| AL9A |
Rating:  |
2006-04-03 | |
| Cards arrived today, FINALLY! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Please see my review dated Dec. 30, 2005 for all the gory details.
A month ago I again wrote Val and requested a refund on the portion of my order that had not yet been received. He asked me to wait a bit longer and offered to send a small packet of "extra" cards left over from the full run. Today, April 4, I received an envelope containing approximately 80 cards AND the second box of 1,000 QSL cards from my original order of 2,000 cards!
Val had emailed me on Sept. 15, 2005 that 2 boxes with the full 2,000 card order had shipped on that date. The first box was received on Dec. 14th, but the other was missing in action until today. The box that arrived today has postal stamps dated 26/01/06, so it must be a long way from the print shop to the post office! About 4 months away apparently!
I don't know exactly what has happened to Octavia, but the service has taken a big time hit. The list of excuses has grown exponentially more humorous, but the lack of service is no laughing matter. Let the buyer beware!!!
----------------------
Earlier 0-star review posted by AL9A on 2005-12-30
I hate to give such a negative review, but if you need QSL cards, go else where. I have ordered from Octovia three times now. The first two orders were slow to arrive, 7 - 8 weeks, but now delivery has deteriorated into the months time range. I started trying to reorder 2,000 cards on April 11, 2005. A long series of unanswered emails finally culminated with the proofs being received and approved on May 23rd. This was for a reorder - no real changes were made to the artwork! In mid July I was told the order was ready to ship. On Sept. 15 I was told the order had shipped and would be here soon. On Oct. 5 I was again told the order shipped and 5 cards were sent via air mail as proof of printing. On Oct. 14 I received the 5 cards sent via air mail. Five months to get 5 cards! On Dec. 14th I received one package of cards containing 974 cards, not 1,000. As of this date, the second package has not arrived although Val assures me it is in transit. I have no idea when, or if, I will ever see that part of the order. When I placed my first order with Octavia they shipped via air mail. Since then they have started shipping surface. Bad news! Val has become very unresponsive to inquiries and the list of excuses is starting to sound like, "The dog ate my homework!". The product quality is excellent, the price somewhat competitive, but the delivery is abysmal. It is unfortunate Octavia's delivery performance has gotten so bad, but no one should have to pay to endure this kind of service. See my review of UX5UO QSL Print for a better option. |
|
| NS2X |
Rating:  |
2006-03-25 | |
| 8 months and NO CARDS YET ! |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I received these comments on March 5th... then NOTHING SINCE. I requested, and received, an immediate refund from 2checkout.com. Comments from Octavia "I apologize for the delayed order and lack of communication due to my recent illness. I had no chance to reply to numerous emails received for the past month. Now Octavia little by little returns to a normal operation.
We are finishing printing of your order (it will be completed in a few days). NONE order is in jeopardy or will not be completed.
Now March 26th and I still have had no response from Octavia... I'll send the money if I ever get the cards... NS2X...greg
----------------------
Earlier 0-star review posted by NS2X on 2006-01-14
IT HAS BEEN TWENTY TWO (22+) WEEKS SINCE I APPROVED MY QSL PROOFS AND I PAID MY FEE BUT HAVE NOT RECEIVED MY CARDS AND CAN NOT EVEN GET A STATUS UPDATE. THEY WERE QUICK ENOUGH TO TAKE MY MONEY AND I'M NOT SURE IF I'LL EVER GET QSL CARDS? NS2X
29 JUN 05 – Requested quote
01 JUL 05 - Received Quote
08 JUL O5 – PAID FOR 2000 CUSTOM QSL CARDS
09 JUL 05 – order confirmation received
15 JUL 05 – received proofs
17 JUL 05 – sent email approving proofs
09 SEP 05 – sent email requesting status
15 SEP 05 – received status email stating cards almost ready – will ship them in a week.
13 NOV 05 – sent email requesting status – NO RESPONSE
19 DEC 05 – received orderstatus email – DID NOT LIST MY CALL ???
19 DEC 05 – sent email requesting status – NO RESPONSE
27 DEC 05 – received orderstatus email – DID NOT LIST MY CALL ???
28 DEC 05 – sent email requesting status – NO RESPONSE
14 JAN 06 – STILL NO CARDS – AND WORSE YET... NO RESPONSE ?????
BUYER BEWARE..... I'LL GIVE UPDATE IF THERE IS EVER ONE... Greg NS2X |
|
| N4ZZK |
Rating:     |
2006-03-10 | |
| Returning to normal |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I've ordered from Val about 5 times now. I was concerned this last time since I didn't get any replies to my recent emails. See note below I received from Val last week explaining the reason.
"... I apologize for the delayed order and lack of communication due to my recent illness. I had no chance to reply to numerous emails received for the past month. Now Octavia little by little returns to a normal operation."
Since that time, my cards have arrived. As usual the quality and value are excellent. This last order took about 7 months. My previous orders ranged between 4 and 6 months.
They do good work and really try to be customer oriented but even in the best of times, you need to expect about 6 months turnaround.
If they ever get that facet corrected, they would rate a 5.
73...Al
----------------------
Earlier 5-star review posted by N4ZZK on 2004-04-30
I placed my third order with Octavia on January 1st, 2004. The order was for 2,000 full color custom cards with the UV coating. From a total time standpoint, my previous orders have taken between 2-4 months. So I plan for for the longer time and am pleasantly surprised if they come sooner. Some of the other reviews posted here expressed concern about the time it takes to get the cards, so I noted the steps and dates for my experience below. But first, how did Val and Olga do this time?
