(1) DRY CLEANING COMPLAINTS ANALYSED UP TO 27th August 2009
Summary of Complaints -

• Small hole centre upper front bust area, various surface damage/marks in the satin/sateen type weave, and an overall loss of colour in a lady’s pink acetate/cotton dress, labelled Covers, care labelled Dry Clean Only (P) (30), following the dry cleaning treatment [More]
   
• Development of fine surface pilling throughout outer shell fabric and residual yellow-brown staining around hem in a white silk wedding dress, labelled Toscano, care labelled Dry Clean Only (P), Do Not Wash, Cool Iron, following a the recommended dry cleaning treatment [More]
   
• Severe failure of the acrylic coating on five year old unlabelled beige curtains after applying the very restrictive dry cleaning process conditions specified on the attached care labelling, including using a temperature of 12⁰C to comply with a very low solvent temperature requirement of 18-20⁰C  [More]
   
• Severe shrinkage in various sized cushion covers labelled Steinhoff Australia such that they would no longer fit their inserts, care labelled Professional Dry Cleaning Recommended, following dry cleaning - customer requested that they be tested to determine if they had been incorrectly wet cleaned to cause such shrinkage as a previous dry cleaning had not caused such severe shrinkage in order to assist resolving a current small claims tribunal hearing  [More]
   
• Severe fading in an unlabelled floral printed bedspread, labelled Do Not Dry Clean, using an uncleaned cushion cover for visual comparison – the request from the dry cleaner was to determine whether the bedspread had been laundered, or dry cleaned illegally, while in their care to explain the severe colour loss – cushion covers regularly washed at home by customer without any loss of colour   [More]
   
• Two vertical splits in the jacket part of a lady’s dusty pink silk Anthea Crawford suit, labelled Dry Clean Only (P), following a dry cleaning treatment that was much more cautious than the unrestricted dry cleaning process specified  [More]
   
• Colour loss/fading on the collar and shoulder regions in a man’s dark grey cotton jacket, labelled Country Road/CR Clothing Australia, and care labelled Professional Dry Clean Only (P) (40⁰C/105⁰F), following dry cleaning  [More]

• Extensive break out of the elastane component in a lady’s black viscose/elastane Scanlan and Theodore jacket, care labelled Dry Clean Only (P), following correct dry cleaning  [More]
   
• Surface melting damage on the right hand side shoulder of a lady’s black cotton/nylon zippered jacket, labelled Veronika Maine and care labelled Dry Cleanable (P), following a short cycle dry cleaning process  [More]
   
• Loss of colour/texture in various garment panels and the development of surface ‘pin holes’ under the back collar in a man’s brown leather jacket, labelled Rogues For Men/The Leather Workshop Australia Pty Ltd, and care labelled Dry Clean Only by a Specialist Suede and Leather Cleaner, following recommended leather cleaning  [More]
   
• Surface damage in the form of surface trails on the top of the left shoulder in a man’s grey woollen suit jacket, labelled Nino Cerruti, and care labelled Dry Clean Only (A) following recommended dry cleaning  [More]
   
• An extensive green mark in the upper part of one of the pleats in a Jack the Ripper table skirt following recommended laundering  [More]

• Severe failure of the acrylic coating on two year old unlabelled curtain linings following laundering according to the professional wet cleaning requirements specified on the attached care labelling  [More]

(2) DRY CLEANING COMPLAINTS ANALYSED UP TO 21ST MAY, 2009
Summary of Complaints -

• Fading of a floral printed cotton bedspread, labelled Linens’n’Things, care labelled Hand Wash in Cold Water (but not dry cleanable), following dry cleaning treatment, after verbal confirmation received from the retailer/manufacturer via the customer that dry cleaning could be used [More]
   
• Loss of gold print from a lady’s gold printed black ramie jacket, labelled Harry Who, care labelled Dry Clean Only (P), following a correct dry cleaning treatment [More]
   
• Severe discolouration in the grey edging in the form of a strong red tinge in an unlabelled yellow floral printed grey cotton bathrobe, following commercial laundering at 70⁰C [More]
   
• Degradation of the colour and texture due to the development of a white lint-like effect in a man’s black ‘100% silk’ Armani Collezione shirt, labelled Dry Clean Only (P), following correct dry cleaning – the ‘fuzzy spandex’ effect [More]
   
• Development of stiffening and brittleness in a lady’s stone coloured PVC/polyurethane coat, labelled Sandra Steiner and care labelled Dry Cleanable (P), following correct dry cleaning [More]
   
• Severe disruption of the yarns in the form of yarn slippage at the waist of the skirt part of a diamante and lace trimmed metallic/silk skirted Zanzis wedding dress, labelled Dry Clean Only (P), following cleaning in the Green Earth dry cleaning solvent on the gentle cycle [More]
   
• Colour run from the black printed areas into white areas and areas of brown staining which have occurred in a lady’s black trimmed and printed white viscose/cotton dress, labelled Bracewell, and care labelled Dry Cleanable (P), following dry cleaning [More]
   
