Chamberlain Photo Restoration Overview
Chamberlain Photo Restoration has a 1.5-star rating, derived from feedback provided by 20 customers. In the Photography category, it secures the 15th position out of 175 companies.
Rating
Contact Information
Website
chamberlainrestoration.com
Phone
(800) 950-0301
6900 Main Street Suite 140, Downers Grove, Illinois, 60516, Downers Grove
Chamberlain Photo Restoration Reviews
Joao
Chamberlain Photo Restoration Photo Restoration Review
Called him and he told me he could clean my portrait. Shipped it to him. He called and claimed it would fall apart. He charged me $136 for SHIPPING!! I reported him and he said he would refund $78. I never got the refund and he refuses to ship my portrait and proof. He is a liar and thief!!
Terry
6 months now.
6 months later and he still has my photos. I believe this man has a mental problem, seriously. He gets a sick satisfaction of holding peoples photos as hostage and trying to manipulate them. The BBB is of no use in helping and they continue to keep his business as in good standing. He uses this to defend himself although he has multiple extremely negative reviews on many different review sites, from people who have experienced the same thing. I believe he is a sick man. At this point I pity him. He probably has some kind of mental disorder. Why else would someone keep doing this? I don't believe money is his motive. He loves to manipulate people and make them feel bad. He loves ending up with the upper hand. I tried to get the police involved but they said it was a civil matter and it was not something they could deal with. Mr. Chamberlain has tried to twist this to discredit me. I believe he needs professional help. Please feel free to contact me at 815-739-**** or giggles60@***.com. My name is Terry. There is no legal recourse but we CAN spread the word. Please check out the other websites that review businesses. You'll see a lot more about Chamberlain restoration. He operates under other business names as well. complaintsboard.com
Anonim
Scam Artist(s)
Ok, I messed up. I agreed and trusted this guy without doing any research on him or his company. He sent me a fed-ex label for me to send my one and only photograph I had of me when I was only 18 and had just graduated basic training and AIT in the Army. After I had sent the picture the guy was really nice on the phone and told me it was going to cost $400 because the damage was rather extensive. He even said I could make payments at my convenience until the amount is paid in full for the restoration. I thought, "Ok...A lot higher than I thought it was gonna be but this is the only picture I have so it is worth to me". I decided to do bill pay and give him $100 to start off with. Totally trusting and believing this guy was going to make my photo like new. I typed in his business name and address and the first thing that pops up is yelp and his horrible reviews. So I called him. I said, "Mr. Mark...I'm a little concerned with your reviews as not one of them are positive. Typically some one...Some where is satisfied with your service. But no one is that I've found. That's a little alarming". His response was, "They all owe me money so they're being negative about me. I'm halfway done with your picture so you just pay me for the work I've already done and I'll send your picture back to you." (Wow..How defensive. Sounds like he's had a few of these conversations before). I told him no...I don't care about the cost just the photograph. I asked to please...Please don't mess me over. This is the only photo I have and since he has it in his possession please do not take advantage of me as now i am at his mercy. He said he'd do a good job and he was all nice again. He even invited me to see his status on the Better Business Bureau website. Ironically, his company does not exist on the bbb.org website. (Don't take my word for it...Look for yourself). I waited a couple weeks and sent an email to his staff. A woman named Joan responded. I asked could she simply take a picture of the finished product and send it to me in an email so I could see how good it came out. She said no. She said I had to pay for half of the bill and then she would send me a "proof". I said I didn't want a proof...Just a picture of it. Not wanting to accommodate me makes me think you have something to hide. She could've just laid it on a trash can lid and took a crooked picture of it and sent it to me...I just wanted to see of the work is good or not. It would be *** of me to pay anything before seeing the finished product. She said the website states that you have to pay half the bill up front to see any results of anything. And, of course, you don't get your original back either. Unless you pay in full. So here I am...My one and only picture gone forever and it is because of my stupidity. Obviously this whole company makes a living at taking advantage of unsuspecting people and their good nature. I definitely feel taken advantage of. But, as a Christian, I forgive them. I forgive them because I want to be forgiven. I pray blessings on them because they do not deserve it. Finally, I pray mercy on them for the things they've done to so many people out there that haven't left reviews on Yelp. Mark...Joan...God bless you both and thank you for the extremely valuable lesson. Broken hearted, John
Josedejesus
Chamberlain Restoration
I'm trying to contact as many review writers as I can. I've filed a complaint with the BBB but the process is taking a very long time. One other writer said he had tried to file with them and it did no good. I've been on a number of other websites where you can find reviews and he has a lot of horrible ones. He comes across as a very calm professional. He twists the truth and outright lies. He is very good at it. I'm thinking of taking this in a new direction, which I won't post here. All within legal grounds and just wanting to make that clear. I don't want it revealed to him just where I'm going with this. I thinking that I'll never see my photos again. I'm establishing a new email address just for the purpose of having contact with others who have a complaint with Mark Chamberlain. Please contact me at reviewschamberlain@***.com
Anonim
Doing Busines NOW as Photograph Restoration NOT Honest - Bait & Switch
Photograph Restoration, www.photographrestoration1.com is the SAME company as Chamberlain, www.chamberlainrestoration.com SAME WEBSITE JUST A DIFFERENT NAME. SCAM ARTIST!!! I've been mislead and scammed. PLEASE READ ALL REVIEWS and BEWARE. He quoted one price on the phone and then quoted something 5x the amount. He will not return my photos and has threatened to destroy if I do not pay. He should be closed down. Does anyone have any suggestions to get my stuff back and to another company that's honest?
