Foto First delivers photos without borders and needless fuss

Rose Shephard of Durban writes: I would like to share with you a good experience I had.

I recently returned from an overseas trip, and selected 157 photos to be printed. I transferred them to a memory stick and went to Foto First at City View shopping centre, in Durban, to have the pictures printed.

One of the staff members entered the order in the computer and it was duly processed.

I didn’t open the packet until I got home, and to my immense disappointment, found that the pictures had all been printed with borders which in effect reduces the size of each photo.

I returned to Foto First, and explained the problem to the manager. I told him that the person who initially served me had not asked if I wanted borders, but at the same time, neither had I specified “no borders”.

So I guess Foto First wasn’t really in the wrong.

However, much to my joy and relief, the manager agreed to reprint all 157 photos free of charge.

I have had excellent service from this branch of Foto First for about 15 years – this is the only time I have had a problem, but it was a problem which was sorted out satisfactorily, without any argument.

E Hauptfleisch of Joburg writes: This past weekend’s shopping trip to Rosebank Mall’s Sunday market in Joburg felt like entering a twilight zone.

Having arrived at the parking garage, the booms were up – I couldn’t get a ticket, so presumed the system was faulty.

I should have listened to my gut instinct: do not venture any further.

My daughter and I went shopping and had lunch but upon exiting, we were stuck. Buzzing and buzzing the security, they simply ignored us.

Eventually a woman, who clearly didn’t care a hoot (pun unintentional), answered telling us she’d attend to us. She seemed to ignore us though, taking her sweet time about it.

Ten minutes later, after plenty of buzzing, she arrived at the gate, aggressively telling me: “You came here yesterday trying the same thing (stunt).”

Shocked at the response, I told her I had no idea what she was on about, as I didn’t live anywhere near Rosebank and hadn’t been there in many, many months, she said: “Well, you were here the day before.”

It was laughable – I was in Fourways the previous day and hadn’t been to Rosebank in a very long time.

She left, saying she’d call the manager. Again, she simply left and probably hoped we’d somehow go away.

Finally, after more aggravation, a “manager” managed to pull himself away from whatever was more important than dealing with an irate customer.

He too interrogated me about how I happened to get into the parking in the first place. By this stage, I had had enough and told him in no uncertain terms I wouldn’t be bothering with Rosebank anytime soon. And so, like that, he let me out.

I don’t plan to return. Poorly handled.