• Colour run from the black printed areas into the white areas in a lady’s white-trimmed black silk Diane von Furstenberg dress, care labelled Dry Clean Only (P), following correct dry cleaning [More]
   
• Interface separation on the front of a lady’s black acetate/polyester jacket, labelled Luxe By Brown Sugar, and care labelled Dry Clean Only (P), following correct dry cleaning [More]
   
• General stretching and distortion and the development of small holes within its knitted structure in a lady’s red and green printed knitted viscose rayon dress outer shell, labelled Max & Co tricot, and effectively care labelled Dry Clean Only (P), following correct dry cleaning [More]
   
• Development of yellow/light brown marks along the hem area of the bottom of the white train of a white wedding dress, labelled Pallas, with no fibre content or care labelling attached, during eighteen months’ storage, following dry cleaning according to the requirements of Dry Cleanable (P) – the dry cleaner has since attempted to use some conservative methods to remove this staining but they have not succeeded [More]
   
• The development of a small hole and adjacent fabric surface damage at the bottom of the right hand rear pocket in a pair of men’s olive-coloured woollen trousers, labelled Flair Menswear and care labelled Dry Cleanable (A), following dry cleaning [More]
   
• Colour run from the black printed areas into the white areas in a lady’s black printed white silk dress, labelled VeryVery/dancer aog, and care labelled Dry Cleaning Recommended (P), following dry cleaning [More]
   
• Overall darkening of the colour and dark areas on the back of the dress in a lady’s red silk dress, labelled CR Clothing Australia/Country Road, and care labelled Dry Clean Only (P), following dry cleaning according to Dry Clean Only (P) [More]
   
• Twisting distortion/puckering in the horizontal sewn pleating design in a lady’s orange polyester/elastane dress, labelled Harry Who, and care labelled Dry Clean Only (P), following correct dry cleaning, and an identical white dress with the same problem, following processing by a different dry cleaner, was also submitted for comparison purposes [More]

(3) DRY CLEANING COMPLAINTS ANALYSED UP TO 27th NOVEMBER, 2008
Summary of Complaints -

• Indentation marks and very slight discolouration on the left shoulder and under the left lapel in a lady’s white flax/cotton/nylon zippered jacket, labelled George Gross, care labelled Dry Clean Only (P), apparently following dry cleaning treatment [More]

• Three tears in the fabric of a lady’s black cotton/nylon/metal dress labelled Wayne Cooper, care labelled Dry Clean Only (P), apparently following dry cleaning treatment [More]

• Loss of shade in a lady’s orange/brown printed silk/cotton hooded top, labelled Zimmerman and care labelled Dry Cleanable (P), to a brown/mustard colour, following recommended dry cleaning [More]

• Severe fraying in the left hand side hem in a lady’s blue silk dress, labelled Zimmerman and care labelled Dry Clean Only (P), following a more cautious than recommended dry cleaning treatment [More]

• Surface marks and small holes in both sleeves in a man’s dark grey pin-striped woollen jacket, labelled Studio Italia and care labelled Dry Cleaning Only (P), following recommended dry cleaning [More]

• Claimed colour change from blue to pink in an unlabelled pair of lady’s pink silk trousers apparently following dry cleaning [More]

• Damage to the black plastic trim of a lady’s grey knitted viscose/spandex top, labelled Pik/Carlopik, and care labelled Professional Dry Clean Only (P), following DC which subsequently damaged a whole dry cleaning load consisting of twenty two items [More]

• Development of a white lint-like effect in a man’s Boss/Hugo Boss suit following correct dry cleaning – the ‘fuzzy spandex’ effect [More]

• Overall whitening and loss of sheen in a lady’s blue silk dress, labelled 'Roula Sarkis', care labelled Dry Clean Only (P) (30), following the second dry cleaning treatment by DC – although the problem was evident over the whole dress, it was particularly visible in the stiffened bodice and the two dress waist ties [More]

• Loss of fur in two particular areas low down on each side near the hem after only light wear in a 'Luisa Cerano' long haired rabbit fur jacket and general ease of fur removal from the whole jacket [More]

• Cracking of the black vinyl piping trim on a lady’s black wool/nylon jacket, labelled 'Sandro-Paris/Unique' and care labelled Dry Clean Only (P), following recommended dry cleaning [More]

• The second case of light brown discolouration on the edges of the bodice lace trim of an 'A R Exclusives, Designers Antulov Raphal' (Perth) cream silk wedding dress labelled Dry Clean Only (P) (40), following recommended DC by a professional cleaner in Perth  [More]

• Localised and geometrical shaped areas of colour loss in a man’s mink brown napped cotton jacket, labelled 'Sportscraft' and care labelled Dry Clean Only (P), following recommended dry cleaning [More]

• Localised and geometrical shaped areas of colour loss in a pair of men’s olive woollen Navigator-style trousers, labelled 'Rembrandt' and care labelled Dry Clean Only (P), following recommended dry cleaning [More]

