ARRRRG! Need to VENT!

back on feb 23, i ordered an album through XX Company ( All companies will remain anonymous because I am sure this is not a constant thing with them! )

SO ANYWAY!!! I ordered an album on Feb. 23 through XX Album Company. Paid an extra 30 bucks to have it shipped FASTER, because I stupidly informed my client it would be 2 weeks. DOH!

Client number 2 orders an album, I sent it off on March 1. Today, oh happy day the mail man is here! woohoo doing the happy dance so excited to call client #1!!

I open up the pretty little box and ... CLIENT NUMBER TWOS BOOK!?!?!? WTF???

I call XX Album Company to see.. umm where is my book? this really sucks. :'( boohoo poor me, can you please tell me where it is? XX says to me, oh darn, it looks like it is stuck in customs! ( which is what the tracking number said back on February 28th!) So they will reprint it and resend it RIGHT AWAY! woohoo! I am almost happy again!! yeah me. So, i ask XX Album Company, when should I expect my album, IF all things go well and customs doesn't decide they want to keep a second copy? she tells me 10 days! TEN DAYS? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? Can we speed up the process?? I mean it has already been a while, can you not ship it over night? 3 day shipping? anything? oh sure mrs. xx album company says to me. But you will have to pay for it...

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRG REALLY? THAT SUX!!

Oh, and I already offered a free 16x20 canvas to the bride for the album being delayed the first time.. now what? fudge.

so, lesson learned.. ALWAYS SAY 6 MONTHS for an album. sigh.. that is all, just needed to say that out loud, so i didn't dwell..

if there is already a venting section, please feel free to move, or delete me. i couldn't locate one.

anyone else need to vent?

whilst i feel your arrrrrgg

this does sound like one of those things that happen from time to time and not really the fault of the provider

I understand you frustration but have to agree with dynamitetony, sounds like they are reprinting the entire album at no charge. That IMO is pretty stellar service considering they are not holding up the album.
I tell my brides 4-6 weeks and even then I let them know I want to go over it to make sure it is perfect.

Customs?

I think everyone should know that no matter what you do, shipping over Canadian/USA customs will range from fast and awesome to you will never see it again in one piece. If the original company is reprinting it for free and paying for regular shipping, I don't think arrrgg-ing about them is necessary.

I ordered my album through Pictage (I'm not ashamed to admit it, and they already know how I feel about their company.) three months before I was to graduate from the Art Institute of Colorado. Time got closer and closer... people who had done the same thing, taking advantage of a promo they ran in 2008, ordered after me and received their books within 6 weeks. I was a bit worried at the 6 week mark - I called and asked the status... and got the big run around. I let it go until week 10 or so... and then I got infuriated with them. I kept my cool on the phone, but the tone of my voice said it all. One day before graduating, the book showed up in the mail - and two months later, began to warp. I had them redo it. But before the book arrived, I had to end up doing it myself which was fun and I had the self gratification at the end of the day. My portfolio was due a week before graduation. Talk about upset... It's always best to quote two or three times the amount that the lab tells you.

I quote a six week turnaround for albums, and they're sourced locally. If I got them overseas i'd quote eight weeks. Your fault for estimating wrong really, and not tracking the package and following up. Reprinting because a package is in customs is stupid.

I'd tell the customer honestly "I quoted the time too short, it can take eight weeks, my apologies, here's some print credit".

tim wrote in post #9780431
I quote a six week turnaround for albums, and they're sourced locally. If I got them overseas i'd quote eight weeks. Your fault for estimating wrong really, and not tracking the package and following up. Reprinting because a package is in customs is stupid.

I'd tell the customer honestly "I quoted the time too short, it can take eight weeks, my apologies, here's some print credit".

Tim,
Is there anything you don't know?

kona77 wrote in post #9781158
Tim,
Is there anything you don't know?

I always go over the lines when I draw in a coloring in book, and I haven't yet mastered having all the parts of my dinner ready at the same time. Other than that... nah

I've been a professional photographer for 6-7 years, with a background as an engineer, so I have a reasonable amount of knowledge and experience. I know a lot about my chosen fields, but little about much else!

tim wrote in post #9784201
I always go over the lines when I draw in a coloring in book, and I haven't yet mastered having all the parts of my dinner ready at the same time. Other than that... nah

hahaha nice...

I would think the company would ship the same way as your original order that didn't arrive. If you paid for it, then it's only fair. Did you explain to them that you paid extra to get it quicker the first time you placed the order? Try calling them again and let them know this. Perhaps it was just an oversight.