Rachel Robbins

My 18x24s are a little muddy, but at this price I'm more than fine with that! I'm going to be selling my art posters at an expo, and these will certainly do the job. BUT, if you're ordering with the idea that they'll look like PRINTS (they are listed as both posters and prints) you will be disappointed and should kick down the $$$ for giclee prints to sell.

Sometimes making things right makes all the difference. I received a terribly disappointing order from CanvasChamp. Disappointing to the point where I literally cried. They had discontinued a handwoven cotton blanket, and --with no warning on the site-- replaced it with a polyester, sublimated one with dye that came off in your hands and smelled badly... and was actually more expensive! ($62.75) When I opened it I was horrified. I had been offering the blankets on my art website as they were a gorgeous way to sell my artwork affordably, and immediately pulled the product. I am so glad I ordered a test run of this painting before one of my customers had been disappointed as I was. Fortunately, I had a Customer Service Representative named Kingston. He was kind, patient, and talked me through the steps to make it right. I'd hoped the order could be replaced with the same "make/model" of the blanket I expected, but they no longer work with the handwoven company. He gave me another option --the same sublimated blanket, but with fringe added-- and it still would not work, as I objected to the material, dye, texture, print quality, and weave... it wasn't the fringe. He understood, and arranged for me to have a full refund. This may sound like a small thing, but print-on-demand companies rarely, if ever, offer full refunds for products. Not only that, but we all have dealt with rude CSR's who make you feel bad just for asking for what you'd ordered. Not so with Kingston. CanvasChamp are lucky to have him... Or I was lucky that he was the gentleman handling the case. Thank you, Kingston!

About a week before Xmas, I ordered a vintage/antiquarian book "The Littlest Angel,"for my mom, who loved it as a kid as I'd only JUST found out how much she wished she had a copy. First off, I was delighted Thriftbooks HAD one at all. Secondly, the ad said it would arrive in 45 days...but it arrived within TWO weeks, so on the "Second Day of Christmas" my mom (who is 80) had a wonderful surprise arrive in the mail. Thirdly, even though the ad said "acceptable condition" --which usually means completely torn up and falling apart, but I was happy to order anyway, since my father restores books-- The Littlest Angel had all its pages, the binding was in tact, etc. [Had I ordered from Amazon, the book would have been trashed if described as "acceptable."] It was such a positive experience. I would not hesitate to purchase from this seller again. Thank you!!!

I ordered two XL Dan May prints from iCanvas. Since I love this artist and the only site I can find any of his prints available on canvas is IC, I am really happy to have ordered them, and grateful there is somewhere for a huge fan like myself to have his gorgeous, calming artwork for my bedroom. Having said that, I was disappointed in the reproduction value. The ink was much darker and murkier on both pieces, but one in particular which saps some of the joy from the image and adds a sadder feel, like playing a song with happy lyrics in a minor key. Also, the canvas is stapled JUST to the edge of the stretcher bars, when a piece this large should really have an extra few inches rolled down to hold it securely in place, particularly for a 1.5 inch wood border. Speaking of "secure" and "stretcher bars," a canvas print this large really should have more support than just the outer frame in order to hold its shape/integrity/ tightness, etc. and iCanvas might consider adding additional wood to prints larger than 18X24 so that a customer can enjoy the artwork longer. I expect that these will need to be re-wrapped down the road, and given the lack of extra canvas on the edge that's going to be a heck of a project. BUT...once again, I'm glad to have Dan May up on my walls, and that I treated myself to a favorite artist, even if the quality of the reproductions, canvas, and stretching left me wanting more.

Canvas discount offers a 20X20 option, which not many other printing companies do. I'm pleased with my two; I ordered one with stretch trim, and one with black trim. I recommend going with the black trim. Also, I ordered a 24X36 canvas of a photo of 18X24 painting as an experiment. I'd expected the result to be pixilated and blurred, but took a gamble and am glad I did. The finer details came out quite clearly. Also, the company sends its products within two weeks, which is always handy!

I am afraid that the product I received was not worth what I paid, and the quality did not match that of another company I use which has comparable prices. Extremely cheap material, and muddy image. I submitted the same photo to a competing printer with much better results. I give C.O.D. two stars instead of one because they were very cooperative with their return policy.

FOLLOW UP:

I received this response on my Trustpilot review from Canvas On Demand:

"Hi Rachel,
Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback. We are sorry to hear that your order did not print as expected! We are always happy to assist with a replacement so that you can receive a canvas that you abolulstely love. However, we see that one of our reps was able to assist with a full refund as requested. Regarding the product quality, we recently decided to offer our patented solid-faced canvas prints exclusively due to their popularity amongst our customers. The canvas is adhered to a solid surface and comes with a finished black mat board back. Due to our patented materials used there is no risk of your canvas warping or loosening over time. We sent a follow-up email to further assist, and we look forward to hearing back!"

My response is as follows...

Dear Canvas On Demand:

I made it very clear in my review how much I appreciated your generous return policy, which was why I left two stars, as opposed to one star. What I wrote was accurate, fair, and reflected what was positive of my experience. I am entitled to my opinion.

It is not good business practice to post responses like this to a customer. Reviews are not written for the benefit of a company, they are written for other customers to make a choice as to whether or not they choose to purchase a product from a particular supplier. Several other customers had five star experiences. Potential clientele can have a fair balance of opinions and experiences from other buyers, make choices accordingly, or disregard reviews altogether.

An author of a book or director of a movie would be out of line in sending a note to a reader or viewer whose opinion they didn't like, and this is no different.

Please do not contact me again, either in this forum or via email.

Thank you.

*******
ANOTHER UPDATE:

Despite my request that the company not contact me on Trustpilot or via email again, I received this, today:

"Hi Rachel,

Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback via Trustpilot. We are sorry to hear that your order did not print as expected! After reviewing the photos you provided, it appears that your canvas printed darker than it should have due to a printer error. When this happens, we are always happy to issue a free replacement and request that our artists brighten up your image a bit prior to print. However, we see that one of our reps was able to assist with a full refund, in the amount of $34.98 USD instead. This refund should have posted on your statement, but if it has not yet posted please let us know!

Regarding the product quality, it sounds like you may have received a traditional style canvas that had wooden stretcher bars from another company. We used to offer traditional style canvases as well, but we recently decided to offer our patented solid-faced canvas prints exclusively due to their popularity amongst our customers. Our canvas prints are available in a variety of popular sizes from 8x8 all the way up to 32x48! Our proprietary canvas design is among the lightest and strongest canvas wraps ever made. The canvas is adhered to a solid surface and comes with a finished black mat board back. Due to our patented materials used there is no risk of your canvas warping or loosening over time.

We value all customer feedback, and we have provided your canvas quality feedback to our team for further review. Please let us know if you have any questions, and have a great day!

Kind Regards,

Alyssa
Art Specialist"

_____
My response:
_____
"I asked specifically for COD not to send me any more emails after your weird comment on my Trustpilot review. Here is yet another email. The issue has been resolved. Please respect my wishes.

Thanks,
RR"
_________________________

I'm kind of blown away that even after I specifically asked to be left alone and WHY that made me uncomfortable, Canvas On Demand emailed me again with yet another long explanation and reminder about how great their return policy was. I had already complimented them on their return policy.

But return policy is only a part of customer service, and with this second letter it's becoming clear that they do not respect customers' wishes or boundaries. I couldn't be any clearer. So I sadly will have to lower my 2-star rating to one star.

COD, please leave me alone.