Let me tell you about the disturbing and upsetting experience that I had this afternoon on my first ever visit to Fresh 'n Press Cleaners on Wharncliffe Rd. in London.
The man I spoke with, or, should I say, was completely berated by, stated he was the owner, whom I can only assume is named Glen, given the pictures and information found on this Facebook page.
His terse responses and inability to look me, as a customer, in the eye, was both rude and uncalled for. NO ONE deserves to be treated in such an ill manner, simply for bringing in a garment.
At no time was I rude, loud or deserving of this tirade. I only brought in a garment to be cleaned. But, I felt like I had walked into a war zone and I was the target.
Upon presenting my dress, it was explained to me, and I understood that, because of the nature of the fabric I had hoped to have cleaned by Fresh 'n Press, that the service offered was not compatible with the delicate nature of my garment.
Furthermore, I was told, quite tersely, that it could not be done without damaging the material and I should take it somewhere, actually, anywhere else. At this point, no suggestion of where I could take it was offered by the staff member.
I was okay with this assessment, but, what I was NOT okay with was the abrupt, aggressive attitude along with the blatant brushing off I received from the clerk. He actually turned on his heel and continued to verbally dismiss me and said he was 'very busy and had to get back to work', leaving me standing there in disbelieve, jaw dropped.
NEVER have I encountered such horrific treatment from a business that is geared toward serving the public. I walked out of the shop in a complete state of shock, garment in hand, and then I stopped, as I was left wondering what the hell had just happened.
At this point, I realized that I felt I was verbally abused and disrespected by this so-called professional.
I reentered to the store, and waited, out of courtesy, for the proprietor to finish his dealings with the next customer. When it was time to address me, this same staff member launched in, yet again, with the repeat spiel about not being able to clean my dress. Once I could get a word in, I tried to state that I was not there to talk about the dress, rather, I wanted to speak to him about his callous treatment of me as a customer.
He said, once more, that he 'did not have time for this', stated that he was sick and that he didn't 'want to take my money and ruin my dress'. I reiterated that I was not there, at this point, about the dress. I now wanted to address his uncalled-for and totally inappropriate and unprofessional behaviour toward me.
Again, he turned away from me, throwing his arms up in the air while telling me loudly that I should not bother him with this. As I tried to politely ask him to please listen to what I was saying, he implied that I was "calling him an asshole".
His words, not mine.
He restated that he was sick and did not have time for me. He added that I could take the dress to any other cleaning service, just not his. I had no fair opportunity to be heard as he just kept talking loudly over me. I left feeling rather miserable and quite angry.
So, this is a company what has won, most recently, the 2019 Consumer Choice Award for Excellence, in part, for their supposed stellar service, something that the family has been proud of for over four decades.
I beg to differ.
I don't care if you are sick or if you are too busy. That is not my problem. Your job and your business hinge, in great part, on your ability to remain polite and serve the public in a professional and courteous manner, regardless of your personal issues.
By his selfish actions today, this representative of the company has tarnished the family name and the reputation of this well-established business by exhibiting a childish and boorish display bereft of manners.
Shame on you. I will be sure to let others know of my disconcerting and most uncomfortable experience had at Fresh N Press. read more