Anonim
Chamberlain Photo Restoration Review from Hoschton, Georgia
I wish I'd researched. I am having a similar experience to the others mentioned. He is holding my photo hostage for payment of work I did not approve. Does anyone know if I have legal recourse to have my property returned?
Terry
Thief and weasel
This man is a fraud and a thief. He charges exorbitant fees, gives you a quote and when he gets your photos he then changes his fee and holds your pictures hostage if you don't pay it. He refuses to give me back my old photos of my deceased father. He has a good rating with the BBB but has horrible reviews on many review sites online. I wouldn't doubt he sends in his own good reviews to the BBB because they are the ONLY one who has a good review for him. Also, when I spoke with him on the phone, He directed me to them claiming that they are the only one who can be trusted. Has to make you wonder. He is a weasel. I wish there were some way to keep this *** from ripping off more people. How many others have not gotten treasured family photos back from him. Make sure you check all other review sites. You'll see many, many negative reviews.
Anonim
Chamberlain photo restore a scam
This is a scam sending product first before a quotation. Mark Chamberlain starts the work than sets the price to his inflated prices. I could Have had this routine work done locally and then this *** charged 3x the cost for shipping. That's why they send you a fed x shipping slip. Top to bottom this was a scam. He verbally estimated one figure and claimed a Bulk order would reduce the order. He charged me 50% more than the verbal quote than started the work to lock in the inflated price! I'm really Pissed at this intentional scam and lack of forthright business practice. The Better Business Bureau will hear from me.
Anonim
Overpriced underquoted
This *** told me initially I'd get a discount on a bulk order of 45 reels and said about $ 10.99 Turned out after I sent the product and the work was started and completed $15.99. He wouldn't budge. A real *** on a job I could have done locally or bought the identical equipment and Do a lot less. Local prices were much less in retrospect. This operation is a suckers bullseye who claims his technical expertise is limited. Costco does the very same thing and this guy Mark claims he's god's gift to this simple procedure. Don't get Suckered in to his long winded nonsense. Buyer beware. Mark Sucks!
