(no subject)
As a 16mm filmmaker with a limited budget, I'm always looking for ways to save money. A few people I knew casually had good things to say about the DR Group, a resale house in LA. They had been good about answering questions about their stock and running price checks, and I felt confident about purchasing film from them.
I contacted them a week and a half ago about purchasing stock. The film department was busy and assured me that a sales rep would get back to me by the end of the work day. I waited two days for the sales department to return my call, then called them back and got the "they're busy/will call you back" runaround. Nothing by the end of the day.
On the fourth day, I got the same line from the receptionist. I asked her if there was a better time I could call (she didn't know). When I pointed out that I had called and left my number numerous times, she said in a snotty voice that she couldn't "hand-hold" the sales staff into giving me a jingle back.
Today I figured I'd try and give it one last shot. Much to my surprise, I made it through to a man named Carl in the sales department. He told me he had the film I needed (though the discount was far less than the 45% the website bragged about), and then asked me if I had a fax machine. I hemmed and hawed.
Carl told me that they needed me to sign a form for credit card authorization and send in two photo IDs for "security" purposes. If I lived in LA and had walked in I wouldn't have minded flashing my state ID, but because of the permanence of a faxed copy of my photo ID and both sides of my credit card, I felt uncomfortable complying with this request.
Due to the poor customer service, higher-than-one-would-expect prices, and bizarre rules they set up, I wanted to make my discontent for the DR Group known publicly. I've written a snail-mail letter to Lowell Kay detailing my bad experiences, but I also thought other filmmakers should be aware of their bizarre practices.
On a brighter note, what film stock resale houses do you recommend? Google turns up some decent-looking links and a few questionable sources, and I'd love to hear some personal testimonials.
I contacted them a week and a half ago about purchasing stock. The film department was busy and assured me that a sales rep would get back to me by the end of the work day. I waited two days for the sales department to return my call, then called them back and got the "they're busy/will call you back" runaround. Nothing by the end of the day.
On the fourth day, I got the same line from the receptionist. I asked her if there was a better time I could call (she didn't know). When I pointed out that I had called and left my number numerous times, she said in a snotty voice that she couldn't "hand-hold" the sales staff into giving me a jingle back.
Today I figured I'd try and give it one last shot. Much to my surprise, I made it through to a man named Carl in the sales department. He told me he had the film I needed (though the discount was far less than the 45% the website bragged about), and then asked me if I had a fax machine. I hemmed and hawed.
Carl told me that they needed me to sign a form for credit card authorization and send in two photo IDs for "security" purposes. If I lived in LA and had walked in I wouldn't have minded flashing my state ID, but because of the permanence of a faxed copy of my photo ID and both sides of my credit card, I felt uncomfortable complying with this request.
Due to the poor customer service, higher-than-one-would-expect prices, and bizarre rules they set up, I wanted to make my discontent for the DR Group known publicly. I've written a snail-mail letter to Lowell Kay detailing my bad experiences, but I also thought other filmmakers should be aware of their bizarre practices.
On a brighter note, what film stock resale houses do you recommend? Google turns up some decent-looking links and a few questionable sources, and I'd love to hear some personal testimonials.