Everybody hates Circuit Laundry


I hate Circuit Laundry. You hate Circuit Laundry. Everybody hates Circuit Laundry.

It has been over a year now since my one man boycott of Circuit Laundry began. I write this with the hope that maybe, just maybe, someone will be inspired to follow my lead. For those unaware of what this is all about, Circuit virtually has a total monopoly on university laundromat services in the UK. This means that the owner(s) are able to get away with providing sod all in the way of customer service since many students, especially those residing in isolated campuses, have no alternative laundromats to go to. Machines often get left broken, and peoples' money gets pinched regardless. Two mobile apps exist only to cause confusion and to rob students who can't be bothered with the hassle of trying to get their money back if they transfer it to the wrong app for their local Circuit machines. Student Unions are nagged to do something to counter Circuit, but they do nothing. Maybe Circuit lobbies them to turn a blind eye? Who knows. I could go on, but let's move on to something more positive.

About this time last year I decided I'd had enough, I was going to ditch Circuit for good. With no alternative laundromats within walking distance I went all in on washing by hand, air drying everything. This is perfectly doable in student dorms, one just needs to be mindful not to get the place muggy and mouldy, and to communicate with flatmates. The flat I lived in last year for example had a large radiator in the well ventilated kitchen/lounge, and a large washbasin in my room. My flatmates all agreed that we could chuck stuff on the communal radiator to dry; perfect! However in my new flat, it isn't so straightforward. There is no communal radiator to dry clothes, and I have no washbasin of my own, with the ones in the bathrooms being inadequately sized. What I did was buy a plastic bucket to wash clothes in, and I now hang clothes from my old fashioned sliding windows to dry. While it takes more effort, it is still perfectly doable.

That's all! Maybe you can devise a hand washing plan of your own and boycott Circuit!

19/10/2024