Sams Photolabs = Poor service

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mike.mccusker said:
I stopped using Sams for a very similar reason. I uploaded 4 images got confirmation etc but then found another image I wanted printing. I rang and asked for the additional image to be added so I did not pay two lots of P+P he said he would do this. I waited for around two weeks and now prints. I was getting nervous as these were for competition entry. I emailed several times and each time I was assured they would be printed that afternoon. This was 6 months ago and they never did arrive. Needless to say I will not even consider using him again which is a shame because I thought the quality was very good.
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That could quite easily have been a fault with Royal Mail.
 
Playing DA, just because Bungus is new doesn't necessarily mean he has an axe to grind.

Many larger business can ignore this sort of complaint(wrong but from a turnover point of view they don't see the point).

A smaller business however relies on reputation and it is important that the smaller supplier does things better than the big boys or they can in extremes go out of business.

I've never used Sams but the lack of response to a problem (and it is how a business responds to a problem that is important) gives me the opinion that they don't always care about the order they are given.

I can't afford that uncertainty.
 
donkeymusic said:
just come across this thread and it does seem to be getting out of control, i personally ahve used Sams Lab and never had any problems with the quality of service, the software was simple to use, the delivery time was great and overall i could not say anything bad.

Had i have read this post from a long time member of TP i would have been more concerned but as Bungus seems relatively new with his post count i would question his motives for posting his critisms.
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Hello my friend
Because i dont have the post count you have doesnt mean i dont have a valid reason to share my experience.
As i said i am not here to ruin anyones business i am only sharing my dealing with a company that i tried to make use of there service.
If it was Jessops i would share the problems with everyone on here too.
I have not been telling any lies or dramatising the situation ( I have the emails from myself and David to back this up)

My only intention is to tell anyone who is willing to listen is i have been having problems with this company, I am not telling anyone not to use them and i hope because of my experience it does not put anybody off trying them and if you read through my post i have never said anything bad regarding his product only his customer service.
 
Mark, companies like Loxley dont bother with internet forums like us for the simple reason that way too many people work for them, its only when a big problem like the WHE camera issues come up and a lot of people say they wont use the company that they might take notice. Smaller companies come on here and post this and that because they might have the time or because they want to try and tap into the potential market that is here.
 
The reason labs like Sams can offer such competitive prices is because of AUTOMATION!

I am not saying Mike is wrong to phone up and ask for a print to be added, but perhaps David (at Sams) was wrong to agree to do it, as this clearly is outside his normal fully automated production routine. I know other labs who will simply tell you 'once the order has been received, no amendments can be made'.

For those who do not go back to film days, you may not appreciate how cheap prints are these days. In 2002 I was paying almost £3 for a machine print off a 6x6 negative and it wasn't that unusual for the printer to expose the next neg along by mistake, or even put the neg in back to front!

I understand Bungus annoyance is purely the lack of communication, which most people would find frustrating, no matter who the supplier is.

Chris.
 
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Had i have read this post from a long time member of TP i would have been more concerned but as Bungus seems relatively new with his post count i would question his motives for posting his critisms.
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I think if you read the entire thread, you will find that it is not just Bungus that has experienced problems.
 
That could quite easily have been a fault with Royal Mail.
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Maybe, but did the customer get a dispatch confirmation? maybe a Tracking Number?

I run an online business and the customer is kept in the loop at all times during the process from order to dispatch.
 
matty said:
Mark, companies like Loxley dont bother with internet forums like us for the simple reason that way too many people work for them, its only when a big problem like the WHE camera issues come up and a lot of people say they wont use the company that they might take notice. Smaller companies come on here and post this and that because they might have the time or because they want to try and tap into the potential market that is here.
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Matt

The fact that Loxley and 'other' companies don't bother to engage withtheir market is to their detrement. In my opinion it is down to laziness and ignorance, and the fact that they can hide away and avoid having to deal with issues like this- really very convenient.
I am sure that anyone from the 'bigger' companies may see stuff on forum, they may in fact have people tell them, so why not respond? beneath them?- or is it that they feel that some forums are not worth taking seriously?

Anyway I am going off the topic.
 
Just to add on this score, I remember talking to another seller of goods, and when I asked him how he felt about forums he told me that they were 'full of people moaning' - that gives you an insight into why you don't see many sellers on forums. I see it differently , you persist, you do not go on forums to purely flog and promote - you listen , you learn and you contribute to the conversation.

It is called education , and understanding your market.
 
