Bad experience with Chrome in San Diego

[Rakesh Malik]

Since Ivey's shut down, I started sending my film to R&R Custom Color in Spokane... and had no trouble with film development beyond the inconvenience of shipping film to the lab for over year.

Unfortunately, they said that my last batch was their last E-6, so I had to find another lab, at least until Panda gets their color film processing gear set up. (They bought the equipment from R&R apparently.)

So I tried Chrome in San Diego. I sent them 3 sheets of film in a bag with a sticky note saying what was inside, shipped it with Attn: Film Processing in the address, and even called ahead to tell them that I was sending them 3 sheets of E-6 film... and the first thing that they did was open up the bag, ruining all three sheets. Apparently it didn't occur to them that a package with Attn: Film Processing on it might have film in it. So these idiots ruined three non-repeatable landscapes and are sending me a free box of chromes to replace it... not a good trade, and they will get no more of my business, plus I'll let the folks at Glazers know what happened also.

[domaz]

Probably better to ship things in the actual 4x5 film box it came in. That would make things more clear- they may have just thought it was some roll film in the bag.

[Wally]

I gotta ask why you didn't put it in a used 10-sheet box and mail that? I certainly wouldn't expect to find naked trannies in an envelope.

[Rakesh Malik]

The actual box still had fresh film in it, and this is the first lab that's had this problem... I sent film to DR5 and R&R the same way...

[Rakesh Malik]

I gotta ask why you didn't put it in a used 10-sheet box and mail that? I certainly wouldn't expect to find naked trannies in an envelope.

They were wrapped in a black film bag inside the envelope, hardly naked. If I'd had an empty 10-sheet box I'd have used that instead of the cardboard sleeves that I got at the shipper.

[Frank Petronio]

99.99% of professional film goes to the lab in a three-tiered film box. Before I'd condemn a lab publicly like this I'd give them the benefit of the doubt because you were doing something no reasonable lab person would expect.

They are doing you a real good turn by replacing your film. That's worth an endorsement!

Maybe your old lab put up with it (here's that wierdo's film) or maybe you learned to send film this way from one very strange teacher, but I've worked at and know a lot of lab owners that would shudder to have you as a customer. I bet if you sent them the film in a proper box like how the rest of the photo industry has done it for the last 80 years you'd probably get fine results. If you need some spare film boxes, pay for the postage and I'll send you some of mine, or just ask the lab to send you some.

I'm not trying to slam you personally, but you're the one at fault here, whether or not you're "right" what you did was just asking for a problem. So coming down so harshly on the lab is a pretty lousy thing to do.

Be odd and different but not with the FILM - that's where you gotta be conservative, wear your belt and your suspenders!

[Sal Santamaura]

...They are doing you a real good turn by replacing your film...

They're doing more than replacing his film. They're replacing his film plus giving him at least an additional 7 sheets of film.

[bvstaples]

I use Chrome all the time, and have so for about 25 years now. Never really had a problem with them. Of course, I walk my stuff in, I bring in my sheets in the film holders, they know me, and when I come in the know what to do.

I too would never expect film to come in an envelope, even if it is in a black plastic bag bag inside. The lab is not expecting film to come in this manner. All of the film (except maybe for your packet) that Chrome gets is either in the holders or comes in the three-tiered boxes.

I consider myself lucky to have Chrome so close: 1) they do very good work, 2) have done it for me for 25+ years (the only lab I ever trusted with processing astrophotos for me), and 3) don't plan on giving up on E6 any time soon. This is a good thing in these days of E6 labs closing down all over the country.

Try them again, this time send the film in a three-tiered box. You should have some around. I myself have so many empty boxes around, I find myself bringing them into the darkroom to check if there's a rogue sheet of film in the box or not.

Enough ranting...


Brian

[Rakesh Malik]

I am acquiring additional boxes... but the only thing that I changed this time around was the lab -- and no one at R&R ever said anything about it. The lack of film boxes is a side effect of being new to cut sheets, since before that I used Quickloads.

Still... it's not like I just put the film in the shipping envelope, I DID put it in a film bag, and add extra packaging to protect it, and THAT is what went inside the shipping envelope.

[Frank Petronio]

Well you didn't know, it was an honest mistake. But I wouldn't be so harsh on the lab, a lot of other labs would have opened it by accident too. You were lucky with your older labs.