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10/21/2004 12:15:40 PM · #1 |
Originally posted by mk:
Originally posted by wackybill:
I do agree that the errors and issues with the site are annoying. However, this is very smart on the software developers side. We are doing the testing for them and every time we get an error, they learn something. It's a quick easy way to get all of the bugs worked out fairly quickly. We are probably doing in a week what they it would take a test team to do in 3 months. Like I said above, they don't expect all of the bugs to be worked out until next week some time. Just check back in a week or so and save yourself some frustration.
Being in the software development and testing business, I can appreciate what the SAM'S photo site is doing. |
I guess I don't see it as that smart. If you want your customers to test your things for you for free, then set up a beta version and invite testers. Don't just open up the site like it's good and ready with no mention of the fact that you're still working out all the bugs, when the site doesn't function properly. I can understand letting a few small things go while you're working them out, but "can't ever stay logged in" and "can't do anything that the site is meant for" seem like kind of big problems to me.
And as long as I'm on about Sam's...I'd really like it if they would have two separate categories of machine in their store. A machine for "I've already edited all my photos and it will take me two minutes to get them printed" and one for "I am editing and cropping every single one of my 450 photos of my vacation/grandchildren/wedding/birthday party and it's apt to take me three years to do so."
(I'm sure I'll continue to use Sam's Club and this new service when it works, but I just felt like listing all my complaints.) |
LOL about the separate machines. I do agree with that one. :o)
Also, I have not been having the issue with it logging out over and over. I did at first but haven't had the issue recently. Have you tried dumping your cookies and clearing your cache? That may help. Maybe our browser settings are set up differently. I have my browser to always check for a new version of the page every time it is accessed. The service is working great for me. I will be picking up my 3rd set of prints tonight that have been ordered via this new service.
Sorry you are having so many issues! Hang in there and I'm sure it will be great and you will become to love it since you won't have to go in and stand in the I'm going to edit and crop every one of my 525 pictures line anymore. LOL!!!
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10/21/2004 12:10:19 PM · #2 |
Originally posted by wackybill:
I do agree that the errors and issues with the site are annoying. However, this is very smart on the software developers side. We are doing the testing for them and every time we get an error, they learn something. It's a quick easy way to get all of the bugs worked out fairly quickly. We are probably doing in a week what they it would take a test team to do in 3 months. Like I said above, they don't expect all of the bugs to be worked out until next week some time. Just check back in a week or so and save yourself some frustration.
Being in the software development and testing business, I can appreciate what the SAM'S photo site is doing. |
I guess I don't see it as that smart. If you want your customers to test your things for you for free, then set up a beta version and invite testers. Don't just open up the site like it's good and ready with no mention of the fact that you're still working out all the bugs, when the site doesn't function properly. I can understand letting a few small things go while you're working them out, but "can't ever stay logged in" and "can't do anything that the site is meant for" seem like kind of big problems to me.
And as long as I'm on about Sam's...I'd really like it if they would have two separate categories of machine in their store. A machine for "I've already edited all my photos and it will take me two minutes to get them printed" and one for "I am editing and cropping every single one of my 450 photos of my vacation/grandchildren/wedding/birthday party and it's apt to take me three years to do so."
(I'm sure I'll continue to use Sam's Club and this new service when it works, but I just felt like listing all my complaints.) |
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10/21/2004 11:59:40 AM · #3 |
Originally posted by mk:
At this point, I'd have to say I'm a little annoyed that Sam's has put live a site that is so buggy. Every other link I click kicks me back out to the main page where I have to sign in again. I was able to upload some photos last night but now cannot view or purchase any of them. I simply get a message saying "An error ocurred and has been logged. We apologize for the inconvenience." They must have a tremendously big log by now because I've tried multiple times, both last night and this morning.
