Why I'm disappointed with SmugMug

TrulyAlaskan

For starters, yes, I live in Alaska. No I can't see Russia from my house, so don't ask.

Smugmug is not bad. I actually can say that I like the interface a whole lot. Having someone manage my shipping and credit card processing is a definite plus. Customer service has always been awesome, no complaints there. Even the printing is not bad once you get your monitor calibrated. Turn around time is not the best, but I can even deal with that.

I am bummed because of the shipping. I mean seriously people, don't ship 8x10 prints in a flimsy envelope. All of my prints came back creased. Again, yes I live in Alaska, I know that it is quite a trek for the prints, but I order from mpix all the time and their shipping method is much much better.

I was really hoping that with paying for the pro account, you would get pro printing and shipping. I can't sell prints to customers that arrive creased. So right now I'm not sure what to do. I've already spent the $$$ on the pro account... but I'm embarrased to let someone buy the prints from the site. For the past few orders, I've had customers order from my other non-smugmug site so I could print and ship them myself.

Anyone have any ideas? I mean, I love using smugmug, but this shipping is preventing me from actually using the pro features. :dunno

Andy

TrulyAlaskan wrote:

Anyone have any ideas?

Stay tuned .... This has come up a lot Not much we can do about it at our current lab, but we hope to have something in place pretty darn soon that will give you different shipping options that you should be thrilled with

Oh it should be noted that we ship a gazillion envelopes a week - some few may get creased but nearly all of them arrive in perfect condition. I'm sorry that you've had bad luck!

TrulyAlaskan

Andy wrote:

Stay tuned .... This has come up a lot Not much we can do about it at our current lab, but we hope to have something in place pretty darn soon that will give you different shipping options that you should be thrilled with

Oh it should be noted that we ship a gazillion envelopes a week - some few may get creased but nearly all of them arrive in perfect condition. I'm sorry that you've had bad luck!

Again, customer service is what keeps me with smugmug. Andy, you are the man!

Karenl39

TrulyAlaskan wrote:

Again, customer service is what keeps me with smugmug. Andy, you are the man!

Why don't you order them yourself from smugmug and then check them first? Just an idea.

TrulyAlaskan

Karenl39 wrote:

Why don't you order them yourself from smugmug and then check them first? Just an idea.

That's how I found out about shipping. I had ordered all of them first.

sweet caroline

I have never had problems before, and NOW I've had two orders in a row that were not handled nicely during shipping. The envelopes look like FEDEX is trying to destroy them! Bent, torn, crumpled. I had to have an 8x10 replaced the first time. By some miracle, no photos were damaged during shipping the second time. But I almost had a heart attach when I saw the envelope on my front porch.

On smugmug's end... the large order I received yesterday had way too many photos in each envelope which resulted in slight bending around the edges. I can live with it, I think, but the photos are not in the condition they should be in. They should not be so tight in the envelope.

You guys have got to figure out a better shipping solution.

Caroline

EDIT: I stand corrected. I hadn't realized my 11x14 was in that envelope. Completely bent up. I'll contact customer service for a replacement.

Andy

sweet caroline wrote:

I have never had problems before, and NOW I've had two orders in a row that were not handled nicely during shipping. The envelopes look like FEDEX is trying to destroy them! Bent, torn, crumpled. I had to have an 8x10 replaced the first time. By some miracle, no photos were damaged during shipping the second time. But I almost had a heart attach when I saw the envelope on my front porch.

On smugmug's end... the large order I received yesterday had way too many photos in each envelope which resulted in slight bending around the edges. I can live with it, I think, but the photos are not in the condition they should be in. They should not be so tight in the envelope.

You guys have got to figure out a better shipping solution.

Caroline

EDIT: I stand corrected. I hadn't realized my 11x14 was in that envelope. Completely bent up. I'll contact customer service for a replacement.

We're very sorry - bent packages happen - even boxes - this is why we unconditionally guarantee every single thing from SmugMug with no questions asked Please do realize that 99.99999999 pct of our packages arrive in perfect condition we're sorry that you got a bent package, yes please, write our Support Heroes with the order# so we can get a replacement asap! http://www.smugmug.com/help/print-guarantee

Thanks!

