Mike's Camera Inc Colorado Springs — Local services in Colorado Springs

Visited a few weeks ago to get some film and drop some film off. My experience from store to delivery was not pleasant.

One worker at the back counter was helping someone and another worker was at the front looking at something at the other counter. I stood by the middle counter waiting to check out for maybe 15ish minutes before someone even acknowledged me. An older man came over to ring me out.

First off: Pricing. I understand pricing is subjective. But there's no reason to be charging a $3+ markup per roll of film. I normally support my local lab down here in Texas. So I know it's not a matter of paying a little more to help local labs thrive. There's a difference between turning a little profit and gouging. I can go to Walmart and buy the same film for roughly $8/roll (I did) instead of $10.99. I feel this can be extremely discouraging to beginners looking to an established shop for guidance and they get up-charged not knowing what they're buying.

Second: The service was not there. Not getting acknowledged or asked if I needed help while standing, waiting, by the counter was a rough start. But the way my order was handled was a whole other deal. Usually at the other labs I've visited, they offer to ship the negatives for a small fee. At the end of the transaction I had asked if he could ship the negatives to me since I was leaving the next morning, offering to pay shipping. He made a big deal out of it because he'd have to reprocess the transaction. Needless to say, I didn't get my negatives. I happily would've paid for them. But he had made such a big deal over it because the line behind me had accumulated (His fault, should've been more attentive and not let the line get that long before coming to the counter) and he didn't have time to add the shipping fee.

Results: The results of my scans were poor. I believe the film was mishandled to some degree. Not all were bad out of the couple of rolls processed. But I had some gorgeous shots I was thrilled for from my Utah trip, which got ruined. The rest of the shots were extremely washed out. In my review I've included the shots developed by Mike's, vs some shots off the same camera developed by my local lab in Texas. Obviously, it's not a photographer or camera issue. Be careful with letting these people handle your prized shots!

From pricing to service to results, I wouldn't recommend this place. I really wanted to love it, and I go into all local photography stores with an open mind and smile on my face. But I can't recommend this...

Update: Tammy, the store manager reached out to me and I can honestly say, she made all the difference in the world in addition to Mike's response below this review. Tammy not only apologized but listened with concern and kindness. We had a lovely conversation and both felt like we were on the same page when it comes to customer service and being kind. She even offered to refund my payment which was unnecessary but appreciated and we have decided to meet after the holidays are over. Because of Tammy and Mike, I will reconsider returning to do business with Mike's Camera for all my photography needs. Integrity matters and theirs made a huge difference! Thank you Tammy and Mike!

What an awful experience. Found some old negatives from 1957 and took them to Mike's Camera to have digitized. No one greeted me when I came in, in fact, they never made eye contact with me the entire time I was there. Got Dustin who was curt, unwelcoming and irritable. Asking a simple question was received with visible annoyance. Trying to make small talk to break the ice fell on his cold facade. Overpaid for a simple service Fed Ex could have done. Today the only bright light was Kim who called to tell me the pics were ready. I arrived to be "greeted" by yet another irritable employee who snapped at me and the other girl waiting to be helped letting us know that she is an editor and doesn't deal with anything else. It was as if the other customer and I were the problem when clearly there is an atmosphere of irritation and a can't be bothered attitude. A third customer came in just as all this chaos ensued and he too commented on how awful the service was. In this day and age with so many options why would anyone put up with being treated with such callous disregard? Never again, I'll drive to Denver before I will ever return to...

All in all, Mike's Camera at Colorado Springs delivers solid products and services. Staff is always friendly and knowledgeable. I typically enjoy ordering prints and other photo products as they are usually quality and timely. However, a recent experience is causing me to question whether or not I will continue using Mike's as my primary photo shop. After 10 days following an order for a metal print and other photo gifts, did i find out (by calling myself; i was not notified by the store) that their system did not properly accept my order. I had been in the shop two times following placement of the order, to which i was told that the machine that produces these products up in Boulder, was down - totally understandable. That said, it turns out that my products were never even in the queue due to a 'known' issue with placing online orders. That is fine and all, but I was disappointed that I had to call (again) to find out that my order was essentially cancelled. On the phone call, it was clear that the store would have been able to notify me of this issue from the day one, but instead, told me it was due to the machine being out of service. The last phone call (on 12/28/22) with the store was the only time I have ever experienced poor customer service - being interrupted and cut off multiple times, and unapologetic about not contacting me regarding the nature of my order, which was 10 days old at that point. I was pretty much told 'try again'. Which i will, at Costco this time around, as i can't afford to further delay already late gifts.

I will continue to use Mike's Camera barring any more unpleasant, unhelpful experiences. All of my in-person encounters with the staff have...