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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Laycie Beck & Katie Weston

Bride fuming after dry-cleaners 'ruin' her dress just days before wedding

A bride was left fuming after dry-cleaners reportedly "ruined" her dress just days before her wedding.

Celena Flockhart, 57, claims her dress was dropped off in "perfect condition" at Timpson in Gamston, Nottingham, but found the embroidery had been damaged when it was picked up the next day.

Fortunately, her mum and cousin were able to repair the gown in time for her big day on September 11.

Celena told Nottinghamshire Live: "To me they should have checked that dress before it was handed over. They absolutely ruined my wedding dress."

She had visited the dry-cleaners after getting make-up on the inside of her dress during a practice makeover five days before her wedding, but says it was otherwise undamaged.

Fortunately, her mum and cousin were able to repair the gown in time for her wedding on September 11 (Celena Flockhart / BPM Media)
She said the embroidery had been damaged (Celena Flockhart / BPM Media)

Celena said: "So I went to Timpson at Gamston, and I said to the woman I need this for Sunday as I'm getting married on the Sunday, and I've got make up on it.

"She said 'yeah we'll get it done as soon as possible'. It was in perfect condition. Then the next day or the day after, I got a phone call saying that the dress was ready.

"It was my mother who went to pick the dress up, and she didn't say anything, she took it home, and when she got it home all the sequences on the embroidery bit had all come off; they were all loose, and all the hook and eyes were bent.

"That woman at no point said [what had happened], she obviously didn't check the dress to see if it was damaged."

With the wedding only a few days away, Celene asked her cousin - who is a seamstress - and mum to help repair the dress.

She said: "None of us knew we could take that dress back [to Timpson] to be repaired."

Timpson returned £50 towards the repair costs, and an additional £25 as a sign of goodwill.

However, Celena said she asked for a full refund of £95, but that they declined as they had cleaned the dress and said she should have returned it at the time rather than having it repaired elsewhere.

She added: "The stress it has caused me, I actually had a panic attack, when I saw my dress I actually cried. It has upset me big time."

Celena says she and her husband enjoyed their wedding day and have since been on their honeymoon, but that she will "never" return to the store.

A spokesperson for Timpson said: "Mrs Flockhart deposited the dress in to our branch in need of cleaning due to spillage of makeup and fake tan on the dress before needing this for her wedding.

"The dress was cleaned in accordance with the aftercare label and the dress was taken away – customer was happy.

"Would like to note that since. Mrs Flockhart has returned twice using our services. Mrs Flockhart then returned to advise she had to have the dress repaired, we were not given the opportunity to view the damage nor rectify this.

"However we agreed to reimburse the customer the £50 paid and also as a gesture of goodwill we offered £25 in recognition of the service, the customer declined our offer and asked for more compensation.

"We felt we had been fair and Mrs Flockhart accepted the monies we offered and we closed the matter."

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