6 Replies Latest reply: Apr 15, 2011 4:20 PM by peterpica RSS

    Buyer Beware

    peterpica Community Member

      I was using Partner Printing with great luck; then started shopping because of freight charges from west coast. Started using 4-Over, but am just recovering from a very bad experience with them. 2500 trifolds arrived at my clients office unfolded; 4-Over told me to get them folded myself and send them the bill.... then they told me they'd reprint right away.... this was last Monday. They've yet to ship... I told them what they can do with 2500 brochures... never again! I should've known better. Their customer service group is the most confused bunch of CSR's I've ever dealtt with; apparently they have problems communicating with each other, let alone with their customers. One story after another, none of which were accurate or true. I'm thoroughly disgusted in disbelief how a company can survive with service this poor.

        • 1. Re: Buyer Beware
          P Spier CommunityMVP

          I make a habit of placing as much printing as I can locally. It's amazing how good the service and pricing can get when a printer knows you as a steady customer who knows how to prepare what they need for output.

           

          And it's a two-way street much of the time. I've billed about $3000 this year so far on referral work from the local printer. Everybody wins.

          • 2. Re: Buyer Beware
            Stix Hart Community Member

            Bit of a different scenario here than in the states but we have largish online printers too, and as a small local printer we can beat them half the time on price and all the time on service.

            • 3. Re: Buyer Beware
              peterpica Community Member

              No argument, Peter.... but with the web, competition seems to be the keyword... loyalty something from the past. I'm glad you shared your experiences... brings back fond memories for yours truly of the way things used to be in commercial printing, and still can be -- if you're lucky such as yourself.

              • 4. Re: Buyer Beware
                peterpica Community Member

                Pretty tough to complain about paying $8.50 for 500 BCs, 4/0, 16pt c/1/s, UV coated Plus $3.00 shipping...

                 

                Some of my print broker friends are literally giving away BCs from this place just to get their feet in prospective client's doors.

                 

                No more from me, though... lost one potentially valuable client because of the very poor CSR performance at 4-Over, Inc. on a job that they screwed up from the get-go. And it just wasn't one CSR who fumbled the ball every time it was passed to them. There were at least 3 involved...

                 

                Time-out; my BP's rising again just regurgitating this past week's misadventures with 4-Over, Inc.

                 

                UGH.

                • 5. Re: Buyer Beware
                  P Spier CommunityMVP

                  well, yeah, it's tough for a little guy to compete for price on stuff like that that can be aggregated and gang printed. I just sent a postcard job out yesterday to s specialty house (but I got a quote fom my regular guy too, just in case it was close). The postcard printers have great service and fair prices, but the color is never what I would get fom the local guy -- it can't be because they have to deal with a whole sheet full of different jobs and can't balance the press just for me --

                  so I never expect perfection or would send them a really color critical file.

                  • 6. Re: Buyer Beware
                    peterpica Community Member

                    Boy, you got dat rite!

                     

                    When color matching is paramount in importance, then forget the gang printers...about the only thing they can guarantee you is that 'no jobs, when reprinted, will be alike'!