At Your Service: Clothes, like cars, depreciate over time

At Your Service: Clothes, like cars, depreciate over time
By ANGELA CURRY
The Kansas City Star
Kansas City Star, MO

At Your Service: I left one of my husband’s suits at U.S. Cleaners in Lee’s Summit May 5. A couple of weeks later, my husband went in to pick it up, but the cleaners couldn’t find it. They promised to call when they found it but never did. My husband and I made multiple calls and visits to the cleaners.

On June 20, l filled out a claim. Two days later, for the first time, someone from U.S. Cleaners called and offered us $70 in cash or $100 in dry cleaning as compensation for the suit. I told the lady I spoke to that was unacceptable and showed her my $181 receipt that we had paid for the suit.

I later contacted their corporate office and asked why I would be reimbursed less than 50 percent of the cost of the suit when it was practically new. I told her that I felt this was unfair; she referred to the suit as “old” and told me, “That’s life.” To this day, no one from U.S. Cleaners has apologized for losing the suit.

The suit was less than three years old and was in perfect condition, having been worn and dry-cleaned fewer than 10 times.

I was told the cleaners used a depreciation chart to determine the value. That value is 39 percent of the purchase price. If it hadn’t been lost, my husband would be wearing the suit for many years to come. — S.D., Garden City, Mo.

Dear S.D.: You told us that you had called other dry cleaners and were told that they pay the purchase price or replacement costs for items they lose. Only one paid depreciated values, and you said that policy was included on the receipt.

U.S. Cleaners’ Bob Willyard said that while he can’t speak for other dry cleaners, he doubted their reimbursement policy is 100 percent of the purchase price or replacement costs on a garment that is almost three years old. He explained that U.S. Cleaners made reimbursements within the scope of the “Fair Claims Guide for Consumer Textile Products,” endorsed by the International Fabricare Institute.

Willyard said there are many factors that account for the value of a used garment, including its life expectancy, its age and its condition. Obviously, a well-worn article is less valuable than one in good condition. Aside from the amount of usage, a garment loses value over time because of changes in style.

Willyard said it is U.S. Cleaners policy to reimburse the customer for the value of the garment lost or damaged. To arrive at a reimbursement amount, “we ask the customer to provide us with a purchase date and amount,” Willyard said. “Utilizing the average life expectancy of garments and the adjustment value criteria, we calculate the reimbursement amount, plus refund the dry cleaner charge.”

In this case, he said: “The average life expectancy of a winter-weight suit is four years. The age is approximately 34 months, and we can only assume the suit was in average condition, which results in a 40 percent replacement factor. The suit was $181.17, by applying the replacement factor; we would arrive at a value of $72.47 plus $5.60 for dry cleaning.”

Willyard said the company sent you a check for $72.47 but failed to reimburse you for the dry cleaning, which it now has done.

Willyard said he felt you were being unreasonable in wanting the full replacement cost for a suit that has been worn for three years.

At Your Service solves problems when your best efforts fail. Send your request for help to At Your Service, The Kansas City Star, 1729 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108, or send e-mail to acurry@kcstar.com. Phone c