with their response
If the dry cleaner refuses to compensate you or they offer you too little, try the following steps:
Complain to a trade association
If the dry cleaner is a member of a trade association, you can ask them to investigate your complaint. They can help you get compensation if your item was lost or damaged and it's the dry cleaner's fault.
To find out if the dry cleaner is a member of a trade association, ask them or check their website if they have one.
Settle the problem out of court
Check if you can use 'alternative dispute resolution' (ADR) - it’s a way of solving disagreements without going to court.
If they don’t respond or won’t use ADR, keep a record of the fact that you asked them (and the date). This will help you later if you end up going to court.
If you paid by credit or debit card, you could also consider complaining to the Financial Ombudsman Service to solve the problem. You can do this if you’re unhappy with how the dry cleaner responds to your complaint, or if they still haven’t responded after 8 weeks.
Get an independent test and report
You could get an independent organisation to look at your issue and produce a report. It could be expensive (often around £100) but the report could persuade the dry cleaner to change their mind. It could be used in a court if the dry cleaner still doesn’t agree.
The Drycleaning Complaints Arbitration Service offers a report service.
Go to court
If you’ve tried the options above and are still unhappy with the outcome, you could take your case to a small claims court in England and Wales or the sheriff court in Scotland.
There’s a time limit for going to court - from when you took the item to the dry cleaner, you have up to 6 years.
Read our advice on preparing for court if you need more help.