I know Setzler ordered his photos this way so I'm not quite sure why it doesn't work for me but I guess I'll be continuing to use the machines at Sam's Club. |
I do agree that the errors and issues with the site are annoying. However, this is very smart on the software developers side. We are doing the testing for them and every time we get an error, they learn something. It's a quick easy way to get all of the bugs worked out fairly quickly. We are probably doing in a week what they it would take a test team to do in 3 months. Like I said above, they don't expect all of the bugs to be worked out until next week some time. Just check back in a week or so and save yourself some frustration.
Being in the software development and testing business, I can appreciate what the SAM'S photo site is doing.
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10/21/2004 10:35:55 AM · #4 |
At this point, I'd have to say I'm a little annoyed that Sam's has put live a site that is so buggy. Every other link I click kicks me back out to the main page where I have to sign in again. I was able to upload some photos last night but now cannot view or purchase any of them. I simply get a message saying "An error ocurred and has been logged. We apologize for the inconvenience." They must have a tremendously big log by now because I've tried multiple times, both last night and this morning.
I know Setzler ordered his photos this way so I'm not quite sure why it doesn't work for me but I guess I'll be continuing to use the machines at Sam's Club. |
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10/20/2004 10:47:28 AM · #5 |
Thanks, Clara, you've been most helpful! I used to work in a darkroom myself but only for my own prints so chemistry wasn't ever an issue since the darkroom manager took care of all that stuff for me. Now I am enlightened and know what to ask and look for (and not sound stupid). :)
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10/20/2004 07:14:18 AM · #6 |
Originally posted by MrAkamai:
Originally posted by blemt:
Check with your local pickup site and find out how they treat their machines first. Ask the lab manager if they plot daily. If they have no clue, run in the opposite direction. :) |
OK, call me ignorant but what do I need to know in order for me not to sound stupid after asking that question? Ideally, I'd like to be able to just upload my photos, wait an hour or just shop there for an hour and then pick up my prints. But without knowing about plotting etc, how will I know if they will do a good job without being a guinea pig or driving all over the place to different locations? |
Plotting is the daily process where by your lab tests the state of chemicals in the machine. Chemistry looses potency over time. Daily plotting (testing) tells the lab manager what chemistry may need to be changed.
Ask to see sample prints. Look for clear colors, black blacks, and white whites. Look for yellow borders. That is an indication that they are not changing out chemistry regularly. Look into the lab. Are the work areas clean, and are the associates there wearing gloves? Also ask what the redo policy is. Explain to the store/lab manager that you are looking at sending a good deal of work their way. Any well run lab will gladly answer your questions.
If you do not like the answers on any of these questions, go elsewhere. :) Your images are important, and the lab you send them to should respect that.
Clara |
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10/20/2004 01:49:18 AM · #7 |
Originally posted by blemt:
Check with your local pickup site and find out how they treat their machines first. Ask the lab manager if they plot daily. If they have no clue, run in the opposite direction. :) |
OK, call me ignorant but what do I need to know in order for me not to sound stupid after asking that question? Ideally, I'd like to be able to just upload my photos, wait an hour or just shop there for an hour and then pick up my prints. But without knowing about plotting etc, how will I know if they will do a good job without being a guinea pig or driving all over the place to different locations?
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10/20/2004 01:46:01 AM · #8 |
Originally posted by jmsetzler:
Originally posted by mk:
I put up some photos there almost a month ago and now I've been getting messages that say:
Should you wish to keep any or all of these pictures past that time, you can do so using Saved Albums. Just choose "save to album" while viewing the pictures or album you want to keep.
To me, that sounds like you may be able to keep them there if you choose to. |
You have to pay for a 'saved album'. |
Well, crud.
Message edited by author 2004-10-20 01:46:19. |
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10/20/2004 01:44:34 AM · #9 |
Originally posted by mk:
I put up some photos there almost a month ago and now I've been getting messages that say:
Should you wish to keep any or all of these pictures past that time, you can do so using Saved Albums. Just choose "save to album" while viewing the pictures or album you want to keep.
To me, that sounds like you may be able to keep them there if you choose to. |
You have to pay for a 'saved album'.
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10/20/2004 01:43:43 AM · #10 |
Originally posted by wackybill:
Originally posted by dartompkins:
Originally posted by BradP:
Sorry.
