MRB said:
i took my very nice leather coat to the clearners in my hometown in va. on 1/11/01. when i returned a week later to pick it up they had ruined it. they kept insisting on keeping it and trying to fix it. it is now 3/2/01! when i went back to pick it up they told me to come back in a week when the owner returns from vacation. one of the employees said that they 'might' give me a partial credit. obviously, i can not wear a partial coat. should i leave the coat until they decide to give me what i paid for it? the coat is now discolered with black spots everywhere and the leather is very hard. what should i do? i paid almost 300.00 for the coat about 3 years ago.
My response:
Obviously, from your post, the coat is ruined. However, you are not entitled to what you paid for the coat. You are only entitled to the value of the coat on the date you brought it to the cleaner - - i.e., the "fair market value" of what a 3 year old coat is worth.
A coat like that probably has a 12 year lifespan; ergo, since you have used the coat for 25% of it's useful life, you would then be entitled to $225.00 - - assuming, of course, you can prove the original purchase price.
Now, they are going to balk at paying you, and if they do decide to pay you, it'll be somewhere in the area of $50 to $75.
Therefore, write a demand letter to the Cleaner, summarizing everything, from day one, and then make your demand for $225.00. Make sure you give them clean copies of your original receipt for the coat, the "claim ticket" and an explanation of the "fair market value" and why you're entitled to that amount.
When they refuse or fail to pay you or refuse or fail to acknowledge your letter say, after the 10th day, then you should file a claim in Small Claims court and obtain a judgment. For the court hearing, bring the coat, the claim ticket, your original receipt for the purchase of the coat, and your letter to the cleaners.
Good luck to you.
IAAL
