I got Emily's school pictures back last Thursday. She's got the traditional fakey smile you generally find in a school picture, but it's cute enough in it's own right. AND it shows off the fact that she was missing both front teeth at the time they were taken. I should be thrilled right?
WRONG!
Instead of noticing the cute fakey toothless grin, you focus in on the slime green background. I DID NOT CHOOSE GREEN AS THE BACKGROUND!!!!
I'm all for green/pink combos, but not in my kids' school picture.
So then to add to my frustration, I realized we didn't receive our extra sheet of wallets. I hunted around through the fine print for the phone number to be able to call and get something worked out, but for Thursday and Friday, the line was down for updates, they were closed Saturday/Sunday, and I was swamped with LIFE Monday/Tuesday, but I finally got a chance yesterday morning to deal with it.
I called and waited on hold for a good 15 minutes before getting to speak with anyone. I gave my name, explained that the pictures came back with the wrong background color and that we were missing a sheet of wallets, and before I could even continue, the gal jumped in with a snooty tone that there's nothing they can do about the background. No apologies for the mistake, no offers of refund, no list of ideas on how to come to a middle ground on the issue. So my feathers were little ruffled, and I said that I felt some sort of refund was in order when I spent $41 on pictures that didn't match up with what I'd ordered. She put me on hold for a few minutes and came back saying that her manager okayed her to offer me a refund of the background fee ($5). I will be perfectly honest when I say I was VERY taken aback that they've ruined my child's pictures with an ugly background I didn't request, and all they're willing to offer me is a $5 refund!! I was too dumb-founded to even speak right away, and I think it was glaringly obvious I wasn't pleased, so then the gal suggests that I just turn in the original order and get retakes. WHICH IS ALL WELL AND GOOD, EXCEPT FOR THE FACT HER FRONT TEETH ARE ALREADY GROWING BACK IN!!!! I suggested that I keep the original package for the documentation of the missing front teeth, since the green background is THEIR ERROR, but we still get to have the retakes done so that we have decent pictures to hand out to family/friends. "I'm sorry ma'am, the only way you can get retakes is if you surrender the original package." So then I asked if I just kept the 8X10 and surrender the others if we could do the retake. NOPE. It's all or nothing and I'm NOT giving up the toothless pictures (especially because if the retakes are worse than the original, you don't have the option of keeping the original afterall, you only have the option of getting your money back upon the surrender of the retake package, and then you're left with nothing).
THEN, I'm informed that I didn't even order an additional sheet of wallets, which is why they weren't included in the envelope of pictures. So I had to break it down with her what I'd spent on the base package, the additional money I'd spent on the extra sheet of wallets, and the extra $5 I spent to have her name and the year printed on each wallet (makes it easier for her to pass out to her friends because I don't have to go label them all first!), which comes to $41, and the cashed check is my proof. So she literally SIGHS out loud and puts me on hold again for a few minutes, and came back on and took down my address and phone number and says they'll be sent to me soon. She couldn't give me an estimated time-frame or anything.
I LOVE Emily's little toothless fakey grin in that picture, and if the background were GRAY like it was supposed to be, I'd be pleased as punch with her pictures and wouldn't be able to wait to pass them out. As it is, I've spent $41 on pictures that will probably sit in the envelope for the rest of their little picture lives, because I'd be very embarrassed to hand them out (especially to her little friends) and having people think I chose that background color with that outfit on my own!!!!!!!!
I complained to my friend/cousin-in-law, Jessica, and she was appauled at how the phone conversation went and what I was offered, and expressed her surprise that I didn't fight harder for something better. I explained I can talk all I want and vent to friends/family or on my blog, but when it's with real people, I tend not to be as demanding and pushy as I often should be. So being the dear, sweet friend that she is, she's getting all the info from me and SHE'S going to take charge and try to get me a better refund.
I know it's partially just stubborness on my part that we haven't reached an acceptable solution, by not accepting the retakes, but you have NO IDEA how thrilled I was that picture day came just in time that she was still toothless, and I'm not giving that up.
Not printable with copyright laws and all that, but look at what sweet Rachel did for me after viewing my blog this morning: (there's still a bit of green around her body, but doesn't it look a THOUSAND times better?)
15 comments:
Oh Leah. Oh no! I would be livid, I'm so sorry.
She does look darling and I can't believe that they are being so difficult. I would write a letter to them with your experience, copy it to the school and the local newspaper.
I'm just saying :-)
Leah, e-mail me please.
My son's pictures where too dark. I have called them twice and they said lighter ones are on there way. Still no lighter pictures! I hope they come soon!
Hope things work out for you... the picture is darling though! Green isn't my favorite but she is a doll.
I would call and IMMEDITELY ask for a manager... that lady was just plain rude!
Oh poo poo poo!! I hope you get something better and get the picture all worked out!! XOXO
Send me that number I'll call and ream them a new butt hole for you. It a photography studio, how hard would it be for them to Photoshopa new background!
Oh bummer Leah! The picture is absolutely adorable tho, well, minus the green. Keep on them, one thing i learned, is the louder one always wins. Be sure to follow up with the school too, they may have had other complaints with this photographer and may not use them again. Good Luck!
Get 'em, Leah! I would be printing the new blue ones if it were me. I say screw them on their copyright of the very picture they screwed you on... you're just replacing the pictures that they messed up which will just sit in a closest, not being handed out. Plus, you aren't selling them or publishing them or anything... you're giving them to you FAMILY and FRIENDS.
That's just me...
♥ I would not be happy either! The blue looks MUCH better!!! :)
It's just crazy how they handled the whole thing. It is a sweet picture though and Emily looks adorable. I hope you do end up getting more "justice" from this. And the picture with the altered background is just perfect.
What a good friend you have. I would totally send that edited picture to Costco and get prints made. But that is just me *grin*!
Good luck with the battle.
Just a suggestion.... Contact the person (ours is a PTA board member) at your school who is the contact person for the pictures and share with them what had happened. If I had a parent call me with that sort of information...... too bad you don't have a problem with fundraising!
That green is hideous, but if you are really stuck with them, you should still let Emily give them out to her friends! Everyone who matters will know that you never picked that crazy color. Or, forget the copyright and just print those edited pictures! They screwed up and they're not making it right.
I would contact the school and a person higher up in the company as well. Last year we had problems with the kids class pictures. They were horrible. Totally out of focus and not a single kid looking at the camera. At the Parent's Council we decided to stop using that particular photo company and had a new one come in to take retakes.
It's an adorable picture, but you're right about the green. And that lady was just completely rude.
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