I saw an advertisement in Staples sale flyer for their Snapfish print-to-store service (partnered with Hewlett-Packard). So, I decided to give the service a try since I needed a poster-sized photograph printed quickly for proofing. I placed the order at 2:41pm yesterday for print to the Cherry Creek Staples store. An email arrived within a few moments from Snapfish letting me know the order had been received and my expected pickup time at the store would be 8:42am this morning. WRONG!
I called the store at 10:15am today and encountered the expected auto-attendant (press 1 for paper-clips, press 2 for trash cans, press 3 to apply for a credit card, press 4 for Spanish …). There was no option for printing request inquiries, so I just pressed “zero”. After explaining my problem to the guy who answered, he transferred me to the correct department. Dan answered the phone and said he did not have my order and had not received anything from Snapfish. Great. He placed me on terminal hold for about 5 minutes, then the line went dead. I call back and deal with the auto-attendant and the guy who answers the “zero” button. I was transferred back to Dan who says the line was dead when he picked it back up. Whatever. He still says he can’t find my order but he will keep looking. I give him my phone number and ask him to call me back.
I call the toll-free number for Snapfish and (after dealing with yet another auto-attendant) get someone on the phone who sounds like he’s from and Atlanta ghetto and is in a very busy call center. I explain my problem to him and he says he’ll resubmit the order to Staples. He couldn’t be any less enthusiastic. I finally just hang up on him because he just doesn’t give a rat’s ass.
In a few minutes, Dan from Staples calls back and says the order is ready — he just couldn’t find it earlier. What a joke. Now I’m going down to Staples and try to pick up my order. What a hassle.
Addendum: When I arrived at the store, my image had been printed on glossy paper (not matte finish as I had ordered) and there were scratch lines on it. The sales clerk said someone probably sat something on top of it. She said she’d reprint it on matte paper, but it would take 10 to 15 minutes. I ran another errand while they reprinted the poster. When I returned, they just gave me the poster for free. The paper quality is terrible: so lightweight that it curls and ripples from the ink being applied to it. I won’t be using the Snapfish service (or Staples) for any printing again.