They could have the absolute best service available on the planet, but still wouldn't use them, as I choose not to support the 20th Century Locusts.
Can of worms is now open. |
I don't use Sams because they are the only place on the face of the earth that will not take VISA. Not even VISA debit cards. What is up with that? You would think they would accept anything that Walmart accepts, but NOOOOO. |
Mine does accept Visa Debit. I use my bankcard there all the time. Most of the time actually. Must be that yours doesn't accept it because mine does. |
Some debit cards scan as debit, and others scan as credit. Mine is one that scans as if it were a credit card. I think that is probably the difference, not that I begin to understand all of that. The real wierdness is accepting at Walmart and not at Sams. I walked out on a 400.00 purchase the day I found this out. Their loss I guess. Best Buy hooked me up! :) |
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10/20/2004 01:35:47 AM · #11 |
For those who are not a member of Sam's Club, Ritz/Wolf have a similar service through RitzPIX.com.
Costco has slightly lower prices than Sam's even, and so far I've been pretty happy with the quality/color. If/when they set up this kind of upload service it will be most convenient ... |
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10/20/2004 01:27:34 AM · #12 |
I put up some photos there almost a month ago and now I've been getting messages that say:
Should you wish to keep any or all of these pictures past that time, you can do so using Saved Albums. Just choose "save to album" while viewing the pictures or album you want to keep.
To me, that sounds like you may be able to keep them there if you choose to. |
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10/19/2004 11:30:51 PM · #13 |
I found a minor issue that I don't particularly like...
I can upload the photos I want to print with no problem, but the will get purged after 30 days. I believe, under normal circumstances, this would be ok, but I have prints that I'm gonna want reprints of over time. I suppose I can re-upload them though...
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10/19/2004 10:10:33 PM · #14 |
Originally posted by jmsetzler:
Originally posted by wackybill:
Yes, I placed an order today and had the same issue a few times. This is the first day for it to be live and they really don't expect all of the bugs to be worked out of the site until next week when they will officially announce this service. I guess you could say in a way we are BETA testing for them. However, I did get my order to go through and picked up my prints earlier tonight. :o)
Bill |
I placed an order for 67 prints a short while ago... did you get any kind of order number via email? |
Yes, it came maybe about an hour or so later.
Bill
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10/19/2004 09:22:36 PM · #15 |
Originally posted by wackybill:
Yes, I placed an order today and had the same issue a few times. This is the first day for it to be live and they really don't expect all of the bugs to be worked out of the site until next week when they will officially announce this service. I guess you could say in a way we are BETA testing for them. However, I did get my order to go through and picked up my prints earlier tonight. :o)
Bill |
I placed an order for 67 prints a short while ago... did you get any kind of order number via email?
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10/19/2004 08:30:03 PM · #16 |
Originally posted by wackybill:
I got 12 B&W 8x10 prints made last Friday and they looked great!!! The whites were white and the blacks were black. Is that what you were looking to hear? :o) |
Yes... I hope my local club can match that :)
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10/19/2004 08:24:56 PM · #17 |
Originally posted by jmsetzler:
Originally posted by wackybill:
However, I did get my order to go through and picked up my prints earlier tonight. :o)
Bill |
Did you, by chance, get any black and whites printed? If so, how do they look? |
I got 12 B&W 8x10 prints made last Friday and they looked great!!! The whites were white and the blacks were black. Is that what you were looking to hear? :o)
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10/19/2004 08:20:14 PM · #18 |
Originally posted by wackybill:
However, I did get my order to go through and picked up my prints earlier tonight. :o)
Bill |
Did you, by chance, get any black and whites printed? If so, how do they look?
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10/19/2004 07:58:37 PM · #19 |
Originally posted by mk:
Originally posted by jbsmithana:
Originally posted by BradP:
Sorry.
They could have the absolute best service available on the planet, but still wouldn't use them, as I choose not to support the 20th Century Locusts.
