London is the most expensive city to live in the UK and this includes student accommodation. Students say that on-campus laundry services are yet another expense.
Students, who are already paying high costs for their accommodation, are now complaining about another expense on top- laundry services.
JLA, the owner of Circuit Laundrette Services, supplies to 80-90% of higher education customers in UK, providing laundry services to most of the universities across the country.
While London is not ranked as having the highest paying energy prices across the country, student’s dissatisfaction with Circuit is felt at a nation-wide level.
Despite being the leading supplier of laundry services to university students, customers have mixed opinions. On Trustpilot, the Circuit app that the laundry services depend on to work, has split reviews. With half rating it 5 stars, and the other half rating 1 stars.
Complaints for Circuit include the breaking down of machines as well as issues with the app crashing.
Videos on TikTok show students washing their clothes in sinks and showers in order to avoid using the services that their universities provide for them.
Circuit Go’s parent shareholder company Cinven, a private equity firm, was fined £99 million in May 2025 for the excessive pricing of NHS thyroid drugs, found an investigation by Competition and Markets Authority.
Students at the University of the Arts London, as part of their ‘No to Circuit Go’ campaign, question how Circuit can be trusted, with their petition site stating “How can we trust this company to provide us ‘fair’ prices for laundry services? They are ripping us off!”
Credit: Socialist Students
Similar petitions against Circuit, by University College London students, state that “enough is enough”. There have been over 200 signatures on the petition which states “The fact that is costs up to almost £7 for a single batch of laundry is a disgrace- we even have to bring our own detergent!” They say that in the current cost of living crisis, students are “paying unbelievable fees”.
In response to the issues put forward by students, a spokesperson from Circuit told City News that they’re “committed to ensuring residents have access to clean, reliable and well-maintained laundry facilities,” urging students to contact support team who should resolve issues quickly.
In response to queries put forward by price differences, they say that “pricing is set on a site-by-site basis, reflecting local requirements and operating arrangements.”
Students across the country continue to complain about Circuit’s operating system. Ben Richards, a student at University of York says that “it’s not a great system”. Elaborating further by saying “You often get people leaving their clothes in the washing machines and collecting mould, which you then have to take out and dump on to the floor just to use them”.
When asked if she has ever had a bad experience with Circuit Landry, Georgia-Marie, a student at the University of Keele, simply responded, “where do I start, we will be here all day.”
Elena Economides, a student at Liverpool University, says “it’s frustrating because you already pay around £10,000 a year just for your course and accommodation adds around another £8,000 per year and then you have to worry about all your essentials on top.”
An investigation launched by CMA found that JLA, who owns Circuit, bought Washstation, the second largest laundry market to university students in 2017. They said that this merge could see higher prices and lower quality services.
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Standfirst
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HeadlineStudents from London urge Universities to abolish Circuit Laundry
Short HeadlineStudents urge unis to abolish Circuit
StandfirstStudents at UAL question how students can trust companies like Circuit
London is the most expensive city to live in the UK and this includes student accommodation. Students say that on-campus laundry services are yet another expense.
Students, who are already paying high costs for their accommodation, are now complaining about another expense on top- laundry services.
JLA, the owner of Circuit Laundrette Services, supplies to 80-90% of higher education customers in UK, providing laundry services to most of the universities across the country.
While London is not ranked as having the highest paying energy prices across the country, student’s dissatisfaction with Circuit is felt at a nation-wide level.
Despite being the leading supplier of laundry services to university students, customers have mixed opinions. On Trustpilot, the Circuit app that the laundry services depend on to work, has split reviews. With half rating it 5 stars, and the other half rating 1 stars.
Complaints for Circuit include the breaking down of machines as well as issues with the app crashing.
Videos on TikTok show students washing their clothes in sinks and showers in order to avoid using the services that their universities provide for them.
Circuit Go’s parent shareholder company Cinven, a private equity firm, was fined £99 million in May 2025 for the excessive pricing of NHS thyroid drugs, found an investigation by Competition and Markets Authority.
Students at the University of the Arts London, as part of their ‘No to Circuit Go’ campaign, question how Circuit can be trusted, with their petition site stating “How can we trust this company to provide us ‘fair’ prices for laundry services? They are ripping us off!”
Credit: Socialist Students
Similar petitions against Circuit, by University College London students, state that “enough is enough”. There have been over 200 signatures on the petition which states “The fact that is costs up to almost £7 for a single batch of laundry is a disgrace- we even have to bring our own detergent!” They say that in the current cost of living crisis, students are “paying unbelievable fees”.
In response to the issues put forward by students, a spokesperson from Circuit told City News that they’re “committed to ensuring residents have access to clean, reliable and well-maintained laundry facilities,” urging students to contact support team who should resolve issues quickly.
In response to queries put forward by price differences, they say that “pricing is set on a site-by-site basis, reflecting local requirements and operating arrangements.”
Students across the country continue to complain about Circuit’s operating system. Ben Richards, a student at University of York says that “it’s not a great system”. Elaborating further by saying “You often get people leaving their clothes in the washing machines and collecting mould, which you then have to take out and dump on to the floor just to use them”.
When asked if she has ever had a bad experience with Circuit Landry, Georgia-Marie, a student at the University of Keele, simply responded, “where do I start, we will be here all day.”
Elena Economides, a student at Liverpool University, says “it’s frustrating because you already pay around £10,000 a year just for your course and accommodation adds around another £8,000 per year and then you have to worry about all your essentials on top.”
An investigation launched by CMA found that JLA, who owns Circuit, bought Washstation, the second largest laundry market to university students in 2017. They said that this merge could see higher prices and lower quality services.
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