Support our Sponsors, they keep FADU free:   AG Photographic   The Imaging Warehouse   Process Supplies   RH Designs   Second-hand Darkroom Supplies  

Notices

Go Back   Film and Darkroom User > General discussions > Feedback and forum matters

  ***   Click here for the FADU 2015/2014 Yearbooks   ***

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #21  
Old 7th April 2014, 12:44 PM
Brock's Avatar
Brock Brock is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: St Andrews
Posts: 698
Default

No company is perfect and AG is no different in that respect. However, I trust them and that counts for a lot. We're all in this analogue thing together so can we please try to avoid in-fighting and show a bit of understanding all-round. Otherwise we'll end up like the Tories arguing over Europe.
__________________
The Online Darkroom
www.onlinedarkroom.blogspot.com
Reply With Quote
  #22  
Old 7th April 2014, 04:32 PM
Argentum's Avatar
Argentum Argentum is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Sceptred Isle
Posts: 3,066
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt5791 View Post
Anyway - I had some web people in last week and I do believe that our systems will improve over the next few months, but it is not as easy as some people think it is. And it's not cheap either!!! (I had a quote for a barcode picking system - £10-£15K)
That does seem expensive. There are a myriad of POS systems out there where the Till holds your stock inventory and has inbuilt card processing and barcode systems. The tricky bit is linking it to your website in real time which is why I said earlier that the best systems only confirm orders when stock is picked. That gets around the problem of non real time link and staff errors in your stock room.
But real time linking does exist and is pretty standard these days.
Reply With Quote
  #23  
Old 7th April 2014, 09:32 PM
Keith Cocker Keith Cocker is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Lancashire
Posts: 127
Default

We all make our own minds up on these things but I have always had good service from Ag and Matt's post giving an account of this matter seems professional and credible to me.
Reply With Quote
  #24  
Old 8th April 2014, 08:55 AM
B&W Neil's Avatar
B&W Neil B&W Neil is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: West Cornwall
Posts: 4,264
Default

I have to say I have also found Matt and his team at AG to be very professional and I have had no problems at with the orders I have placed since they started up. OK, from time to time odd items can be out of stock for various reasons (wherever you shop) which are not always the fault of the supplier. But with AG I have found this to be minimal.

If I am ordering items that are required urgently I would always contact the seller first - be it AG or whoever - to check their current stock situation. If my email / phone call was not replied to within a reasonable time I would assume: they are busy, have problems, out of stock or have forgotten about it and just move on and try some other supplier. But in Matt's case with his business AG I have found my contacts have been responded to promptly.

I think it is important to remember that our suppliers are mainly small businesses and are doing a good job, in very difficult times, to keep us supplied with the materials we need at reasonable prices and that by supporting them in an understanding, positive and reasonable way has to be the best way forward for everyone.

Neil.
__________________
"The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance." Aristotle

Neil Souch

Last edited by B&W Neil; 8th April 2014 at 08:59 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #25  
Old 8th April 2014, 05:15 PM
TimtheMoose TimtheMoose is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: South Devon, UK
Posts: 35
Default

I've had 'problems' with all the suppliers I've used. All have resolved these problems in a very professional manner. Going by experience I get a far better service from the likes of AG, Silverprint or Imaging Warehouse than I would expect from a local High Street chain. Things may take a little longer but I think its worth it. All three have been unexpectedly out-of-stock and have fallen over themselves to help.

My only gripe would be postage charges but someone has to pay...

It might be worth remembering the postal service isn't great - I always allow 5 working days before sending an email asking if my order has been dispatched.

Tim
Reply With Quote
  #26  
Old 8th April 2014, 09:20 PM
JamesK JamesK is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: West Yorkshire, England
Posts: 260
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by TimtheMoose View Post
My only gripe would be postage charges but someone has to pay...

It might be worth remembering the postal service isn't great - I always allow 5 working days before sending an email asking if my order has been dispatched.

Tim
I've had no problems with AG when ordering materials, but when I had films processed by AG-photolab it took 25 days and a couple of e-mails before I received them.

I was told that they'd tried to deliver them previously but that they'd been returned by the Post Office.

If this was the case, I never had a card through my door saying the postman had tried to deliver them, the postman himself had no recollection of them and I also have a lockable parcel bin that the postman knows to use on the odd occasions I don't see him. Neither did the package, when it finally arrived, have any stickers or markings on it stating it was to be re-delivered as items have in such a situation.

I think in such cases it's too easy for vendors to blame the Post Office when things don't turn up, and not to praise them for their normally excellent service.

(By the way, the films themselves were badly processed - see my post here at http://www.film-and-darkroom-user.or...ead.php?t=8919.)

Regarding postal charges, I've just bought a second-hand mono-block flash head off an e-bay dealer for £45. This included a brand-new sync lead, the substantial packaging and the postage charges. This vendor certainly doesn't mind absorbing the costs of delivery. Also, I ordered it on Friday, and it arrived yesterday (Monday).

Co-incidentally, I've just watched an interview with the American chat show host Jay Leno, who's a vintage car and motorcycle enthusiast. In the interview, he expressed his amazement at the attitude of English vendors when he's tried to order parts from them, e.g. hanging up on him because they were “too busy” to take his £90 telephone order, or not stocking parts because they were “too popular” and the orders took too much time to process. I know where he's coming from.
Reply With Quote
  #27  
Old 9th April 2014, 09:03 PM
Matt5791's Avatar
Matt5791 Matt5791 is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Birmingham, UK
Posts: 235
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by JamesK View Post
I've had no problems with AG when ordering materials, but when I had films processed by AG-photolab it took 25 days and a couple of e-mails before I received them.

