Dwayne's says: Film cartridge received empty!

Trask · May 9, 2010

I recently sent off two rolls of Kodachrome 64 to Dwayne's for processing, but only one came back processed -- according to a sticker on the receipt saying "film cartridge received empty."

Now, I read that as saying that I had an empty Kodachrome 64 cartridge squirreled away (which I didn't) that I mistakenly sent to them. Is this a credible response? Who in the world would be sending them an empty Kodachrome 64 film cartridge? Logically speaking you'd only do that if you'd previously removed the film to process it yourself, which is impossible.

Has anyone else had this sort of reply from Dwayne's? Unless I'm going senile , I sent them two rolls of film, stuff that was important to me. I'm half afraid that they either screwed up the processing or lost the film, and are giving me a reply that they hope I'll swallow.

BTW, one alternative interpretation they could offer in rebuttal is that I sent them an empty plastic film canister. Again, I think I'd notice something like that, given the value of the film and its images to me. But if they've gone to the expense of printing up little plastic stickers that say "film cartridge received empty" you'd think they'd also have one that says "film canister received empty" -- and certainly Dwayne's would know the difference between a cartridge and a canister. Yes?

Barry S · May 9, 2010

I've noticed that labs always seem to be out of the stickers that read--"we f***ed up".

brucemuir · May 9, 2010

even if it's true, what can you do about it?

sorry for your loss.

Sirius Glass · May 9, 2010

At least Dwayne's did not drag the deleted film on the floor!

Steve

Existing Light · May 9, 2010

Trask said:
I recently sent off two rolls of Kodachrome 64 to Dwayne's for processing, but only one came back processed -- according to a sticker on the receipt saying "film cartridge received empty."

Now, I read that as saying that I had an empty Kodachrome 64 cartridge squirreled away (which I didn't) that I mistakenly sent to them. Is this a credible response? Who in the world would be sending them an empty Kodachrome 64 film cartridge? Logically speaking you'd only do that if you'd previously removed the film to process it yourself, which is impossible.

Has anyone else had this sort of reply from Dwayne's? Unless I'm going senile , I sent them two rolls of film, stuff that was important to me. I'm half afraid that they either screwed up the processing or lost the film, and are giving me a reply that they hope I'll swallow.

BTW, one alternative interpretation they could offer in rebuttal is that I sent them an empty plastic film canister. Again, I think I'd notice something like that, given the value of the film and its images to me. But if they've gone to the expense of printing up little plastic stickers that say "film cartridge received empty" you'd think they'd also have one that says "film canister received empty" -- and certainly Dwayne's would know the difference between a cartridge and a canister. Yes?

if you somehow sent them an empty cannister (which I think would be really odd), I hope you find your full cannister. If your film is lost/destroyed somehow by dwaynes or during shipping, I really am sorry for your loss, especially since the pictures were important to you

Sirius Glass said:
At least Dwayne's did not drag the deleted film on the floor!

Steve

what is the deleted thread?

benjiboy · May 9, 2010

Barry S said:
I've noticed that labs always seem to be out of the stickers that read--"we f***ed up".

LOL very funny Barry, and very true.

Sirius Glass · May 9, 2010

Existing Light said:
Sirius Glass said:

At least Dwayne's did not drag the deleted film on the floor!

Steve

Click to expand...

what is the deleted thread?

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Check it out. It will soon pass the dreaded Kodachrome had been deleted thread.

Steve

benjiboy · May 9, 2010

Trask said:
I recently sent off two rolls of Kodachrome 64 to Dwayne's for processing, but only one came back processed -- according to a sticker on the receipt saying "film cartridge received empty."

Now, I read that as saying that I had an empty Kodachrome 64 cartridge squirreled away (which I didn't) that I mistakenly sent to them. Is this a credible response? Who in the world would be sending them an empty Kodachrome 64 film cartridge? Logically speaking you'd only do that if you'd previously removed the film to process it yourself, which is impossible.

Has anyone else had this sort of reply from Dwayne's? Unless I'm going senile , I sent them two rolls of film, stuff that was important to me. I'm half afraid that they either screwed up the processing or lost the film, and are giving me a reply that they hope I'll swallow.

BTW, one alternative interpretation they could offer in rebuttal is that I sent them an empty plastic film canister. Again, I think I'd notice something like that, given the value of the film and its images to me. But if they've gone to the expense of printing up little plastic stickers that say "film cartridge received empty" you'd think they'd also have one that says "film canister received empty" -- and certainly Dwayne's would know the difference between a cartridge and a canister. Yes?