Erdine
Many thanks Sept 22, 2015
September 22, 2015Chamberlain RestorationWe had a family reunion on June 13, 2015 in Dayton Ohio. I myself am an Imaging expert (for 35 years) for the oil and gas industry in Houston, Texas, where I generate 3D seismic images of the subsurface for exploration teams. A bit more, one of my favorite hobbies is photography where I started at the age of 12 in 1968 and I also collect old photographs. At the reunion one family member brought in a very old 16x20 print. It was in the worst of conditions of all the old family photos and I was immediately drawn to it. It was horribly faded, yellow, cracked and half the picture was faded beyond what I just described. The Photo was a family portrait and we could not even see the faces on several people. Over the years someone had taken a black marker and marked numerous spots and large linear creases. This must have been done when the photo was still back and white. The photo now is various shades of yellow to brown. Someone had also taken a fine tip pen and drew in eyes for a set of twins which was barely visible. The photo was pasted on thin cardboard and is very fragile. Because it was a one of a kind photo, I knew it was valuable to the family so I asked if I could take and have it restored. I knew this was not going to be cheap but since it is a family photo, one of a kind I was determined to give a professional restorer a shot at this. I searched the internet and found Chamberlain, Since Mark writes in his website, that he has done restorations for Museums and Historical Societies, I decided to try. Mark supplies the customer with a Federal Express label. He mentions Federal Express over 10 times on his website and I can understand why. Federal Express will package your photo, and this almost 100% guarantees it is protected properly, they know its fragile and will ship it accordingly. I have shipped items using other companies and framed Photos would arrived smashed and damaged even if you write fragile all over it in big red letters. Federal Express is the choice for a company who truly values each item shipped. I believe Mark handles each item as if it were for a museum. Yes I can ship most things cheaper, using other companies, but I personally would not since the photograph was valuable to me. I needed to get the Photo from point "A" to Point "B" in perfect condition. Mark’s suggestion worked. Marks Comments on the Photograph. Mark called me to give me the estimate. It was higher than I thought, but this is the first restoration I have done. I wanted it restored and it was in poor condition with a multitude of issues. He mentioned that there was live mold growing on the photo, something I missed and all the problems I knew about. To me, the task was impossible, but I went ahead and gave him the ok. Behind my breath I said to myself "gooooood luck". I felt it was in the best hands since he does Museum Quality work, he uses Archival Quality Paper that will last over 100 years. And he writes "We will never hurt or damage any of your photos, documents, movie film, videos that you send us and you will receive all your originals back at the end of the project." This was important to me. The only way he could not hurt or damage any submitted photo is he and his assistants must (my opinion) use a white glove treatment, they must have an organized and clear work space to address the issues, and must have a place to store my photo in its fragile condition. He must have rules and policies in place, nothing is haphazard, every submitted photo is a one of a kind item. I think this because the 16x20 was returned in perfect condition, no small edge piece was broken off. To do this, to have this, you really need to be a high end professional. There is no way I can have this done, this way, on my 16x20, with such care for 39.99$ as advertised on other web sites. I feel if anyone submits even a recent faded photo from the 1970’s to Mark he handles it in the same exact care as a Civil War photo of Abraham Lincoln. My opinion:Since each photo has its own method of exposure, its own paper its printed on, its own history of being in the sun, folded, creased, damaged, etc and even written on, there is no way to publish a cost chart on restoration. A 16x20 can be easier to restore than a 2x3- everything depends. Every Photo requires something different if you completely restore something to perfection. I believe Mark needs to evaluate the photo, and recognize all the problems and estimate the time required to do the work. Its not something you do in a few minutes. As for the restoration work on my photo, every uneven shade due to mold growth has to be corrected individually and perfectly. Mold does not grow in a straight line. There were many black markers marks that needed to be fixed. A huge 16 inch complex crease marked in black that needed to be fixed. There was an exposure problem that needed to be addressed. And when looking at the photo I realize there is a lot a painstaking manual pixel by pixel spot corrections that needed to be done. I don’t know exactly how he did it, but I assume there was a lot of time consuming manual work involved under magnification. The Software I use in my professional work, used to generate enhanced 3D seismic images of the subsurface runs about 140,000$ per seat. Its available to any company and is distributed worldwide. But there are only a small handful of experts who truly know how to use it. I get the feeling that, other companies may have the same restoration software as Chamberlain, and their low costs can be attributed a much lower amount of care and time performed and lower level skill of the operator. I would say Mark is an expert in his field by the amount of detailed fixes that were made on my photo. My reaction:When I opened the package, my reaction was OMG!! OMG!!OMG!! NO WAY!!!!!. Not a single defect was seen, the image came out, it was totally amazing. It had to be full of custom minute manual editing. That’s the only way. We could identify several family members using other photographs. It’s now a true family treasure that could of easily been thrown away. Many thanks Gerald.
Anonim
Estimate on Sunday pm - on Monday am $400.00 owed without a contract or written estimate.
