Jeff B.
Yelp
(Picked-Up 08/12/13 M @ 2:00pm): I think I may have been taken to the cleaners...
Although I had my favorite dry cleaners in Glendale for all my clothes, I wanted to support the local neighborhood, so I randomly selected I & A Cleaners solely because my familiarity with them being close to Good Microbrew & Grill.
So I was watching a friend's dog while she and her family were out of town. Bugsy was usually a chill dog and offered no problems, but he had a "dark accident" one day and it was all over the cream-colored couch slip cover and pillow cases! Eff me!!! After every attempt was made to clean up the brown mess, the couch still looked like a spotted cow had died in my living room! I loaded the blotchy carcass of pelt into the Toaster and hauled it down to have it washed. Here was how the pricing broke out:
Couch Cover ($44.00) and Pillow Cases (set of 4 - $22.50) - Yes, kind of pricey, right!? To be fair, these were disgustingly filthy, so any washing was an improvement. When you considered smeared crap on a white canvass, I was relieved to not have to bear witness to that visual ever again. I was forewarned not all stains would come out. But I wasn't warned about the potential of everything shrinking (more than a 14-inch all around based on the couch frame), which they did. Once home, it was like cramming a size 16 woman into a size 2 slinky fitted dress - it just ain't gonna happen, and it it did the results weren't pretty. (My apologies to all women out there; trying to paint a visual picture and just doesn't work the same if I were to use a man).
Service - Overall, everyone I dealt with was very kind, helpful and informative. When the items were first dropped off and explained exactly what happened, I was given a plethora of information as to what can feasibly be done and an ETA when they could be picked up. They were completely upfront on expectations. They called on the initial pick up date to say they needed more time, which was fine with me. The items were ready when I went to pick them up.
Parking - They shared a lot with several other businesses within a small outdoor strip mall at the corner of Lucile Ave. and Sunset Blvd. Otherwise, there was metered street parking along the main drag of Sunset Blvd. and most side streets were resident-permit parking so please be mindful of all posted street signs. Also, there were nearby paid makeshift lots in the area. Thank goodness I lived in the area.
Atmosphere, décor, ambience - This was a very spacious establishment with plenty of conveyor belts behind the counter where all of the cleaned and laundered items were hung like slabs of meat. Once you entered, the alteration area was to your right. I didn't recall any seats, TVs nor background music. The service/price menu was up on the wall above the counter. Plenty of natural lighting shown through the front windows.
Attire - It was totally casual so I was in a t-shirt, boardshorts, and flip-flops.
Overall, I hoped to never have to get couch slip covers and pillow cases dry-cleaned ever again, but if I did sadly I wouldn't use I & A Cleaners again. Truth be told, the couch was ghetto-cheap but it was a bitch trying to get the cushions back in and now doesn't fit the frame. I felt there was no reason to try and get some kind of resolution if I called them. It's not like they were going to miraculously stretch it out and I wasn't interested in credit back. I found minimal value based on the prices, service, and experience noted above (the total bill was around $65.00; no tip required), but I felt the prices were exorbitant not only on these items (granted, I had no frame of reference other than my research after I dropped them off) but across the board. And they accepted my credit card of choice...AMEX!
