IFI Professional’s Testimony Defends Basic Fact of Dry Cleaning
By Harry A. Kimmel III, Senior Editor
Fabricare • January 2007
When a fire damaged vintage garments in a chic California retail shop, the owner of the store figured her insurance would cover her losses to the tune of $2 million. The insurance company suggested trying restoration services through a reputable dry cleaner, but the owner of the store refused, saying that was not good enough and showing a clear bias against dry cleaning in general. She sued. The insurance company contacted Don Canzoneri, owner of West Covina Cleaners, in West Covina, California, who agreed to refute the claim that “dry cleaning damages clothing.” “It was basically an affront to our industry,” Canzoneri said. “They said dry cleaning wears out clothes, that dry cleaners don’t care about their customers or do a good job, so she didn’t think the clothing could be restored.” Canzoneri owns and operates “the largest restoration business in Los Angeles,” and he’s been doing it for 18 years. On the side he does expert witness work, and with IFI in his corner he was able to knock some rather disturbing claims out of the park. After he got the call to serve as an expert witness, Canzoneri called IFI. Shortly afterward he received some talking points and materials to help his side of the argument. Thus prepared, he gave a grueling deposition on the merits of restoration cleaning. “It was tough,” he said. “They had me in there for nine hours trying to get me to say anything to help their claims that dry cleaning wears out clothes and shortens the life of garments. It was ridiculous. They basically folded when they saw the paper from North Carolina [‘Effect of Commercial Drycleaning on Physical Properties of Wool Fabrics,’ by Mary Ellen Wiczynski and Manfred Wentz, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Roger L. Barker, North Carolina State University]. That showed without a doubt that cleaning does not wear out garments.” After the deposition the insurance company settled the claim Commercial Drycleaning on Physical Properties of Wool Fabrics,’ by Mary Ellen Wiczynski and Manfred Wentz, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Roger L. Barker, North Carolina State University]. That showed without a doubt that cleaning does not wear out garments.” After the deposition the insurance company settled the claim.
An Institution of its Own
Canzoneri’s father started West Covina Cleaners in 1969 and Don took over in 1985, jumping into the restoration market in 1988. The business is composed of one main plant, three dry stores, and two pickup and delivery routes. Half of its business is retail; half is insurance claims. The Canzoneris recently completed a state-of-the-art renovation of their business, including installing 42-inch plasma televisions on columns for customers waiting to use the drive-through service. Some of their clients are big stars, including Pierce Brosnan and John Stamo. “IFI is a great organization and they have helped me on several occasions,” the longtime professional affiliate said. “Sometimes it was just a phone call and a few questions before a deposition, but this time I was able to get compelling information that helped close the case. We’re fortunate to have IFI’s resources available to us at any time. They’re just a phone call away.”
