It almost seems like a dream come true. Finally, there’s a place in Singapore where you can send your beloved sneakers to be cleaned up, restoring it to its former glory.
That’s what local startup Holystic Sneaker Laundry offers from their small store that operates from Wheelock Place.
Owners of all-expensive and exclusive shoes from the usual streetwear brands can send in their footwear after a consultation over the counter and collect it thereafter once they’re done servicing the shoe. Sounds straightforward enough right?
You would think that it’s been all smooth-sailing since their opening, but apparently some have found their shoes in less than desirable conditions after dropping them off at the store.
The Holystic Mishap
The Playbook highlighted some cases in an article earlier today where they spoke to a few customers, as well as highlighted posts that were going viral when the Holystic experience went wrong.
First is the case of Benedict Yeo and his Adidas NMD Nice Kicks.
These are what the shoes (should) look like.
To put into context the gravity of how valuable these shoes are, they are going for way more than $3,700 on eBay alone, and there are very limited number of pairs in the world.
He had sent in his pair for both Holy Detail Clean and Holy Restoration services. Here’s what he got back the first time round:
There were obvious discolourations on the pull tab of his shoes when he collected it. Unsatisfied, he paid for another round of restoration fee to correct it.
The second time he got back his shoes, there were shoddy attempts at masking the earlier mistake with what can be seen as marker ink.
Nothing Customers Can Do, And Others Speak Up
A comment on his post shows the contract that customers have to sign before engaging Holystic’s services, and one particular line stood out:
“in no event, will Holystic Sneaker Laundry be held liable for any consequential… loss or damages whether or not Holystic knew and should have known of the likelihood of any loss or damage”
It is not uncommon for even dry-cleaners to make you sign contracts that state the terms for use of their services, but this line is a first.
What this basically means is that Holystic takes no responsibility for anything that happens after they have rendered their ‘service’.
The Playbook also spoke to several other customers on their experiences, and the responses so far have been less than desirable.
At the time of writing, Holystic has since responded to The Playbook’s article and also mentioned that they will be in contact with Benedict to resolve the matter.
[UPDATE: Responding to our article, Holystic said that it has gotten in touch with Benedict and they are “committed” to compensating his sneaker.
It wrote: “We have never indicated to Benedict that it was not our fault or at anytime refuse to compensate. In fact, we have been trying to get him on his mobile the first thing when we are alerted of the matter.”]
[LATEST UPDATE: As of 5.15pm, Benedict has agreed to accept Holystic’s offer to “get him a new pair of Adidas Nice Kicks”. Benedict will reserve the right to choose the “sneaker of his choice, at the site of his choice”.]
So what can we learn here? Well for one, those who render their services need to be more accountable for their actions and perform some form of recovery services to resolve the issue and appease the customer. When a dissatisfied customer posts on social media (and it blows up), it will be too late by then.
As a company who has apparently seen their fair share of Yeezys and Christian Louboutins, one would think that the people behind the business would be treating these high-end goods with the same high standards.
If anything, Holystic still has a chance at redemption if they handle the situation right.
Just look at A Better Florist. They are still around after their Valentine’s Day fiasco.
