Re: Cleaners LOST belt to my Trechcoat

Fressa · ‎03-20-2012

The same thing happend to me years ago. They never "found" the belt. I tried using a leather belt and did not like that look with the coat. I findally had the cleaner take the belt loops off the coat so at least it would look "finished". I wore it until I found a new one and donated the old one. It sucks!

mima · ‎03-14-2010

I have only used the cleaners a handfull of times and that was years ago. I don't buy anything that needs dry cleaned anymore. So I don't have much experience in this, so I might be totally wrong in saying this.

Shouldn't the dry cleaners owe the OP some money? Of course the issue should have been discussed at the time the coat was picked up. No one has mentioned this. What if they lost the whole coat? Is the customer just "out"?

cerb · ‎03-09-2010

I'm surprised that someone would think it strange to dry clean the belt along with the coat. If you're tying and untying the belt frequently, then your hands would eventually soil the belt and it might need to be cleaned. You were given several good options in this thread. Hope you can find something that works for you.

insomniac2 · ‎02-20-2016

The cleaners should cover the cost of someone making a nice substitute belt for the coat.

RinaRina · ‎03-13-2010

@cerb wrote:
I'm surprised that someone would think it strange to dry clean the belt along with the coat.

I think maybe she misread my original post, which said "coat". I answered their question because maybe she thought I took the belt to be dry cleaned. LOL!

"The less you respond to negative people, the more peaceful your life will become."

RinaRina · ‎03-13-2010

@insomniac2 wrote:
The cleaners should cover the cost of someone making a nice substitute belt for the coat.

During the summer, I went back 3x. The first time, she told me to "come back" and she'd look for the belt. I returned a few days later, but she didn't find the belt.

The 2nd time I returned, she had a trenchcoat belt, be it didn't belong with my coat.

The 3rd time, SHE BLAMED ME, and said, the coat didn't have a belt, because had I brought the coat in with a belt, she would've written it on the ticket.

At that point, we ended things amicably and she said she'd call me if she found the belt.

Anyway, it's now Fall, and I have no belt.

I AM going to go over there with the coat on and ask her if she ever found the belt.

BTW, she has a seamstress there, but it would be difficult for her to duplicate the exact color of the fabric and the color of the faux leather.

"The less you respond to negative people, the more peaceful your life will become."

Trix · ‎03-16-2010

@RinaRina, this doesn't help recover or replace your belt, but for future reference, most cleaners remove the belts from coats (and other clothing) during the cleaning process. It doesn't matter if the item is brought in with the belt attached through the loops. We have some cleaners here which won't accept belts. The cleaners I used for decades (before the ownership changed hands), always pinned belts to collars. This was done as part of the process of writing the ticket. A note was also made on the ticket that the specific garment came in with a belt attached to it.

A trench is useless without its belt. Hopefully, the cleaners will offer you some kind of restitution. They should have liability insurance and they can file a claim. They may not offer you the full value of what it would cost to replace your coat (in the same brand), but a reasonable amount would go a long way in showing they practice good customer service. To do nothing is an extreme so what attitude.

depglass · ‎03-10-2010

Ask to go through their lost and found. I worked for a chain cleaners many years ago when I went back to school. Each piece was counted and ticketed, that would include the trench coat belt and the sleeve belts, if there were any. So a trench coat alone would have noted 4 pieces. In spite of this "fool-proof" system, the lost and found was full of loose belts, etc. Also items not picked up for years. Ask for a belt off a similar coat if there is one. They CAN fix this to your satisfaction if they try.

Iwantcoffee · ‎03-11-2010

@Trix wrote:
@RinaRina, this doesn't help recover or replace your belt, but for future reference, most cleaners remove the belts from coats (and other clothing) during the cleaning process. It doesn't matter if the item is brought in with the belt attached through the loops. We have some cleaners here which won't accept belts. The cleaners I used for decades (before the ownership changed hands), always pinned belts to collars. This was done as part of the process of writing the ticket. A note was also made on the ticket that the specific garment came in with a belt attached to it.

A trench is useless without its belt. Hopefully, the cleaners will offer you some kind of restitution. They should have liability insurance and they can file a claim. They may not offer you the full value of what it would cost to replace your coat (in the same brand), but a reasonable amount would go a long way in showing they practice good customer service. To do nothing is an extreme so what attitude.

I do not agree that a trench is useless without a belt. You can wear a trench coat without a belt and it will keep you warm and dry.