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my experience of Sams is very similar to that of others. i tried once, he got the order slightly wrong and promised to resend the image that had printed the wrong size - i never received it. Ended up I printed it myself and that was the end of the relationship.

Prints looked fine but customer service really needs ramped up. You only really get one chance to make that impression.
 
MARK AMIES said:
Matt

The fact that Loxley and 'other' companies don't bother to engage withtheir market is to their detrement. In my opinion it is down to laziness and ignorance, and the fact that they can hide away and avoid having to deal with issues like this- really very convenient.
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I agree with that, the internet is a lot more powerful than some of these companies realise, look at WHE thread for a prime example of what the internet can do

I am sure that anyone from the 'bigger' companies may see stuff on forum, they may in fact have people tell them, so why not respond? beneath them?- or is it that they feel that some forums are not worth taking seriously?

Anyway I am going off the topic.
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sadly its the latter. Not to worry about being off-topic, its more on topic than a lot of other threads.

Just to add on this score, I remember talking to another seller of goods, and when I asked him how he felt about forums he told me that they were 'full of people moaning' - that gives you an insight into why you don't see many sellers on forums. I see it differently , you persist, you do not go on forums to purely flog and promote - you listen , you learn and you contribute to the conversation.

It is called education , and understanding your market.
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thats quite correct, perceptions of forums is not good with some retailers, but some are becoming more enlightened. Retailers need to learn how the internet can be used to promote, but with the promoting also comes some firefighting.

anyway...

carry on.
 
All I said was I know David abd used him for years. Had a few probs biut then I have had the odd cockup from evryone of the pro labs.

I put thousands of images through and the odd glitch is hardly an issue. But abusing and slagging off people is a bit much. All I can say is I use Sams and will continue too.

Being negative like this can hang about for a long time... So please give David a chance.
 
Okay, I've held back here because I have no wish to bad mouth David and I wanted to give him the chance to respond. I sent him the following email two days ago...

David,

I've seen the thread about your service on TP. I typed the following to post there, but felt it would be better to give you the chance to respond directly rather than on the forum...

I'm sorry to have to add my bad experience too.

I also took David up on his offer of free test prints and I was very happy with the quality and the service (three day turnaround). I then placed an the Sunday before last which was processed on Monday morning. When it hadn't arrived by Friday making it late for my client (surely 5 days is enough time?) I emailed David who said he was sure it had been sent and he'd check. When he didn't get back to me I emailed twice more before calling on Monday morning to be told by the lady who answered the phone that David was out. I left a message to call me back as I was now quite late for the client who ordered for a birthday. Nothing.

fortunately the prints arrived the next morning, but still I had no response. This was a small order, but it's made me very wary of ordering again with a big order with this kind of communication.

I hope this is an isolated incident.

Thanks,
Dean

As of this morning I've still had no response. I've a job worth several hundred pounds to me to be processed this weekend and I don't feel in any way confident I can use David.

It wouldn't bother me so much if I didn't see him posting on Facebook advertising updates etc. In my world you take care of your customers and communicate first and foremost in order to keep them happy that everything is going to run smoothly.
 
MARK AMIES said:
So , you are thinking that myself and Daryl are on here to help out a buddy? Fair enough, but I would likely do it for anyone else.

What do you think is being acheieved on here right now? A whole load of viewers are reading this and perhaps getting a false impression of a situation , and are hearing the majority of views from one side. I am sure that Mr Clark has done waht he could do within reason. If there was a real issue hear that deserved a solution , then there is another path to take , through what? Trading Standards?

I will leave it there, I just hope that at no point any of you guys have to face this on a forum. Mr Clark has been in this field of work for many years now, I think he knows what he is doing , but this is for him to sort out now, or for Bungus to deal with with Mr Clark.
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I cannot help but feel you have missed the point here, or in other forums or tv programmes where a group of customers now have an option to discuss a service. Someone sticks there hands up and says I am having a problem with this supplier/service, 'is anyone else'? Suddenly with the power of the internet you can then be in a community of people that are all experiencing the same issues or have done. Over in another forum someone is discussing 'don't buy secondhand goods from a particular trader', and several people have come up with horror stories... It's a heads up for us all. I don't see why we should have to stop discussing someones service and share experiences but rather if we don't like something head straight off to Trading standards. Equally in this forum people share good experiences and make recommendations which is why Sams gets work and is possibly a victim of it's own success to a certain degree...reputation.

This forum does give Sam (or David) an opportunity to reply. I get the impression like a number of businesses you have a quality workman who does a grand job but then gets overwhelmed when too many people want a grand job. You are so busy printing that phone calls and emails can get overlooked, or maybe you are not big enough to employee a temp when the admin staff are on holiday.

