Zoots customers wait hours in line - only to find clothing has been lost

For one day, Zoots Dry Cleaning reopened its doors to allow customer to pick up their clothes, after the business abruptly filed for bankruptcy.

At the Zoots in Cambridge, wait times were measured by landmarks.

"I’ve been in line for two and half hours now and moved from that light pole to here," said Tim Cahill of Arlington.

Dozens of frustrated customers lined up in the cold to try and pick up their clothes that have been locked up for weeks after the chain declared bankruptcy and suddenly closed its doors.

Those doors reopened at 7 a.m. Friday.

"My son stayed in line and then I had to go to work and then he said they can’t find your dress and I shot over here like, somebody is finding my dress. They don’t have my dress," said Tina of Cambridge.

Tina's not the only one.

"They said stuff is messed up in there... things are out of order and they can’t find it. So I’m left with a phone number," said Julia of Somerville.

Some people told Boston 25 News they had been waiting in line for more than three hours. Now, most were able to get their clothes, but if not, Zoots told them to call a number.

We called that number customers were given and spoke with a business that is a vendor of Zoots. That business told Boston 25 News that Zoots still owes them money and it can't help customers.

Boston 25 News also reached out to Zoots trustee David Madoff, who told us:

"For those customers who arrived at our store today and did not receive their garments, they are welcome to leave their contact information. We'll look into the issue and contact them once we resolve it."

But for some, walking out empty-handed doesn't give them much confidence they'll ever get their clothes back.

"It’s unfortunate because I’ve been a customer of Zoots for years, the manager here has always been terrific, great customer service, great hospitality, and for it to end like this - it’s just so disappointing for the business," said Julia.

The state attorney general's office is reviewing multiple labor complains from Zoots employees and its consumer specialists are available to help customers resolve any issues if they call.

PREVIOUS STORIES:

• Zoots Dry Cleaning closes suddenly after filing for bankruptcy
• Zoots Dry Cleaning granted emergency re-opening
• Zoots customers will soon be able to retrieve clothing from shuttered business
  

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