Another Jessops Moan

[Joenail]

Going through some old negs at the moment & I'm coming across all this good looking stuff I'd either forgotten about or was too ignorant to realise was any good! Then I came across this really cool looking roll that I'd completely forgotten about. I was then reminded of why I don't have any negs in Jessops bags any more! The story goes something like this..


About 4 months ago I sent some film away to Jessops for processing, printing and scanning. I spent the best part of 15 minutes explaining to the lab person that I put it through a panoramic camera, which has double the frame length & exposes the sprocket holes, so they were either not to cut the film at all, or cut it properly and scan with sprocket holes. I went back an hour later to find that nearly every one of the frames was cut (badly) in half, they printed as normal 35mm cropped to fit 5x7 paper & scanned 5x7. It took another 15 or so minutes to explain to the lab person what she/someone else had done. Eventually she had to get the manager because she couldn't understand that they were chopped through the middle of the frame. The manager was actually pretty decent and very apologetic. He offered me most of the Fuji C200 film they had in stock (about 20 or so rolls) and a free re-scan & print at the bigger Jessops down the road that would be able to stitch them together somehow. I didn't take the film since I only use black & white and slide film occasionally. After a week the other place had finished scanning & printing. Nearly right this time! They'd scanned & printed the sprocket holes but left it as a normal frame & 'forgot' to stitch them together (even though it was in big red writing on the bag thingy). They looked absolutely clueless when I tried to explain the situation & basically told me to get my own scanner :bang:


Thought that was worth sharing with the film people here as another little incentive not to use Jessops

A good thing has come out of it though. I've been doing my own processing, scanning & printing ever since

-J

 

[boliston]

They were a joke when I tried to get a Holga film processed a couple of years ago. After 4 weeks I enquired why they had not processed it (they said they would phone me when it was ready) and they then said that they have stopped doing 120 black & white developing.

Since then I always used Peak Imaging and never had a problem and they offer same day turnaround.

 

[Morinaka]

If you want special requirements you need to deal with an experienced lab not a high street chain.
Though i think your biggest error was this

so they were either not to cut the film at all, or cut it properly and scan with sprocket holes

You shouldn't have given her a choice, you should have just told them not to cut the film at all. You also assumed their machines could even scan sprocket holes or unusual formats, another mistake.

I once took a roll of 35mm i'd shot in a medium format camera to them and just said develop only and don't cut it, which they did fine and i had no issues.

 

[Noah_]

I worked for Jessops for four months last summer & was relieved to walk away.
They're an awful company that are more about getting things done quickly to go
on their coffee break than taking care to ensure the quality of the photographs.

I blame the management team that I had to work with mostly, they were controlling
& neither of them had an actual idea about photography. They knew nothing, especially
of film. I wouldn't recommend taking your films into a Jessops unless you trust their
photo-technician & it's C-41 only.

 

[excalibur2]

I've only used Jessops twice, once they lost my 120 negs and prints but eventually found them, so I gave them a second chance and the same thing happened again.....that was about 12 years ago and haven't been back since.