I've been using them for about a year and a half. Up until July they have been outstanding in price, speed, and quality. I don't know what happened, but they went downhill in a hurry. Their uploading procedure and website is completely unreliable. In July I had tried uploading 300+ images and it took 3 days total until I finally had my order in. They said they were slammed with a coupon. Fine, I can understand that. They said it would be fixed by the end of the month (July) and it would handle the capcity of everyone ordering next time.
Well, on Sunday I try to upload 350 images. After several hours on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, it finally went through. I called many times for tech support and got shooed off the phone with BS. Recalculate button not working, order print button not working, add pics button not working, dns errors, error pages comming up constantly, etc...
Their final reply was, "we have a new website coming at end of next month". "we spending a million dollars on it".
Well, that's great! So how does that help me order now? There's no excuse.
To their credit, after 3 phone calls, a solid hour of my time on hold and speaking, and a few emails, they did replace the prints. That time, I ordered around 400 prints. 17 were damaged. This time I ordered 460 prints. At this point, I don't know what to expect. I'm just hoping the reprints I sold are okay.
They used to ship the 11x14's, 8x10's, and 8x12's flat and not stuffed in an envelope. Is there someone new in shipping? Are they just overwhelmed and in a hurry? Where's the quality control? The 12x18's come out perfect. I've never had a bad one from them. Is that a different department in the lab?
Anyway.... Maybe a few 4x6's will be fine for them to handle right now. Maybe it will go back to normal if/when they straighten out their online mess, and shipping. I'd like to hang around and find out, but I can't afford the time.
I myself use adorama.com for about a year now. I place a big order about once a week. I myself have found that with particularly big orders the web site runs into trouble. but not the upload: I had uploaded recently about 350 pictures, and with dsl it took I think about 2 hours.
while I placed with them about 40 orders in total, I was unhappy with the pictures only twice. both times there was a particular big order, and some of the stacks were bent. however, both times, I called the lab, and the after getting transfered once I got right away a coupon for the amount of the bent pictures, no questions asked. both times they also gave me a FREE shipping!
BI was always pleased with their costumer service. few weeks ago I placed an order on the web and I fergot to enter the 25% off coupon code. (it was a difference of more than $50). I called them the next morning and they took it off while I was on the phone, even though the credit card was processed. do that in a big chain lab!
and I myself advice everyone to sign with them: they ALWAYS have great promotions through the year. I get coupons in my email every now and than for $1 8x10, 25% off, 2$ 11x14 etc...
I have a folder on my PC for all the personal pictures I want to enlarge but are not that special, and wait for their promos to upload. I do the same for all test shots: you know when I try different color settings or different effects for the same picture etc..
I hope the problems you experienced were only for the duration of the summer. don't forget that many of the workers are jews that go to the Catskills in the summer!
Audrey, this is my first experience with Ado, but from using the site for uploads it does SEEM as if they made a change in their program. Any way they verified the print order and said it takes 48 hrs to ship.
From my for what it is worth department, when I have 200 pictures from a wedding to upload, I DON'T. Mpix ha sbeen doing my weddings and I send in a cd, post paid. Never tried Ado for weddings, don't recall if they take cd's or not.
As an aside, when I had dial up service, it took 6.5 min/mb to upload tiff files. way too long. The highspeed connection is less than1/2 that, but the cd's are still easier.
I hope the problems you experienced were only for the duration of the summer. don't forget that many of the workers are jews that go to the Catskills in the summer!
Ahhhhh..... I'm not familiar with the religion or their practices. I knew they worked Sundays and took off for a week or two for their big holiday. Do they leave work for the whole summer? Is this a religious thing or do they just go for vacation?
I was very happy with them up until July. I am on cable and my upload speed is one thing I'm pleased about. Their website, as it stands now, and the frustration I went through to give them money, I am not.
Maybe they had less trained summer help? Maybe they got slammed with another coupon? I don't know. Frankly, I don't care. It's their problem, not mine anymore. I am willing to pay a little more, and I am most certainly willing to wait a little longer. Just make it painless to upload, order, don't pack prints like I'm ordering something from yesterday's yard sale, and be consistant. Tell me it will be a week minimum. FINE! I can plan for that. Don't sucker me in with the two day thing and then not deliver, on a variety of fronts.
ronk - That's a good idea. I had never thought of doing that. My upload speeds are very good at this location. I just may do that when I go somewhere else though.
I think what I have learned through this is to not cut the time so short. I bear some of the blame by ordering so close to when I needed them. I made the mistake of depending on a service to be there in full working order. Last month it was just frustrating. This time it's compounded because it's not only frustrating, but also there's a "deadline", and the BS that took place on the phone.
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