Joy Cleaners

place charged me $ 4 to launder a shirt in a box. You be the judge

I rarely write reviews, but I felt compelled after my recent experience. First, the prices are in line with other cleaners along North Ave but a solid $ 0.50 higher than my regular cleaner one block off of North — nothing justifies that higher price than location. Recently, I needed minor alterations (seam repair on a hem) on 4 dresses and I gave them a try. I left this with them on a Thursday and was promised them the following Wednesday. I returned 5 days after they were supposed to be done and waited for 15 minutes while the owner looked for my order, insisting I must have picked them up already. Finally, she found my 4 nice dresses (including one formal gown) wadded up in a garbage bag buried under a pile of other orders. She said she had forgotten about them but it would be ready the next day — no apology. Annoyed I returned the next day, expecting perhaps a discount or at the least a verbal apology for not having it ready. I got neither… customer service is king and I will go back to driving to my reliable friendly cleaner who goes above and beyond instead of these guys who take their customer for granted.

The best value for your money in the area. When I was living in the area, I used them all the time for a good reason. The price/​quality point is perfect. The quality and attention to detail is high as the owners were in this business for more than 30 years. I once went to a cheaper cleaner in the area and boy, did I get burned as my clothes were just messed up. After that, I returned to Joy in a heartbeat. The hours are great as they open early as 6 and close as late as 9. Just perfect for my schedule.

Probably not the highest quality cleaners in the city, but almost certainly the friendliest. We took some stuff in and they couldn’t/wouldn’t get it out, or it showed up with a stain when we got it back. That sucked, but the owners are some of the nicest people in Chicago. No lie-​in Winter 2006, in the snow, the owner carried our clothes with my wife to our apartment – 2 blocks away – and would not accept a tip. Damn!