framed - finally
huge poor customer service rant coming soon.
...in a nutshell...
I bought this print a while ago and I knew it was going to cost a bit to have framed so I tucked it away until I had some spare cash to have it done properly. and you know how things go. You get busy, money gets spent on vacation or other important things and you forget about stuff. At least thats how things work in my head. So although I didnt *forget* that I had this print, the urgency to have it framed kinda fell away.
A couple of months ago (september 8th), pretty much on a whim, I grabbed the print and took it to Joann's to have it framed. They had a sale going (don't they always?) and I had some spare pennies. It took about an hour of back and forth between different frames and mats until I found the perfect combination. Paid and out the door. See you in a week.
So, a week passes and I get the call from the frame girl. I'm expecting her to say everything is ready to go, but instead she said that the frame was out of stock and it would be about 6 weeks before it was available. I really didnt want to wait 6 weeks, but was told I didnt have a choice. and FYI... custom framing deposits arent refundable and you're required to pay 100% of the cost as your "deposit". So, I wait. and wait. and wait. On October 24th I called to check the status. Since the "frame girl" wasnt in, no one could tell me anything. I called again on the 26th. Still no luck. On the 30th I was told that it should be in "any day" About a week later I got the long awaited call. The frame was in, but there were some issues. So, I went to see it in person. The issues were that the frame was garbage, full seams showing in every corner, and overall just poor quality. So, another hour spent trying to match a new frame to the mat that I had chosen.
I wasnt totally happy with the choice, but I just wanted this project finished. Finally this weekend the new frame was in, so I went today and dropped my print off and was told that it would be put together shortly. THREE hours later, the frame girl called to say she was finished.
When I got back to the store the frame was wrapped in a single sheet of brown paper. She opened it and held it up by the top two corners. it looked fabulous. until i noticed something on the corner of the frame, peeking out from under her hand. It was a huge scratch that she claimed not to have noticed. Her solution? Lets try to put some black paint on it and cover it up.
oh, and a discount, if I wanted it. What about reordering it? Well, she'd have to take everything apart again, and she worked so hard on it and she didnt know how it got scratched, but the paint would fix everything and I could even take some paint home with me. At this point, I did something that I would totally chastise anyone else for.... I gave up. I let her paint the corner and said I'd take it as is. When she started to rewrap it, I asked her if she had any bubble wrap that she could wrap the frame in, because I knew I was going to bump it trying to put it in the car.
No, they don't use bubble wrap. So, then I asked if they sold bubble wrap and if so, could I buy some and have it wrapped? Sure, I can buy all I want..and she'd even give me a discount. How generous.
So, wrapped and out the door, and surprise.... the frame is too big to put in my car. So, fortunately my bestie superhero friend Tina came to my rescue and said that she would come over and help tote it home. In the mean time, I asked if they could take the frame back inside, so I didnt have to lean it against my car in the parking lot. And the girl had enough nerve to get kind of shitty with me. Because of the cost of the print, they're not allowed to keep it in the store, so lodging it overnight would not be allowed. Seriously? I told her I had someone on the way, so it would be 30 minutes or so, and I'd have it out again. In all this rush and bustle, apparently her offer of a discount and more quick fix paint was forgotten because I came home without either.
so....here we are. a fabulous print in a less than fabulous frame and a really, really less than fabulous experience at Joanns. Live and learn, I guess.
(this was supposed to be short....sorry)
framed - finally
huge poor customer service rant coming soon.
...in a nutshell...
I bought this print a while ago and I knew it was going to cost a bit to have framed so I tucked it away until I had some spare cash to have it done properly. and you know how things go. You get busy, money gets spent on vacation or other important things and you forget about stuff. At least thats how things work in my head. So although I didnt *forget* that I had this print, the urgency to have it framed kinda fell away.
A couple of months ago (september 8th), pretty much on a whim, I grabbed the print and took it to Joann's to have it framed. They had a sale going (don't they always?) and I had some spare pennies. It took about an hour of back and forth between different frames and mats until I found the perfect combination. Paid and out the door. See you in a week.
So, a week passes and I get the call from the frame girl. I'm expecting her to say everything is ready to go, but instead she said that the frame was out of stock and it would be about 6 weeks before it was available. I really didnt want to wait 6 weeks, but was told I didnt have a choice. and FYI... custom framing deposits arent refundable and you're required to pay 100% of the cost as your "deposit". So, I wait. and wait. and wait. On October 24th I called to check the status. Since the "frame girl" wasnt in, no one could tell me anything. I called again on the 26th. Still no luck. On the 30th I was told that it should be in "any day" About a week later I got the long awaited call. The frame was in, but there were some issues. So, I went to see it in person. The issues were that the frame was garbage, full seams showing in every corner, and overall just poor quality. So, another hour spent trying to match a new frame to the mat that I had chosen.
I wasnt totally happy with the choice, but I just wanted this project finished. Finally this weekend the new frame was in, so I went today and dropped my print off and was told that it would be put together shortly. THREE hours later, the frame girl called to say she was finished.
When I got back to the store the frame was wrapped in a single sheet of brown paper. She opened it and held it up by the top two corners. it looked fabulous. until i noticed something on the corner of the frame, peeking out from under her hand. It was a huge scratch that she claimed not to have noticed. Her solution? Lets try to put some black paint on it and cover it up.
oh, and a discount, if I wanted it. What about reordering it? Well, she'd have to take everything apart again, and she worked so hard on it and she didnt know how it got scratched, but the paint would fix everything and I could even take some paint home with me. At this point, I did something that I would totally chastise anyone else for.... I gave up. I let her paint the corner and said I'd take it as is. When she started to rewrap it, I asked her if she had any bubble wrap that she could wrap the frame in, because I knew I was going to bump it trying to put it in the car.
No, they don't use bubble wrap. So, then I asked if they sold bubble wrap and if so, could I buy some and have it wrapped? Sure, I can buy all I want..and she'd even give me a discount. How generous.
So, wrapped and out the door, and surprise.... the frame is too big to put in my car. So, fortunately my bestie superhero friend Tina came to my rescue and said that she would come over and help tote it home. In the mean time, I asked if they could take the frame back inside, so I didnt have to lean it against my car in the parking lot. And the girl had enough nerve to get kind of shitty with me. Because of the cost of the print, they're not allowed to keep it in the store, so lodging it overnight would not be allowed. Seriously? I told her I had someone on the way, so it would be 30 minutes or so, and I'd have it out again. In all this rush and bustle, apparently her offer of a discount and more quick fix paint was forgotten because I came home without either.
so....here we are. a fabulous print in a less than fabulous frame and a really, really less than fabulous experience at Joanns. Live and learn, I guess.
(this was supposed to be short....sorry)