• Severe bubbling and purple colour run in a lady’s white cotton/nylon/polyurethane jacket, labelled 'Cue', and care labelled Drycleanable (P) and hand washable, following both DC and wet cleaning [More]

(5) DRY CLEANING COMPLAINTS ANALYSED UP TO 29th MAY, 2008:
Summary of Complaints -

• Severe creasing in the skirt of a two-part cream silk wedding dress, labelled 'Vivienne Westwood', labelled Specialist Dry Clean Only, following treatment by DC – examination under UV revealed that the skirt had been either soaked or laundered in a product containing optical brightening agents (OBAs), in clear contravention of the care labelling [More]

• Apparent colour loss particularly along the creases of both legs of a pair of men’s dark blue/grey pinstripe polyester/viscose trousers, labelled 'Matrix', following DC – the problem is caused by an unusual optical effect called bronzing which usually occurs in dark dyed fabrics and varies by angle of view – it is usually more visible from the sides [More]

• Loss of colour on the breast pocket of a man’s soft textured fawn coloured jacket labelled 'You and Me/Uomo', following correct DC, where there had apparently been a food stain – the appearance of the area suggested that it had received rubbing which had damaged the delicate napped surface [More]

• Areas of bright yellow colour loss in both parts of a lady’s orange acetate/viscose suit, labelled 'Saint Germain', following correct DC – some of the areas were geometric in shape and the effect very unusual and it was not possible to determine a clear cause except that dry cleaning is highly unlikely to have been the primary cause [More]

(6) DRY CLEANING COMPLAINTS ANALYSED UP TO 3rd APRIL 2008:
Summary of Complaints -

• Various problems, including stitching breakdown, stickiness in the plastic internal bodice strips (designed to keep the bodice in place?) and shrinkage in the silk outer shell fabric, in a lady’s cream silk dress labelled 'rockchic' following correct DC – there was no evidence that the dress was ever wet cleaned [More]

• Development of small holes in various parts of a man’s black woollen jacket labelled 'Studio Italia' following correct DC, that were clearly caused by insect attack [More]

• Staining/swale marks along the upper front edge of the bodice of a lady’s white silk wedding dress labelled 'Brides Desire' following DC – the affected area fluoresced under UV conditions indicating that it had been treated with a product containing OBAs at some stage, possibly as a pre-spotting treatment, as there was also residual soiling in this area [More]

• Brittleness and blistering in the outer shell of a lady’s black synthetic all-weather coat, labelled 'Steven Kole' following correct DC (coat labelled Drycleanable) – the coating on the underside of the outer shell fabric was severely affected by contact with perchlorethylene solvent [More]

• Severe change of colour in the main outer shell fabric from bright white to cream in a lady’s white floral printed cotton dress labelled 'Bang' after correct DC (garment labelled Drycleanable) – the change of appearance is almost certainly due to loss of optical brightening agent (OBAS) during DC [More]

• Severe damage in the form of two holes near the hem of a lady’s silk skirt with a multi-coloured floral print, labelled 'Milly of New York', following DC.  One of the holes was rectangular (25 mm x 15 mm) and the other was square (2 mm x 2 mm) and both had been cut out so that a possible previous cause of damage was not apparent – the garment had been collected by the customer and then returned with the complaint [More]

(7) DRY CLEANING COMPLAINTS ANALYSED UP TO 28th FEBRUARY 2008:
Summary of Complaints -

• Small dark blue ink-like spots on the shoulder area of an orange lady’s 'Willow' silk/spandex dress developing following correct DC (WA problem) [More]

• Extensive areas of apparent colour loss in a pair of olive-green men’s 'Façonnable' cotton trousers following correct DC [More]

• Development of a yellow tinge in a white lady’s silk 'Matthew Eager' dress following correct DC [More]

• Holes in the seat area and next to the rear hip pocket in a pair of grey men’s 'Boss/Hugo Boss' woollen trousers following correct DC [More]

• Claimed stretching of the bodice of a blue lady’s 'Wayne Cooper' silk dress following correct DC (which the customer ‘fixed’ by sewing in a dart) - appears to be a manufacturer’s problem since DC was correct [More]

•  Stretching/bubbling of the fabric on the left chest/shoulder of a black lady’s 'George Gross' triacetate/polyester dress following correct DC [More]

• Blistering of the fabric and melting damage to the black plastic toggles of a beige and dark grey lady’s 'O’Neil' all-weather style nylon jacket following correct DC (DC Only) [More]

• Loss of brightness and loss of softness in a white lady’s 'Country Road' cotton knitted dress following correct DC [More]

• Claimed fading in the grey lady’s 'G2000' wool/polyester jacket following correct DC. Jacket part of a suit but trousers not cleaned. Trousers submitted for visual comparison with jacket but no discernible difference in shade [More]

• Area of severe pilling on the upper right rear of the right leg of a pair of black 'Boss/Hugo Boss' woollen trousers following correct DC - impossible to determine or even suggest what has caused this damage but highly unlikely to have been caused by DC [More]

All Forms, Reports and Images are copyright to DCCASS -Dry Cleaning Complaints Arbitration Services, 2008