I was told that they'd tried to deliver them previously but that they'd been returned by the Post Office.

If this was the case, I never had a card through my door saying the postman had tried to deliver them, the postman himself had no recollection of them and I also have a lockable parcel bin that the postman knows to use on the odd occasions I don't see him. Neither did the package, when it finally arrived, have any stickers or markings on it stating it was to be re-delivered as items have in such a situation.

I think in such cases it's too easy for vendors to blame the Post Office when things don't turn up, and not to praise them for their normally excellent service.

(By the way, the films themselves were badly processed - see my post here at http://www.film-and-darkroom-user.or...ead.php?t=8919.)
I think it is unlikely there was ever an attempted delivery and the item was returned to us from the sorting office via our return code printed on the packet.

I have read the thread regarding your processing - you have no grounds for saying we have processed your film badly and to say so here, with no prior reference to us, is extremely unfair. The problem with your film is very straight forward - the film is badly exposed. And the "running" and "blurred" edge marking is the way it's been a signed by Ilford - if you send the negs to Ilford they will confirm this. The person in charge of quality control is Sue Evans - you can mark the film for her attention.

I really like Jay Leno, but he loves to portray the British, as sort of quaint and eccentric, he does it all the time.

Last edited by Matt5791; 9th April 2014 at 09:07 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #28  
Old 9th April 2014, 09:35 PM
Matt5791's Avatar
Matt5791 Matt5791 is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Birmingham, UK
Posts: 235
Default

I should also mention that our key objective with the lab is to ensure the highest standards of processing - on the basis that, if someone is using film, they have a strong interest in the end results and the quality of the results. I am extremely confident that we are achieving a very high standard indeed, borne out by the huge number of regular repeat customers we have secured, many ordering every week, and the overall number of processing orders we have taken in 18 months (approaching 10,000). Furthermore, we have a very broad variety of customers using the service, including very experienced professional, enthusiast and fine art photographers - all of whom are very demanding - and we apply the same standards to everyone.
Reply With Quote
  #29  
Old 10th April 2014, 12:22 AM
JamesK JamesK is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: West Yorkshire, England
Posts: 260
Default

Matthew, I do, at the very least, owe you a partial apology.

After searching long and hard (hence the lateness of the hour as evidenced by the time stamp of this reply), I found our e-mail correspondence regarding the delivery problems in which you state that the films were "returned by the Post Office" and NOT, as I said, that they'd actually tried to deliver them to my address.

I had obviously mis-interpreted the fact that they were returned to you to mean that you'd suggested that the postman had actually tried to deliver them to my door when in fact this was in all probability not the case.

For this, I can only apologize fully and without reservation for implying that the explanation you gave me may have merely been an excuse on your part.

Regarding the films themselves, I too thought they may have been under-exposed but I know for a fact that in several of the shots I'd inadvertently moved the speed dial such that it was on the "B" setting and kept my finger on the shutter waiting for it to close (which of course it never did) for at least one of these. As it was a sunny day, I would have expected at least one shot to be over-exposed in such a situation.

I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean about the edge marking being "a signed" by Ilford: could you elaborate on this, please? (I'm not accusing you of making excuses - I simply don't know what you mean by this.)

What I will do is dig out the films and take them to someone I know who used to run their own processing laboratory and let them have a look at them. (I think I may have already shown them scans, but I'll let them examine the films themselves this time.)

If they agree with you that the negatives are underexposed, I'll post that here and apologize further. If, however, they agree with me, I'll send them off to Sue Evans as you suggest.

Last edited by JamesK; 10th April 2014 at 12:26 AM. Reason: addition
Reply With Quote
  #30  
Old 10th April 2014, 10:19 AM
TimtheMoose TimtheMoose is offline
Friend
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: South Devon, UK
Posts: 35
Default

With regard to postal services don't be too quick to defend them. Personal examples of postal naughtiness.

1 Three light meters returned to sender with no attempt to deliver.
2 Expecting a parcel. Watched post man walk down drive and put something through letter box. It was a note saying they couldn't deliver because I wasn't in!
3 Finding recorded delivery parcel waiting on the doorstep with signed for label removed.
4 As 3 but with label still in place.
5 15 working days for 1st class delivery - this is acceptable by the post office.

For bad lab service - Fujilabs (CC imaging?) 6 weeks to process, mount, scan and print! It was a special offer but they did say 3 day turnaround. It wasn't until I emailed them after waiting 6 weeks (I'd forgotten about the film) that they bothered to tell me there was a delay due to holidays, sickness, being very busy etc.
The slides were filthy, the prints poor and the scans useless. Fortunately the slides could be cleaned.


Tim
Reply With Quote
Reply
Support our Sponsors, they keep FADU free:   AG Photographic   The Imaging Warehouse   Process Supplies   RH Designs   Second-hand Darkroom Supplies  

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
RK Photographic Dave miller Business Matters 4 5th August 2016 10:12 AM
AG photographic big paul Photography in general 25 4th November 2013 09:23 PM
AG Photographic Dave miller News and Announcements 51 13th December 2011 05:18 PM
AG Photographic Carl V Photography in general 7 4th June 2010 06:49 PM
MXV photographic photomi7ch Photography in general 11 17th March 2009 05:59 PM


All times are GMT. The time now is 08:34 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.