Wolf Camera photo processing ripoff Cary North Carolina

An 8x10 photo is not the same dimensions as the original, and thus is commonly cropped. There are formats that do not crop the image (A4, 8.3 11.7), and most companies do not allow you to choose what area's are cropped. So in this case Wolf was correct. The company should have offered better customer service by alerting you to the proper format and offering to fix the print.

I understand your frustration, but you must realize that photos are formatted for 8x10's... Most cameras shoot in a 2:3 aspect ratio... Which if you do the math, you can't get that ratio with an 8x10. And if it wasn't taken with an SLR, then it still has a aspect ratio 4.5x6. Once again... can't get the ratio. People come into the store and just drop off a CD and say print one of everything, or don't realize that pictures need to be cropped and just expect us to go through every picture and make sure that the crops are just right. No. I never have, and never will do that unless I am specifically asked to do so. That takes way too much time. Honestly, people need to just learn about photography and not expect us to fix everything...

I understand your frustration, but you must realize that photos are formatted for 8x10's... Most cameras shoot in a 2:3 aspect ratio... Which if you do the math, you can't get that ratio with an 8x10. And if it wasn't taken with an SLR, then it still has a aspect ratio 4.5x6. Once again... can't get the ratio. People come into the store and just drop off a CD and say print one of everything, or don't realize that pictures need to be cropped and just expect us to go through every picture and make sure that the crops are just right. No. I never have, and never will do that unless I am specifically asked to do so. That takes way too much time. Honestly, people need to just learn about photography and not expect us to fix everything...

I understand your frustration, but you must realize that photos are formatted for 8x10's... Most cameras shoot in a 2:3 aspect ratio... Which if you do the math, you can't get that ratio with an 8x10. And if it wasn't taken with an SLR, then it still has a aspect ratio 4.5x6. Once again... can't get the ratio. People come into the store and just drop off a CD and say print one of everything, or don't realize that pictures need to be cropped and just expect us to go through every picture and make sure that the crops are just right. No. I never have, and never will do that unless I am specifically asked to do so. That takes way too much time. Honestly, people need to just learn about photography and not expect us to fix everything...

Dear Paul:

I am sorry this particular Wolf store didn't live up to your customer service expectations.

I know that as a Wolf employee and a consumer, I try to give the best customer service I can because it is how I want to be treated as well.

I have worked for Wolf over a year now and at two different stores. The vast majority of the people I work with have the same attitude I have. That is why your experience bothers me.

Since Wolf, in my humble opinion, gives superior service and produces superior prints to our competitors, I hope you will reconsider and give us another try.

I'm not sure if this is the correct way to respond, but I created this thread and just wanted to share additional thoughts.

R from Tennessee,

Thank you for having the communication skills to explain what the local employees couldn't or wouldn't.

If they tried, I would have said the images were digital, and the 8x10's were processed and sized to an exact 8.0" X 10.0" canvas using photoshop. I expected there to have some minor clipping, but they unexpectedly cropped an inch from the width and over an inch off the height, and blew up the result to 8x10.

I would have understood if they didn't check to see the original image size, and just assumed it needed to be cropped. Or if there was some logical explanation as to why an 8x10 image needs to be adjusted at all.

Unfortunately, the only possible explanation I have is what you told me. Both employee and manager were totally unwilling to even talk about it. I'm not an irate customer; I've worked many retail jobs and I know what it's like. A little communication goes a long way. They seemed more interested in going back to their conversation about sports. By the way, there were three employees and no customers other than myself.

I understand that crap happens, and crap at $5 bucks a pop is bearable in the grand scheme of things. But there are enough photography providers here where I won't be going back to the store closest to my house anymore, which is a shame. With my budding photography business spending increasing amounts of cash, that's unfortunate for them, not me. I'm sure they won't care too much. That's their M.O. :)

Have a nice day,

I'm not sure if this is the correct way to respond, but I created this thread and just wanted to share additional thoughts.

R from Tennessee,

Thank you for having the communication skills to explain what the local employees couldn't or wouldn't.

If they tried, I would have said the images were digital, and the 8x10's were processed and sized to an exact 8.0" X 10.0" canvas using photoshop. I expected there to have some minor clipping, but they unexpectedly cropped an inch from the width and over an inch off the height, and blew up the result to 8x10.

I would have understood if they didn't check to see the original image size, and just assumed it needed to be cropped. Or if there was some logical explanation as to why an 8x10 image needs to be adjusted at all.

