At Belmont Dry Cleaners, we take great care in offering a premium cleaning service for your footwear. To ensure a clear understanding, please review the following terms and conditions, which help us deliver the best possible care while managing expectations.

Photographs and Documentation: Before cleaning, we’ll take detailed photographs of your footwear, including any existing damages. These are for insurance purposes and to keep a record of your item’s condition, ensuring transparency and accountability in our service.

Cleaning Limitations: While we strive to achieve outstanding results, some marks, dirt, or stains may be too stubborn to remove altogether—particularly if they’re deeply ingrained or have been untreated for a long time. Delicate methods are required, and not all blemishes respond to cleaning.

Colourfastness of Dyes: Dyes used on footwear aren’t always colourfast. During the cleaning process, slight colour loss or running may occur. We handle every item with care, but some risks are unavoidable due to the nature of certain materials.

Stain and Grime Assessment: We’ll let you know if certain stains or grime cannot be entirely removed during the cleaning stage. Additional restoration work may be required to meet your expectations in these cases. This is part of our commitment to transparent communication and ensuring you are fully informed about the condition of your footwear.

Cleaning Timeframes:

• Standard Cleaning: Typically takes up to 7 days, depending on the footwear type and level of work needed.
• Express Service: Need your shoes back faster? We offer a 3 day turnaround for a £15 fee per pair.
• Restoration Services: Restoration can take up to 14 days for more intensive work.

Understanding Yellowing: Rubber yellowing is a natural process called oxidation. While cleaning can improve the overall look of your footwear, it cannot restore yellowed rubber back to its original white. We’ll do our best to enhance the appearance, but this is a limitation of science, not our care!

Authenticity Disclaimer: Unfortunately, we cannot accept responsibility for damages when cleaning counterfeit footwear. The construction and materials of such items may not withstand professional cleaning processes, and we cannot guarantee their quality. However, we are committed to your satisfaction. We will do our best to provide the highest quality service for your genuine footwear.

Shoeboxes: Please note that we do not take responsibility for damage to shoeboxes. We recommend storing or transporting your footwear without the original box to avoid potential issues.

Odour Removal: While our cleaning services can significantly refresh your footwear, we cannot guarantee completely removing foul odours. Prevention is key! Wearing socks can make a huge difference. We also recommend minimising barefoot wear to reduce unpleasant smells in the long term.

Uncollected Footwear: We kindly ask that all cleaned footwear be collected within 3 months of service completion. Please rest assured that any footwear left unclaimed after this period will be responsibly disposed of.

Need help?

We’re here to help you love your footwear again! If you have any questions about the process or specific needs, don’t hesitate to contact us—we’re happy to help.

Curtains typically respond well to professional dry cleaning, ensuring a refreshed and revitalised appearance. However, due to the unique nature of curtain fabrics and their exposure to environmental factors, specific issues that are beyond our control may arise during or after cleaning. It’s important to note that these occurrences are rare and may not be foreseeable before cleaning.

By proceeding with our services, you acknowledge and accept the following:

Relaxation Shrinkage:

• Up to 3% shrinkage may occur during the agitation process of dry cleaning or laundry cycles.
• In some cases, fabrics may loosen and regain length over time due to the weight of hanging, but this is not guaranteed.
• Shrinkage typically occurs only during the first clean due to the fabric’s initial relaxation.
• Subsequent cleans are unlikely to cause further shrinkage as the fabric has already undergone this process.

Hooks, Hoops, Tassels, Stitching & Trimmings:

• Hooks & Hoops: While we make every effort to return all curtain hooks, we recommend removing them before bringing your curtains to us, as we cannot guarantee their safe return. Hoops threaded through curtain poles are considered accessories, and we cannot accept responsibility for any damage they may sustain during the cleaning process.
• Stitching: Stitching may loosen or undo, particularly at hems and edges where the curtain lining meets the fabric. This is often due to poor manufacturing quality or aged cotton threads.
• Trimmings & Tassels: Decorative elements such as tassels, printed or hand-painted patterns, and other trimmings are treated as add-ons. We cannot accept responsibility for damage to these items during cleaning.

