Dry cleaner problem

Regrettably, I would suspect that most forum participants could relate any number of similar experiences.  I fear that the only solution is to self-launder, and only resort to professional cleaning when there is no other choice. Self-laundering is time consuming and can be tiresome, but at least you won't have to deal with the disappointment of having a favorite garment returned damaged from the dry cleaner.

Most dry cleaners are not clotheshounds to any appreciable degree. I have had them do stuff that I consider even dumber than that. For example, I sent a pair of flat front pants with no crease to be cleaned, and they came back with a huge perfect crease right up and down the middle of each leg. How stupid do you have to be to do that, seriously? Having things stapled to fabric is completely unacceptable though. Anywhere that does that should be nixed, shamed and shunned immediately. It would be fine with me if they safety pinned it but I have seen places use staples (which have flat chisel shaped points) on shirt collars, which leaves permanent holes cut through the fabric. For scarves and such, wash it in the sink with Woolite. It won't hurt it and it probably will take less time than driving to the cleaners. Plus it costs nearly nothing. I find after washing and steaming anything but a constructed jacket it looks as good as or better than a cleaner would do.

Pink22m - next time you need to clean something ask here or email me offline. Drycleaners, or button-crushing suit stiffeners as they are sometimes known - are quite unnecessary 95% of the time. In this instance I would suggest you fo back and POLITELY ask to speak with management. Then POLITELY explain your displeasure and see how they respond. Proper responses would include phrases like 'terribly sorry' and 'will make this right'. If that does not work, might i suggest being a prick? Speak calmly but in increasing volume about your displeasure. Go in at 5:30 or so when they are quite busy and there are lots of customers around. Every business deserves a chance to fix a mistake so never go into it angry - start nice, if nice doesn't work try loud and public... but calm i generally find that when i state my position clearly and rationally I am given a satisfactory answer - especially when they notice that the safety is off and there is a round in the chamber.

Why do they staple the tags onto the clothes, or even the labels? Even the cleaners here in South Korea, who by no means process high-end luxury clothes, are smart enough to loop the paper around the tag and staple the loop shut, paper-on-paper, causing no injury to the clothes or the labels themselves.

Would you suggest spot-cleaning?  If so, what do you use for it?  I've got some slush marks from the recent weather on some of my suits, but I'd rather not have them dry-cleaned just for that. dan

Is there another option other than dry cleaning a pair of wool pants? Last time I tried to wash one myself it shrinked, but dry cleaning is an abuse to natural fibers. Perhaps any tips on a safe self-laundering?

Maybe the dry cleaners in Itaewon (a neighbourhood where many foreigners live, for those who haven't visited Seoul yet) don't process much high-quality luxury clothes, but I find that Koreans in general do wear rather nice clothes with nice fabrics. I'd say that what they wear is on average more high-end and of better quality than what the average North American wears. Comparing the clothes in dept. stores in Seoul to those in Montreal/Toronto, I'd say that there is considerably more high-end and expensive clothes being sold here than in Canada. I was amazed at one of the Hyundai dept. stores at the shear number of 500$ designer scarves being stored there (I didn't buy any, but zipped through them just the same). And there's tens and tens of similar dept. stores scattered around Seoul, its suburbs and in every major metropolitan area on the peninsula. Not that I'm trying to make Korea seem better than it is, but I think this is a country which is overall rather underrated. I find that one misconception that many have about South Korea is that Koreans make a low income, and that Korea is somewhat of a developing country way behind the west. But I find that this is just a negative image we have about this country, and that the reality is otherwise. The GDP per capita in South Korea is about the same as the one in Spain, or about 15-20% less than in France, Germany, Britain, and Italy. And the cost of living is about the same as in those countries. Probably even a bit less for certain things. What confuses many is the apparent lower income made by Koreans compared to the other rich nations. For instance, a university professor in Seoul makes about 50,000$US annual salary. In the US and Canada, a university professor makes around 90,000$US and 70,000$US respectively. But, after the income tax and the health insurance have been deduced, a university professor actually makes on average more money in Korea than in Canada with just as many social benefits. For instance, for a salary of 50,000$US a year, the personal income tax would amount to only 4000-5000$. For other professions, the trend seems to be similar as well. There are exceptions however: I heard the Hyundai factory workers in Ulsan make as much as the GM factory workers in the US (after the income tax deductions, I heard they make even more), and that korean construction workers make in between 20,000$US to 35,000$US per year, which is a bit lower than in the west. Anyway, why am I saying all of this? Ah.. The dry cleaning. So in short, yes, I would expect korean dry cleaners to a be a bit better than in North America, as people on average seem to put more emphasis and more money on their wardrobe down here.. Bern

Hyundai operates department stores? How big are all of these chaebols really? I was already surprised to hear from Alias that Samsung makes textile. Bern, are you from TO, btw? And Alias, are you native to Korea?

Hyundai does in fact. I've been to three. There are at least five or six in Seoul, maybe a couple in Busan, one in Cheju. These chaebols are huge. Think Rockefeller. I'm kinda sorta native to Korea, considering that I was born here. I'm a U.S. citizen by virtue of my father, however. Doesn't mean I speak Korean; I went to an American school. Samsung makes cars, too. My mother owns one. Pretty nice. You know about LG, right? They have a fashion division making suits out of Zegna fabric and coats out of Loro Piana. bern's analysis is quite correct, however I do find one trend disturbing: There's this huge credit card problem here because the companies giving them out did practically no risk analysis of any sort. Also, the young population of South Korea is hugely materialistic, and they have these cards and run up these huge debts and kill their families because they would refuse to bail him out (this did happen, no lie.) So these big department stores are carrying a bunch of really nice stuff, but the old folk are pragmatic enough to wait for the sales, while the young ones are flashing daddy's credit card. Ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh. Oh, and don't get me started on how annoying the salespeople are. They are TOO helpful. I think I should change my cleaner. A suit I got back was pressed much too firmly or something, because now there are recessions behind the pocket flaps and behind the lapels. Oh, and Itaewon's a dump in my opinion. Hahn's is good, but the rest of that area is just awful, including a lot of the other tailors. The transvestites roaming around the infamous "Hooker Hill" at night don't make the area much more appealing.

Most cities have good dry cleaners -- Jeeves of Belgravia is a world-wide chain that is pretty reliable, and does not staple tags to garments. But the problem is that such cleaners are pretty expensive. Then, there are inexpensive dry cleaners, but most of them, as you point out, don't really know much or really care much about clothes. After all, considering that most of the time they're just laundering $15 shirts, what they need to focus on is cutting the cost, so that it accounts for only a small fraction of the garments' price. Otherwise, they won't get any business. My suggestion is to explain the problem to them calmly, and ask for a refund, but be prepared to try to find another cleaner.