Student sues dry cleaner
Elite Dry Cleaners on New Inn Hall Street were successfully sued by student Michael Raymar
A Pembroke student has won a court case against a dry cleaner who ruined a tailor- made suit and refused to compensate him. Michael Ramyar, a fourth year Engineering student, was awarded £53 in damages in a dispute with Elite Dry Cleaners of New Inn Hall Street after they damaged the velvet collar of a suit that he had left to be pressed last November. Elite were also ordered to pay £30 in court costs.
The suit, which is described as black with a black velvet collar, was brand new, having been made in Thailand the previous August to Ramyar’s own design. Describing the incident to The Oxford Student, Ramyar said: “I picked it up late in the evening so wasn’t able to check it, but I realised it was damaged and took it in the next day.
“The people there refused to take any responsibility whatsoever and it took me over an hour to persuade them to let me speak to the manager, who also denied responsibility.” “A number of letters were exchanged, in which I threatened to take them to the small claims court. This didn’t have any effect, so I submitted court papers in January and the case came before the court in May.
Ramyar, who represented himself, consulted Ede & Ravenscroft of the High St, who stated, “the damage to the left side of the collar was consistent with over-pressing.” They put the cost of replacement at £45. Representatives of Elite Dry Cleaners attempted to counter this by arguing Ede & Ravenscroft were unqualified to give judgement and the absence of a care label on the suit meant they could not be held responsible for damage.
The Judge rejected this argument on the grounds that if they were unsure of how to treat the suit they should have refused to have taken it. Ramyar dismissed the dry-cleaner’s claim that the suit had been damaged before they received the garment. He commented to The Oxford Student: “It’s a very visible mark, it’s not like I wouldn’t have noticed.
He expressed satisfaction at having won the case, saying: “Of course I’m glad to have won, but overall I am disappointed that it got this far, if they had been more obliging to start off with, it would have saved us all a lot of time, money and effort. “It’s a shame that it ended in court, but after the way I was treated I wasn’t going to walk away from it.
He intends to get the suit repaired at Ede & Ravenscroft, but added: “The irony is that once the collar has been replaced I’ll have to get it repressed again. I still haven’t been able to wear it.” Elite Dry Cleaners refused to comment on the incident.
26th May 2005