P3D Re: Kodak Mounting Price Increase

[Linda Nygren <lnygren@xxxxxxx>]

dalia miller wrote:
> Here's what appeared in INSIDE 3D re KODAK PROCESSING
> 
> Kodak Stereo Processing and Mounting is alive and well and living in
> Minnesota. According to a Kodak spokesperson, there are 2 ways to have your
> stereo slides processed and mounted by Kodak:
> 1) buying  a mailer sold at camera supply houses and sending it in or
> 2) taking the roll into a member of their dealer network such as an
> independent camera shop, or a chain such as Ritz or Wolf.  Whichever method
> you use, all stereo slide film eventually will end up at the Kodak lab in
> Minneapolis.
> 
> Costs
> Using the mailer
> The mailers (PK24 & PK36) are less expensive to use than taking the film
> into a network dealer. You can purchase the PK24 mailer for 24 exposures as
> low as $3.37 and the PK36 for 36 exposures for $4.29 add the $4.50 to each
> for stereo mounting and mail them in.  The address on the mailer is in
> Fairlawn, New Jersey, but after the rough sort, the film is sent to
> Minneapolis for processing.
> 
> Taking the film into a network dealer:
> Processing a roll of 24 costs $5.99 + $4.50 for stereo mounting, total
> $10.49.  A roll of 36 costs $7.99 + $4.50 = $12.49. From the dealer, the
> film goes to a rough sort at the closest ancillary facility, then Minneapolis.
> 
> The spokesperson for Kodak acknowledged that during their "rough sorts"
> stereo slides are mistakenly processed as 35mm slides and there's not much
> they can do about it.  He did recommend that a very bright colored sticker
> with the words "Stereo" be used. Kodak prefers you take the film to a
> network dealer and even though it costs more, they say the turn-around time
> is usually faster.
> 
> Dalia
> ddd@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> stereo supplies for the photographer
> stereo collectibles for the collector
> http://www.3dstereo.com
I have spoken to several people at several Kodak labs in the past week,
and both Kodak Lerner in Minneapolis and the Maryland lab confirm that
their latest price list (dated April 2, they both tell me) indicates
that stereo processing and mounting costs *$16.99* now (or *$9* in
addition to the "value" of $7.99 that they allow for a 36 exp mailer,
which B&H and others sell for $4.29). Apparently at this time, both of
these labs are doing stereo mounting , although no one could tell me
what determines which orders go to which location. The person in
Minneapolis told me that they have been doing the stereo mounting for at
least 10 years, although "lately stereo has gotten more popular". One
roll of mine that I had recently sent in to NJ was diverted to Maryland,
who sent me an invoice for the price difference indicating the new
price, and requesting payment before they would do the work. I am not
sure about 24 exp prices.

It sounds as if it may depend on which distribution center your film
goes through as to which lab gets it, i.e. Fair Lawn NJ for mailers and
their local region, vs other regional labs for work that goes in through
dealers in other parts of the country.

Another point of confusion is that there is a Qualex/ Kodak Premium
Processing lab near Minneapolis, in Eagan, which is the location I
mistakenly called a year ago or so and was told that they do not do
stereo mounting and could not forward film to anyone who does. According
to the person I spoke with at Kodak Lerner recently, Kodak is like
"Daytons or Hudsons" to Qualex's "Target" in terms of quality control
etc, and they really are different although owned by the same parent
company.  Kodak Lerner is where photo stores (such as Ritz and Wolf)
send their film; Target and drug store chains generally contract with
Qualex/ Kodak Premium procesing, which at least locally chooses not to
deal with stereo mounting and does not offer this service by sending it
to an affiliated lab that could do it. So not all retailers (e.g. drug
stores, discount stores) can send film in for you for stereo mounting.
Photo dealers, yes. 

In any case, although I guess it is good that they are continuing to
offer the service at all, the price increase makes it much less tempting
to continue to use their mounting service for preliminary mounting on
slides, especially for us high volume users.

Didn't someone on the list previously post that they had had stereo
slides mounted through their Target without a surcharge? (I couldn't get
them done through Target at all in the Twin Cities). Has anyone else
been able to do this through other retailers?

If anyone wants to send mailers directly to Kodak in Minneapolis, the
lab tells me that it is fine to do that rather than routing them via NJ.
Just readdress to: Kodak Lerner, 1201 W Broadway, Minneapolis, MN 55411
800-377-7861 and enclose the $9 in the mailer. It would presumably save
some time, and perhaps it would decrease the risk of a "mishap" with the
rough sort. But not necessarily....

Kodak customer service in Fair Lawn NJ 800-345-6973

Kodak in Maryland 800-345-6974 

-Linda

mailto:lnygren@xxxxxxx


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