Photo Lab Issues

rub

TPF Noob!
Joined
Oct 17, 2007
Messages
932
Reaction score
214
Can others edit my Photos
Photos OK to edit
Well, trying to make a long story short.

Orderd from a lab, and was guarunteed shipment by Dec 9th. Rush shipping was $95.

The order was not sent out in time, came a day late, and I missed a deadline. I know have to spend $125 additional dollars on shipping to get the images to a client (they were going to take them with them to their family)

Also, the order came missing 9 prints - coming from 5 different clients - which will have to be shipped out seperately when they arrive.

The lab overcharged me by $55 on my order, and have since waived the $95 shipping charge to make up for that.

I was charged $108, will end up paying over $230, and have some pissed off clients.

I have requested that the company send me something indicating this was a lab error - something I can forward on to my clients. Also, I want to request they credit me for everything but the actual print costs, due to the fact that I will now be paying so much additional shipping due to an error on their part.

Am I being unreasonable? What would you do?
 
I know it's easier said than done...but don't cut it so close in the future. There are any number of things that could cause a delay, so give yourself some leeway when you tell the clients when they will get their prints.

The saying is: Under-promise and Over-deliver.
Tell them it will take 4 days, but then give it two them in two or three days. They will be happy and you have a safety net.

As far as what to do with your current situation...I'm not sure. I don't think that it's very professional to get proof of a lab error, just to show your clients. Apologize to them and promise to do better next time.
I guess you could try to get something out of the lab, but is that going to be worth the fight?
Maybe just look for a new lab.
 
Errors happen. UNFORTUNATELY, but happen. Pointing fingers, as Mike pointed out and I agree, isn't very professional. Unfortunately again, this business already turned into sham :( thus the more appropriate we handle our selves, the better it is for everyone.
Recently I began using different lab. Studios I work for have been using same labs for MANY years, but after recent incidence we (I), switched to a different lab. Here's is the 411 if you want to try them out. APS 718-360-2779 Ask for David.
good luck
 
Also, I want to request they credit me for everything but the actual print costs, due to the fact that I will now be paying so much additional shipping due to an error on their part.

Am I being unreasonable? What would you do?

No. You're not being unreasonable.

I'd want a full credit for the job... prints and all.

It's a competitive business. There are lots of labs. They should take care of a customer that sends them a constant flow of business.

They put you in a bad place, and should bend over backwards to let you know how much they regret it.

-Pete
 
Thanks for the feedback.

I placed the order as soon as it was received, calling to ensure that there would be plenty of time for shipping. Unfortunately the order sat there for 4 days without being shipped. I thought that would have beena large enough window.

I am glad to get some feedback about leting clients know about the lab error. I was unsure if thats what I should do or not. I dont want my clients thinking I am a slouch and just missed ordering the files. But I dont want to point fingers either.

The customer serivce was great with this company, and I am thrilled with the quality of the prints.

Just didnt know what the best way to proceed was.

*Note, when I told two of my clients that there images were missed in shipping and were being sent out asap, they were okay with it. Not happy, but what can ya do?
 
Man, I'd jump ship after something like that! What lab is it?

I'd have made a fuss and demanded the lab cover the future shippings for the order.
 
As a photographer, I sympathize with you.
As a mini lab employee who pulled a 10 hour shift and was STILL an hour behind on printing, I sympathize with the lab, although I do not know the circumstances. If they were just being lazy and not shipping it out, then they are definitely at fault and I would ask for compensation. However, I also had a customer today who was very nasty about the entire situation. We tried to explain to her, we are doing what we can, and we are sorry for the inconvience. There was really nothing I could do. Chemistry ran out, so my replenisher was severly diluted. What else could I do but stop printing to correct the issue so I didn't have 20 frustrated people lining up to return prints? Sure, they might have had them on time, but the prints would have been awful.
So my point is, there literally are two sides to every coin, and I've been on both. I agree 200% with Big Mike. Plan ahead. Is this the first incident with your lab? How long have you been printing there? If this is your first problem, I would speak to someone in charge at the lab, let them know you have deadlines to meet, and you are willing to work reasonably with them if they will do the same for you. (All of this on the basis is that they weren't just being lazy but had a legit reason for delayed shipping.)

