Printroom is withholding profit checks they owe to photographers. Printroom.com is an online storefront for professional photographers. Photographers upload their images to the Printroom site where potential customers can view and purchase prints or merchanise. Printroom receives the customers' money and then processes and ships the orders. They take a % of the money collected and after deducting several costs, they issue a check on the 15th day of the following month.
For the past 5 months, Printroom has been increasingly delayed in mailing profit checks. It used to take 3-5 days. That time increased to 1-2 weeks for several months and now we are up to a 6 week delay. I have not received December 09 or January 10 profit checks. I know there are others experiencing the same delay as evidenced by the growing number of complaints on forums and websites. I also know that when threatened with further action, Printroom has overnighted checks to other photographers and suspect that the size of the amount they owe me is why they have not extended me the same courtesy.
I have called and emailed Printroom several times. I have been given excuses for the delay and a promise that they would re-issue the check "that must have gotten lost in the mail." On 2/17/10 I received a mass email from the accounting department stating that "Due to changes to Printroom's Accounting Policies & Procedures mandated by the Company's auditors, we have been behind schedule in issuing profit checks." Printroom collected my customers' money in a timely manner (dating back to November of 09) yet they feel accounting policy changes gives them the right to withhold my profit from my images paid by my customers - for many weeks.
On 2/22/10 I sent one final email to my account manager with a cc to Will Kirkland and Carlton Osborne, Printroom CEO asking that my checks be mailed. As of today, 2/26/10 I still have not received my checks or any acknowledgement of the problem or possible efforts on their part from Mr. Kirkland or Mr. Osborne. Their total silence shows a lack of respect for the photographers that are the foundation of their business.
This is unacceptable and feels like an act of deliberate theft. They owe me a lot of money and no excuse justifies Printroom holding onto my hard-earned income.
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