Thursday, January 6, 2011

PHOTO LAB TO AVOID: CLARK COLOR LABS ( DISTRICT PHOTO) DROPS THE BALL!!!!

PHOTO LAB TO AVOID: CLARK COLOR LABS  ( DISTRICT PHOTO) OF MARYLAND  DROPS THE BALL!!!!

JC Leahy
Silver spring, MD 
Jan 6, 2011
Ken Carpenter, Customer Service Manager
District Photo
10501 Rhode Island Avenue
Beltsville, MD  20705
Dear Mr. Carpenter:
I have had Kodochrome film developed at District Photo/Clark Color Labs quite recently.  As recently as 2 days ago (January 4, 2011) I have phoned District Photo and been told that you do, indeed, develop Kodachrome.  I used my Canon EOS 1v-HS and shot 2 rolls of Kodachrome 64 at Christmas and mailed it to you 12/26 for developing.  I received it back undeveloped Monday, January 3 with a little form saying that the film was not compatible with your developing process.
I always suspected that you were “farming” the actual developing out to a bigger lab somewhere.  Alice in your Customer Service today confirmed that suspicion, saying it was Dwayne's Photo that was doing your Kodachrome processing.  Alice said you guys just found out last week about Dwayne’s discontinuing K-14 processing!!!  If true, that's amazing!



Anyway, here’s my beef:  You know that Dwayne Photo's deadline is the last deadline for Kodachrome processing anywhere in the world. It was then-or-never for developing these Christmas photos of my lovely new grandson.  Apparently Dwayne's deadline turned out to be January 3, 2011.  If you had just sent the film on as usual to Dwayne’s it would very likely have been developed.  Sending it back to me instead guaranteed that the Kodachrome processing deadline would be missed.  Your action was stupid and thoughtless and abysmal customer relations.


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