Poor Service. Diminished Print Quality. No Integrity…read more
Earlier this year, I printed a new batch of shirts for my fraternity's chapter alumni association. I emailed the inventory, mockups, and vector files to Tania like we've always done. When I dropped off the shirts, she printed a paper copy of the front/back designs and trimmed the excess edges to make sure they fit *both* the shirts and hoodies.
When I returned to pick up the order a week later, I immediately noticed some of the graphic details were compromised by the ink because my artwork had been shrunk w/out approval; an ink-saving measure they'd done on previous shirts. I showed the problem to Jr., but he tried to suggest the artwork details were drawn too small before I explained there were no issues with the initial printout. He went to the back office and spoke w/ Tania privately before eventually admitting they resized the front image; supposedly to ensure it fit the hoodies... But nobody contacted me. I realized he was deflecting at this point, so I stood firm on the fact that we'd already checked the design size for compatibility before I left the shirts for printing. That's when he assured me they could "enlarge" the graphic details on any subsequent batches; although there was no offer to compensate me w/ a refund or discount on this order. The shirts were not satisfactory, but given our history and my delivery schedule, I still paid for them.
Based on Jr.'s assurance, I returned w/ a reorder in October. I dropped the shirts off and left a message for him to call me. After 2 days, I went back to the shop, and he started making excuses for why he hadn't called. Since I was operating on a tight schedule, we discussed having them ready by the following week. I asked him to do a test print like we've done before, but he frowned like that was asking too much. He countered by offering to let me see the film before they started printing.
Early the next week, Cassandra called to verify if I received the "new price quote" via email. Juan's wife and I spoke briefly over the phone. She indicated the shirts would cost more than double my usual rate, and there would be a charge for them to adjust any graphic details. She initially tried charging me $70.00 for screen setup costs; more than triple what I've previously been charged on a front/back reprint. I explained the agreement b/t Jr. and I involved enlarging the artwork details as needed, but she dismissively stated, "He doesn't know anything..."
Although the price-jackin' was deliberate and sudden, my schedule was already compromised. Therefore, I approved the print film; expecting the merchandise to be produced exactly like the provided mockup. When I returned to pick up my shirts the following week, I checked the image details, which appeared fine folded in the box. However, once I got home and laid the items out, I noticed the front design was carelessly printed off-center... On every single shirt! Now I'm pissed and had to drive right back to New City to show the error to Cassandra. I also provided two shirts from the first batch to show that the design was originally *centered* just like it appears on the mockups.
Juan's wife was on the phone and told Cassandra to refund me for the screen printing, but she did *not* offer to compensate me for the shirts they ruined. Jr. was also there and said absolutely nothing.
Juan's wife quickly volunteered to return *all* of my archived films after I questioned her sudden price increase during our previous discussion (although they still have the electronic file attachments). However, when I picked them up, she had only assembled a partial amount. When I pointed out there were screens missing she mentioned they usually charge $5 per film like that was supposed to override the ones missing.
I tried stopping by the shop to speak w/ Juan directly right after he returned to work, but his wife ran interference by dismissively insisting that he was "unavailable"... At this point, I was completely done w/ her funky attitude and simply chucked the deuce. So much for reaching a satisfactory resolution.
