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CVS Photo Service Consumer Reviews

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Thanks for the Money; We Can't Make Your Photo Book
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK -- I should have known to never use CVS Photo, having had two incidents previously with their "same day" photo book. This time, I tried to pick up two double-sided books in Brooklyn but was told to get it in a Manhattan branch. I get there, only to be told they haven't had 8.5 X 11 photo paper for the book for "at least five months." Moreover, nobody in their "district" has been able to get it.

The manager suggests I remake the books as 8X10 single-page books, only I can't get access to CVS.com at their kiosk and they wouldn't be able to adjust the price anyway. This is several hours after I ordered the book. I come home, to get a message at 4 a.m, saying my "order is ready." I call the store. Nope. They don't have paper. Nothing has changed. So can I have a refund of the $70+ dollars I've been charged? I'll have to call customer service. "What's the number?" The person on the line doesn't know, saying, "You can just Google it."

What bothers me about this charade is the amount of effort wasted in creating books that - to my knowledge - simply can't be made, same day or otherwise, in the 212/718 area codes. Will I get my money back? Probably. Does that compensate me for the time and energy I wasted in creating a product that they say they can produce -- but can't -- and then go to pick up, only to find it's not there? No. It's duplicitous marketing.

There should be a notice on their website, warning NYC consumers that they can't create photo books in that size. Better yet, maybe you should have to put in your area code first before even creating it. This is the 21st Century, after all. Technology is a wonderful tool for enhancing customer service. They should try it.

As it is, CVS's Laurel and Hardy strategy cost me more than money. I made these books as small gifts that I can no longer give. I wasted time in creating something that can't actually be produced any day, never mind same day. And everyone I speak to in this large national chain thus far seems impotent to actually give me information or correct the problem.

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Store 5980, CVS North Brunswick
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

NORTH BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY -- E-mailed online my pictures, received a confirmation #, next day I was notified order was ready. I went to pick up two days later and the order was not there... I was told that their system was down for two days and there was no connection, and someone was supposed to come fix it. In the meantime, I had already deleted my 30 pictures from my computer so yes, it was an unbelievable inconvenience.

E-mailed online my pictures, received a confirmation #, next day I was notified order was ready. I went to pick up two days later and the order was not there... I was told that their system was down for two days and there was no connection, and someone was supposed to come fix it. In the meantime, I had already deleted my 30 pictures from my computer so yes, it was an unbelievable inconvenience.

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The worst experience
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

HOUSTON, TEXAS -- CVS had an incredible 50% off photo books just before Christmas. I spent 4 hours building a photo book online from a recent trip to Paris. I'd planned on giving this to my sister as a keepsake for her birthday trip. After placing the order on December 14, I call the location at 1525 North Loop West to tell them not to rush for same day pickup (as promised online) since I wouldn't pick it up for 2 days. The next morning I receive a call that my order could not be completed since they were out of material. They also could not transfer the order to another location, borrow material from another location, or tell me when more material would arrive. Even the 800 customer service representative said they couldn't help since I placed the order online; it was now the local stores responsibility to complete. Well, it is now December 30, and not only is my one book still not complete, no one at the 8 locations I called could help any further. Most saying it was due to the volume and lack of material. None of the locations had a manager willing to discuss options with me. The employees were relaying messages from the manager to me in a kind manner but I could sense the frustration of being trapped in the middle. Now, I have 4 days to find another company to complete a simple photo book and ship it to me before I can present this Christmas gift over a week late. I will never use CVS for any photo products again and I have just transferred my prescriptions to another company as well. Do not advertise something that you cannot fulfill the commitment.

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CVS Canvas Photo
StarStarStarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 3/51

TEXAS -- This is my first time to order a large size canvas photo print and it's not worth it. The photo quality is not close to the actual displays on the website neither in the store. I was very disappointed with the canvas print I ordered this last week. On top of that I kept tracking to see when the order will arrive at the store and it's been rescheduling.

I love CVS but I won't recommend doing any of their canvas photos. There are other places online where the price is better and based on reviews the quality of the prints seems as if it's top class and may be way better than what I have gotten from CVS. On the other hand, the local store Isn't the one the problem. This order was completed from CVS online.