Anyway, on a positive note I earlier moaned in this thread about firstly the software being a bit confusing when you first become a customer at Sams. I sat at home several days wondering when my prints would arrive before I looked at the software again and found it hadn't even uploaded! :shrug:

Then a week after it had been sent, I still wondered where my prints were, many places having them on your doorstep24 or 48 hours later.

I made my post here and sent a reminder email to Sams. David replied to me a stupid-o-clock. I made a supposition that he was probably working very hard to clear a backlog at all hours. He promised me my order would be dealt with and dealt with well. I then had a couple of emails with some friendly advice anbout how to mount the prints etc. This morning the boxed prints arrived at 7.30 and they are superb! :clap: I would definately use Sams again for sheer quality and to support a very nice man and quality worker. We could do with people like him. Of course David would just benefit from having someone in the office that could probably organise the workflow and deal with the customers whilst he or whoever has chance to get on with the core of what brings in the money.

Overall then i'd be concerned to send an urgent job at this stage, until I see a few more positive reports on here regarding athat aspect, but if timescales were more relaxed I would defiantely use sams. Well done, impressed by the quality. :clap:
 
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I am not going to comment anymore, this is for David to sort out now.
 
The23rdman said:
Okay, I've held back here because I have no wish to bad mouth David and I wanted to give him the chance to respond. I sent him the following email two days ago...

David,

I've seen the thread about your service on TP. I typed the following to post there, but felt it would be better to give you the chance to respond directly rather than on the forum...

I'm sorry to have to add my bad experience too.

I also took David up on his offer of free test prints and I was very happy with the quality and the service (three day turnaround). I then placed an the Sunday before last which was processed on Monday morning. When it hadn't arrived by Friday making it late for my client (surely 5 days is enough time?) I emailed David who said he was sure it had been sent and he'd check. When he didn't get back to me I emailed twice more before calling on Monday morning to be told by the lady who answered the phone that David was out. I left a message to call me back as I was now quite late for the client who ordered for a birthday. Nothing.

fortunately the prints arrived the next morning, but still I had no response. This was a small order, but it's made me very wary of ordering again with a big order with this kind of communication.

I hope this is an isolated incident.

Thanks,
Dean

As of this morning I've still had no response. I've a job worth several hundred pounds to me to be processed this weekend and I don't feel in any way confident I can use David.

It wouldn't bother me so much if I didn't see him posting on Facebook advertising updates etc. In my world you take care of your customers and communicate first and foremost in order to keep them happy that everything is going to run smoothly.
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To be fair though, you've told him the prints have arrived and haven't actually asked him to respond.

The problem with a lot of people is a lack of patience, you emailed him Friday morning, he said he'd check and you then still emailed him twice after that, bearing in mind the lab's going to probably be shut at weekends?

I think some of the criticism here is a bit harsh.
 
Sorry, Dave, but I respectfully disagree. The prints arrived a full 10 days after I ordered them and I was still hanging on awaiting a response the full working days after David said he'd check on them for me. My client was wondering what was going on and I didn't know whether I needed to order from elsewhere.

If I'd given this kind of customer service to my clients I'd never expect them to come back to me.

The fact they did turn up eventually is no reason at all not to respond to my email with a simple courtesy and assurance that my custom is important however small the order is. Takes 30 seconds, but is worth a fortune.
 
I think this whole thread shows a trend.

What buyers want from a company is to be kept in the loop.

With the internet we have all grown accustomed and some, have known nothing different.

All traders therefore have to learn it is not just the product that needs to be good, it is all the behind the scenes stuff too, including communications.
An example for me is Dell just recently.

Place order

Receive email confirming receipt of order
Receive email confirming payment made and order in progress
Receive email saying order complete, ready for post
Receive email advising tracking no.
Receive email with invoice.
 
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Dman said:
To be fair though, you've told him the prints have arrived and haven't actually asked him to respond.

The problem with a lot of people is a lack of patience, you emailed him Friday morning, he said he'd check and you then still emailed him twice after that, bearing in mind the lab's going to probably be shut at weekends?

I think some of the criticism here is a bit harsh.
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I don't agree with your stance on the matter at all. Dean did ask for a response via a telephone conversation with the lady in the office.

I am not sure how his print lab operates but I do know that DSCL, which I have visited, appears to have a more hands on approach to customer orders. You can see their printers actually printing and the workers running back and forth with what seems like a continuous flow of prints into customer order packages all whilst answering the telephone and using their web interface to deal with emails about complaints/compliments/queerys/hair pulling/etc.

