So why do people keep complaining about Rocky Mountain Film Lab?

TheGreatGasMaskMan · Apr 24, 2018

I don't know if this is the right place to post this, but I've sent Rocky Mountain a few old films, and after having to call them about something (I can explain what happened if anyone wants), that the staff seems like nice people, but recently I've been finding some people getting extremely upset at them- while just about all the complaints I've seen have been about petty issues that don't really matter, I'm wondering what's going on, or is this just the internet being the internet.

And I've also been seeing Film Rescue International practically getting universal praise for its work (and I've also sent them a few old rolls to try their services), and I'm also wondering if anyone can offer me any real comparison between them and Rocky Mountain Film Lab (besides layover times)- since I'm still waiting on them both.

Eric Rose · Apr 24, 2018

I've never heard of either of them. Can you provide links to all these complaints you are mentioning?

railwayman3 · Apr 24, 2018

https://www.bbb.org/denver/news-events/news-releases/2017/01/rocky-mountain-film-labs/ (and, if you Google the name, numerous other links going back several years) ?

Sirius Glass · Apr 24, 2018

Eric Rose said:
I've never heard of either of them. Can you provide links to all these complaints you are mentioning?

Same response from me.

faberryman · Apr 24, 2018

P.johnson14 · Apr 24, 2018

See Railwayman's link. They pissed off a lot of people.

TheGreatGasMaskMan · Apr 24, 2018

Here's another one.
Dead Link Removed

Though I have to say:
with the last cartridge I sent them, They called me back the day it was delivered asking about my request of possibly returning the cartridge. I called back the next day, the two people I talked to seemed nice, and they knew I'd sent them a few other orders as well- and I did get a return estimate, They'll get back to old films by the end of summer, and I should get mine back before halloween.
I'll see what happens.

removed account4 · Apr 24, 2018

TheGreatGasMaskMan

i thnk it is the internet being the internet.
i mean people send them wicked distressed/
outdated film and expect to look like
their iphone took it or Dslr. people don't realize
there is a RISK associate with using ancient film
just like there is risk associated with everything else in life

its great when the film isn't screwed up but when it is,
they give them bad press ... its too bad ,,, both RMFL and FR
are services that people want ...

BAC1967 · Apr 24, 2018

I thought they went out of business years ago. I heard the web site would take your money but you would never see your film again.

TheGreatGasMaskMan · Apr 24, 2018

BAC1967 said:
I thought they went out of business years ago. I heard the web site would take your money but you would never see your film again.

No, I actually called them two weeks ago. it's still there.

Europan · Apr 25, 2018

I sent a Super-8 cartridge to them over ten years ago and never got the film back nor got any information from them. Yes, I had written my name and address on the parcel. The nagging thing is that it was footage from a friend, not mine. He wouldn’t know what to do with Kodachrome. He got the footage from a friend of his in South America.

btaylor · Apr 25, 2018

Ripoff report is a company that extorts money from legitimate businesses in exchange for “fixing” negative things reviews. So there’s that.

railwayman3 · Apr 25, 2018

jnanian said:
TheGreatGasMaskMan

i thnk it is the internet being the internet.
i mean people send them wicked distressed/
outdated film and expect to look like
their iphone took it or Dslr. people don't realize
there is a RISK associate with using ancient film
just like there is risk associated with everything else in life

its great when the film isn't screwed up but when it is,
they give them bad press ... its too bad ,,, both RMFL and FR
are services that people want ...

I don't think that the bad press about Rocky Mountain is about the quality, or lack-of-quality, of the results, but about the loss of films, impossibly long delays and taking money immediately when it will be months, if ever, that the films are returned. These complaints date back many years, and, fortunately, I was warned about this business just in time before I was sending some films to them way back in 2005.

I can see the possible issues with a few customers who might be unreasonable in their expectations of good results from ancient films.....perhaps trying to offer a service for obsolete films with all the possible pitfalls is not a great business model, and this could be a reason for the problems and the bankruptcy of the business.

TheGreatGasMaskMan · Apr 25, 2018

These complaints date back many years, and, fortunately, I was warned about this business just in time before I was sending some films to them way back in 2005.

Here's another thing though. A couple months ago, I accidentally loaded a SeattleFilmWorks roll into my camera, and then found out it needs its own special processing. And another Photographer I know, who has to be one of the most knowledgeable photographers I know, Recommended Rocky Mountain to me. However in the end, I found a different lab that also offered sfw-xl/ecn II processing for a much cheaper rate and only a couple weeks for a return date.
http://www.thecamerashop.com/imagecenter/seattle.html

removed account4 · Apr 25, 2018

railwayman3 said:
I don't think that the bad press about Rocky Mountain is about the quality, or lack-of-quality, of the results, but about the loss of films, impossibly long delays and taking money immediately when it will be months, if ever, that the films are returned. These complaints date back many years, and, fortunately, I was warned about this business just in time before I was sending some films to them way back in 2005.