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Unreliable
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA -- I don't know why I bother printing photos to CVS. I stopped printing my photos to CVS when I have the luxury of time to print my photos. 70% of the time, I am completely disappointed and I have tried printing my photos to multiple CVS stores. One time, the last 25 of my Christmas card had reddish-orangish markings on the top of the card, another set of my pictures all had a faint line down the center of them, and half of the time their photo printer is either not working or out of paper.

In my most recent experience, it took me printing 4x6 photos to three different stores. The first store I submitted my pictures to couldn't print my pictures because their printer was not working and they had no time frame of when it might start working again. After waiting 1.5 days to find out wondering why I hadn't received confirmation that my order was ready, I found out their printer wasn't working.

I tried submitting the same package of pictures to a second store. After waiting several hours, I found out the second store was out of paper. I'm hoping that I will be able to receive my pictures at the third store. I'm not sure why I have continued to bother. It would have been faster (and less of a headache) to order pictures from an online company because the pictures would arrive at my doorstep before I am able to find a CVS nearby with the capability of printing my pictures.

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Lead Time For Mini Canvas - Very Late. Mini Canvas Was All Plastic Not Canvas.
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA -- I kept checking on my order after receiving an email saying it was processed with a tracking number. It was almost 4 weeks and the tracking number wouldn't connect to service. I called the online customer service only to find out that the mini canvas, comes via standard mail and can't be tracked... And the lead time online is incorrect. When it finally arrived at my store one of two was bent so I opened it to find I had been waiting all this time for a plastic embossed poor quality photo. No canvas to be seen. It was cheap, bumpy plastic people!!! Please. Don't waste your time.

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Poor Customer Service
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

WEST COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA -- Horrible customer service. I stopped in to pick up my pictures, nobody was on duty up front. There was a rude little man on what looked like his private phone, speaking very rudely to someone. He saw me but ignored me. I walked back and forth and said, "is there anyone here to help someone up front". He cut me a nasty look and turned his back to me. He finished arguing with the person on the phone and claimed he did not see me. I said, "no, you did...the private call was occupying you." He claimed it was another store and he was the manager. Rude man.

He could not find my pictures. Finally, he found them sitting in the machine, but would not give me the internet-quoted price. He did not know how to look this up. Then an equally unhelpful older man came and also said I must pay full price. He did not know how to access my account.

CVS emails me specials and I ordered the photos online. Then the local store will not honor the deal. I had been standing there now almost 15 to 20 minutes for what should have been a quick transaction. They said it would take time to figure out what coupon they would let me have. I had to leave my pictures. I had family waiting in the car and an appointment to get to. These people are rude and incompetent! (Emmanuel Church Street Store)

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Not Always the Technician's Fault
By -

I worked as a Photo Lab Supervisor for almost a year, and for most of it, it was a great experience. Recent CVS policies and a change in management changed the atmosphere tremendously, making it almost impossible for me to do my job in the photo lab efficiently. That brief gripe aside (for I could go on and on about the management and the district manager), I feel it's necessary to inform consumers about how the photo dept. is actually run at CVS.

First, you get little to NO training. I was two weeks into the job before the district trainer came into my store for ONE day of "training". I was forced to call either my Shift Supervisors or Assistant Manager up whenever I had a problem or question that needed addressing. My manager at the time, while listed as Kodak-Certified, could do little more than run a roll of film through the processor. The people in the photo department, while knowledgeable, would, rather than trying to adequately solve any problems, leave them for me deal with on my next shift.

Once, a customer was told they could not be given an 8x10 photo book because we were out of stock, when it truth, all she had to do was go back to the stock room and pull a new box off the shelf. If a machine went down, no phone call to Kodak was made, but instead, a quick sign was posted saying it was out of order, again, leaving me to deal with it the next day. In fairness, if a machine goes down on a weekend, it is almost impossible to make a repair call as you end up on the phone with Kodak forever and weekends are too busy to be on the phone with these people for over an hour.

