A Farewell Gift That Never Arrived in Time
This has been one of the most frustrating online shopping experiences I have had.
I ordered a photo album as a farewell gift for a close friend who is leaving Ireland after many years. This was not a last-minute purchase. The album cost €90 plus €10 for delivery and contained precious memories collected over years of friendship.
After placing the order, nothing happened for 9 days! The album only went to print after I contacted Photobox and followed up myself. Had I not reached out, I genuinely wonder how much longer it would have sat there untouched.
Once the album was finally dispatched, the problems continued. The promised delivery date came and went, and the tracking has shown the package stuck in customs for a week with no movement and no meaningful updates.
Customer service has been equally disappointing. The live chat left me waiting for over 40 minutes without any response when i finally gave up. When customers are already dealing with significant delays, being ignored by support is simply unacceptable.
I understand that customs and couriers can sometimes cause delays. What I cannot understand is why it took 9 days for the album to even go to print, why customers are not proactively informed when there are delays, and why support is so difficult to reach when something goes wrong.
The most upsetting part is that this album was created for a very specific occasion. A farewell gift cannot simply be given weeks later when the moment has passed. The value of the gift is tied to the occasion, and Photobox’s delays have completely undermined that.
For a company that markets itself around preserving memories and creating meaningful gifts, the service I received has been deeply disappointing. A €100 order, missed deadlines, poor communication, unresponsive customer service, and a gift that did not arrive in time for the event it was created for.
I cannot recommend Photobox based on this experience.
Reply from Photobox
Hi Masha! We are sorry that you are not happy with the service provided especially as a farewell gift did not arrive in time.
We would like to thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback regarding our service. We greatly appreciate it, as customer feedback plays a vital role in helping us improve and enhance our services.
Once again, thank you for bringing this matter to our attention and we look forward to the opportunity to serve you better in the future.
Kind regards, Photobox
