Sigh... A friend had recommended HOTCARDS.com to me. The worst things I'd dealt with involving other printing companies, to this point, were usually blurry turnout, long turnaround time, and high prices... My friend (and HOTCARDS.com's website & staff) assured me low prices and a 23-hour turnaround time. After working with HOTCARDS.com's unorganized (to say the least) workers I LONG FOR THE DAYS of being overcharged for a job well done!
I first contacted them on Tuesday 2/15 and spoke to "A", who told me as long as my work (which was measured to their EXACT specifications, including "bleed", was "trapped", and saved with a text "outline" in their preferred format - all technical stuff) was sent in by 1:00 the next day, I would have it for pickup by Friday 2/18 (do note that this is already longer than a 23-hour turnaround time). I had asked for 1000 postcards and was quoted a price of $90, which is really a GREAT price. "A" told me he'd either call or email me when the files are received; no call or email came.
By Wednesday morning there was still no reply, and I was feeling anxious, so I called back around noon... An otherwise nice receptionist told me, first of all, she HEARD "A" call me back on Tuesday (untrue), and that "A" "won't be in the office today". I was transferred to employee "B" who also claims to have gotten back to me (with an email that I received WHILE we were on the phone)... But that I needed to resend the postcard files, for one of them may have been distorted/corrupted. He out immediately. After an hour there was no reply so I called back, when the receptionist told me "B" was in a meeting, and that the two of them were the only ones in the office all day. I almost began to feel BAD for trying to get ahold of someone! I left a message, and email, and waited. A few hours later "B" called back, saying he did get the files, but that one of them didn't fit (B.S.!) the measurements, and that employee "C" had to tweak it. She "tweaked" it all right - she completely altered my whole layout, which, I will keep stressing, had fit their parameters in the FIRST place, and changed my postcard into a flyer that I'd be unable to mail at all (with text placed throughout, versus a blank spot on the right side for a stamp and label)... And was received by me at @ 4:55pm Wednesday, presumably right before she walked out the door. I corrected her unusable new proof and resent it @ 5:45. (* please note that after the receptionist informed me that only she and "B" were working there that day, it was employee "C" who contacted me from the office - one of many HOTCARDS' little lies! *)
According to the email I received Wednesday afternoon, I actually had until Thursday at noon to correct and approve any proofs for next-day pickup, so I called HOTCARDS.com first thing Thursday 2/17 morning to fix all of this. Employee "C" was there to take my call and told me not only had she altered my postcard because she "didn't know I planned to mail it", which is possibly the most ridiculous thing a printer has ever said to me about a POSTCARD, but that the text I had sent ran off the edge! I have now SEVERAL VERSIONS of the exact files I've given them and will be more than happy to substantiate that they were fine this whole time - the text is now and has always been safely tucked in within its 4.25 x 5.5 (plus required. 25 "bleed"!) parameters. Long story short, she reviewed my new proofs, which are the original files I'd sent two days prior, sent them back for approval, I approved them, and "C" nicely assured me they'd be printed and ready by Friday afternoon.
By Friday @ 4:00 I'd heard nothing back and called HOTCARDS.com to see if my cards were ready for pickup (employee "A" "yeahed" me that they were ready and "looked great"). I arrived there @ 5:30 when I was given 1000 OF THE WRONG postcards - they printed the one "C" had messed up!"C" came out of the woodwork to tell me there was a second printing, so I was relieved... Until the NEW printing came out, and it was the same, wrong card! Un-f-in-believeable. What a nightmare of disorganization, misinformation, and general, apparent, incompetence. Then more staff also came out of the woodwork to just stare at me, slack-jawed and silent, offering no real explanation or apology. As if I were the one who gave THEM the wrong product. I asked the man I believe to be "A" what he planned to do about this... He told me the cards couldn't be reprinted until the following week - one week from when I originally placed this order, and approximately 145 hours LONGER than their claimed turnaround time. The icing on the cake was employee "C", who, instead of even a simple apology, acceptance of blame, or any type of rectification, actually kept repeating that "I didn't know you wanted the cards to be mailed"."A" finally offered an "I'm sorry" (which WAS appreciated), and that I didn't have to pay for those cards (???). No offer of a free or fast reprint! No offer of a complimentary or discounted future print job! The staff still just STOOD there! I then said I wouldn't be back, and left.
So now what? I don't have a promotional tool for my OWN business' event, I spent time dealing with this horribly unorganized company that should've been spent working on my event, and it's now too late to have someone else do the job. I was strung along JUST long enough to invalidate these time-sensitive cards! I've dealt with many other bad local printing companies (is this just a shady or unregulated industry or something?) but HOTCARDS.com is the absolute WORST.in writing. For anyone who's read this far (whew!), I'd like to offer any/all documentation on phone logs, emails, and OF COURSE, the aforementioned original files, that were ALWAYS within the correct specifications and format, for proof/review. I don't want any type of financial ANYTHING - just to let others know that HANDS DOWN, HOTCARDS.com is the WORST company I've EVER dealt with, printing or otherwise. The worst!
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