Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/25/2024

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I dropped off two full sized comforters and a king sized duvet at the laundromat for wash and fold service. When I spoke with the employee on duty, they told me my total charges after tax and other fees would be $45. They asked if I was able to pick it up the following day, and said they would give me a call if the charges would be anything higher than what was quoted. When I picked up my items, they told me the charge would be $78. The employee had accidentally given me an incorrect price and charged me for 24 hour turn around service (although they had not told me this was a special service OR an additional charge). When I spoke with the owner, they said they would investigate. After an investigation, the owner determined that I was partially responsible because I should have looked at the menu prices on the side wall and corrected the employee when they gave me an incorrect price. I also had texted the day before and received a quote on the individual prices for each item. Those numbers were different than what the employee in the store gave me, but I had no way to know which employee was mistaken. I assumed the one who officially rang me up knew what she was doing and that the text was incorrect. The owner refused to take full responsibility for his employee's mistake and wanted me to pay $64 for my items. As compensation, he also offered me a $20 gift card (saying that he had taken the money from his employee's tips) that had to be used on a future transaction. I spoke with two lawyers and both said his actions were illegal. When I threatened to call a lawyer, he became rude and threatened to donate my items or charge me extra if I didn't pick up and pay his inflated price. When I finally agreed to pay the $64 price and accept the gift card (still telling him that his behavior was illegal), I wrote a 1 star yelp review. The following morning, he sent me a text saying that he was revoking my gift card because I'd written a negative review.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/26/2024

  Before writing this response, I relied a lot on details from the employee and customer's memories to make a decision. However, after my employee didn't show up to work today, I decided to invest a couple more hours into investigating the actual facts.

  
  

  The facts from the CCTV just reaffirms that the customer is a prime example of why we have the policies that we do. Uniquely in response to this complaint, there are false facts, missing context, and some very important facts HIDDEN in the middle of the complaint.

  
  

  It should be HIGHLIGHTED that the customer texted us BEFORE coming in to drop off her items to ask about prices for a king comforter ($20) and 2 full/twin comforters ($16 each) for a subtotal of $52 plus tax and service fees (which would have been $63.77). I know I quoted her correctly because I wrote the message. 

  
  

  The CCTV also shows 3 important facts. 

  
  

  First, the shared experience between the employee and customer lasted over 4 minutes, 50-75% of which was time where the employee was figuring out which buttons to press.

  
  

  Second, even if that didn't create a sense of confusion or concern for the customer, the customer spent that silent time looking around the laundromat, including 7 whole seconds looking right at the GIANT 3x4 ft menu with GIANT letters where the COMFORTERS section takes up 25-33% of the menu. The customer is lying when she said she didn't see the menu. It is also interesting the way her eyes dropped at the end of those seconds before turning her head back towards the employee.

  
  

  Third, near the end of the experience, the employee turned the screen so that the customer could visually CONFIRM the details of the order, which included a king comforter ($20) and one blanket ($10) and 24-hour services for only one item ($5) for a subtotal of $35 and a final total of $42.92. The employee went over the list of items with the customer verbally as she they both looked at the screen together for OVER 20 SECONDS. However, the customer had THREE COMFORTERS, which they verbally discussed in detail for another 20 seconds at the beginning of the video. 

  
  

  At this point, it's extremely obvious that the customer COLLUDED with the employee to accept a unique and creatively drafted discount. Interestingly, when the customer first came back to get her items and noticed the price change, I personally gathered initial details from her verbally. I asked her to have patience with the investigation process and that part of the reason for our policies are to identify when employees COLLUDE with customers in order to generate unique cash tips. I repeatedly asked her if there was anything else she wanted to share with me. I suspected the whole time that something fishy was going on one side or the other, but I didn't initially realize that it was both the customer and employee.

  
  

  Finally, at no point in the video did the employee say that we would call the customer if the price was different. So I find it interesting that both the employee and the customer agree that that was said when it wasn't.

  
  

  So in my opinion, this customer deserves being charged what was supposed to be originally charged and deserves this stressful experience as well as having her gift card balance revoked.

  
  

  What makes things worse is that I began this process of finding a fair resolution with very generous offers and actions.

  
  

  1. We gave her priority service but removed the charge

  2. We gave her an additional 5% discount

  3. The employees involved offered her a $15 gift card

  4. The company offered to add an additional $5 to that gift card

  5. After she accepted, we gave her ANOTHER $5 discount on the current price.

  
  

  See attached videos proving

  1. She saw the menu

  2. She saw the itemized charges that obviously didn't match her items

  
  

  The full video is available upon request.

  
  

  
  

  Russell

  
  

  Russell B********

  Owner

  Black and Gold Wash and Fold

  ************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/26/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 21198386, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

  It is not possible for the CCTV to register what I did and did not see or read. My head turning does not mean I read or saw the menu. A camera cannot register what's happening inside my head. In any event, the employee could have and should have looked at the menu to prevent her own mistake.

  There was no way for me to know whether the text i received beforehand was correct OR the conversation with the the employee in person was correct. The owner is making a lot of assumptions about what I should and should not know. The text didn't even identify that it was the owner i was speaking with, so from my perspective, it could have easily been another poorly trained employee

  Finally,  the employee DID say they would call if anything was different with my price. The laundromat is loud and the CCTV can't pick up every sound. 

  In any event, I do not need financial compensation at this point. I am not satisfied with the conclusion, but want the complaint made public. I was given one price, then a much higher one upon pickup. I was told my items would be donated if I did not pay the inflated price. That is price gouging and is illegal. I was also promised a gift card, which was then revoked when I posted a negative review. That is also illegal. I am finished with the matter and would like the complaint posted publicly.

  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  ******** *******