Unfortunately, the only possible explanation I have is what you told me. Both employee and manager were totally unwilling to even talk about it. I'm not an irate customer; I've worked many retail jobs and I know what it's like. A little communication goes a long way. They seemed more interested in going back to their conversation about sports. By the way, there were three employees and no customers other than myself.

I understand that crap happens, and crap at $5 bucks a pop is bearable in the grand scheme of things. But there are enough photography providers here where I won't be going back to the store closest to my house anymore, which is a shame. With my budding photography business spending increasing amounts of cash, that's unfortunate for them, not me. I'm sure they won't care too much. That's their M.O. :)

Have a nice day,

I'm not sure if this is the correct way to respond, but I created this thread and just wanted to share additional thoughts.

R from Tennessee,

Thank you for having the communication skills to explain what the local employees couldn't or wouldn't.

If they tried, I would have said the images were digital, and the 8x10's were processed and sized to an exact 8.0" X 10.0" canvas using photoshop. I expected there to have some minor clipping, but they unexpectedly cropped an inch from the width and over an inch off the height, and blew up the result to 8x10.

I would have understood if they didn't check to see the original image size, and just assumed it needed to be cropped. Or if there was some logical explanation as to why an 8x10 image needs to be adjusted at all.

Unfortunately, the only possible explanation I have is what you told me. Both employee and manager were totally unwilling to even talk about it. I'm not an irate customer; I've worked many retail jobs and I know what it's like. A little communication goes a long way. They seemed more interested in going back to their conversation about sports. By the way, there were three employees and no customers other than myself.

I understand that crap happens, and crap at $5 bucks a pop is bearable in the grand scheme of things. But there are enough photography providers here where I won't be going back to the store closest to my house anymore, which is a shame. With my budding photography business spending increasing amounts of cash, that's unfortunate for them, not me. I'm sure they won't care too much. That's their M.O. :)

Have a nice day,

I'm not sure if this is the correct way to respond, but I created this thread and just wanted to share additional thoughts.

R from Tennessee,

Thank you for having the communication skills to explain what the local employees couldn't or wouldn't.

If they tried, I would have said the images were digital, and the 8x10's were processed and sized to an exact 8.0" X 10.0" canvas using photoshop. I expected there to have some minor clipping, but they unexpectedly cropped an inch from the width and over an inch off the height, and blew up the result to 8x10.

I would have understood if they didn't check to see the original image size, and just assumed it needed to be cropped. Or if there was some logical explanation as to why an 8x10 image needs to be adjusted at all.

Unfortunately, the only possible explanation I have is what you told me. Both employee and manager were totally unwilling to even talk about it. I'm not an irate customer; I've worked many retail jobs and I know what it's like. A little communication goes a long way. They seemed more interested in going back to their conversation about sports. By the way, there were three employees and no customers other than myself.

I understand that crap happens, and crap at $5 bucks a pop is bearable in the grand scheme of things. But there are enough photography providers here where I won't be going back to the store closest to my house anymore, which is a shame. With my budding photography business spending increasing amounts of cash, that's unfortunate for them, not me. I'm sure they won't care too much. That's their M.O. :)

Have a nice day,

Dear Paul:

I am an employee of Wolf Camera and I see cropping issues all of the time. I am sorry that someone in North Carolina wasn't able to relate this information to you so that you understand, but I will attempt to do so.

Standard photographs have shapes.

The standard 4 x 6 snapshot is about the same shape as a 35mm film negative. For every one inch high, the picture is one and a HALF inches long. This makes for a long and narrow photograph.

An 8 x 10 is a different shape. It is squarer than a 4 x 6. For every inch high, the picture is only one and a QUARTER inches long. Because of this, you can't print an entire 35mm negative as an 8 x 10. Some cropping will have to be done.

Your alternative is to print the picture as an 8 x 12 which is the same shape as a 4 x 6 which is the same shape as a 35mm film negative.

You have the same issue when dealing with digital pictures. Most point and shoot digital cameras take pictures in the shape of a 5 x 7 where the digital SLRs (the big boys) take them in the shape of a 4 x 6. If your destination print isn't the same shape as the source picture, you will have to crop.

I see people all of the time bring in digital photos on CD that they have cropped in a newspaper type fashion where shape doesn't matter. You can't print a square photo as a 4 x 6 without cropping.

It is possible to setup a square or odd shaped digital picture, but you have to do it yourself with your editing software by putting enough border around the picture to make it one of the standard photo shapes. The equipment in the one-hour photo lab is not capable of doing this.

So, in the end... they didn't refuse to print your picture properly. You didn't give them a picture they could properly print without cropping and the reasoning wasn't effectively communicated to you.

I hope I have been of help.