The processors and kiosks are ANCIENT. CVS will not spring for new machines no matter what! After only one week on the job, I was instructed to call Kodak regarding a kiosk and told to get a new part. Well good luck on that! Kodak would rather sell you their first born than send you a new part! First you have to go through an almost hour-long diagnostic process which does nothing but confirm the problem that you called them about in the first place. This is assuming you get someone who knows what the heck they are talking about.

They are rude and indifferent, and when CVS upgraded recently, there were so many problems that Kodak stopped taking calls, leaving machines down all over the place. At one point, after having talked to three different people over three days, and doing three complete recoveries (which meant I had to reinstall ALL the software on the Kiosk), I found myself screaming over the phone that 'NO! I WASN'T GOING TO DO ANOTHER ** RECOVERY, GET ME A NEW PROCESSOR!!' Simply put, it is not the techs fault if the machines fail.

A CVS lab with consistently working kiosks is as rare as hen's teeth and calling Kodak takes more time than it should. If a film or print processor goes down, you have to call Kodak once again, where you get dispatch, who are required to page the service tech within a set time. This never happens. And if you do get a service tech to call you back, he is so backed up with other repairs, that he can't possibly get out to you till the next day. Stripes on your pictures? You might see him later in the week to clean the rollers, but unless you tell them your machine is completely down, forget it.

Problems in the photo labs boil down to understaffed, overworked, poorly trained techs (corporate issue and indifference) and antiquated machinery supposedly supported by a service department that can't solve a problem and has no desire to. If you had a computer at home that ran as slowly and with as many problems as these kiosks have, you'd have dumped the stupid thing years ago.

I was very proud of my performance as the Photo Lab Supervisor. The position had been empty for some time before I got there and had previously been filled by people who apparently didn't care. I took the overall Triple S score in that department from a dismal 67 to an 82 by the time I left, yet saw no support from store or district management. I had a loyal customer base who knew that I would solve any problems and if I couldn't would do whatever was necessary to make them happy, be it a free roll of film or a refund. I was called by training techs during the weekends and the dinner hour with problems and ended up back at the store to resolve them.

Yet no matter what I did, no matter how clean my department was, no matter how good my scores were, there was no support from Corporate for that department. CVS has cut hours so drastically that the Photo Sup or Tech is the only one on register in the front. If you get someone who does not know how to operate a kiosk, you cannot adequately help them because you can't be in two places at once: behind a register and in front of a kiosk.

One Hour Photo is supposed to be a big deal to CVS, but I have had customers come in with 8 rolls of film, and while it's possible to do that in 1 hour, you can only do it if you are dedicated to doing that and that alone, not handling the register by yourself as well. So your scores go down. You get called to task during a conference call, and when you try to explain the situation, they couldn't care less. Get 'em up, make it work, call Kodak, blah, blah, blah, all said by people who haven't worked retail a day in their lives.

So have some patience with your photo department if you can. Some of them don't care, I'll grant you that...I've worked with a few, but most do care, but they are hamstrung by a corporation that treats their employees like dirt, machinery that was made before they invented rope, and a technical support system that make the call centers in India look good. Your techs are as frustrated as you are for the most part. Some things are just out of their control.

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Bad Just Bad
StarStarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 2/51

CALUMET CITY, ILLINOIS -- Twice! the first time I was promised my photos (ordered the night before) by 9am. They emailed me at 9pm the next day telling me they were ready. Yesterday I sent my photo order in, was promised it by 10 am. I have now missed a deadline. It's 5:35 pm and I JUST got my email saying they're ready!

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Elderly Lady Helped by Young Employee
StarStarStarStarStarBy -
Rating: 5/51

NICEVILLE, FLORIDA -- I am an elderly lady who is not up to speed on today's technology. I was having a lot of difficulty making photocopies and CVS employee Johannah came to my assistance. She was extremely helpful and I could not have finished without her. It was a pleasure working with this young lady.

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CVS Photo Service Rating:
Star Half star Empty star Empty star Empty star
1.7 out of 5, based on 12 ratings and
31 reviews & complaints.
Contact Information:
CVS
1 CVS Dr.
Woonsocket, RI 02895
1-800-746-7287 (ph)
www.cvs.com
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