Advice please

[deborah.bruce]

I took a pair of my boyfriend's smart trousers into my local dry cleaners because they do repairs and the trousers had a rip in them. I paid in advance for the repair. They have lost the trousers. I have been in 7 times over the last 3 weeks and they say they are looking in their other shop, or they have to speak to the manager, or that they will phone me the next day with a plan of action. They never do.. I have remained polite and patient. Today I went in again and spoke to the manager. He offered me an absolute limit of ?20 for the trousers and refused to even discuss any more than that. The trousers will cost ?50 to replace. I have refused to accept his offer. What can I do? Should I just accept that it was a mistake, they have lost the trousers and I must accept the ?20? Or should I take it further? Any advice welcome. Thanks.

[Twirly]

Do you still have a receipt for the trousers? If so, I would try writing a letter, enclosing a copy of the receipt with a request for what you think is reasonable (allowing for the time you've had the trousers). Whether you have any further redress in a legal sense I don't know, but am sure others on here will be in a better position to advise.

[IlonaM]

If you don't get satisfaction by following the good advice above, which should work if it is a good firm which values customer relations, Citizens Advice are a good place to follow-up for free advice. If you have free legal advice offered through your home insurance or union membership you could always get free advice from a solicitor this way. If you had to take legal action it would be through the Small Claims procedure (see info at: http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/your_rights/legal_system/small_claims.htm), but it would be good to resolve the issue without having to take this step and the effort rather depends on the value of the property lost.

[Gidget]

You could do a Money Claim online for the cost of repairing the trousers. Write a letter to the company and tell them that is what you are doing. Then do it. It might concentrate their mind after they receive the letter or the Money Claim.

Do you have a legal advices helpline with your home insurance? Most of them provide it. If you do, give them a call and talk it through.

Another thing to do is to call Consumer Direct. They take a note of your complaint, give advice and also pass on information to the relevant Trading Standards Department who can also take action.

[Gidget]

He He, great minds think alike! Good luck.

[Razors]

Learn to sew as your failure in this respect has led to the current unfortunate situation. Either the shop has nicked the troursers as they were v nice, or they have genuinely been lost, or the garment has been damaged beyond repair whilst in the care of the shop but they won't admit it. Take the money and make the best of a bad situation. Then, name and shame the shop in the business section of this forum. Invest the ?20 in some needles and thread.

[LadyDeliah]

Er, maybe her partner should be the one learning to sew, they were his trousers.

[deborah.bruce]

I am so sorry not to have thanked everyone for their helpful advice. I posted this on a different part of the site and assumed it had been taken down as I couldn't find it. I have just come across it here in the lounge now looking for something else. So belated thanks. I took the money as I had no receipt for the trousers and suddenly life felt too short to pursue this with the owner of the shop who was intractable. Incidentally, I can sew. I sew a lot. But these were very smart trousers which had been torn when sitting on a nail and I thought they needed more professional attention. Wish I had done it myself now.