I had a very disappointing experience with Prestige Cleaners on Kingston Pike and feel other customers deserve a warning. Then I got a call from Brandon Palmer from this location that continued dismissiveness and inconsistency.
I took in several pairs of pants and a casual dress from Temu (that cost me approximately $20) to get hemmed. In the past, I had paid around $15 per pair of pants for hemming, so I had no reason to expect anything DRAMATICALLY different for the dress.
When I picked up my items, I was shocked to discover they had charged me $50! just to hem the dress, more than double what I paid for the dress itself!
When I questioned the charge, Robin at the front counter (who said she was a manager when I asked for one) told me it was because I had brought in a “formal dress.” It was not a formal dress. It was an inexpensive, casual Temu dress. I explained that I had even told the seamstress how inexpensive the dress was when I dropped it off because I never would have agreed to a $50 alteration on a $20 dress.
Robin’s response was dismissive. She said, “Somebody could tell me it’s a $10 dress. It doesn’t matter how much it cost.” While I understand that alteration pricing isn’t necessarily based on the value of the garment, that’s exactly why I believe customers should be told the approximate cost before work begins, especially when the alteration will cost more than the item itself.
My experience when dropping off the dress wasn’t pleasant either. I arrived around 3:18 p.m. and asked for alterations. Robin looked at her watch and said, “Well, I mean, she’s getting ready to go, but I guess you can see if she’ll see you.” Prestige Cleaners is open until 6:30 p.m., and there is nothing posted indicating the seamstress leaves much earlier. The interaction made me feel like I was inconveniencing them simply by coming in during normal business hours.
Afterward, I spoke with Brandon Palmer, by phone, who I assume is a manager. Unfortunately, the conversation only made things worse.
He told me that I should have asked what the alteration would cost before agreeing to it. However, he also said they couldn’t tell me a price beforehand because they don’t know exactly how much hemming or cutting will be involved until they do the work. Those two statements completely contradict each other. How can it be my fault for not asking if your business says it can’t provide an estimate anyway?
He also tried to justify the $50 charge by saying that although it wasn’t a formal dress, it was a “formal alteration” because the hem went all the way around the dress. Of course it went all the way around, that’s how dresses are hemmed! Calling it a “formal alteration” because it was a full circular hem didn’t make the charge feel any more reasonable.
I explained that if anyone had simply said, “This alteration is going to cost around $50,” I would have thanked them, declined the service, and returned the dress instead. A simple conversation could have prevented this entire situation.
I suggested they post pricing guidelines or at least provide customers with an estimate before performing expensive alterations. Brandon refused to offer any meaningful resolution. He said he couldn’t issue a partial refund because he would have to refund the entire transaction, which made little sense to me since partial refunds are common in many businesses. Instead, after the rude treatment I received, he offered me a $15 store credit toward future services.
Needless to say, I declined. After this experience, I have no desire to return.
My biggest complaint isn’t just the price, it’s the lack of transparency, the contradictory explanations, and the dismissive way I was treated by both Robin and Brandon. Customers should be told when an alteration will cost significantly more than expected, especially when it exceeds the value of the item being altered!
Buyer beware: Ask for an estimate, but apparently they can’t tell you, before leaving anything for alterations, because you will not know the cost until it’s too late.