Can of worms is now open. |
I'll bite. I wold not use Sam's or WalMart. Try reading Fast Food Nation for enlightenment. Now Costco is a diffeent story. They have good relations with their employees offering decent pay and benefits. In the long run the old rule applies - you get what you pay for. Best choice - support your local small business shop owner. |
Feel free to post your rants in the rant section, but let's keep this thread about the Sam's service, not about the evils of big corporations. |
Thank you, mk!!!
Message edited by author 2004-10-19 19:59:00.
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10/19/2004 07:57:42 PM · #20 |
Originally posted by mk:
Originally posted by dartompkins:
I don't use Sams because they are the only place on the face of the earth that will not take VISA. Not even VISA debit cards. What is up with that? You would think they would accept anything that Walmart accepts, but NOOOOO. |
I agree, it's pretty annoying. The funny thing is, they'll take any credit card through their website, just not in the store.
In any case, it looks like the photo thing is kind of buggy, it kicks me back out to the sign in page whenever I try to check out. |
Yes, I placed an order today and had the same issue a few times. This is the first day for it to be live and they really don't expect all of the bugs to be worked out of the site until next week when they will officially announce this service. I guess you could say in a way we are BETA testing for them. However, I did get my order to go through and picked up my prints earlier tonight. :o)
Bill
Message edited by author 2004-10-19 19:58:12.
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10/19/2004 07:56:00 PM · #21 |
Originally posted by dartompkins:
Originally posted by BradP:
Sorry.
They could have the absolute best service available on the planet, but still wouldn't use them, as I choose not to support the 20th Century Locusts.
Can of worms is now open. |
I don't use Sams because they are the only place on the face of the earth that will not take VISA. Not even VISA debit cards. What is up with that? You would think they would accept anything that Walmart accepts, but NOOOOO. |
Mine does accept Visa Debit. I use my bankcard there all the time. Most of the time actually. Must be that yours doesn't accept it because mine does.
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10/19/2004 07:04:56 PM · #22 |
Just a note: I used to work for a upscale photography studio that had all smaller prints made at Sam's club (anything less than 11 x 17). We tried many different Sam's locations until we found the one that made the best prints... it can be hit or miss with some of their digital labs. They all used Fuji paper, but I suggest comparing results a few stores to find out which is the best in your area . While the prints are cheap, there was a noticible difference between some of the stores that our head photographer was not pleased with.
Of course, we also did professional surface treatments to the prints after we got them back.... but our chosen "digital studio" AKA Sam's Club put out some really nice work overall. |
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10/19/2004 06:48:35 PM · #23 |
Originally posted by jbsmithana:
Originally posted by BradP:
Sorry.
They could have the absolute best service available on the planet, but still wouldn't use them, as I choose not to support the 20th Century Locusts.
Can of worms is now open. |
I'll bite. I wold not use Sam's or WalMart. Try reading Fast Food Nation for enlightenment. Now Costco is a diffeent story. They have good relations with their employees offering decent pay and benefits. In the long run the old rule applies - you get what you pay for. Best choice - support your local small business shop owner. |
Feel free to post your rants in the rant section, but let's keep this thread about the Sam's service, not about the evils of big corporations. |
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10/19/2004 06:34:58 PM · #24 |
Originally posted by BradP:
Sorry.
They could have the absolute best service available on the planet, but still wouldn't use them, as I choose not to support the 20th Century Locusts.
Can of worms is now open. |
I'll bite. I wold not use Sam's or WalMart. Try reading Fast Food Nation for enlightenment. Now Costco is a diffeent story. They have good relations with their employees offering decent pay and benefits. In the long run the old rule applies - you get what you pay for. Best choice - support your local small business shop owner. |
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10/19/2004 06:30:17 PM · #25 |
Originally posted by mk:
I agree, it's pretty annoying. The funny thing is, they'll take any credit card through their website, just not in the store.
In any case, it looks like the photo thing is kind of buggy, it kicks me back out to the sign in page whenever I try to check out. |
I haven't tried to order yet but I think I will probably get an order together tonight. I may just go ahead and get my first set of notecard prints from them via this site to try it out.
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