Consumer Guide
to Delivery Dry
Cleaning Services
*
Dry Cleaning and Laundry Services Picked
Up and Delivered to Your Home or Business
*
By David Whitehurst
A Consumer Education Message That Gives You:
• 7 Huge Differences In Delivery Dry Cleaning Services
• 6 Recommendations For Finding The Best Delivery Service For You
• A Checklist For Finding The Right Delivery Dry Cleaning Service For You
ALSO INCLUDING
• Valuable Insider Information About Dry Cleaning Delivery Services
Hi! I’m David Whitehurst.
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to provide you
with information about dry cleaning delivery services.
Dry cleaning delivery is one of the most helpful services around for
frequent users of dry cleaning and laundry services. This is a throwback service to decades ago when many services were provided this
way. But dry cleaning delivery to the home and office is still around
and might be one of the best kept secrets.
With this information, you will be better able to find and understand
the important differences in these services to help you decide which
delivery dry cleaner is best for you.
Choosing a Delivery Dry Cleaning Service Isn’t Easy.
I’ve been in the dry cleaning and dry cleaning delivery business for
over a decade and I’ve seen most every business model available. The
reason it isn’t easy to choose the right service is because they all look
similar...but there are huge, surprising differences.
My objective of this book is to help you understand why these differences are important. I also want to help you find the right delivery
dry cleaner that meets your needs.
To do this, I have provided you with valuable insider information, so
you can make an informed, educated decision.
Welcome to my world of dry cleaning delivery services.
Sincerely,
David Whitehurst
7 Huge Differences
In Delivery Dry
Cleaning Services
*
Most people think that delivery dry cleaning
services are pretty much the same.
Someone picks up your dry cleaning and delivers it back to you a few
days later. And that’s generally how the service works.
But it’s not that simple. There are a number of significant variations
in delivery dry cleaners.
Difference #1 – The Business ModeL
There are two basic models of dry cleaning businesses in the United
States...a “Low Cost” model and a “Full Service” model. And of
course, there are variations in between. But most every dry cleaner
starts on one end or the other of this dry cleaning spectrum. And
later, many of the businesses end up somewhere in the middle.
A “Low Cost” dry cleaner excels in using the lowest cost processes
so it can charge the lowest possible price and still make a profit. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this concept. But you should
understand that for the lower cost you will get fewer services and less
attention to detail when using the services of a low cost dry cleaner.
A few of the ways a Low Cost dry cleaner reduces its costs includes
some or all of the following:
• Cleans the clothes without pre-spotting (spot removal efforts
prior to actual cleaning) thereby reducing labor cost and
requiring less expertise
• Uses steam tunnels to remove creases instead of pressing each
garment individually thereby reducing labor costs
• Limits their exposure to claims from damage to the garments
they clean by posting a sign describing the limits (e.g. “All claims
for damaged or lost articles limited to $25.00 per item)
• Re-using cleaning solutions without first removing the grime of
previous cleaning cycles
• Operating with dirty filters in their dry cleaning machine beyond
their intended use
• Reducing their hours to reduce their labor cost
• Paying their employees less and offering fewer benefits, such as
vacation and medical coverage...which can result in hiring less
qualified personnel
Again, as long as you understand what you are getting for the lower
price then there is nothing improper or illegal with this business
model.
Interestingly, some dry cleaning delivery services operate their
dry cleaning plant with this low cost model but fail to tell their
customers about their practices. The customers must find out for
themselves.
A full service dry cleaner charges more for their services but usually
provides higher quality cleaning, pressing and customer service...
pretty much the opposite of the list above.
Difference #2 – Who Does The Cleaning?
Some delivery dry cleaners don’t perform their own dry cleaning.
Instead they “outsource” their primary business...cleaning your
clothes. Often, they bid out the work to the lowest bidder or go
straight to the low cost dry cleaner.
What this means is that when a Delivery Dry Cleaner does not do
their own cleaning, the best thing they can do for you is pickup
and deliver your clothes. They can’t really control the quality of
the work done for you...other than threaten the operator of the dry
cleaning plant with moving their business. And while the Delivery
Dry Cleaner might tell you they control the wholesaler/dry cleaner,
if a garment is damaged the Delivery Dry Cleaner gets caught in the
middle...and arguments can begin.
Difference #3 – The Delivery SchedulE
Yes, all dry cleaning delivery services pick up and deliver your
clothes. But they all don’t operate on the same schedule. Here are
variations in the delivery schedules and types of services that I have
seen:
• Once-A-Week Service – The Service will pick up on one day of
the week and return your clean clothes on the same day of the following week. For example, they pick up on Tuesday every week
and return your clean clothes on Tuesday of the following week.
