Should you pay in advance for your dry cleaning?
Some customers of a Mesa dry cleaners think maybe not. Recently, two Suits and Skirts Dry Cleaners locations suddenly closed, leaving some customers without their clothes.
Tom Magyar is missing a pair of pants and a shirt.
"I came back 4 or 5 days later and that's when it was locked up," he told ABC15.
The locations on Greenfield Road and on Ellsworth Road were owned by Tiffany White. Both are being reopened with different names, and the previous owners are taking over. The owners said they sold all or part of their businesses to White, but they say White did not pay the rent.
In an email, White had no explanation for the Ellsworth store, but she said the owner of the Greenfield location misrepresented the monthly income "in order to mislead a buyer into purchasing an already failing business. That is the reason for the closing."
White said that previous owner was required to pay the rent monthly and refused. That owner denies the claims.
White has had trouble with a different business. She was arrested and she lost her accountant license last year, accused of taking thousands of dollars, or attempting to, from former CPA clients.
As for the dry cleaning customers, White said they were notified. Still, we found 33 dry cleaning items waiting for Suits and Skirts customers. Some were paid for in advance.
They're sitting in the 1035 N. Ellsworth Road store that has reopened as Monterey Cleaners. The owner said he also knows of nine customers whose clothing cannot be found, and he wants anyone missing clothes to come by and take a look. He also advises customers to call Mesa police.
Sometimes you can get better deals if you pay for dry cleaning in advance, and while you don't know if a business will go under, make sure to do an internet search on any business you choose, and consider how long they've been in business for.