PixNW

TrulyAlaskan, I can sympathize. I lived in Alaska for 30 years, and know the costs and problems that can be associated when ordering things from "outside".

From my experience, and reading that of others, there is little doubt that smugmug delivers pretty outstanding customer service. I certainly don't doubt Andy's claim about the percentage of orders that arrive without problems. It does sound like their labs packaging and treatment of prints leaves something to be desired. If you have a critical need prior to smugmug getting a new pro lab, and don't want to take as much of a chance, I would look into having the order filled by Millers. Anything can happen during shipping, but from my experience with Millers, because of their packaging, it would take something pretty harsh to damage prints. I've never had a damaged print from Millers. There has been external evidence that there may have been some rough treatement along the way, but the prints are always pristine.

sweet caroline

Andy wrote:

We're very sorry - bent packages happen - even boxes - this is why we unconditionally guarantee every single thing from SmugMug with no questions asked Please do realize that 99.99999999 pct of our packages arrive in perfect condition we're sorry that you got a bent package, yes please, write our Support Heroes with the order# so we can get a replacement asap! http://www.smugmug.com/help/print-guarantee

Thanks!

The support from Smugmug is outstanding. Very quick response. Thanks guys.

I'm mostly upset with the shipping company. For this to happen to two orders in a row is ridiculous. I mean, the envelopes are clearly marked "photos". My husband collects comics and I can't even imagine how he'd feel if a hard to find book was damaged in shipping.

Caroline

Art Scott

sweet caroline wrote:

The support from Smugmug is outstanding. Very quick response. Thanks guys.

I'm mostly upset with the shipping company. For this to happen to two orders in a row is ridiculous. I mean, the envelopes are clearly marked "photos". My husband collects comics and I can't even imagine how he'd feel if a hard to find book was damaged in shipping.

Caroline

I sell one out of print book on Reiki....it is the first to be translated from the original Japanese and if one of my clients got a mis handled copy I would be furious....unlike my book our photos are not out of print collectibles but shipping companies actually live by an unwritten code of if it is not insured then handle a rough as possible .....if insured then it is kid gloves.......having worked in a shipping dept for over 12 yrs and having watched videos taken while FED EX and UPS loaded trucks and planes it make you wonder how anything makes it to the destination in one piece and these companies are betting you do not want to pay extra for insurance....now of course UPS has an automatic insurance upto $100 (I think) and it might be worth while for EZ Print to change from USPS (no liability at all unless paid for) to UPS for that mere $100 of liability or to upgrade their packaging to actual cardboard or both even.

Not knowing the agreement betwixt SM and EZ P....I am hoping that SM does not have to pay for the reprinting, that should be on EZ P shoulders completely.

TrulyAlaskan

Art Scott wrote:

I sell one out of print book on Reiki....it is the first to be translated from the original Japanese and if one of my clients got a mis handled copy I would be furious....unlike my book our photos are not out of print collectibles but shipping companies actually live by an unwritten code of if it is not insured then handle a rough as possible .....if insured then it is kid gloves.......having worked in a shipping dept for over 12 yrs and having watched videos taken while FED EX and UPS loaded trucks and planes it make you wonder how anything makes it to the destination in one piece and these companies are betting you do not want to pay extra for insurance....now of course UPS has an automatic insurance upto $100 (I think) and it might be worth while for EZ Print to change from USPS (no liability at all unless paid for) to UPS for that mere $100 of liability or to upgrade their packaging to actual cardboard or both even.

Not knowing the agreement betwixt SM and EZ P....I am hoping that SM does not have to pay for the reprinting, that should be on EZ P shoulders completely.

I do agree with everyone here, Smugmug is great. I always have thought that. I probably should've titled the post "why I'm unhappy with USPS." To all the folks at Smugmug, I give you a big (HUGE) round of applause; it is companies like you that make my life oh so much easier. You have by far the best customer service I have ever seen, a wicked smooth interface, and you keep adding features that make me say things like "**** what a ****ing great idea! (censored for web) Again, my hat is off to you folks.