UV (Light) Damage:

• Prolonged exposure to sunlight can weaken textile fibres, particularly in curtain linings and fabric edges.
• This damage, though often invisible before cleaning, may cause splits or tears during the cleaning process.
• UV exposure can also affect dyes and prints, causing fading or discolouration over time.

Watermarks:

• Watermarks occur when moisture reacts with impurities that have accumulated on the fabric. Common sources include condensation from windows or environmental humidity.
• Existing watermarks may become more prominent after cleaning, and their removal is only guaranteed if they are very recent or the use of oxygenating bleaches complies with the fabric care label.

Blackout Linings, Plastic Coatings & Fire Retardants:

Due to the delicate and unpredictable nature of blackout linings, plastic coatings, and fire retardant treatments, we are unable to undertake cleaning for curtains or drapery with these features. These materials can degrade during the cleaning process, leading to issues such as blistering, peeling, or powdery residue, and fire retardant treatments will be removed entirely.

We handle all other curtain types with the utmost care and professionalism to ensure their safety and quality. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us before booking your service.

At Belmont Dry Cleaners, we take pride in offering expert care for your garments, including premium coats like Canada Goose and other down-filled or quilted jackets. Cleaning these items requires specialised attention, and we want to be completely transparent about the risks and limitations.

By proceeding with cleaning, you accept these terms designed to keep you fully informed.

Our Process:

• Inspection: Each coat undergoes a meticulous inspection for stains, pre-existing damage, and care label instructions. This thorough process ensures that your garment is in the best hands.
• Specialised Cleaning: We use techniques specifically designed for down and synthetic fillings to ensure a gentle and effective clean.
• Loft Restoration: If necessary, coats are tumble-dried using professional methods, including dryer balls, to help maintain the loft and prevent clumping.

Important Considerations:

While we take every precaution to care for your garment, some risks are unavoidable due to the nature of down-filled and quilted coats:

1. Loss of Loft: The natural oils in down feathers can be reduced during cleaning, which may affect the insulation and fluffiness of the coat.
2. Clumping: Whether down or synthetic, fillings may bunch together during cleaning or drying. We minimise this risk, but it cannot always be avoided.
3. Fabric or Coating Wear: Water-resistant or special coatings may degrade over time or through cleaning, especially if the garment is older or has been previously untreated.
4. Shrinkage: Some fabrics may shrink slightly, even with low-temperature drying.
5. Seam Whitening (Canada Goose and Similar): Coats from premium brands like Canada Goose are prone to whitening along the seams.

• Pre-existing Issue: This is a recognised characteristic of certain materials and is often masked by everyday dirt, oils, and grease. Cleaning can highlight the issue, making it appear as though it was caused by the process when, in fact, it is not.
• Not a Cleaning Fault: Seam whitening is an inherent material behaviour that is not caused by damage during cleaning.

Your Responsibilities:

To help us provide the best care for your coat:

• Disclose any pre-existing damage, wear, or special treatments (e.g., waterproofing or coatings).
• Ensure care labels are intact and readable, as we rely on these to determine the correct cleaning process.
• Acknowledge that cleaning is at your own risk, particularly for premium coats with manufacturer-specific issues such as seam whitening.

What to Expect After Cleaning

1. Restored Loft: While we aim to restore the coat’s original fluffiness, some clumping may still occur. Gently massaging the filling can often resolve this.
2. Residual Odour: A faint cleaning solvent smell may be noticeable initially but will dissipate after airing.
3. Seam Whitening: For brands like Canada Goose, whitening along seams may become visible after cleaning. This known issue with certain materials is not caused by the cleaning process.

