Outrage After New Rochelle Dry Cleaners Closes With Customers' Clothes Inside
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A Westchester County dry cleaning business suddenly closed its doors recently, and customers have been left holding the bag.
As CBS2's Bran Conybeare reported Monday, the customers' clothes have not been returned and the customers now want answers.
An investigation was under way Monday.
Carl Fraiser checks the doorway every day at Swift Cleaners on Webster Avenue in New Rochelle, which still has a sign in the window that says, "Open."
"It's very frustrating," Fraiser said.
He said he dropped off a suit to be cleaned and pressed for an event two weeks ago and was told he could pick it up three days later.
"So I came back Thursday of that same week to get my clothes and the door was locked like it is now," Fraiser said. "I came back Friday. The door was locked, and every day since that time, the door's been locked."
Fraiser's clothes and those of many other customers are still sitting in plastic bags on the electric rack inside the dry cleaners. But the owner shut down and disappeared without notice.
"He had to know that he would be closing that week," Fraiser said.
The same owner, Javier Sanchez, ran another Swift Cleaners at 47 Division St. in downtown New Rochelle. But hat one appears now to be completely vacant.
After some searching, CBS2's Conybeare did speak to Sanchez by phone. Sanchez said he is in the process of selling the business, but refused to talk about it on camera.
He downplayed his customers' aggravation, saying, "It's only been two weeks."
CBS2 also reached out to the Westchester County Department of Consumer Protection, which sent investigators to look into the situation and said Sanchez could face fines and other penalties.
"The longer it goes on, the more trouble they may be exposed to, so we'd ask that they come to us right now," said Mark Fang of the Westchester Department of Consumer Protection.
As for Fraiser, he had to wear another suit to his event. But he said he is still waiting to pay his dry cleaning bill – on one condition.
"Just let me get my clothes back," he said, "and I'm sure that there's other people whose clothes are here as well. They want their clothes back too. That's all we want."
But so far, the owner has been anything but swift in coming through.
The owner told CBS2 he plans to open up temporarily this Sunday so customers can pick up their clothing. Otherwise, they will have to wait until the new owner takes over.