In Praise of Shutterfly

Okay, we’ve all read the news about how well Shutterfly is doing in it’s business, and the profits it’s made over the last year. We’re also aware of the shutterfly Holiday’s blog, and affiliations with primarily U.S. Digital Designers. And we know that Shutterfly haven’t really considered offering the same services on a local basis to other countries.

Here in the U.K. no one offers the same digital orientated range of photobooks as yet (Pixum are still to do 12x12 inch for instance) and Photobook and printing companies here have only just started targetting this market. Before I found that out, I had already put an order in for two photobooks from Shutterfly.

And they went missing in action. These were expensive (for me, if you include the international postage involved) books, and also key to commencing the promotion of my own DigiD4O business to locals. They were gift and sample books to show people, and hopefully get some potential interest in orders.

And boy was I worried when two weeks, three weeks then four weeks after the shipping date came around that they simply weren’t going to appear. There was no way I was going to be able to afford to have them reprinted, and I seriously thought about never risking the U.S. to U.K. mail service again. There was the possibility they got lost in the U.S. or got thrown away going through customs perhaps, let alone the somewhat poor state of the British Mail service also (which had recently gone out on strike also).

So, two days ago, I finally admitted defeat, and gave up hope, and put through an enquiry with Shutterfly’s Customer Service team (nameless people that they are). I asked simply to see if they could track the goods,  so that I knew at what point it might have got lost.

What I wasn’t expected to be told is that given it was over three weeks my order was indeed deemed lost, and they would reprint and resend to me - at no cost to myself! Whilst I was grinning from ear to ear the next day, on recieving such a message, the actual books turned up. Yes, they were now over a month late, but they got here! All glossy and everything.  I feel like I’ve gone through birth here, but it’s well worth it.

So, my utmost compliments to the customer service provided by Shutterfly all told. They don’t just care about their more local customers, they also care about those of us sitting a little further afield. Well done, Shutterfly - you’ve won my heart and future custom.