Limitations of Liability
By proceeding with cleaning, you accept the following:

• Inherent Risks: Cleaning may change the garment’s appearance, structure, or insulation, depending on its condition and materials.
• Pre-Existing Damage: We cannot be held responsible for damage arising from existing issues, such as wear, untreated stains, or age-related deterioration.
• Known Manufacturer Issues: We are not liable for seam whitening or other recognised issues specific to certain brands, including Canada Goose.
• Care Label Compliance: We strictly adhere to care label instructions, ensuring that your garment is treated exactly as the manufacturer intended. Any adverse outcomes resulting from these instructions are beyond our control.

We’re committed to providing the highest level of care for your garments and ensuring you’re fully informed every step of the way. If you have any questions about these terms or the cleaning process, our team is always here to help. Your satisfaction is our priority, so please don’t hesitate to ask before proceeding!

Service Terms and Conditions:

a. Payment

We DO NOT accept cheque payments.

Belmont Dry Cleaners reserves the right to change prices at any time without notification and is not responsible for pricing errors on the website. Payment must be made in full before we release the items to you. We reserve the right to suspend your services if old orders remain unpaid.

b. Dropping off items:

You will be given a ticket. Check the ticket order, as the count and description are final.

If you believe your garment or item’s depreciated value exceeds 10 times our service charge, please declare the value. In this case, the garment or item will be serviced at 1/10th of its declared value.

We will require a completed and signed Customer Consent Form to authorise processing any item we consider a risk. We also request that this form be completed for processing – curtains, rugs, leather and suede, wedding/ beaded/evening dresses, and other household or non-clothing items.

c. Collecting items:

Lost tickets will require ID, and you must sign for the order collected.

Please check that your order is complete in the shop or delivered back to you as soon as possible—we are not liable for missing items 24 hours after service fulfilment.

Uncollected items may be disposed of after 90 days. We will not be held liable for any loss that you may suffer in such an event.

d. Right to Refuse:

Belmont Dry Cleaners reserves the right to refuse our service to any customer.

e. Cleaning Service:

Belmont Dry Cleaners follows standards and policies the TSA (Textile Services Association) set forth. These policies are standard for all dry cleaners, including picking up and delivering dry cleaning and laundry services. Generally, we operate on a 100% Satisfaction basis, so if you are not satisfied with the quality of our cleaning/ repairs, feel free to contact us within 3 days. If appropriate, we shall reprocess your garment at no extra cost. If you are still unsatisfied, we may refund the cost of cleaning/ repair. Otherwise, see other Claims below.

Care label instructions:

At Belmont Dry Cleaners, our rules stipulate that the care label instructions on our customers’ garments should always be followed during cleaning. Garments with no care labels or labels deemed unsatisfactory to TSA standards will only be cleaned at the owner’s risk.

Therefore, all responsibility will rest with the customer to seek an explanation or compensation from the manufacturer. In some cases, we may feel confident that the care label attached is incorrect, or for items with no care label, we would automatically select the most suitable cleaning method for that particular garment/cloth depending on fabric content, trimmings and accessories, and natural characteristics of the garment without advising the customer of this decision. With years of knowledge and expertise, this decision will be applied to provide the best procedure for that particular cloth. Should our selected cleaning methods prove incorrect, if and when a complaint arises, an independent tester may be required to determine the cause of the damage. Once a report is provided by this independent tester, a full refund for the test and a refund for the garment will be given should the report suggest in any way or form that our selected cleaning methods were incorrect and the probable cause for this damage.

We exercise the utmost care in cleaning and processing garments entrusted to us and use processes best suited to each garment’s nature and conditions. Nevertheless, we cannot assume responsibility for inherent weaknesses or defects in materials, which may result in tears or the development of small holes in fabric that are not readily apparent before processing. We are not responsible for sun fading, colour loss due to non-fastness, wear and tear and shrinkage, colour bleeding, damage due to weak and tender fibres and fabrics possibly damaged by UV light or colour loss due to perspiration and perfume.

Belmont Dry Cleaners will always be wary of garments made using extreme colour differences on one garment, i.e. a black cloth together on the same garment with a white cloth. These garments, as always, will be treated strictly as recommended on the care label attached, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Still, we cannot be held responsible should the darker fabric bleed colour into the lighter fabric area. We recognise this to be poor manufacturing, and responsibility will lie with the manufacturer.

