I really don't like to write negative posts. I feel like it only gives more fuel to bad energy. To put a positive spin on this I feel I might save another artist some disappointment and frustration.
Many of you know that Lark is publishing another 500 Teapots book. All of the books in this series are treasures. Jeff has been fortunate to be in a few these books in the past. He wanted to submit a couple of teapots for this new publication. The only problem was that his photos were slides. Prior to leaving for Korea we found a company in Raleigh, NC that converts slides to digital images. He called them and asked if they could meet his deadline of April 20th. They said absolutely. He didn't even want a CD, they could FTP him the images to make the process quicker. We packed the slides and mailed them via priority mail that very day. The next day they confirmed they had the slides. On April 20th (the deadline for the book) they said they would e-mail him a link to the files before the end of the day. At 4:30ish he called and no one answered the phone. He left a message saying he needed the file and to please e-mail it.
NO RESPONSE
Jeff missed the deadline for the book.
He went to Korea and never heard a word from the company. They also didn't send a disk with the images or return his original slides while he was away.
When he got back he called them. They said the order was marked complete and they didn't know why he never got his files or his slides back. They would mail them that day.
Two weeks passed. Jeff paid for the job with Paypal so he file a complaint. The next day he got his original slides and a disc with the images... more than 6 WEEKS LATER!
Of course now we discover this company has screwed over many, many, people. They have something like 28 complaints against them on the Better Business Bureau website.
If you need to have slides transferred to digital images DO NOT USE DiscountDigitalArt in Raleigh, NC... they totally suck.
... that's my rant for the day and hopefully for the rest of this year.
Good luck to all who were able to submit an entry for the book!
Hey Michele, you did your homework, you are reporting the facts as they happened. Would it be negative to tell people that a bridge was out or a road was flooded? There's being negative, but then there's warning your friends to help them avoid disappointment.
ReplyDeleteSeems to be more and more true that one has to look out for those we associate with, do business with, even those surrounding us no matter who they preport to be. So sorry this has happened, but glad you reported it here, fore warned is fore armed.
ReplyDeleteyou just reminded me I missed the deadline :((
ReplyDeleteIt's not negative to report facts. Thanks for the warning.
ReplyDeleteWow-totally unprofessional of that business...I am so sorry for Jeff, what a disappointment. I agree with other comments- you were fair and honest, and it's okay to tell the truth even when it's bad news.
ReplyDeleteOh, how upsetting that must have been for you and Jeff. Thanks for warning us not to use that company. It's so hard to submit to shows as everyone wants a different format or size for the images.
ReplyDeleteIf you find a company you like, or if any of your readers know of one please let us know about them too.
I wanted to write this post weeks ago... but waited until Jeff got his slides back, I had a fear that if I dissed them online he would never see them again!
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