photobook Canada not what you think. Caution!

[Canuckphotos]

Hello folks! Hope everyone is having a good weekend.

This is a caution about photobook "Canada". The reason I put quotations around Canada is because although this site is labeled as such and the contract info is for a local address it is not as it seems.

A while back I took my wife's maternity photos and the intention from the start was to make a photobook. I looked at the usual photobook websites, however, I decided to support a Canadian company and local business.

After spending MUCH time editing the photos it was time to put it in production via photobook. The process of designing the photobook was long and tedious and required a solid couple hours to make sure it was as we liked. Photo placement, texts, page layouts etc...

Once all that was accomplished it was time to finalize it and place the order. So a few clicks later and some money the order was in production. After a few days I noticed an email from them stating my order was shipped and provided a tracking number. I immediately looked up the tracking and to my surprise the book is being made and shipped from Kuala Lumpur Malaysia!!! I was furious and knew that there was going to be issues coming from half way around the world.

So after a several days we received the package from a unreliable shipping company and sure enough the book looked like it was printed in a basement by a chimp. The pages were bent on corners, the spine was bent in multiple places and the pages wouldn't sit properly when viewing. They would sit on an angle and generally looked very very poor in quality.

The purchased item was a image wrap hardcover which was suppose to cover the entire front and back of the book with the uploaded image. Which it wasn't. On the back page I placed a photo of our daughter and some text above to describe place of birth and her weight etc... That was missing.

I took photos immediately after receiving the book and emailed them pronto. After a few days they emailed me back saying they didn't offer refunds and would only allow me to do certain part of the project again and ship me a new one.

So, I went online and started parts of the project again. Editing, image placements etc.... All over again. Once it was done they wanted me to email them so they can check the project before production can occur. Sure enough, another email saying the project was missing texts, and the images weren't uploading properly!!!!! So here I am again, doing this project for the third time!!!!

I am very upset with this company and wouldn't use them again EVER! They're not Canadian and shouldn't be advertising as such.


Hope this helps people make a decision on where to print a photobook from.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[unpopular]

I don't blame you at all for thinking a company that advertises "made in Canada" to be made in Canada ... but in hind-sight, a $45 leather-bound, 20 page photobook printed and bound in North America?

With prices like that, how can we afford this lifestyle we insist on?

 

[tirediron]

Have you contacted the Ministry of Consumer Affairs?

 

[vintagesnaps]

I got curious because I never heard of this one and did a Google search which led me to a website for Photobook Canada, and one that was 'America' showing a US flag, and one that was worldwide.

There is at least a street address for Canada; the American one has a phone number with a Manhattan area code but no street address - which is necessary in the US for a registered business. Their 'About Us' page says nothing about the company which is enough to make me suspicious.

In this video from a Canadian TV show the hosts mention the video clip they're showing being the factory which they seem to assume is in Canada - the two young women representing the company don't say a word. (So don't seem to confirm where the factory is located.)

WARNING - As soon as I got back on here I got a pop-up from them just from searching on Google and looking at YouTube. So I didn't link to the video, it was of a TV show called 'Daytime'.

They may be a legit company (or not) but even that doesn't necessarily mean they're reputable. Seems like more and more companies can make themselves look good online but the reality isn't what it appears to be.

 

[timor]

This is not Canadian company. It is only Canadian front to international (no country) organization. Looks, like they are everywhere. Looks like logical thing any services they gonna perform for clients will be done in the poorest parts in the world. I don't think, they control quality of the product.
Anyway under this address, together with suit number, 114, there are other companies. Like STS, Student Travel Society. Also milled.com, selling cloths and photo books. Also PhotoCru selling photo books and prints on canvas covering photobooks worldwide, canvas street and The concept wall. To me it looks like 5 guys with computers, who, where is no other business are doing some freelance telemarketing for anyone.

 

[vintagesnaps]

And their binding process shown in the video made me wonder how long that will take to fall apart. I doubt that factory is in Canada.

Thanks for posting this thread, supposedly the spammers and scammers are getting better at what they do. Misleading for sure.

Maybe report them to where John suggested.

 

[JessicaLittle]

Think the only positive hear is it shows Canadians are want nicely bound albums made by fellow Canadians - we just need to find a way to make if affordable for both sides