Union French Cleaners
Category: Dry Cleaning & Laundry [Edit]
Neighborhood: Marina/Cow Hollow1718 Union Street
(between Gough St & Octavia St)
San Francisco, CA 94123 (415) 923-1212
38 reviews
Neighborhood: Lower Haight
"they perfectly cleaned and perfectly altered my pride and joy favorite suit in a serious time crunch of short notice at an exceptionally…" read more »
18 Reviews for Union French Cleaners
one star only because i couldn't give them zero. they RUINED my $200 pair of jeans. i went to get the jeans shortened and asked for them to keep the original hem. they basically chopped it off and reattached the ENTIRE piece they removed on the inside of the jean. to top it all off, the sewing was crooked. don't advertise a Euro hem if you don't have the skill to pull it off. first and last time they see me there, that's a promise.
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I always receive friendly services here - esp from the owner so will chat it up a bit. I had my NYE's dress tailored here - very good job. Prices are a bit higher than the cleaner across the street which is usually where I go instead -- mostly because this place DO NOT take plastic (um, who carries cash these days!). Not cheap either - both for dry cleaning & alteration. My dress alteration to shorten the strap was $20.00 (ouch!). They did help me get the stains out of the dress (silk) after NYE's which in my book deserve an extra star!!!
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I like to boycott businesses that don't accept plastic. YES, I know WHY they don't. YES, I understand they don't HAVE to accept my cards. YES, I understand that life is hard for small business owners. YES, I think that if you can afford to run a dry cleaner ON Union Street, you can afford the charges you get for accepting my Visa debit card.
Plus, when I'm dropping $85 on a load of dry cleaning (I suppose that means I'm finally a real lawyer), can't you people get a friggin' swipe machine? Who carries that much cash around with them, FOR DRY CLEANING? (Not to mention the fact that when I lived in Russian Hill, the same load cost me only $75, and my plastic was happily swiped.)
Three stars because my clothes were dry cleaned just as well as they were in Russian Hill.
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I agree with other reviews... I only gave them 1 star because I had to give something...
I took a bridesmaid's dress here to be altered... upon pick up, the people tried to OVERCHARGE me by so much (almost $400 - for a shortened hem and some taking in - which friends had done in the city elsewhere for $50 total). They argued that it was because it was a "hard job" and had taken a long time. When I looked closer I saw they hadn't done one part right at all and another part they left completely unstitched and a third part (the hem) looked like a three-year-old in a blindfold had done it. Honestly, with NO sewing skills, I could have done better. I ended up having to get it redone elsewhere... Even with all that arguing, they charged my friend $50 different for the EXACT same job... so ridiculous - it shows that they make everything up as they go along. Going to this place was the worst decision I made... especially since there are so many other options in the area. Seriously, DON'T waste your time...
The owner just purchased a huge new machine that is environmentally friendly. They had to take the front doors off and open up the wall to bring it inside. Less fumes for you when you take your clothes home, less chemicals on your skin ... and better for the employees lungs.
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$22 for original hem on a pair of jeans seems a bit high but they did a nice job with the alteration and the turnaround time was quick. Hooray for friendly employees! Boo for no credit cards accepted.
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if i could give this place no stars like the others, i would
- arrogant and disrespectful owners
- overpriced, hazardous business practices and environmentally questionable
their business practices have put the safety and health of me and my family in danger. i can't go into any details because a lawsuit is pending.
stay away from this place. take your business elsewhere.
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Their on site tailor did a good job altering my new skirt, and got it done within the week. Laundry and drycleaning turned out great too.
Union French is by far the best dry cleaner that I have used in the city. They are fast, friendly and totally reliable -- both on timing and quality of their work. 7 years of weekly dry cleaning and not one thing damaged.
They also have a good tailor/seamstress who will do up anything from your pant leg to a set of curtains.
The best part of Union French though is the friendly staff. They know you, know your clothing and are genuinely helpful and committed to doing a good job.
The tailoring here is quite good. I was getting a bridesmaids dress altered, and I visited a store in Union Square that was crowded and I saw one lady who's dress didn't look that great making some comments about how she wasn't thrilled and the tailor telling her it was fine. Out I go. I asked for a tailoring recommendation from Jennifer Croll and this is where they told me to go.
They have a nice fitting area in the back and a stage with a three way mirror. There are also some shoes there if you don't bring your own. The tailors are very patient. I had my hem done twice because the bride requested a different hem. They were very accommodating.