Have you checked in the camera you shot the film with to see the film hasn't been pulled out of the cassette before rewinding it and is still there ?

John_Nikon_F · May 9, 2010

It's probably been (deleted) by Dwayne's.

-J

railwayman3 · May 9, 2010

That's really weird....I've always felt that Dwaynes were a top firm, certainly better than some of the K14 processing in recent years.
I wonder if they meant that the plastic pot, or the cartidge itself, had arrived empty (maybe interfered with in transit), or if somehow your cartridge was switched at some stage with someone elses.
And, as Benjiboy says, I'd also check the camera....I've done it myself, got into the darkroom with an empty B&W cartridge, then realised that the film had been pulled off in the camera by an motor winder.

Trask · May 9, 2010

I checked the camera (a Minolta CLE) this morning before posting, just to be sure I wasn't going to make a true ass out of myself. But it's not there. Dwayne's helpfully sent me back the two film canisters I mailed the film in; they're translucent white plastic that you can see through, so I could (and would) have seen the cartridge inside the canister. So it can't be that I mailed an empty canister. My theory is that they've added my film to someone else's order. I'll contact them to see what they say. If any of your get back extra Kodachrome slides of Nabatean tombs in the middle of the Saudi Arabian desert, it may be they're mine!

Sirius Glass · May 9, 2010

Trask said:
I checked the camera (a Minolta CLE) this morning before posting, just to be sure I wasn't going to make a true ass out of myself. But it's not there. Dwayne's helpfully sent me back the two film canisters I mailed the film in; they're translucent white plastic that you can see through, so I could (and would) have seen the cartridge inside the canister. So it can't be that I mailed an empty canister. My theory is that they've added my film to someone else's order. I'll contact them to see what they say. If any of your get back extra Kodachrome slides of Nabatean tombs in the middle of the Saudi Arabian desert, it may be they're mine!

Trask,

I really feel badly for you. Qualex lost three of six rolls of film from one of my vacations.

Steve

Photo Engineer · May 9, 2010

Did you check your camera?

I know this is stupid, but when I worked in a photofinishing lab, we had several cases of tearoff. The customer never noticed the tearoff and sent us the empty cartridge with only the butt end and tape in the cartridge. The film was still in the camera on the takeup spool. Interestingly enough, I seem to remember vaguely that at least one of the rolls was saved by reopening the camera in the dark and removing the torn off film and sealing it in a dark container until processed.

So, if you have not used your camera, check it out in dim light.

And if there was film originally in the cartridge, and not my goofy scenario above, of course Kodak would want to at least hear your story! This type of thing is important to them. They might do something.

PE

railwayman3 · May 9, 2010

Photo Engineer said:
And if there was film originally in the cartridge, and not my goofy scenario above, of course Kodak would want to at least hear your story! This type of thing is important to them. They might do something.

PE

Kodak in Switzerland were very helpful recently, in trying to track down a
K200 film which hadn't been returned to me some six weeks after mailing to them.
(Turned out that the film mailer had been caught up in some Post Office sorting equipment, on the way to them, for a month before it was found! The slides were fine!)

Photo Engineer · May 9, 2010

Trask said:
I checked the camera (a Minolta CLE) this morning before posting, just to be sure I wasn't going to make a true ass out of myself. But it's not there. Dwayne's helpfully sent me back the two film canisters I mailed the film in; they're translucent white plastic that you can see through, so I could (and would) have seen the cartridge inside the canister. So it can't be that I mailed an empty canister. My theory is that they've added my film to someone else's order. I'll contact them to see what they say. If any of your get back extra Kodachrome slides of Nabatean tombs in the middle of the Saudi Arabian desert, it may be they're mine!

Sorry I did not see this post when I made my last post. My apologies. I really hope that you find your film. Best wishes.

PE

Heinz_Anderle · May 10, 2010

The exposed film has been re-directed to the mysterious government K-14 lab...

Echelon, analog.

Trask · May 13, 2010

Just so you all know, I wrote to Dwayne's - noting my chagrin that they say I screwed up and expressing my surprise that they actually have a sticker that says "Film Cartridge Received Empty" and got back this reply:

Yes it does happen frequently that we receive film cassettes empty. We process many different types of film here in our lab.

