Dugal, bait and switch.

[Tim Stahl]

I recently decided to get some stuff printed, and due to a lack of quality labs here in Anchorage (the one good one went digital), I decided to look for a lab in the lower 48. I have done business with Ivey (was Ivey, then Photobition, now Ivey again) in Seattle, Dugal color projects in New York, and Texas Photographics (was Lieber Labs) in Houston. I decided on Dugal because they quoted me a lower price, and their quality is on par with the others. Today I get a call from one of Dugals' employees. He tells me the price, and I explain that there is a price difference. To give you an idea, it went from $8 for a contact print to $45!!! He says that there must have been a communication problem with the customer service people. After arguing with him for ten minutes, and getting nowhere, he offers a 10% discount, and take it or leave it. SO, I thought that I would pass on this information to everyone. Don't trust the customer service folks @ Dugal to give you anything near the correct price for an order. And before anyone says, "Just do it your self", it was color work, and I do not have access to color equipment in Alaska.

[Jim Ewins]

It would be interesing to get their side of the story. Perhaps you could alert them to this thread.

[Tim Stahl]

I'll do that tomorrow.

[Gem Singer]

Tim,

You didn't mention the size of the color contact print you were asking them to make for you.

[Tim Stahl]

8x10 contact on metallic paper. Quoted $8 each when I called the customer service folks. When my negative arrived, and they called me back, $48 for the first, $25 for each additional.

[Henry Ambrose]

Wow!
Is this price for a contact print from color negative as in "contact print to see what the film looks like" or an "art contact print"?
Its way too much for the former but could be about right for the later. Whats the rest of the story?

[Donald Qualls]

Considering that two and a half years ago, Ivey charged me $16 to develop and contact proof my first medium format color in almost 30 years, and $11 of that was the contact print (on plain ordinary satin finish), I'd have to say $48 for an 8x10 contact on metallic paper is much closer to a price I'd expect than $8 (and overhead is higher in New York, so I might expect higher prices there, not lower). I can't imagine how a pro lab anywhere in America could sell color contact prints in 8x10 for as little as $8.

I've found it sensible to double check when I hear a price that seems excessively good -- sometimes I avoid confusion, other times I get a pleasant surprise.

[Tim Stahl]

Henry, that basically sums up the story for me. I'll inform Dugal of this thread tomorrow, and I hope they post their side of the story. It will probably be the same as the person said to me "a communication problem", which I do believe. I was just really un happy that I was quoted one thing, and then told something else once my negative arrived. What is the difference between a "contact print to see what the film looks like" and a "art contact print"? I just wanted to see what the negative looks like on metallic paper because a friend in Iowa and I were discussing the differences between regular color paper and metallic. I also wanted to see what the negative looks like enlarged to 16x20, but that is a different story.

Donald, during our (the person who called me today & myself) ten minute long discussion, he said that regular color contact prints are $8. If I wanted the metallic, then it's $48. I explained that I had made it clear to the customer service person I initially spoke with that I wanted it printed on metallic, and she had said $8 after I had made it clear that I wanted it on metallic. I don't know what the overhead prices are for either location. Both are in some expensive realestate. However, I suspect that Dugal does more business than Ivey... so they might spread the cost around to give lower prices.

[Jorge Gasteazoro]

I dont think this is bait and switch but more a case of you being the victim of a poorly trained or new employee. I dont know the reputation of this lab, but unless you want hundreds of prints I imagine the lab would probably eat the cost of one or two metallic prints if you ask to talk to the manager and explain the situation.
My advice would be to collect yourself, and give them a call asking for the lab manager, be nice and most likely you will get what you want.
Any good lab wants to keep good potential customers, if after talking to the manager you are told no way...then you know which lab not to use anymore.

[Li-hsia]

Hi Tim,

I have used Duggal twice when I was in NY. I understanding that they have a reputation for being one of the better labs in NY if not US. They are on the pricier side of things but if people like Magnum use them you think that are fairly good at what they do. However the difference in the $8 to $48 does seem steep. I wonder whether the metallic print is done digitally(scan then lightjet print) to reflect the difference in price. I am sure you can make conventional contact prints on metallic paper. If you were given a quote for $8 then the lab should in good faith honour that.

Li-hsia