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Police drama over "ruined" wedding dress at Paisley dry cleaners

Police were called to Bennett's dry cleaners of Glasgow Road, Paisley, after a row broke out over a "ruined" gown.

Police were called to a dry cleaners to defuse an argument ... over a wedding dress.

The row was sparked after newlywed Claire Harkness claims Bennett’s dry cleaners on Glasgow Road in Paisley “ruined” her prized gown.

And when she went into the shop to talk to staff, police were called as matters got heated.

She said: “We got married in New York in February and I got the dress dry cleaned at Johnston’s so that I could wear it at my reception afterwards in Glasgow.

“I wanted it dry cleaned so I could wear it again and dropped it in to Bennett’s. It didn’t have a care label on it because it had been altered in America but I gave her a care label from a similar dress in the same shop.

“She told me when I handed it in that it was at my own risk but it had been dry cleaned before so I thought it would be fine.

“When I went in to collect it I didn’t recognise it. All the colour had completely changed and the sequins become transparent and lost their colour so they just look like clear plastic.

“It looked like it had been bleached, it’s like an old rag. I would have worn it again but I can’t now.”

Mum-of-two Claire took a friend along to the shop to get her £350 dress back and was adamant she wouldn’t pay the £55 dry cleaning fee.

But she claims she was threatened by one of the owners.

She and her friend left the shop when the police arrived and officers came out with her dress – which Claire claims had a large piece cut out of the back.

Claire, 39, who runs events management company In Good Company, said: “Mistakes happen in businesses, I accept that. You apologise and take the hit.

“But I’ve never experienced anything like this. My friend and I have both been left very shaken.”

Lauren Bennett, one of the owners of the family-run business, said she didn’t believe the dress was ruined and claimed Claire was aggressive to her and her staff.

She told the Express: “We’re a family business and we’ve never had anything like this before.

“There was no care label on the dress and I explained to her that sequined dresses can melt, burn, come off or become discoloured.

“She came in to collect the dress and some ironing and left with the ironing, but didn’t pay for anything.

“I asked her to come back in to discuss what had happened. I was more than happy to give her the dress.

“We are a respectable business in a respectable area and that’s how it’s going to stay. Our customers are loyal and are happy with the job we do.”

Lauren denied she or her staff said anything threatening to Claire.

She added: “She posted on Facebook saying to a friend that she’d have to hold her back when she went into Bennett’s. She was intending to come in and cause trouble. The dress was not damaged when we gave it back to her. I understand that she is upset but we were all shaken up afterwards as well.”

Paisley police confirmed they’d attended the dry cleaners. A spokesman told the Express: “Officers attended the shop and advice was given to both parties.”