Our technicians are very conscientious when it comes to film processing. Your film cassette was received empty. Only the spool inside. This could have been a manufacturing defect.

As if wouldn't have noticed when I tried to load my CLE that there was no film to pull from the cartridge to the take-up spool. Sheesh.

My only alternative answer is that someone, somewhere, opened the package en route and destroyed one of the rolls. Malicious fun, but perhaps that would explain why Dwayne's says they get empty cartridges frequently.

Somehow none of this quite rings true to me. If I had an alternative for developing my Kodachrome, I'd take it.

Steve Roberts · May 13, 2010

My experience of Dwayne's Kodachrome processing was that it was always hit and miss (usually miss) and that's why I stopped using Kodachrome. The poorly mounted, scratched, marked slides I so often received back suggested something of a "don't care" attitude, so with nothing other than circumstantial evidence, I'd have to put Dwayne's at the top of my list of suspects. The comment "This could have been a manufacturing defect" would seem to indicate that either the person replying didn't understand the issues involved or that he/she did understand but are "taking the p***", to use a fine English expression!
I wonder how often other labs receive film-less cassettes?

Steve

Barry S · May 13, 2010

"Yes it does happen frequently that we receive film cassettes empty."

Google translate Photolab----->English

"Yes, we are complete idiots, but we're damn creative when it comes to making up senseless excuses!"

Worker 11811 · May 13, 2010

I would answer them back to the effect that you remain convinced that you sent them a roll of film and that it somehow got lost, misplaced or mixed up with another batch of film. Don't accuse. Just state your belief. Then, I would add that you would like them to keep your contact information on hand in case that film turns up. You would like to have the film returned to you if it is found.

In other words, don't come out and blame anybody for screwing up but maintain your position. Then give them the opportunity to save face by fixing the problem if they can.

fotch · May 13, 2010

Send their email along with this thread to Kodak, ask them for a refund for defective film? Its amazing the Dwaynes says this is common, I never experienced it myself or in the camera department that took in film and sent to Qualex. Just started happening? BS.

2F/2F · May 13, 2010

There is no way to not notice an empty film cassette/cartridge if you have actually shot the roll yourself. That is utter nonsense! How could you even shoot the roll if it was empty? Hello???!?!?! I would understand if you had accidentally sent an empty plastic canister. That could be quite easily done. However, you loaded the film, you shot the film, you rewound the film, and then you mailed the rewound cassette, so the film was in there. This means they have lost your film or have otherwise messed it up (perhaps exposed it), and will not admit it. I would raise a stinkier stink. Tear them a new one for lying to you, and then giving you an excuse that only an idiot would believe (manufacturing defect????).

What do they mean by an empty spool? No film at all on it? A torn or cut end of the filmstrip?

tkamiya · May 13, 2010

I would suggest actually calling customer service and ask to speak to a manager. It's all too easy for email inquiry to be responded by canned and often non-sense reply. Sometimes, a voice call to an appropriate person can get action started.

Sirius Glass · May 13, 2010

Steve Roberts said:
My experience of Dwayne's Kodachrome processing was that it was always hit and miss (usually miss) and that's why I stopped using Kodachrome.

... and that's why I stopped using Dwayne's. I will use them one more time because my brother mailed a roll of Kodachrome.

Ric Trexell · May 13, 2010

If it is any consolation...

I worked in a camera store back in the late 70's and a young couple came back from their Hawaiian honeymoon with 7 rolls of film. When the film came back from the developer, all they got was 7 new rolls of film. We checked into it and found that the guys in the darkroom taped the rolls together and that the whole 7 rolls came loose at both ends. So the operator felt around in the dark for the end of the one roll that was going into the machine and the end of the other roll coming out of the canister. He attached them together and when the shift was over, they turned on the lights and looked at the 7 over exposed rolls on the floor. It was sad to see the bride crying, and her father came down to the store and raised a ruckus. Because some of these things are done by people, mistakes will be made. I have been sending off film to developers since I was a kid of 13, and I'm now 58. I have never lost a film by a developer. I expect it will happen some day, but that is life. Ric.
PS. Because yours was Kodacrome and you only have one lab, this doesn't apply, but I learned from that incident to send wedding photos or special events to several different labs, or delay sending some a few days later so that a mix up in chemicals or improperly operating machinery will not ruin my lot of photos.

Dwayne's says: Film cartridge received empty!

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