I have had other hems and things done here and they do a good job and try to get things back in a good time frame.
One thing, they do not take credit cards which is weird. Do they expect you to carry around hundreds of dollars in cash to get your dry cleaning? I haven't had my dry cleaning done here and probably won't because I don't want to hit the cash machine every time I go to the cleaners.
I LURVE Union French. After a bad run with cleaners in this city (like Well Pressed corporate service who won't even fix shirts they mess up on, nor refund the bill!!!, and absolutely destroyed my $100 duvet cover), these guys actually fixed some stains I had been told by other cleaners were unfixable, as a surprise! They're really super, and as everyone esle pointed out, they do original hemming on jeans, and measure them very expertly. They're always busy, with cars loading up outside at 6pm, which is always a good sign.
This place not only does a good job on the dry cleaning, but they are also incredibly honest. I never check my pockets and Union French always makes sure that the cash I leave in my clothes gets back to me safe and sound. They own the garage next to their entrance and told me that you can park in front of it when picking up and dropping off. Just don't abuse it.
I got a pair of really hot jeans and couldn't wait to wear them...This was the only place nearby that will hem the same day. I brought it in at 11am and picked it up by 5pm.
The price is a bit higher than other cleaners..and CASH/CHECKS only..(who still carries checks with them)?
They did a decent job for the hem...and I enjoyed the instant gratification.
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i take my expensive clothes to get cleaned here because i know they will be in good hands and come back like new.
once i took a satin silk dress with beer and vodka all over it (too much fun on my birthday) and it came back with one spot that they missed which was annoying, but then they finished the job (for free of course) and i was happy that the stains even came out without ruining the dress.
unfortunately, it seems true that the prices oddly fluctuate, so perhaps your safest bet is to ask for a quote in advance.
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I brought a dress in to be drycleaned and made one simple request ... I did not want the dress hung by the actual spaghetti straps but rather by the black support straps that are hidden inside the dress. The fabric is light but I did not want the weight of the dress stretching out the straps, which would cause the dress to hang too low in the front and not fit right. (This has happened to me before).
I repeated the request twice and the girl I left the dress with assured me it wouldn't be a problem and that the dress would not be hung by the straps.
I picked up the dress today ... and it was hung by the straps. The girl at the counter immediately went to get the owner when I told her it wasn't supposed to be hung that way. He raised his voice at me and told me that it was ok, because it was hung by the support straps as well. I told him he didn't need to yell at me and explained why I had made the request. He lowered his voice right away but was still not being friendly. He just stood there and stared at me.
I also asked him about the price ... $18.50 ... for 1 dress. I was never told it would cost that much. I've had the dress drycleaned before and it never cost more than $9. I mentioned that to him and he said it was my fault for not asking the price. There are no price lists posted anywhere. Do they just make them up on the spot?
Can anyone recommend a good drycleaner?
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I drive clear accross town and pay more than I probably should for this place. They won't ruin your clothes. Most cleaners will burn my work shirts. I pay lots of money for custom made shirts and I don't want them screwed up!
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This place undoubtedly does a great job dry cleaning expensive shirts and can even hem your work slacks or designer jeans in a day or two.
But, I get the impression almost every time I go there that they just make up prices on the spot. Last time I had someone drop off two pairs of jeans to be hemmed, and when I returned the next day the owner threw out $37 as the total. Huh? The previous pair I brought there was $11 for the same exact thing. I'm not sure how that works. Same thing hap pend with a few polo shirts that I only found out when picking them up is an extra $4 per shirt for a special press. That's fine, I appreciate the extra care... but again it seemed like the number just made sense for the owner at that moment.
They do take care of your shirts better then most. Just need a price chart and maybe a credit card machine.
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update 5/9/07:
ok. maybe i should ask for a quote in advance (as some have cautioned here) but even so, the $22 i paid to get an oil stain out of the bodice of a $500 silk dress was, i don't know, TOTALLY WORTH IT. otherwise, that shit wouldve been ruined!
so, i still stand by Union French. But i WILL ask for prices in advance, b/c eff that!! i ain't gettin' played!
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original review:
this place is the bomb.
expensive (and cash only i think) but worth it if you want to keep your clothes in good condition. sure, i have my local dry cleaners for the usual stuff but UFC has its own facilities onsite and truly knows about fabric care. i travel across town to go there. they even CALL ME when they feel an article requires special care to see if I will approve. they can handle any vintage piece, any gown, you name it. take it from someone who works in the textile field.
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