I hope David does get this sorted regarding customer service correspondence unless none of this is true.
 
if you are buying product and have an end user waiting for them, you cannot afford to have silence from the supplier, it damages not only the supplier, but you as the buyer. Communication is critical in any business and should be very high on a list of things to do, it doesnt take a moment to reply to an email, even if its just to say 'ive got your email and I will look into it.'
 
Just a thought...... it seeems most of the disatisfied customers on here are only ordering a handful of prints at a time, perhaps he doesn't want that business ;) (sorry, but the promise of a BIG order NEXT time, wears thin pretty quick!)

Seriously though, how many people here who have had problems have followed the labs instructions EXACTLY regarding sizing, saving, naming etc, with no special requests, changes of order etc etc etc because I put through 2-3 orders a week without a hiccup.

Like everything in life, you need to know the limitations of your equipiment, your supplier & even yourself.

Once I hit 'send' to SamsLab I accept that order is now closed. I would not attempt to make changes because I KNOW this disrupts David's automated workflow and it is easier to send a new order with whatever I have missed off. Even if you don't order several times a week, paying an occasional extra four quid p&p isn't exactly going to break the bank when the prints are so cheap.

If you want a lab that sends you an email everytime the staus of your order changes, then go out and find a different lab because it sure as hell will increase print prices to pay for the admin staff and I already have enough emails coming in that I don't need!

Actually, the more I think about it, assuming he has many regular satisfied customers, PERHAPS there ARE some customers he DOESN'T want!

In my own business, customers who place small orders are very often higher maintenance than the bigger spenders..... looks like the trend is widespread.

The saying goes...... 20% of your customers provide 80% of your income..... sometimes you HAVE to prioritise!!

Chris.
 
The23rdman said:
Sorry, Dave, but I respectfully disagree. The prints arrived a full 10 days after I ordered them and I was still hanging on awaiting a response the full working days after David said he'd check on them for me. My client was wondering what was going on and I didn't know whether I needed to order from elsewhere.

If I'd given this kind of customer service to my clients I'd never expect them to come back to me.

The fact they did turn up eventually is no reason at all not to respond to my email with a simple courtesy and assurance that my custom is important however small the order is. Takes 30 seconds, but is worth a fortune.
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I was referring to the fact that you were complaining about still not having had a response. It was not good that he never got back to you, I appreciate that, but you wanted him to get back to you to let you know if your prints had been sent, then you told him you'd received them, but were still after a response?

matty said:
it doesnt take a moment to reply to an email, even if its just to say 'ive got your email and I will look into it.'
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He did actually send an email to say that in this instance.


Overall, this thread has not been good for DC, there's no doubt he'll have lost custom because of it, just like WEX did with the camera issue elsewhere. CS definitely needs to be improved by the looks of things and hopefully this will now be forthcoming, especially as most print labs will be getting custom from recommendations on forums like this.
 
chip said:
Just a thought...... it seeems most of the disatisfied customers on here are only ordering a handful of prints at a time, perhaps he doesn't want that business ;) (sorry, but the promise of a BIG order NEXT time, wears thin pretty quick!)

Seriously though, how many people here who have had problems have followed the labs instructions EXACTLY regarding sizing, saving, naming etc, with no special requests, changes of order etc etc etc because I put through 2-3 orders a week without a hiccup.

Like everything in life, you need to know the limitations of your equipiment, your supplier & even yourself.

Once I hit 'send' to SamsLab I accept that order is now closed. I would not attempt to make changes because I KNOW this disrupts David's automated workflow and it is easier to send a new order with whatever I have missed off. Even if you don't order several times a week, paying an occasional extra four quid p&p isn't exactly going to break the bank when the prints are so cheap.

If you want a lab that sends you an email everytime the staus of your order changes, then go out and find a different lab because it sure as hell will increase print prices to pay for the admin staff and I already have enough emails coming in that I don't need!

Actually, the more I think about it, assuming he has many regular satisfied customers, PERHAPS there ARE some customers he DOESN'T want!

In my own business, customers who place small orders are very often higher maintenance than the bigger spenders..... looks like the trend is widespread.

The saying goes...... 20% of your customers provide 80% of your income..... sometimes you HAVE to prioritise!!

Chris.
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That can be a very short sighted attitude because, some of those smaller companies may well become biggger comapnies in the future and that is a revenue stream lost.
 
chip said:
Just a thought...... it seeems most of the disatisfied customers on here are only ordering a handful of prints at a time, perhaps he doesn't want that business ;) (sorry, but the promise of a BIG order NEXT time, wears thin pretty quick!)