On Sunday, 8-16-2015 10:15 (MST) Mr. Mark Chamberlain called with an extensive quote for a 16x20 photo of $497.00 plus a price for the print or a price of $149.00 for canvas and I pay shipping. I learned about him thru COSTCO and I thought I might get a discount - he said no. I have to pay for return shipping and have already paid for the shipping to his company for the estimate. I said I thought I would like to have the print restored and placed on a canvas but was not sure and needed to make sure I could get the $750.00 (Close to $800.00 with my shipping to and from costs) On Monday, 8-17-2015 08:40 (MST) I called Mr. Chamberlain to make sure I would be receiving a detailed estimate including his explanation of the archival process necessary to restore the photo. This is when I discovered he "had already started the process and had at least 9 hours into the photo and if I don't proceed, I will owe him approx. one-half the amount quoted".
Anonim
A real rip off he is not honest and dont care about people
I sent him a picture that is really old to be restored of my dad when he was in a movie with John Wayne in 1950 . He told me send it and he would give my a price to do it and after a long wait i called him and the price tripled . At that point i asked for the picture back and he told me it's my picture now that i restored it you will have to pay for it . Then his puppet started calling and wanting the money and she said on the phone and in a E-Mail that they need the money before they could restore it it hasnt been done yet so i asked for it back again and was told NO. It was a signed picture of John Wayne , Forrest Tucker , John Agar , Wally Castle and very valuable so thats why they wont give it back now they are telling me it has been destroyed . Any idea's how i can get it back i know it hasnt been destroyed they are liar's nobody in there right mind would destroy history like that . I know he kept it to make a huge proffit . jarens55@***.com
Anonim
You're Better Off At Costco
I had old family photos restored by Chamberlain Restoration. Wasn't impressed with the results and was surprised at how much I was charged. In addition to the restoration fee, there was a scanning fee and I was charged for each photo printed by Chamberlain. As a result I took the rest of my family photos to Costco to have them restored. Costco did a better job. Costco charged me less than $25 to restore the photo and gave me a free 5 x 7 of each photo they restore. Chamberlain charged me TEN TIMES MORE. You're better off going to Costco and having them restore your photos.
Anonim
Use Someone Else
Based on what I saw on his website, I hired Mr. Chamberlain to restore several family photos. He did a good job on the black and white photos, but the work on the color photos was unacceptable. He charged me $186. to reproduce a color photo. The reproduction was blurry and looked like a series of dots on photo paper. Definitely not something you would frame and put up in your house. I sent Mr. Chamberlain an e-mail asking for a refund. He called and told me that the photo was out of focus when it was taken and that there were other problems with the original photo. Didn't he think this should have been shared with me before he took my money???? He admitted that the people who hire him expect him to restore the photos to like-new. If he knew he could not perform as expected he should have told me from the onset. Obviously, he wanted my money and was willing to sell his integrity for $186. The guy isn't honest and is not going to deliver what he promises. I'm going to sue him to get my money back. Unless you want to deal with the same headache, go somewhere else.
Anonim
Customer Satisfaction greatly lacking
Initially Mr. Chambertain was calling me every day. Then it became an email battle with his photo assistants. Once he gave me a quote, I told him that was not afforable. He dropped the price for a less extensive repair and we proceeded . He required payment without seeing the end results even as draft. He did send a draft of 1 of the photos repaired but would not agree to sending the others without at least partial payment. He insisted on his money upfront, which stupidly I sent. The outcome for 2 of the photo was good. The 3rd was far from satisfactory - grainy and not 8x10 as requested. Unfortunatly no longer in business The level of communication was also unacceptable - most of the emails felt like auto replies. I will never and advise others if requested to use Chamberlain service. I have used another vendor in the past who was much less expensive, provided draft of work before payment and end results was much better quality.
Scotlyn
Chamberlain Restoration Scam
Mark Chamberlain Restoration is a total scam. He overcharges for his services and when you don't agree with corrupt way of doing business, he holds you property hostage until you pay him what is asking. Do yourself a huge favor and stay away from this lying cheating scam artist. Once you send him your property he now sends you an invoice and his way of getting paid. If you don't agree, instead of sending you back your property, he holds it hostage and won't return it until you pay him what he asks. He also holds an A+ rating with the BBB, this is how he gets more business, people tend to believe that the BBB protects the consumer but in realty, the BBB is a bigger scam than Chamberlain Restoration. As long as the BBB get their money, they couldn't care less how corrupt the business. They just want their money. And without the BBB's A+ rating, Chamberlain restoration wouldn't get much business, so I'm sure he is paying them anything they want. Chamberlain should be shut down for running a corrupt business. Stay away from this Scam artist.