Canvas Prints...The Good and the Ugly
With the Ashtabula Covered Bridge Festival coming up in
October, I decided to make a switch on my display. Instead
of carrying 25 to 30 framed prints, which was heavy, bulky
and not to mentioned proned to scratches no matter how careful
I was, I was changing to canvas.
The canvas prints would be larger, but I'd only need half as
many. That meant more space in my suv. Plus the canvas prints
were a whole lot lighter.
Always looking for the best deal, here are the companies I
tried and my thoughts.
CVS (http://www.cvsphoto.com/home.aspx) - F+
My first online order went great. They had free shipping to
the store. Had my 24x36 within the week. The print itself
looked great.
After that, it all went downhill.
I received an email offering 50% off all their canvas prints
by a certain date. This was great for me cause the expiration
date was one day later than my payday and I could basically get
two prints for the price of one.
A few days later I received another email from CVS, offering 40%,
but this was for everything. I didn't pay no mind to that.
When it came time to order my next set of canvas prints, I entered
the code for the 50%. The site didn't accept it. What the site did
accept was the 40%. I figured 40% off of something is better than 0%.
I still thought they should honor their 50%. So I wrote to their customer
service. Two weeks went by, not a peep. So I posted my problem on CVS'
Facebook page.
Their response was for me to call them. Excuse me? Call them? How about
you return and answer my email?
Then it got worse.
When I went to their photo part of the web site, I was greeted to a message
saying that the 3rd party company they use for credit card processing was
hacked.
They never sent a warning to their customers, no news on the event. Basically
I found this out by accident.
Normally when sites get hacked, they're back up in a few days, if not sooner.
A month later, they're STILL down.
Again, I posted on their Facebook page if they had an estimate on when they
might be back up. They refused to answer my question. Instead they danced
around it by saying they appreciate my patience...huh...and they're working
on it.
Well, you keep working on it and I'll take my business elsewhere.
Easy Canvas Prints (www.easycanvasprints.com) - C
This company offered 60% off their prints. So a 24x36 was around $103 (vs the
industry average of about $150) for a 3/4 frame. BTW, if you offer 60% off
all the time, I don't consider that a sale.
I decided to try them next.
Their ordering process is buggy, at best. The only thing that went right was
me choosing what size I wanted.
The next screen is the image upload and where it fell apart.
The text says the file limit is 20mb. So I uploaded a 24x36 at 10mb.
The preview screen on the right told me my upload was to big, it had to be,
get this, under 50mb....uh, which one is it guys?
After downsizing my image multiple times and getting the same response, I wrote
to their customer service.
Unlike CVS, at least these guys wrote back. Unfortunately to get my image uploaded,
I had to jump thru hoops which included a link to upload larger files. That just
didn't make sense. If your original upload screen can't handle a 5mb file, but the
link you sent me does, why not swap the two?
No thanks. I didn't want to go thru that every time I had to place an order.
I'd give this company a C. The price is right. The site is easy to navigate. They're
customer service cares about you. Its just their upload doesn't work.
Photography.com - C+
Oh boy, what a bunch of losers.
I found these guys in Outdoor Photography magazine. They were offering buy 1 print,
get 3 free. Great! Nope.
First, you had to buy a coupon for the price of the first piece. No problem, except
the largest they went was 20x30. Minor problem, but hey, for 3 free, why not?
On their site they mention it takes 5 to 10 business days to process your order. That's
pretty long in this age, but again, I keep telling myself, I'm getting four prints
for the price of one. Plus, surely it wouldn't actually take THAT long, right? Wrong!
Twelve business days later I wrote their customer service wondering on the status. They
wrote back within 24 hours. Unfortunately, they don't read what they write. Cause they
gave me the same excuse...5 to 10 business days. Hello! Its been 12 days!
So as soon as I get my prints...bye bye to these guys.
Would I ever be happy?
Yes!
In fact, the company I'm going to write about next...they've fulfilled two of my orders,
all coming from India compared to 0 from www.photography.com.
Grade for photography.com? C+. At least I was able to order from them. It'll just be
nice to get the prints before 2016.
Canvas Champ - http://www.canvaschamp.com/ - A++++++++++
This company I actually found by accident. I was reading some old discussions on an
art fair site and saw this site mentioned.
The company is in the United States, but they print and ship from India. Don't let that
scare you. In my two orders I've placed so far, they've both been at my doorstep in less
than a week!
The first shock I got was their prices. A 24x36 canvas with a 3/4 frame was $44...yes...$44!
I can't tell you how many times I looked at their site to make sure I wasn't misreading
something. They do offer finishing for only about $5. Still, compared to the lowest price
I've found to date? This price was unbelievable.
Before I placed a big order, I was going to try out one first.
Their ordering from start to finish was a breeze! I had no problems whatsoever. Shipping?
Try around $10...from India (UPS)!
I figured I'd see my canvas in 2-3 weeks. I was shocked to get a UPS tracking number...the
next day!
From ordering to my home...less than a week. I think it took me longer to remove all the
tape from the box, it was packaged that well.
The canvas itself was simply perfect.
I found my company!
I placed a second order for four more 24x36 canvas prints. Just like the first order, it'll
be in my living room within 7 days.
Grade? A+ baby!