The above applies to dry cleaning and wet laundering processes.

General Exclusions:

Sorry, but we cannot be liable for:

(a) Any item which suffers colour loss/shrinkage/ damage during the cleaning process, whereby the manufacturer’s care label instructions have been adhered to

(b) Any Quilted/ Padded, feather / down-filled item

(c) Any accessory attached to or contained within any item. An “accessory” means (but is not limited to) belts, buckles, buttons, broaches, beading, painted logos, leather trims, furs, signs, zips, hoods, collars and inner linings.

(d) Any item which is damaged by any accessory on that item

(e) Any ink marks left behind by our poly-marking label system

(f) Any item that does not show cleaning instructions

(g) Any item that has deliberate crinkles or creased effects on the fabric which are removed during our cleaning process

(h) Any item with faulty adhesives or interfacing which leaves a mark after cleaning

(i) Any item which, due to wear and tear or due to its integral nature, is unable to withstand an industrial laundered or dry-cleaned process

(j) Curtains, blinds (Venetian, Roman), household items (duvets, bedspreads, upholstery covers), leather and suede items

Please note that adhesives, defects, and faults previously camouflaged in manufacture may become more apparent after cleaning. Although every care is taken, we cannot always disguise natural flaws or totally remove adhesives or stretching techniques employed by the manufacturer. These items may “age” after cleaning. Therefore, we only accept all cleaning items at your own risk.

4. Claims:

Loss, Damage and Incorrect Item Policy

In the unlikely event that an item is damaged, missing, or you believe you have received an item in error, please notify Belmont Dry Cleaners within 48 hours of receiving your order. We may ask you to return the relevant item to one of our branches so that we can investigate the matter. In some cases, and at our discretion, we may arrange collection.

We will only compensate up to 10 times the cleaning cost unless the customer has informed us of the item’s high value in advance and we have agreed to accept it on that basis. Proof of purchase will always be required if an item needs to be replaced.

Any discrepancies in item counts, missing items or incorrectly received items must be reported within 48 hours of collection or delivery. Beyond this timeframe, we cannot accept responsibility for items reported as missing or incorrectly received.

All items processed by Belmont Dry Cleaners are identified using our internal ticketing and tracking system. If you believe you have received an item that does not belong to you, please return it to one of our branches with the identification ticket or tag still attached. Please do not remove, discard, wash, use or alter the item before returning it. The identification ticket is essential to our investigation and provides the quickest and most reliable way of tracing the correct owner and locating your missing item.

If an identification ticket or tag has been removed or discarded before the matter is reported, this may significantly delay or restrict our ability to investigate and resolve the issue.

On observation of an item returned for possible damage due to our processes, we may immediately accept responsibility and offer fair compensation following careful inspection and the application of our professional experience. However, where the cause of damage cannot be clearly determined, we will arrange for independent analysis by a recognised fabric care research laboratory (SATRA). Compensation will be based upon the laboratory’s findings.

Should the independent report conclude that the damage was caused by our cleaning processes, Belmont Dry Cleaners will compensate fully for the item together with the cost of the report, where applicable.

Where an independent report is not considered necessary, Belmont Dry Cleaners reserves the right, at its discretion, to offer compensation by way of a credit note instead of a monetary payment where appropriate.

Stain Removal:

Much as we would dearly love to guarantee to our customers the removal of every mark and stain from every type of material, we are unfortunately unable to do so. We therefore advise customers to be extremely wary of any company that makes such a promise. If you know the stain content, this should be pointed out to our counter staff when depositing your item at branches. The chances of stain removal are reduced if non-professional techniques, such as water or soda, have been applied. Also, it would help if you used a reputable dry cleaner at the first instance as incorrect treatment of stains may set the stains, making them less likely to be removed the second time. We treat problematic stains cautiously, but sometimes, we must use harsher techniques and chemicals to achieve results. Should the need arise, we will contact you before proceeding, as certain stain removals can only be done at the customer’s own risk. We may not be able to guarantee the results.

