Review: MyPublisher.com

[Doug Nelson]

View here

[DJ Dubovsky]

Great review T and the topic is something everyone can appreciate for home use or special occasions. I like how you included tips and the visuals really help alot. Excellent job.
DJ

[Zitared]

Hated MyPublisher

I've ordered a book from them as a present. The software was really easy to use. I received an email confirmation next day - the order was supposed to be ready in 5-6 days.
Two weeks later I still had not received the book. The customer representative confirmed that the order is in process. Ten days later I received a note that my order had been canceled.
I called the company and they confirmed cancellation citing system glitches and suggested to re-order.
I can't imagine anyone who would like to re-order in those circumstances - to wait another month just to find out that your order has been canceled after several confirmations!
So disappointing!

[TraceyT]

Worst Customer Service Ever at MyPublisher

My experience with mypublisher has been awful. They have horrendous customer service (really, you can't even call it service!), they are late shipping products, and even their auto-responders are bad - 2 for every email sent. My Dec 3 email remains unanswered, and it took days for them to answer my desperate emails looking for the Christmas book I prepared for family. And guess what ... as of Dec 22 the books have still not arrived. MyPublisher is trying to blame it on the post office, but give me a break! Every other vendor I've ordered from this holiday season has gotten my gifts to me on time. My in-laws in PA have sent things from PA to CA via Priority Mail - with a 2-day and only occasional 3 day lag.

Their software can be painful to use - very kludgy. Add in an extra page, make some minor design changes - and you'll find every layout from the point of the change on screwed up. What should take minutes to do can take hours - and that's not even the upload! Back in June I had the same experience that others did (just use Google and type in mypublisher, and prepare to read MANY tales of poor service) - uploads that lasted hours (and I have a DSL line), ended up at a meaningless page, and no technical support to even confirm whether the order was there, not there, etc.

I plan to try Shutterfly next time, but in the meantime, I've learned my lesson:

- Always browse the web before using a new vendor, even when the WSJ gives a glowing report! Read what experiences others have had.

- Service matters. There is no such thing as a great product with bad service.

- Try a test email to a company before you use their service. If they answer quickly, politely, and competently, it's a good sign. If you wait for days, or never get an answer - RUN!


- If I'm ever being held hostage and my captors INSIST that I use mypublisher, BEG them to give me 8 weeks to get the finished product! Maybe, just maybe, it will be enough time. OR ... tell them that using mypublisher and hoping to get a gift on time is enough torture for anyone!

[Swampy]

I recently ordered my first set of prints (4x6) from digital camera files. I needed documentation of hurricane damage for my insurance company and FEMA. I used an Olympus DL520 on auto to take the pics and did no retouching of the 2.5mpix files.

I use a Mac with iPhoto and the whole process is straight forward. Drag and drop the files into iPhoto, select them all, click on the "order prints" button and, for first time orders, fill out the bill ship info. A thumbnail list of all the selected photos is shown and it's a simple matter to select quantity and size. (There is a warning displayed in the list if a selection is too low res for poster size prints). The total bill is shown at the bottom, Click Upload and off go your files. Four days later they were back and GREAT on Kodak paper!

The whole process is a partnership with Apple and Ofoto.

Last night I sent off a digital file that my son wanted as a poster in black and white. I had enough resolution to order a 30x20 inch poster (including a white 1 inch border. How cool is technology these days??

I took some great shots at a nephew's wedding recently and my next project is to create a book in iPhoto and order a hard bound version as a wedding present.

[Jose Urena]

Beware of MyPublisher

A warning sign for me is when an online company does not disclose its phone number or address anywhere on their Web site. That is the case of MyPublisher. It is no wonder there are so many reports of very poor customer service by this company. In fact, it seems as if they didn't have customer service at all.

This is unfortunate, because they have a good product in many respects. I like the flexibility of the design process, and the end product, if you are lucky enough to get it, and to get it on time. I did received a gorgeous book from them about one year ago, on another occasion.

My last experience with them was bad. After spending many hours designing an Album, and actually repeatedlty saving my work (I know better), it turns out that on the last step (Purchasing), their software froze, and, worst of all, it lost all my work! Needless to say, their Customer Service was missing in action... no phone number to call, only an email address, and, guess what, no response from them whatsoever...

Frankly, look elsewhere.

[mypublisher]

Re: Review: MyPublisher.com

Hi Everyone -
I came across these postings about MyPublisher and frankly sincerely apologize for the bad experiences you have all had. MyPublisher has done a ton of work in the past few years to remake its brand, customer service, and most importantly all of it's products. We take your customer feedback to heart and have made many important changes to better serve our customer's needs. I really welcome and urge you all to give us one last chance. I really feel you will not be disappointed, both from a customer service standpoint and a product and software quality perspective. I see the last post here was from 2005, and most of the people here were from 2004 or earlier.
Sincerely,
MyPublisher

[T Paul]

Re: Review: MyPublisher.com

I created a book with MyPublisher in 2001 and was really happy with the results. Unfortunately, not everyone had the same positive experience I had. Recently I was asked by MyPublisher to review their software again. They have gone through a lot of changes and updates since 2001.

Check out my review here