I can see the possible issues with a few customers who might be unreasonable in their expectations of good results from ancient films.....perhaps trying to offer a service for obsolete films with all the possible pitfalls is not a great business model, and this could be a reason for the problems and the bankruptcy of the business.

i did read the rip off report and i've heard the same thing btaylor said about the company ...
so i took those comments with a grain of salt.. my bad, i always thought the problems
were people were disattisfied with their "results" ... not
their continental drift-like speed or incompetence ...

europan, sorry to read about your lost film ..

Agulliver · May 10, 2018

A decade or more ago, when I used to shoot a lot of super 8 film....the small gauge movie film forums were awash with complaints about Rocky Mountain Lab. Many respected posters had sent films in for processing, only to hear nothing back....they could not phone the lab as the numbers given didn't work, emails were not answered....this sometimes went on for years. It was assumed a couple of years ago that RMFL had actually shut it's doors.

While I'm glad to hear some people have had good service, there are/were a lot of folks who lost material and money to that lab. It's not just some internet rumour.

TheGreatGasMaskMan · Jun 10, 2018

Well, if anyone's still interested there's also this, which upon reading, a whole narrative starts unfolding and then you realize Film Rescue International's Greg Miller actually weighs his opinion on Rocky Mountain as well: http://www.photo.net/film-and-processing-forum/005jsk

Also, I'll probably have an update to my order sometime late summer to Halloween when my films are expected back.

TheGreatGasMaskMan · Nov 2, 2018

Possibly final update.
My films HAVE NOT come in. I think I'm just going to write those four rolls off as a loss and lesson learned. It'll officially be one year for the first roll sometime this month,January- February for the next two, and March for the final. I don't have the time, ability, and willpower to try and fight them on this.

pentaxuser · Nov 2, 2018

TheGreatGasMaskMan said:
These complaints date back many years, and, fortunately, I was warned about this business just in time before I was sending some films to them way back in 2005.

Based on what I have read here it is truly amazing that they have lasted 13 years

pentaxuser

ultrachrome-x · Mar 6, 2019

As I understand it, About 6 or 7 years ago, RMFL applied for bankruptcy protection. The terms of the bankruptcy protection meant they had no responsibility to process the thousands of rolls of film that they currently had in house of which they had already been paid for the work. At the time, they had said that they would eventually work through the backlog and get the films back to people. So far as I'm aware, that never happened and there is still many very angry people out there who paid for work that was never done and that work could have potentially had very important never before seen family pictures on them. Potentially precious images.

Having personally talked to the bankruptcy trustee, because I had some interest in the assets of RMF, I was informed that the assets were never sold because the trustee felt they had no value and the company was allowed to stay in business. The attitude of the woman I had talked to was that it was better to have company in operation than to put a company out of business. It's a very bizarre situation.

pentaxuser · Mar 6, 2019

ultrachrome-X, so it seems it was allowed to continue trading. Is it still trading and if so what is it doing with the backlog of film it has?

pentaxuser

ultrachrome-x · Mar 6, 2019

Pentaxuser

pentaxuser said:
ultrachrome-X, so it seems it was allowed to continue trading. Is it still trading and if so what is it doing with the backlog of film it has?

pentaxuser

Yes, so far as I'm aware they're still in business but I don't hear nearly as much about them as I used to. I think to some degree they have got their business a little bit back into order and some film that is currently being sent to them, is processed and returned albeit on a 1 to 2 year timeline to the best of my understanding. As to the backlog - I too am very curious where that situation stands. I have never heard about someone from that period of time reporting that yes, after 10 years, the film was processed and returned to them....but that's not to say that that has never happened. I just don't know.

AgX · Mar 6, 2019

ultrachrome-x said:
The attitude of the woman I had talked to was that it was better to have company in operation than to put a company out of business. It's a very bizarre situation.

That is the weighing of interests in an insolvency procedure: the creditors against for inszance the enployees.
I assume in most legislations such is regulated, but I can image that during an insolvency still theree may be freedom in some decision that have different effect on either side.

pentaxuser · Mar 6, 2019

Thanks ultrachrome-x. Let's hope for those with films there that they are slowly processing the backlog

pentaxuser

TheGreatGasMaskMan · Jul 20, 2020

The unexpected has happened- I actually got back two of the four films I sent out over two years ago. Of course, I've since moved and the package got sent to my parents- and that's another thing, the package label had my mom's name on it even though I used mine on the order forms. Maybe because I used my mom's paypal account to print the labels?

Anyway, roll I- a Kodak Verichrome pan I could easily have done myself, but let someone else tell me my college didn't have the spools and tanks to do it (which we did)
But, while they aren't sharp they're definitely printable.

Roll II- a Triad fotron cartridge. I got results, but it would be wrong to expect better

I still won't use this lab again, but at least I got some films back.

So why do people keep complaining about Rocky Mountain Film Lab?

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