The shipping company on the otherhand.... well... that's a whole other story, and I believe that EZprints could do a better job of packing the orders. Yes, I live a long, long way from their shop... but still, mpix gets stuff to me here without a single problem...

Again, not complaining about smugmug

heatherfeather

Hey, I live here too.

I have only had 1 order come all wrinkley and then lovely smugmug replaced the whole order and shipped it quickly up here. My client was happy and that made me VERY happy.

My one complaint with EZ Prints is that when you do bulk orders they do not come in the correct order- file names or gallery order. It is a real pain when we are talking 650 prints to have to go through and reorder them.

But I keep coming back, go figure.

meewolfie

TrulyAlaskan wrote:

The shipping company on the otherhand.... well... that's a whole other story, and I believe that EZprints could do a better job of packing the orders. Yes, I live a long, long way from their shop... but still, mpix gets stuff to me here without a single problem...

Again, not complaining about smugmug

But, ultimately, it is a valid complaint against smugmug. This is the lab that they are doing business with and the packaging, especially for larger prints, is completely unacceptable.

We have had prints arrive damaged, the replacement order has been placed, and then the replacements arrive damaged! As the holidays get closer and closer, it's a patient client who isn't frustrated at how long it's taking for them to receive their photos. We've had to explain to our clients that we're working to get them the best quality prints (that is what they are paying for). Mollifying clients is part of doing business, but it's the part that we'd like to not have to do.

We're in Ohio. So, I don't think the issue is with the fact that you are far away. It's the flimsy packaging. It's one thing to use this type of packaging to deliver snapshots to a point and shoot user. It's another to use this to deliver prints to professionals who are selling these to their clients.

Andy

meewolfie wrote:

But, ultimately, it is a valid complaint against smugmug. This is the lab that they are doing business with and the packaging, especially for larger prints, is completely unacceptable.

We have had prints arrive damaged, the replacement order has been placed, and then the replacements arrive damaged! As the holidays get closer and closer, it's a patient client who isn't frustrated at how long it's taking for them to receive their photos. We've had to explain to our clients that we're working to get them the best quality prints (that is what they are paying for) is part of doing business, but it's the part that we'd like to not have to do.

We're in Ohio. So, I don't think the issue is with the fact that you are far away. It's the flimsy packaging. It's one thing to use this type of packaging to deliver snapshots to a point and shoot user. It's another to use this to deliver prints to professionals who are selling these to their clients.

Good thing we'll VERY SOON have a 2nd lab with some really pimp packing options. I suggest having a good Swiss Army knife handy so you can open all the BOXES that the prints will come in

Cindy

Andy wrote:

Good thing we'll VERY SOON have a 2nd lab with some really pimp packing options. I suggest having a good Swiss Army knife handy so you can open all the BOXES that the prints will come in

OMG - you guys are killing me here. Between BWG's screen shot teasers in the pro integration thread and now your "Very soon"... this is way far worse than what I ever remember as a kid on Christmas Eve.
Seriously - I'm so excited I can hardly wait! But... wait I will cause I know once it's here you'll will have it juuuusssssttttt right I never could open my presents early... hmmmmmmm... once, please just this once... I've been good Santa I really have...

Shima

Andy wrote:

Good thing we'll VERY SOON have a 2nd lab with some really pimp packing options. I suggest having a good Swiss Army knife handy so you can open all the BOXES that the prints will come in

I have yet to have a major issue, but yeah now you're killing me, can't wait to find out about this.

TrulyAlaskan

Ok seriously Andy who is it... this is killing all of us. Can you give us a hint? How many letters in the name? Or if push really comes to shove... does it start with a "W"... How about an "M".... There are 24 letters to go... On top of all that, instead of camera straps, maybe you guys should start sending out a pocket knife so we can get into the new packaging :ivar

Andy

TrulyAlaskan wrote:

Ok seriously Andy who is it...

:nono

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?p=991865#post991865