Extreme Frustration with Kodak Easyshare Gallery

Since I'm on hold, waiting for a supervisor, I may as well blog about this experience, and get the word out...

This is extremely frustrating:

3-4 weeks ago, I placed an order with Kodak Easy Share Gallery (formerly oFoto) ordering some prints from our wedding, as well as our Thank You Cards. (the thank you cards will be a card printed with one of our photos on the cover)

I received the order within the next week or so. The photos came out fine, but the cards were quite bad. The color were off (we looked green - I call it our "amphibian photo") and the image quality was horrible (grainy).

I called Kodak customer service, explained the situation, and was told to return my order for a redo. It took two weeks for me to get my new order because they waited until the original order had been returned to them before they would submit the second order. Plus, they had it shipped via regular USPS, so it took 2 full weeks for me to receive the reorder.

Which would have been fine, except...

When i opened the box with the second order, the quality and color hadn't improved at all.

At this point, it's been 8 weeks since our wedding, and I'm getting really anxious to get these Thank You cards out. I doubt that any of our guests have said, "Hmmmm.... not Thank You Card from Trina and Dick yet..." but I'd really like to get this last task done, and let people know how much we appreciated having them come.

I thought I'd call Kodak back, just to let them know about my displeasure, and a very nice woman helps me who suggests that I give it one more shot - she says that the color should be fixed, and they would send it 2nd-day. I should receive the order within a week.

Okay, I've waited this long, I can wait another week. I doubt my friends and family will think ill of me they receive a Thank You Card a week later...

I figured I'd just wait another week, see how the next set turns out, compare the two (because I won't send back the second set until I get the third) and then sit down to write this the cards out.

Then the emails came.

2 emails - 2 different orders.

The first email states that my order for 97 4x6" prints has been shipped.

What?

I check out my order history, and it seems like my entire order (97 prints, and a large set of cards) was reordered. The cards have been ordered, but not sent. But the photos that I haven't ordered are on their way - Fed Ex 2nd day.

Dandy.

Whatever. I get extra prints. I'm sure I'll find something to do with them.

Then I get the 2nd email.

It seems as if they've placed the entire order TWICE! Only on this one, they cancelled the card order (presumably to place the order yet again) but check it out they're sending me yet another set of the 97 4x6" prints (that I didn't ever reorder) again and this time, I'm getting charged $10.99 for Fed Ex 2nd day shipping!

WTF

So now, I'm getting two sets of prints I didn't order, I'm paying for the shipping, and the card order which I'm anxious to get has been received, but not processed yet. Oh - and it shows the shipping method as USPS.

First thing I do this morning is call the lovely people at Kodak EasyShare Gallery.

The first person I speak with (because she's never heard of the person whose name I wrote down from Saturday) is very nice, and understanding. Unfortunately, she tells me that reversing the charge is above what she can do, but that she'd transfer me to another department to speak with someone there. She warns me that I'll have to be on hold again, and oh yes, when I ask, there are no direct lines that anyone can give me, so I have to walk through the annoying automated service process each time I call, which takes at least 3 minutes before I can be connected with a live person.

She transfers my call. I'm on hold for 5 minutes. I get disconnected.

What the Frack?

So then I have to go through the heinous ordeal of the automated system again, and finally get yet another agent.

I explain the entire situation (again) and am now getting quite frustrated. (Getting disconnected on a Monday morning with do that to you.)

Again, this woman is nice enough, but apparently, there's not much she can do.

Here's what she offers:

She can't reverse the Shipping Charge ($10.99) for the first set of 97 prints that I never ordered, but she *can* credit my account for $10.99 that I can use for shipping on my next order

Um, ex-squeeze me?

I've been a customer of oFoto for at least 5 years, this is my 3rd time resubmitting an order that your company keeps screwing up, you're sending me prints that I didn't order - twice, and let's not forget, you're charging me for 2nd-Day shipping for the prints that I didn't order.

and you expect me to be happy that you're crediting me $10.99 to my account that I can use for shipping on my next order?

Do you really think that after this experience, there will actually BE another order?

Yep, that's when I lost it.

This was after i asked, "Couldn't you at least credit my account with a buttload of free prints, or something?"

She tried to pacify me with a credit for 50 free 4x6" prints.

Okay, that's better, but funny, at 15 cents a print, that still doesn't cover the $10.99 that you've charged me in error!

Ring
Clue phone.

That's when I take out the big guns.
That's when I say, "I need to speak to a supervisor. And don't you dare transfer me - I've already been disconnected once this morning".

The supervisor comes on.
I explain the situation again. I'm sick of hearing it myself. It's so ludicrous.

She explains that there's nothing more they can do, offers her apology, then pulls another $10.00 credit out of her ass.

Oh, and I can also keep the extra sets of prints.
That's nice. I can keep the two extra sets of prints that I didn't order, and you won't have to pay the shipping charges for me sending them back to you.

sigh.

I give up.

Okay - I'll take the $10.99 shipping credit. And the 50 free prints, and the extra $10.00 credit.

Just send me my Thank You Cards.

Now, of course, I'll probably get the cards sometime next week, and they'll probably be the exact same as the other two orders.

Bah.

So, for those of you who came to our wedding two months ago I send my huge apologies that you haven't yet received a Thank You Card. Hopefully, it'll be on it's way sometime this month.

Please don't think ill of me.

Blame it on Kodak's Not-So-Easy-Share Gallery.
(grumble, grumble)