By Christopher Elliott
Where are the photos of Troy N’s granddaughter? JC Penney’s studio promised them four months ago, but there’s no sign of them. Are they lost forever?
Q: My family recently had pictures taken of our toddler granddaughter at a JC Penney studio. We paid for our photos, and an associate told us that they would be ready in two weeks.
That was four months ago. Since then, we have not received our photos or any information regarding our service.
I understand that the pandemic would cause some problems. But the lack of service we have received is unsatisfactory. We have attempted to call the store and JC Penney 800 numbers numerous times throughout the past four months without success.
Our JC Penney store has been opened up for a while now, and we still have not received the pictures. My wife and I have stopped inside the store several times and have found the studio still closed, and more importantly, no one in the JC Penney store can provide answers.
It is time to make things right. Undoubtedly, the pictures are probably sitting around at this property. Can you help us get our photos? — Troy N, Knoxville, Tenn.
A: I’m getting a little tired of people invoking the pandemic as an excuse for slow service — or no service.
You shouldn’t have to wait until your grandchild is grown up to get those photos. They’re important memories that JC Penney is keeping. The lengthy delay is unacceptable.
How long should it take to get your photos from JC Penney? According to its website, the typical wait time is two to three weeks. Some specialty products may take longer. By the time you contacted me, it had been more than four months.
I see you’ve gone through all the proper steps to resolving this problem. First, you contacted JC Penney at the local level. You also visited the store.
Maybe an appeal would do the trick? I supplied you with the names, numbers and email addresses of the <a href=”https://www.elliott.org/company-contacts/j-c-penney/”>JC Penney customer service executives</a>. They didn’t respond, unfortunately.
You had two options at this point. Call it a loss, ask for a full refund, and then visit another photographer with your granddaughter. Or you could wait.
But you really wanted your photos, and I don’t blame you. Some photos you can’t retake. So I contacted JC Penney on your behalf. Five months after your session, the company reprinted your photos and sent them to you.
Christopher Elliott is the chief advocacy officer for Elliott Advocacy. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help with any consumer problem by contacting him at http://www.elliott.org/help
© 2021 Christopher Elliott.
