What to do 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 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.

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 or to pay for a replacement (if it can’t be repaired).

If they have to pay the cost of replacing a damaged or lost item, the maximum they‘re obliged to offer you is the value of the item when it was left with them, not what it 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 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 the dry cleaner refuses to compensate you or they offer you too little, try the following steps:

• If the dry cleaner is a member of a trade association such as the UK Fashion and Textile Association, you can pass your complaint to them and they may be able to help you.

   

• You could get an independent organisation to look at your issue and produce a report, but this could be expensive (often around £100).

If you’ve tried the options above and are still unhappy with the outcome, you could take your case to court. There’s a time limit for going to court – from when you took the item to the dry cleaner, you have up to six years.