This is why you should NEVER use Shutterfly for Holiday Cards!

So I have used Shutterfly for projects in the past and have never had an issue that I have needed to contact their customer service for, so I did not know how horrible it truly is.

In 2019, with so many options to choose from online for custom cards and gifts you would think companies would try and stand out from the rest with great customer service. Coming from a strong retail background and understanding how important customer service is especially in a field where custom photo work is being done, I will be surprised if Shutterfly is still around in a few years.

As simple as it seems, this really stood out to me. I do family photos and family holiday cards every year for the past 11 years since my son was born. It is an important tradition to myself and my family, and it is important to me to choose the right card to reflect out year that year as cheesy as it may sound. I searched through all of the online holiday card sites and Shutterfly, as they had in the past, had the best layout for what I wanted this 2019 Christmas year card.

I ordered 25 cards in mid-November, and they came within the 7-10 day time frame. I had realized quickly after that I needed some additional cards, but it was only November 26th, when I did the order for an additional 5 cards, so I figured I have more than enough time as I left all of the local cards for last. Welp… I was very wrong. It is December 19th, and the $5.99 for shipping that I paid for 5 cards bought me just standard UPS Surepost which means it goes out UPS, and is delivered to the post office, which then delivers the package to the customer. In lames terms, it is the cheapest possibly shipping method that has a tracking number assigned.

All that is what is it… I needed them, and I had time, so it was fine.

Unfortunately, there was an obvious hiccup in the shipping. The estimated delivery date came and went and it is now 2 days later. Being in retail, I understand that this happened, and it was in no way a reflection of Shutterfly (aside from their overpriced shipping) and I assumed they would understand when I call to tell them somehow the package was lost and the shipping tracking just stopped 7 days ago without any update.

I went onto their site only to discover they make it very difficult to contact customer service. There is no email, and the chat box seems inviting and simple, however they must have only 1 person running it because it never ever after 2 days every hour attempts, seems to be online.

I was able to dig around and find a phone number, which once I was finally “transferred to a representative” said my hold time would be 4 minutes, I sat on hold waiting. For 15 minutes. Finally, I got Saheid. He said he needed my email address to help me. I gave it to him, and he understood my issue after looking at the order tracking and said the quickest way to get an order in for replacement cards was for me to do the order online while on the phone with him and he would then give me a promo code to cover the order and the shipping. Fine, but I needed fast shipping. They have no overnight shipping available to “replacement orders”. I asked Saheid if I can speak to his manager because I really need these cards by tomorrow (my order was supposed to deliver to me by the 13th!) if there is any chance of them delivering by Chrismas Eve. He told me “I do not see anyone around that I can transfer you to”. Wow. I said, so you do not have a manager? He said no, all that I can do is I can just transfer you to next level support but they are only going to tell you the same thing. I said you know what.. just give me a refund. This is the last time I will ever order from Shutterfly.

I am just baffled by their disregard for customer service. A word of advise to their CEO and all of the leadership they display on their website for careers, if you want to stay in the game, take note from your competition, start caring about your customers first!