Fast Frame Lives Up To Half Its Name
Early last month the Gilroy Unified School District tried to cancel South Valley Middle School’s annual seventh-grade field trip to Yosemite. Luckily, Zaira stood up to the bureaucrats and managed to rally the students to save the trip. Now you’re wondering what this has to do with Morgan Hill, aren’t you? Well, Although I live in Morgan Hill, Zaira lives in Gilroy. And, as a political activist myself I was so proud of my little girl that I took the newspaper article about the event, the letter to the editor she had published in the Gilroy Dispatch, and a photo of her speaking to the School Board over to Fast Frame in Tennant Station to have a nice presentation piece put together.
The finished product looks nice enough, though the $170 price tag seems pretty steep to me. Of course, they told me the price before doing the work, and I agreed to it, but the fact of the matter is I was in a hurry to get it framed to surprise Z so didn’t do my usual comparison shopping. My problem wasn’t the price. My problem was that the name of the company is Fast Frame, but getting these four things matted and framed took a solid two weeks. To me, that is anything but fast.
The customer service was wonderful, I just think it was both overpriced and slow. They do offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee, so if I wasn’t pleased with my purchase I could have had it remounted. But as I’ve said, the work they did was fine, so there’s no reason to do so. I bring this up now because sometime in the last few days the Morgan Hill Fast Frame posted a banner announcing their ability to frame your holiday images. Of course, if it takes two weeks or more then you better get them in fast.
After my work was completed, they also sent me a wonderful handwritten thank you card and the coupon that you can see to the right. Unfortunately for them, but fortunately for you, I have no intention of ever visiting their establishment again. Which means this $20 Fast Frame Gift Certificate is up for grabs! Interested? Just leave a comment below. Although it doesn’t specifically say the Tennant Station Fast Frame, I assume it is only valid at this location.
Anyway, if you want the gift certificate just leave a comment on this post (for one entry) or write a review of Aahz Reviews Morgan Hill on your blog or website with a link back to the blog itself (not this post) to receive five entries. As soon as a total of five entries have been made I will hold a random drawing and mail off the gift certificate to the winner. Yes, it will only take one blog review by a local blogger to trigger this prize so if you live in Morgan Hill, San Martin or Gilroy and have a blog or website you can all but guarantee you receive this coupon.
I am writing in defense of your review of Fast Frame Morgan Hill. I was fortunate to work with the owner for just under two years before relocating to a different state. I found your review to be irresponsible on numerous accounts, and felt it necessary to comment.
I spent over 20 years working within the art industry, so my experience on this subject will far out weigh yours. Industry standard to complete a framing project is 2 weeks. I might mention also that having worked with the owner, Leah De Lane I know for a fact that had you requested faster service it would have been provided. Ms. De Lane is notorious for working well past working hours, and arriving in the mornings to complete projects such as this.
The irony of this review is that you actually admitted that you did not take the time to price shop. Had you done so, you not only would have found out for youself that Fast Frame Morgan Hill is price competitive, but that the quality of their work is exemplary.
A little more research done on your part would have shown that Ms. De Lane is deeply involved in the Morgan Hill community. While in her employment I was witness to the fact that she continuously made charitable donations, shopped within her community, and attended many fundraising events. Ms. De Lane’s support of her community, and the fact that she was the most conscientous employer I ever worked for is commendable.
I suggest that in the future, before you decide to write such a petty review that you make certain that you are informed. Negative reviews can effect a business substantially, especially when written by someone who has little or no prior experience with a custom, handmade product. An educated buyer would know the true value for a custom project such as this, as depicted in the photos you provided.
As the owner of FastFrame in Tennant Station, I would like to respond to your review of my business, posted on November 30th, 2008. I recently became aware of this review after a former employee/friend ran across it while doing a search!
I would like to address a few of the negative comments that you made regarding our turnaround time and pricing to set the record straight! Firstly, you came into the store on October 22nd to select a design and place your order. I had the pleasure to work with you directly and I remember how special your daughter’s accomplishment was to you.
We normally schedule projects 10 days out, depending on our current workload. 14 days is standard in the industry, however many custom shops take longer, up to 4 weeks. We scheduled the work to be completed by November 3rd (12 days out) due to a large order that we had scheduled a few days ahead of your project.
We in fact had your order completed early, on November 1st (10 days out) and you picked it up that day. So, I would have to point out that it did not take “a solid two weeks” as you stated in your review.
We always discuss the scheduled due date with our clients during the time of the order. If there is a need to have the framing completed earlier, we are happy to accommodate. We keep an offering of mats and frames in-stock so that we can even do same day turnaround when needed. This service does limit the client’s design options, however. You did not tell me that you were unhappy with the turnaround time during the placement of the order, nor when you picked it up 10 days later.
As far as pricing, you stated in your review that $170 “seems pretty steep to me” and then later you state that, “my problem wasn’t the price”. Just to clarify, you received a custom framed piece sized at 20 1/4″ x 22″ with u.v. glass (to keep your matting and newspaper articles from fading). The matting selected was blue with a black color core (black bevels show when cut). The articles were professionally mounted to ensure longevity and to give a flattened presentation. All of this for $155.81 ($168.66 with tax).
You would have a hard time getting this price down with same quality materials somewhere else. You could have tried to put it into a pre-made frame, however I guarantee you that it would have looked like that is what you did.
How expensive something is, is in the eye of the beholder. I sell custom frame jobs for $150 and I sell them for $1500. What you get from a professional experienced custom framer is advice and design time on the salesfloor (we don’t charge for that!), a unique selection of quality materials (not available in pre-made frames or in big-box retailers), education in how to preserve and protect your artwork over time (materials and experience in proper framing methods make all the difference), and quality workmanship.
I have no problem giving out quotes prior to placing an order. When comparison shopping, you need to remember that there are 1000′s of options available and you need to price “apples to apples”. Big box retailers, such as Michaels, are notorious for carrying inexpensive frame mouldings that are marked up on an everyday basis so that they can run ads and still make a profit. There is a difference in quality and experience!
As you mentioned, we guarantee not only our workmanship, but our designs. We obviously work with the client in the design stage to ensure a fabulous result, but if you are unhappy with a design element, I would rather replace it for you than have you being unhappy with your artwork. I don’t know of any other frame shop that will do that!
In closing, I appreciate the opportunity to comment on some areas of your review! I also thank you for your positive commentary on our workmanship and customer service! It is not necessary for anyone to contact you for our thank you coupon. I would be happy to extend it to anyone that mentions it when they are in our store!
Leah De Lane
FastFrame Tennant Station