Kessandra showing her bridal saree before and after it was ruined.
TWO days after her wedding, Kessandra Jayne Antony Martin Antony sent her bridal saree to a dry cleaner in Bandar Seri Alam, Pasir Gudang in Johor, on May 28.
The 28-year-old teacher said she bought the red-and-white Kanjivaram silk saree from a boutique in Kota Damansara, Selangor, for RM2,700.
When met outside the Johor Consumer Claims Tribunal in Menara Ansar, Johor Baru, Kessandra told StarMetro that her family and friends had been sending their sarees and traditional Indian attire to the dry-cleaning service for many years.
However, to her horror, she received a call from an employee there that her saree had been ruined.
“He sent photos of the saree via WhatsApp.
“I could see that the red parts of the saree had bled into the white segments of the fabric.”
Kessandra, who teaches in Singapore, immediately called the business owner, who claimed that her saree and four others belonging to other customers had been ruined because of faulty pipes at the shop.
“I told him that I had sent the saree for dry cleaning and asked how my outfit had come into contact with water,” she said.
She said the owner explained that all the sarees had been left on the floor overnight and water from the leaking pipes had soaked them.
“I demanded that he refund me RM2,700 for the ruined saree but he refused,” the claimant said, adding that it prompted her to file a claim at the tribunal.
At the hearing, the respondent denied that he had refused to refund the claimant but he was agitated by her behaviour.
“She shouted at me during the phone call,” said the respondent.
Tribunal president Hafez Zalkapli interjected, saying that the conversation was immaterial to the hearing.
Hafez then suggested that both parties attempt to reach a settlement outside the tribunal.
After 30 minutes, both parties returned to the tribunal and the respondent agreed to refund RM2,700 to the claimant by issuing three cheques on the spot.
“I want to use the money to buy another bridal saree and hope to find one similar to what I wore on my wedding day,” said Kessandra.
Those who need tribunal assistance can contact 07-2271 755/1766.