I wouldn't jump ship on a lab because of one mistake. If there were repeated issues, bad treatment, unprofessional results, then....
 
Man, I'd jump ship after something like that! What lab is it?

I'd have made a fuss and demanded the lab cover the future shippings for the order.
Every lab is going to have things like this happen, repeatedly, and there is absolutely nothing they can do to prevent it. The laws of probability demand it because of the number of people involved in the process of putting the order together.

Good labs will keep the rate of recurrence very low, but they can't eliminate situations like this entirely.

So here we have one bad story, with no idea what this lab's actual rate of recurrence is.

It's one of the things people have to be aware of with the broad reach of the Internet.
 
KmH - that is why I do not want to post the name of the lab until I hear something back from them.

I was just curious as to what others would do. I kept all of my dealings with them 100% civil -- being rude is not going to help the situation. The prints were the best I have seen from any lab I have dealt with, and the customer service has been great. Sure, mistakes happen. I just need to know what people expect in return when these mistakes do happen.

I know that my timing plays a part in the situation. But also feel that if you are offering rush shipping, especially at a cost of nearly $100, RUSH is expected. 6 days on regular prints in regular sizes is a bit crazy.
 
Man, I'd jump ship after something like that! What lab is it?

I'd have made a fuss and demanded the lab cover the future shippings for the order.
Every lab is going to have things like this happen, repeatedly, and there is absolutely nothing they can do to prevent it. The laws of probability demand it because of the number of people involved in the process of putting the order together.

Good labs will keep the rate of recurrence very low, but they can't eliminate situations like this entirely.

So here we have one bad story, with no idea what this lab's actual rate of recurrence is.

It's one of the things people have to be aware of with the broad reach of the Internet.

Oh, definitely. Eventually, everything fouls up in one way or another. My comment was to the abundance of problems all in one place and the labs seeming lack for them. If my professional lab fouled up like that and four days later I was still wondering how they were going to respond, I'd consider that unacceptable. Part of good customer service is swiftly handling and rectifying mistakes.
 
Correction. My first post was in fact responding to the volume of problems all with one set of orders. I want a lab that will work as hard to keep me happy as I do to keep my customers happy. When there are issues, I want them resolved within hours, not days or weeks.

I'm more critical of myself than most people are, so I think for that reason I'm probably more critical of other businesses as well. Not to say that's universally the right mindset, it just happens to be the one I have.
 
I sent a letter Thursday night, and I still have not received a response. The remake prints have een shipped though, so at least that is a plus.
 
Just thought I would update the situation. The lab attempted to correct my order, but sent half of the missing prints on the wrong paper. Since then, I have spoke with the manager of customer relations, and they credited me the entire cost of my order, including shipping.

At this point I am unsure if I will give them another go.

But I did want to let people know that if you are civil when dealing with an issues like this, businesses are much more willing to deal with you. I didnt attack them or be rude, but just let them know it was not acceptable and I needed some type of resolution, and asked what they could do.

I am happy with the resulotion they provided, but I wish that I would have just had the order printed and shipped correctly to begin with.
 
...they credited me the entire cost of my order, including shipping.

This is what I would expect. Its pretty much SOP with pro labs.

I'd stick with them for the time being. If they're giving you a good product and this sort of mix-up is unusual, I'd feel a bit of loyalty toward them. It's what I hope my customers would do for me if/when I drop the ball.

-Pete
 
So my point is, there literally are two sides to every coin, and I've been on both.

Strictly in hindsight: It seems to me if the lab sat on the prints for four days and failed to notify you after the first day that something was wrong, then it was because they were lazy.

Seriously, in the business of providing a product for a customer on a specific date, the ONLY acceptable action when you know you're late is to notify the client as soon as you know you won't make it on time.

Anything less is inexcusable and should not be tolerated. If I had a lab (or any other vendor for that matter) make me miss a deadline like you described without notifying me well in advance I would demand a full refund and if they didn't provide one I would drop them.

Sounds like you were treated fairly, but I would suggest to them that they let me if they had a problem that forced them to be 4 days late.
 
Last edited:

Most reactions

Back
Top