Complaint Review: Coinless Laundry

I have a family of 5 and my washer quit. So for about a month I started going to the closest laundromat by my house, a coin-less laundry franchise. I had gone there maybe 4 times and always the same attendant was there; a nice looking young mexican woman. She hardly spoke any English. I went there the last time, and put $20 into a machine that said "Bill Exchange". It took $5, $10, and $20's and would exchange them for $5's or $1's.

When I put in my $20, nothing came out and as I stared at it in disbelief, the red light came on that said "out of service". A lady behind me kind of smirked and she rolled her eyes. I figured it would be no big deal and I'd get the attendant to get me my money back. Little did I know.

Now, this may have not been a big deal to most people, but to me it was. This was my last bit of money for 4 days. And LITERALLY all of my family's clothing had to be washed. I had scrounged up $20 to get us by until I got my next paycheck. I left my kids with my husband to come to the laundromat, the baby wearing a diaper and my sons in clean underware, with the hopes of returning with lots of clean laundry.

The attendant spoke to the woman that saw the whole thing and said something in Spanish. The woman retrieved her young son, who was about 10 years old to translate. I told her I deposited $20 and nothing came out. The attendant put her hands up into the dispenser. She pulled out $5. She said, "sorry." The boy explained to me that I would have to come back 3-4 days later when the machine was checked and they would give me my money. 3-4 days LATER!!! I needed my family's clothes washed today! I asked him to ask her if she could start the machines for me free of charge. Then, in 3-4 days, they could just keep my money.

She told him that since she didn't see me deposit the money, that she couldn't do anything. The woman told her she saw me do it. The attendant claimed it didn't matter. I started to get upset. I told her I wanted to see a manager. To which the boy translated. The attendant stared at me blankly. I told her again and again. She acted like she didn't hear me or understand. I mean $20 may not be much, but it was to me right then and I'm sure the attendant was making around $5 an hour. It would take her 4 hours to work for that money!! I tried talking with her, and eventually she gave me another $5. Still it wouldn't get my laundry done, and I didn't want to chance losing that money in their machines anyway.

I loaded up my laundry back into the car, and came back in to ask for the phone number and the manager's name. She told me the phone number was on the card (you have to have a card, to add money on it, you have to use machines) and that she didn't know the name of the manager. I mean COME ON! I called the number and it was an automated thing that said they would return my call on a business day between 9-5. It was a business day between 9-5. No return call. This is a rip off! Never go to this place!

Hollywollyd
Phoenix, Arizona
U.S.A.