We found printingcenterusa.com on the internet and thought their prices were reasonable for our printing job. We ordered 1000 posters for our movie premiere and paid top dollar for a rush service.
A few days before the premiere, the posters arrived in two boxes. All were damaged. They were shipped in flimsy cardboard with no cushioning. Every poster was creased and bent. Not one could be used or sold.
We contacted Sam, the sales rep, and Mary, the quality control person. Ultimately we spoke with Craig Barber, the owner of the company. He told us that UPS would pick them up and ship them back to Montana, and he'd put in an insurance claim on it. He then said he'd reprint the order and ship it out as another rush so we'd have them in time for our movie opening.
Two days before the premiere, the posters arrived again - this time in three boxes. Once again, they were poorly packed. All of the boxes were crushed on one corner. We discovered a second time that our 1000 posters were useless.
They didn't use thick corrugated cardboard to keep it flat. There was no packing or cushion around the poster. They were all garbage. We were dead in the water and had no posters at all!
We called the owner again. For a second time, UPS came and picked up the boxes and shipped them back to Montana. This time we told the owner we just want our money back. He was welcome to put in the claim to UPS and fight them to recoup his costs, but we weren't paying a dime for damaged goods that we had to return. And with the movie in two days, there was no way we'd even find a local printer to help us on such short notice.
When the boxes made it to Montana, we got an email from printingcenterusa, confirming that they got them back, and they acknowledged that all of the posters were damaged.
They promised to refund our credit card. Three weeks later, there was no credit, so we called them today on 11/15. The owner now says he will not give us our money back. He said he spoke to his lawyer, and supposedly once the posters leave his facility, they are our problem, not his.
Of course, this isn't true. The shipper and UPS bear the responsibility for the shipment, not the receiver. He then said that if UPS pays him his claim, he would then give us our money back. This is illegal.
We are certain that UPS will tell him that he packed them poorly both times. Although UPS is notorious for not handling things with care, the shipper should have anticipated this. After all, this is what they do for a living - is print and ship posters.
The owner, Craig Barber, was extremely rude and exhibited no integrity whatsoever in trying to charge us almost a thousand dollars for a product that arrived damaged, and was shipped back to them. Essentially, he wants to pocket our money and we have nothing to show for it. Not only that, but we didn't even have posters at the opening of our movie, and that can never be changed.
So now we have to file a dispute with the credit card company, which will be a monumental hassle, but for $1000, well worth the time and effort. We are trying to find the local Better Business Bureau to file a complaint, and we will probably also contact UPS about this.
STAY AWAY from this company. They will take your money and then not deliver as promised. Printingcenterusa.com is a huge scam. They're probably scamming UPS and out-of-state customers all the time!
0 comments