That's a rediculous attitude. Every customer should be equally important. I'm glad you don't run a business I use.

Seriously though, how many people here who have had problems have followed the labs instructions EXACTLY regarding sizing, saving, naming etc, with no special requests, changes of order etc etc etc because I put through 2-3 orders a week without a hiccup.

Like everything in life, you need to know the limitations of your equipiment, your supplier & even yourself.

Once I hit 'send' to SamsLab I accept that order is now closed. I would not attempt to make changes because I KNOW this disrupts David's automated workflow and it is easier to send a new order with whatever I have missed off. Even if you don't order several times a week, paying an occasional extra four quid p&p isn't exactly going to break the bank when the prints are so cheap.

If you want a lab that sends you an email everytime the staus of your order changes, then go out and find a different lab because it sure as hell will increase print prices to pay for the admin staff and I already have enough emails coming in that I don't need!

Actually, the more I think about it, assuming he has many regular satisfied customers, PERHAPS there ARE some customers he DOESN'T want!

In my own business, customers who place small orders are very often higher maintenance than the bigger spenders..... looks like the trend is widespread.

The saying goes...... 20% of your customers provide 80% of your income..... sometimes you HAVE to prioritise!!

Chris.
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I know how to use his software and find the rest of your post frankly insulting.

Dman said:
I was referring to the fact that you were complaining about still not having had a response. It was not good that he never got back to you, I appreciate that, but you wanted him to get back to you to let you know if your prints had been sent, then you told him you'd received them, but were still after a response?



He did actually send an email to say that in this instance.


Overall, this thread has not been good for DC, there's no doubt he'll have lost custom because of it, just like WEX did with the camera issue elsewhere. CS definitely needs to be improved by the looks of things and hopefully this will now be forthcoming, especially as most print labs will be getting custom from recommendations on forums like this.
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Dave, you're missing the most important point. If a customer has received poor service and makes that clear the way forward is NOT to ignore that reasonable response for assurance that it is not something that will be habitual. It takes a few moments.
 
The23rdman said:
I know how to use his software and find the rest of your post frankly insulting.



Dave, you're missing the most important point. If a customer has received poor service and makes that clear the way forward is NOT to ignore that reasonable response for assurance that it is not something that will be habitual. It takes a few moments.
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I do see your point, I'm just trying to balance it out in this instance by giving reasons as to why he may not have subsequently replied. I've had instances too where I've received no reply, but it's very rare and the quality of the prints far outshines any poor service I've had in the past.

It's just a shame that this seems to happen to those putting in first time orders, but maybe now this level of service will improve.
 
There is no question that communication hasn't been good and needs improving.

But you don't book into a Bed & Breakfast and expect the same service as a Five Star Hotel....... or at least, you shouldn't.

Chris.
 
Do you not think this thread has run it's course by now?
 
chip said:
There is no question that communication hasn't been good and needs improving.

But you don't book into a Bed & Breakfast and expect the same service as a Five Star Hotel....... or at least, you shouldn't.

Chris.
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To be fair, if I booked into a local bed and breakfast, I would expect a much more personal and attentive level of service, DURING the times when service is available.

G.
 
MARK AMIES said:
Do you not think this thread has run it's course by now?
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Is that not a decision taken by

A The thread starter asking mods to close

B The mods

C By dieing a death as people on a forum slowly lose interest

It could be argued that you have just prolonged it by flaming?
 
Dman said:
I do see your point, I'm just trying to balance it out in this instance by giving reasons as to why he may not have subsequently replied. I've had instances too where I've received no reply, but it's very rare and the quality of the prints far outshines any poor service I've had in the past.

It's just a shame that this seems to happen to those putting in first time orders, but maybe now this level of service will improve.
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Granted, Dave. I can only speak from experience and I did say I hoped it was an isolated incident, but would like reassurance from the man himself that this is so.

chip said:
I never intended to insult anyone.
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Fair enough. I'm over it. :)
 
MARK AMIES said:
Do you not think this thread has run it's course by now?
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PsiFox said:
Is that not a decision taken by

A The thread starter asking mods to close

B The mods

C By dieing a death as people on a forum slowly lose interest

It could be argued that you have just prolonged it by flaming?
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I agree this thread has run it coarse.

Just to let everyone know David has sent me an email to apologise and my prints will be sent out today.

I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this thread (the good and the bad)

Mods please close this thread now.

Thank you
 
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