Delicate materials can be easily damaged by irresponsible over-treatment with inappropriate agents. If necessary, the owners will review and deal with these items over our most experienced staff, applying the best methods and safest options. We will use our experience to recognise when to stop before causing damage to the garment. Should we decide that there should be no further treatment, a “Stain Ticket” will be attached to advise you. Should you wish further treatment after this advice, although we will be happy to assist, this will be at your own risk.

We can guarantee our customers that we will always strive to achieve the best possible results (in many cases, this will indeed be a completely clean and rejuvenated garment) without risking damage to the delicate materials.

Suede & Leather:

Suede and leather garments are examples of materials that have inherent weaknesses or defects. They are subject to natural flaws. We cannot take responsibility for colour imbalance or change. Unlike fabrics, all skin garments will age after cleaning.

All suede and leathers are given to a third-party skin cleaning specialist, who we recommend as a competent service provider. Should a genuine complaint arise, we will endeavour to communicate with this service provider on your behalf to come to a resolution. Still, should a claim be the only outcome. All compensation procedures will be according to the terms and conditions of the service provider and not the terms and conditions of Belmont Dry Cleaners. Should you require the terms of business for this service provider, we will provide you with their contact details.

Trimmings – buttons, beads, belts etc:

Although we are unable to accept responsibility for loss or damage to beads, crystals, sequins, buttons, diamantes, pearls, buckles, etc., due to their inherent unsuitability for dry cleaning, we have unrivalled skill and experience in identifying the most appropriate cleaning methods for each specific piece after examining its decorative components.

This is a design issue rather than a cleaning one. We have to rely to a certain extent on the fact that the dressmaker/manufacturer has attached the beads adequately and used beads suitable for dry cleaning. However, we will do our best to check and test the components before cleaning. All such items are cleaned at the owner’s risk, as Belmont Dry Cleaners will not take responsibility under any circumstances.

5. Collection & Delivery:

We endeavour to deliver your items when expected; however, circumstances may make it impossible to deliver at the initially booked time. In these rare instances, we will inform you of the delay ahead of time and reschedule the delivery at your convenience, subject to availability.

If you need to change your booking time, please let us know as soon as possible so we can rearrange your delivery.

If there is no response or we cannot gain access to your property at the scheduled time, we will contact you to rearrange your delivery; however, we reserve the right not to accept an order, cancel an order or terminate your account if this occurs repeatedly. An additional 10% of the total order value may be charged at our discretion should a customer request a re-delivery at another convenient time on all unsuccessful deliveries.

We reserve the right not to accept or cancel an order if there is reason to suspect our staff may be at risk of physical or verbal abuse upon collecting or delivering your items.

Please inform us of any issues when attempting to access your property. We reserve the right to decline any order that requires collection or delivery above the third floor, should there be no access by lift, either permanently or temporarily. We will explore ways to complete your collection or delivery where possible, practical and not a health and safety issue. However, we are still determining if we can do so.

6. Vouchers and Offers:

All vouchers and offers, whether displayed on the website, advertisement, leaflet or any other means, have no monetary value and cannot be exchanged wholly or partly for cash. They can only be redeemed as part of or as full Payment on order. If a voucher is for more than the item cost in one order, the balance cannot be carried over to a future order. Vouchers are for only specified items and are not exchangeable or transferable for other items or orders. Vouchers for multiple items are for items placed in the same order unless otherwise stated. Unless otherwise noted, all offers and vouchers terminate at the end of the calendar year of issue.

7. Miscellaneous:

• We reserve the right to amend these Terms & Conditions without notice. New Terms & Conditions will be available in our shops and on our website.

8. Statutory Rights:

These terms and conditions do not affect your statutory rights as a consumer.

9. Other:

Please send all suggestions and complaints to:

Belmont Dry Cleaners:

11 Belmont Parade Green Lane, Chislehurst, Kent, BR7 6AN

By phone or email, and we will act upon it promptly.

Phone Number: 0208 467 7330

Email: [email protected]