Laundry shops need guidelines: Case

THE Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) is looking into a standard set of guidelines for the laundry industry, after a survey showed that most shops failed to explain clearly to customers the important points in their terms and conditions.

These points include compensation as well as the extent of their liability coverage and liability cap, Case said in a press release yesterday.

The consumer watchdog conducted a survey following feedback that some shops had refused to compensate their customers after damaging or misplacing their articles.

From January 2012 to November this year, Case handled 71 complaint cases involving the laundry industry and about 60 per cent of such disputes were on unsatisfactory services.

As part of its survey, mystery shoppers from Case visited 30 different laundry shops islandwide earlier this year to observe and review the business practices and terms and conditions of each shop.

Survey results showed that 29 out of 30 shops had some form of liability coverage for consumers written in their terms and conditions but 27 of these shops failed to explain their liability coverage clearly to the consumers.

Some laundry shops did not specify the extent of their liability coverage and liability cap, Case noted.

Citing the results, Case said it is looking into getting the laundry businesses to adopt a standard set of guidelines on industry practices.

Here are some tips for customers when patronising laundry shops:

Always ensure that there is a proper refund policy for lost or damaged articles before signing on the dotted line.

Take note of the small print on the sales invoice or receipt specifying the terms and conditions of the service and pay special attention to the clauses concerning damaged or lost articles.

Check returned articles thoroughly and give prompt feedback on any problems such as loss or damage of articles.

Keep all original receipts or invoices.

Pay attention to the care labels on your article and highlight the cleaning instructions to the vendor.

Lodge a claim with Case or the Small Claims Tribunals if you are unable to resolve the dispute with the laundry shop.

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