This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/analog by /u/spcycuttlefish on 2024-11-17 18:32:04+00:00.

I stockpiled and shot film for years meaning to develop and scan, but never found the time (Kids, job etc)- This was years of shooting; international travel to Japan and Sri Lanka. Potraits of the kids when they were babies. 120 b&w from my Yashica TLR and tons of Portra, B&W, Cinestill and Lomochrome 35mm.

I usually develop color at a small lab, dev the B&W myself and scan it all myself, but as the backlog of film grew all the scanning started to look too daunting. This is when I got served instagram ads for a lab that would dev+scan all formats, all chemistries at a reasonable cost…

I did research online and while mixed, most folks had good things to say about the membership format. I figured this would be the trick to keep me shooting and dove headfirst- I sent them my whole backlog (17 rolls total).

This is where my nightmare starts: the lab I chose claims they never received the film I sent via Fedex. Fedex claimed the package was delivered. The packing slip I used to send the film was even purchased through the film lab.

While the owner of the lab was responsive in e-mails, they refused to acknowledge that they could have possibly lost the film. They referred to having video access of deliveries and not seeing my package delivered. When I asked for proof via screenshots they refused to provide it, saying it would violate the privacy of their staff… Fedex continues to maintain that the package was delivered.

The loss is honestly gut wrenching and I’m considering giving up analog for good. But for the sake of preventing this from happening to you I’ve reflected on a couple mistakes I’ve made that hopefully you can learn from:

1. Don’t go all in- I should’ve vetted this lab personally, not just trusting what seems now like sponsored or bought blog posts on the internet. I would recommend even sending one roll in for scan + develop to see if they offer good service

2. Don’t stockpile: Honestly staying on top of your film backlog is important. Don’t let it accumulate to the point where you feel you need to do something drastic.

3. Go local: The local lab near me is very very expensive, but at least there’s a store front I can go to and have a conversation with a real human. This matters when it comes to your pictures.

Happy to hear anything else that could be useful for me or others in the future.

TL;DR: Trusted a film lab I found on the internet. Decided to send them all my film at once. They claim to have never received my film even though FedEx insists the film was delivered.