Overall Evaluation
-------------------------
Quality - Excellent
Value - Excellent (and delivery is included in the cost)
Payment process - (paypal) safe and secure
Total Time - just under 4 months (meets expectations)
Delivery - by registered mail (no problems, and a secure delivery method)
Customer service - Good, emails sent at each step. Replies to my emails for the initial order and proof acceptance were quick.
Here is the detail on the timeframes
--------------------------------------------------
1-Jan-2004 placed the order with artwork files
6-Jan-2004 received proofs
22-Mar-2004 printing complete
17-Aprl-2004 UV coating, binding and shipping
29-April-2004 recieved cards
The UV coating is worth the small extra charge, it really makes the color pop. I'm happy with the products and Valery will keep getting my business.
73, Al
----------------------
Earlier 5-star review posted by N4ZZK on 2003-05-03
Valery has always provided excellent printing quality, good value with flexibility for any custom layout you want. He is also very easy to work with regarding image files, corresponding for status or questions, etc. In the past, the only drawback was the long delivery time and even that was acceptable if you planned for it.
I've recently seen a few reviews that indicated the delays have been addressed and on my last order, I was pleasantly suprised to have the same experience.
My order (all new artwork) placed on March 23
The proofs received on March 25
The order was finalized on March 31
QSLs received on May 1
Excellent overall and very deserving of a 5 rating.
Keep up the great work...
73, Al
----------------------
Earlier 5-star review posted by N4ZZK on 2001-09-01
Quality, excellent.
Price, reasonable (especially considering the quality)
Turn around time, expect about 90 days. From other comments this seems common and it was about what mine took.
Extras, they can work with electronic input when others who claim to, can't or won't. And they will use your files for both front and back if desired.
I'll definitely be using them again in the future.
Al, N4ZZK
|
|
| W1KLJ |
Rating:  |
2006-02-20 | |
| 5 months wasted |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
| Based on the information on NE8Z/HC1MD's web page, I contacted Octavia in September 2005 about having cards printed. Communication was great until I approved the proofs for my cards. Then, nothing…….. I waited 8 weeks, since Octavia's web site says "most orders will be shipped within 8-9 weeks of proof approval". I then started sending emails requesting advise on the projected ship date. Still nothing. After sending 10 emails in 6 weeks, and getting absolutely no response, I contacted 2CheckOut.com (who processed the order payment) and requested a refund. They asked that I wait 48 hours while they contacted Octavia to resolve the problem. I waited 5 days. Neither I nor 2CheckOut.com received a reply. I again requested a refund which was posted to my account 24 hours later. (Great job 2CheckOut.com!) I, too, wish I'd remembered to check here first. |
|
| WN7DRX |
Rating:  |
2006-02-19 | |
| Don't order from these people! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| Started order process late November 2005. Paid extra for expedited shipping. Approved proofs early December 2005. That was the last time I heard from Qctavia. About mid-January 2006 was curious on status of order and sent email. That email and the four subsequent remain unanswered. Filed dispute of charge with my credit card company last week. I do think American Express is great. They issued immediate credit and are taking over the battle. Octavia has a great Internet site and I'll admit I was fooled by its professional appearance. Wish I had checked out these eHam reviews prior ordering. Sure would have prevented a lot of pain and wasted time. |
|
| KB2QQM |
Rating:  |
2006-01-24 | |
| RIPPED OFF-NO CARDS |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
IT'S BEEN SINCE LAST SUMMER AND STILL NO EMAILS AS TO MY STATUS. I ORDERED 1000 CARDS. I GOT THE PROOFS (EMAILED) BUT NEVER RECEIVED THE CARDS.
GO SPEND YOUR MONEY AT A CASINO BECAUSE YOU AT LEAST HAVE A CHANCE OF GETTING SOMETHING BACK.
HOME HEATING COSTS MUST BE UP IN RUSSIA TOO. THAT'S WHERE MY MONEY WENT.
I GOT RIPPED OFF. BUYER BEWARE. |
|
| AI2IA |
Rating:      |
2005-11-05 | |
| Perfect but slow. |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| It took slightly more than 7 MONTHS to receive my custom cards from Octavia. Communication is good, but admittedly, it is a very long wait. The results were exactly as ordered. The QSL cards were well packed and arrived in excellent shape. If you want these cards, do keep in mind that they come from a distant place where who knows what factors enter into the production time, but they do come through. This is the place to order your best design, then wait, and use other cards in the interim. |
|
| KC0W |
Rating:  |
2005-10-12 | |
| NEVER again!!! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I guess that I'm lucky. It "only" took me 7 months to receive my cards. The quality of the cards is OK.
I will never purchase thru Octavia again.
Tom kcØw |
|
| W6AAV |
Rating:  |
2005-10-12 | |
| Just too long to wait |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I also ordered my cards (500)last May and still I have not received them. The process of reviewing the proofs was quick, but their lack of connumication on the status of my order was very slow. They finally responded two weeks ago after several emails that the cards will be shipped soon. When? who knows. They did not give an ESD. Will I order from them again??? NO. IF they would ship within the time frame as stated on their website, maybe. I just don't think that will happen. My fault for not reading this review before hand. |
|
| N3MRV |
Rating:  |
2005-10-04 | |
| Ridiculous |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
| i ordered my cards in May 2005. here it is October and still no cards! they did send an email in August indicating they would ship in 1 or 2 days!!! looks like they took my $125.00 and maybe bought some VODKA. BEWARE... |
|