Albano Cleaners

Do not go to this cleaner! They lost 3 pieces of clothing from my order two months ago and they will not respond to my phone calls at the actual store, will not give me a phone number for the district manager and have not responded to my calls to the corporate office. I filed a claim for the missing clothing, $ 240!, three weeks ago and they have done nothing! If your clothes are not replaceable pieces or you don’t want to lose them, do not go here!

Albano’s is everywhere and uses one common place to do their cleaning, so you can apply this review to all of their locations.
I’ve used them three times since moving back to Norfolk, and each time there’s something that’s wrong with the articles of clothing.
The most recent time they lopped off one of the buttons on the front of my suit and left long threads hanging from the buttons on the cuffs of both the suit and the shirt that was cleaned.
You can read more about the service in other reviews.
Go elsewhere for your dry cleaning needs. I sure will be.

I recently started a new job that requires me to – dare I say it – mature a little and dress in a more business casual manner. TOMS shoes with hand-​painted dream catchers and dresses with boots won’t cut it anymore. Because of these new developments, I needed the assistance of a reliable dry-​cleaning service. As a child, I remember my mother frequenting Albano Cleaners on Sewells Point Road in Norfolk. I hated going with her to pick up her clothing because the building always smelled like cleaning supplies and popcorn, which made me hungry. Sigh. Anyway, it makes sense for me to use Albano Cleaners myself, and since the Sewell’s Point Road location has long-​since closed, I decided to check out this location on Granby Street.
I must add that I am directionally challenged and easily confused when it comes to areas like Wards Corner, Downtown Norfolk, Town Center, etc. I must be very impressed with places of business if I’m willing to overlook this and venture out into these areas, which is why I have and will continue to visit this location. I have dropped off and picked up clothing here at least two or three times over the past two months. Each transaction was quick, easy, and professional. For the purpose of this review, I’ll focus on my last experience.
I dropped off three suits about three weeks ago on a Saturday afternoon. I walked in and was greeted by a nice woman with short hair. She told me she would be with me in just a second. She looked like she was keying in some information. I didn’t mind waiting. While she was completing her tasks, I sat my items on a nearby bench and began sorting and folding them. In retrospect, it was pointless to fold them considering the fact that she would have to unfold them to detail the type of item, the brand names (which come up in their system and on the initial ticket that you receive once you drop your items off), and other identifying information about the clothing. However, the thought of handing the woman a big bundle of dirty clothes without any sort of order or organization (Saleen, your OCD is showing) seemed downright rude.
When she was done, she called me over. I placed my items on the counter and she began keying in details and ringing me up. She asked if I wanted to pay for the cleaning that day (you get a discount if you do), but I decided against it because I had other things to do with my check that week (*cough* partying and stuffing my face). She asked when I would like to pick the items up. I told her I could pick them up the following Saturday. She said my items would be done by Wednesday but that I was more than welcome to come back on Saturday. I thanked her and told her that was fine. She handed me my receipt. For three suits, the total was $ 40.84. The woman wished me a wonderful afternoon and that was pretty much it. It was quick and easy.
Before I left, she also informed me that the items are available for pick-​up for X amount of days after you drop them off. I wish I could remember the number, but my mother says she has left items at the cleaners for at least a month and when she went to pick them up, they were still there. My intentions were never to do this because I like to stick to my word, so if I told her I’d pick them up on Saturday, I wanted to make sure I did that. Oh yeah, this information may be written on the initial receipt that you receive when you drop your items off, but it looks like after you go back to pick up your items, they keep that receipt and give you a completely new one. I checked the back of my new receipt and it just has «conditions» about how items containing sequins, glitter, etc. are handled. It lists no allotted amount of time during which you can pick up the items.
Flash forward to the following Saturday: the word of the day was priorities, and I completely missed the mark. I wasn’t able to pick the suits up, so I figured I’d go back this weekend (on Saturday, the 31^st). I went back yesterday at around 1:30. I walked in and was greeted by the same woman. I handed her my receipt, she pulled my clothes, and checked me out. She wished me a wonderful afternoon and I was on my way. I was in and out within five minutes. That’s my kind of business.
While I didn’t inspect all of the items, I did unwrap one of them to make sure that they took care of my primary concern (the collar was badly stained due to some type of hair product). It looks and smells great now. Also, I think their prices are fair for the work that they do, and I highly recommend this location.
Also, visiting this store has helped me to branch out a little, and to stop being so nervous about driving in certain areas of Hampton Roads. Had I not needed to go there, I probably would’ve tried to avoid it at all costs, and I never would’ve seen how much of a wonderful job the city has done at revamping the Wards Corner area. It really does look great over there. Two thumbs up!