They will pick up the following week’s cleaning when they deliver
last week’s cleaning.
• Once-A-Week Service With Return Orders The Same
Week – The Service will pick up one day a week and return your
clean clothes a couple of days later. But they don’t pick up soiled
clothes on that second trip and they only come to your home the
second time if you left clothes for them to clean that week. For
example, they pick up your cleaning on Tuesday and return the
clean clothes on Thursday
• Twice-A-Week Service – The Service will pick up and deliver
your cleaning twice each week on established days. For example, they might serve you on Monday and Thursday. The soiled
clothes they pickup on Monday will be cleaned and returned to
you on the following Thursday. And the soiled clothes they pick
up on Thursday will be cleaned and returned to you on the follow-
ing Monday. Typical pickup and delivery schedules are Monday/
Thursday, Tuesday/Friday and Monday/Wednesday. For a delivery dry cleaning service to be efficient, each neighborhood has
specific days they serve. You typically don’t get a choice in which
days you receive their service.
• On Demand Service – The Service will pick up on the established service days for your neighborhood but only after you have
given them a call or you have otherwise requested service. For
example, assume you call your service on Tuesday and you neighborhood is served on Monday and Thursday. The service will
pick up your cleaning on Thursday and return it the following
Monday.
• One Way Service – With this popular option, the customer will
take their cleaning to the dry cleaner’s location and the delivery
service will return it on the normal service day for your neighborhood. Alternatively, the service will pick up your soiled clothes at
your home or office and you will pick it up.
• On Demand Next Day Service – With this option the Service
will pick up following a call to the Service from the customer before a certain time of the day and return the clean clothes the following day. For example, if the Service gets a call by 10:00 am,
they promise to pick the soiled clothes that same day and return
the clean clothes the following day by, say 5:00 pm.
Some Delivery Dry Cleaning services provide their service at no
charge, and others charge a per delivery fee or a monthly fee. Some
services may also require a minimum amount of cleaning to qualify
for the service.
Difference #4 – Is It Really “Free?”
Some delivery dry cleaning services advertise that their service is
“FREE.” And for many, this is a correct statement. But for some, it
might not be truthful.
There are delivery dry cleaners that operate a store at one price
level and under one name but operate their delivery dry cleaning
business under a different name...and charge more for their
“delivery” cleaning. The cleaning process is most likely the same for
their “store” customers as for their “delivery” customers. So why
the difference in prices? It appears to me that this is an easy way
to advertise “FREE” pickup and delivery while actually charging for
the service.
They “get away” with this strategy by operating under two different
names
Difference #5 – Service Area
Most delivery dry cleaners do not serve everyone in a particular city.
For smaller cities, this might be true but for larger metropolitan
areas, it usually is not. In order to offer an efficient service, the
delivery dry cleaner will usually restrict service to those areas where
the people are located who do the most dry cleaning and do it most
often. Dry cleaning delivery service cannot operate efficiently with
once or twice a week service for customers who only have cleaning
needs twice a year. This type of dry cleaning consumer would best
fit with an “On Demand” service where the customer calls for service
only when required.
Some delivery dry cleaners operate is a smaller radius than others.
For example, a delivery dry cleaner might restrict their service to
a radius of 5 miles around their store. Other services might go out
further as long as there are meaningful pockets of dry cleaning
customers who require frequent service.
Difference #6 – PRICES
As I already mentioned, there are many different models of dry
cleaners and dry cleaning delivery services. Some dry cleaners focus
on high quality and some focus on being a low cost service. Some
delivery services provide twice-a-week service and others only oncea-week.
There is typically a big difference between the work of a full service
dry cleaner and that of a low cost cleaner. And these differences
manifest themselves in different ways...spot removal, pressing,
customer service, guarantees, claims and packaging are just some of
the ways.
If you are seeking the lowest cost, expect less. And if you have
quality clothes, be careful when choosing your dry cleaner. The low
cost dry cleaner will not usually perform at the same standard as the
higher cost, full service dry cleaner.
The low cost dry cleaner has nothing to sell but low cost. The full
service dry cleaner has much more to offer. But sometimes a full
service dry cleaner doesn’t put enough emphasis on the quality of
their cleaning through reduced inspections, dirty cleaning formulas,
poor pressing, minimal pre-spotting and other services expected of
higher quality and higher priced dry cleaners.
The majority of dry cleaners do their work to their established
standard. You just need to understand what that standard might be,
It’s your choice...but Buyer Beware!
