Kodachrome - Another Lab, Another Story Date: Fri, 24 May 1996 12:43:18 -0500

[P3D William Davis <bd3d@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: photo-3d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Message-ID: <199605240413.VAA02918@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 

Hi all

Throwing another anecdotal log onto the Kodachrome campfire: 


I have been sending my Kodachrome out through the local Wal-Mart for processing (only) for about the last three years. It usually takes 7 to 10 days turnaround and costs $3.88 + tax (8% here- ouch!) for 24 exp. and $4.88 for 36. Until the last six months or so, the film has been returned rolled with a paper strip rolled with it, in the black and gold Kodalux boxes. I only recall having one problem of any sort with them, other than the occasional vagaries of return dates (I would sometimes drop off two rolls the same day and have one return a week later and the other one 4 days after that). One time they had started to cut and mount the film into 2x2 mounts, slicing up several frames. Wal-Mart refunded my money, I called Dallas to file a complaint and life went on.

Recently, the film has been coming back tightly rolled inside a canister, sans paper and sans black and gold box. Still 7 to 10 day turnaround and still the same price. Different quality, though. Last December, I got a roll back which had a piece of yellow tape over the perfs at about #2 or 2a on the film. The tape extended well into the image and had also been STAPLED in place with some miniature but industrial-strength staples. I fully intented to chew someone's ear off but other things took precedence and I put off the call. This Spring it happened again. Again things were busy and a week or two went by and then IT HAPPENED A THIRD TIME! Now I call Wal-Mart and ask for the Dallas Kodalux number (I had lost it) The woman at Wal-Mart Photo Service said that she couldn't give me that number, because they didn't use Kodalux now but rather a place with the unlikely name of Dwayne's Photo Service somewhere in Kansas. (Sure, I thought, right between Gomer's Tractor Service and Zeke's Windmill Service) Anyway, I called Dwayne's and initially was told that they couldn't help Wal-Mart's customers, that was up to Wal-Mart Photo Customer Service. When I patiently but firmly explained that since they processed and subsequently damaged my irreplaceable film that I was very much THEIR customer she asked me to hold and eventually a Greg Fincher got on the line. He was very interested in the problem and intended to make it right. He had not received a complaint like this he said and really couldn't picture what I was describing, so I agreed to send the piece of film to his attention.

When I got home from work that afternoon, there was a message to call Greg. It seems he had called a meeting with the Kodachrome darkroom group to ask about the taping. He explained to them that there was a very upset customer who had done all the right things, including putting bright green special handling labels on the package, and someone's screwing up his film. "Bright green labels? I've got one of those at my desk now, " said one. Sure enough, it was one of mine and sure enough, it had been taped and stapled over the 2nd frame. Greg peeled the tape off and found that there had been a small dimple on the film at that spot.

It seems that they process the Kodachrome about 100 rolls at a timme, by opening and splicing them end to end (with yellow tape) in the darkroom. Since there is so much film involved in each run, a tear could be disastrous. Because of this, they must take extra care to locate and identify torn perfs before processing. They had a $25,000.00 unit that did an infrared scan of the sprocket holes and detect one torn perf, but it had a nasty habit of putting scratches on the film, so now they have a $25,000 doorstop and check the film by feel. When they feel something that isn't right they TAPE and STAPLE it. Or at least they used to. Greg said that they have changed the procedure to be more selective in their taping. He also mentioned (ok, I asked him a direct question) that they average around 800 to 100 rolls of Kodachrome PER DAY! Wow! How many does Kodalux do? 

A week later I got three fresh rolls of Kodachrome plus three coupons for free processing of said film. The (last?) stapled roll also came back free of charge even though the tape was not obscuring any images. I currently have two rolls in transit. I will know soon how well their quality system works.

BTW, the dimple is from the take-up spool on the Kodak Stereo camera. There's a lug that matches the perf on the first revolution but misses the next, causing the film to bulge over that spot. If I'm not paying attention to the counter and try to advance at the end of the roll, it gets tight and dimples the film.

Also BTW, regarding automatic mounting accuracy: when I started shooting in 1985, I was dropping my film off at Kodak Processing (NOT Kodalux. Home base in Rochester, the Great Yellow Box itself) and picking up the mounted slides two days later. I haven't checked the mounting on those slides, but if I get a chance I'll grab the projector and run a bunch through. I'll keep you posted... Oh yeah: Dwayne's Photo Service, P.O. Box 274, 415 S. 32ND ST., PARSONS KS 67357 Phone 800-522-3940

Regards,
Bill Davis
NSA '96




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