Difference #7 – Claims For Lost Or Damaged Garments
Dry cleaners vary considerably in how they handle claims for lost
or damaged garments. Some dry cleaners require you to prove a
garment was in its possession before it will pay a claim. Some dry
cleaners will dramatically limit the amount it will pay for damaged
garments. Some might pay a claim for a damaged garment if it can
be proven that the damage was in no way the responsibility of the
customer (like problems removing stains that result in discoloration
to the garment).
Some dry cleaners will work with its customers in a non-contentious
way to resolve problems. Some will not.
When there is a claim, most dry cleaners use a formula for resolving
claims for lost or damaged garments using original cost (not
replacement cost) and reduced by depreciation for the period of
time you have owned the garment. Proving how long you have
owned a garment can be difficult unless it was a recent purchase. Some cleaners will require proof of the amount for the damaged or
lost clothing; some do not.
Most dry cleaners follow the cleaning instructions in the care labels
of garments and household items like comforters. Unfortunately,
it is not an infrequent occurrence for a care label to be incorrect.
The manufacturer is typically responsible for those situations...but
how do you know if the dry cleaner followed care label instructions?
This is where knowing the people who do your cleaning and their
reputation for fair dealing is important.
These are all issues that every dry cleaner faces. Typically, a low
cost dry cleaner will take a more rigid stance than a full service
cleaner on claim issues...but that’s not always the case.
How Can You Find
The Best Delivery
Service For You?
*
The best way to find the best dry cleaning
delivery service for you... is to do your homework
and here’s a roadmap through this process.
As I’ve said, there are many different types of service available. Low
cost, high quality, once a week, twice a week, next day delivery, etc.
are variations. In the next section is a checklist you can use to help
you think through this process. Here are the steps I recommend for
you:
1 Search the internet for “dry cleaners in (your town)” and “delivery
dry cleaners in (your town).” Include individual business listings
under the name of the dry cleaners in your town as well as
business listings such as YP.com, YellowBook.com, Yelp, Angie’s
List and others. Most dry cleaners today have a web site but
sometimes they don’t so check the sources like YP.com for those.
2 Talk to friends and neighbors for recommendations. This might
be your best source of all.
3 If you work for a company that offers dry cleaning delivered to
your office, check into that source. But research that business as
well.
4 Once you have identified several candidates, research them on
the Internet. Look for indications of customer service, quality
and delivery schedules on their web site. Use this step to whittle
down your prospects to two or three that meet your needs.
Just remember...you should not believe everything you read
on the Internet. You still need to verify the information that is
important to you.
5 Call the business and speak to the Owner, the Manager, or in
larger operations the Route or Delivery Manager. Discuss with
him or her the various aspects of the services and standards you
find important. The checklist in the next section might help
you.
6 Check with the local Better Business Bureau. You can usually
check on line or over the phone. But remember that dry
cleaners process a lot of clothes and complaints can happen
even with the best. But if there are a lot of complaints,
especially recent complaints, be concerned. A larger dry
cleaner with several locations will have more opportunity for
complaints than a small, single location business. Take that
into consideration.
Checklist For Finding The Right Delivery Dry Cleaner For You
Fill In Your Candidates Below
Objective
Who does the cleaning...the delivery
service or a wholesaler?
Is the dry cleaner a low cost cleaner or a
full service cleaner?
What pickup and delivery schedule fits
my needs best and what does the service
offer?
• Once-a-week
• Once-a-week with same week return
• Twice-a-week
• On demand
• Other
Will the delivery service serve me at
OTHER than the regular schedule?
Is there a cost to the delivery? Is “free”
delivery really “free?”
Does the delivery service serve my
neighborhood?
How do prices compare:
• Laundered shirts
• Laundered blouses
• Dry Cleaned shirts and blouses
• Pants
• Sport coats/blazers
• Other items I clean
Recommendations by friends or
neighbors
BBB rating and complaints
How are claims for lost or damaged
garments resolved?
I hope this information is useful
to you in finding the right dry
cleaning delivery service.
*
It’s up to you to decide which
service is right for you.
© 2012 David Whitehurst
ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED. No part of this
book may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by
any informational storage or retrieval system
without express written permission from David
Whitehurst.
DISCLAIMER AND/OR LEGAL NOTICES
While all attempts have been made to verify information provided in this book, the author
assumes no responsibility for errors, inaccuracies or omissions. Any slights of people or
organizations are unintentional. If advice concerning legal or related matters is needed,
the services of a qualified professional should be sought. This book is not intended for use
as a source of legal or accounting advice. Also, some suggestions made in this book concerning marketing, product sales, etc. may have inadvertently introduced practices deemed
unlawful in certain states and municipalities. You should be aware of the various laws
governing business transactions or other business practices in your particular geographic
location.
Any references to any persons or businesses, whether living or dead, existing or defunct, is
purely coincidental.
Printed in the United Sates of America