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Author Topic: Technicolor print pick up issues? Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 07-14-2010 12:19 AM                        Grumpy drivers aside... UPS drivers are rated by how many deliveries they get done within the time allotted. In my area, it's as little as 5 minutes in and out, averaged over the shift. I've never heard of a delivery person being required or willing to go past an entranceway to get film. Our driver is willing to go up the back steps to our booth, but I prefer he not do that. The original plan was for them to attempt ONE pickup. If you didn't have the print ready, they'd leave the labels and YOU would have to call when the pickup was ready. That could result in a missed pickup charge. In our area, this hasn't been enforced, as they've tried to be a little more flexible. Overall, we haven't had any problems with UPS. I'd say you've got an "exceptional" driver. Perhaps a phone call or visit to the local depot might help, but I'd make a point of bringing the prints downstairs.  |  IP: Logged Robert D Hall Film Handler Posts: 65 From: Abingdon V.A USA Registered: Mar 2010 posted 07-14-2010 12:47 AM                        we do have the same trouble with ups.we keep all out going prints in our box office and its next to the front door. the same place he drops off. he is not rude and will take the prints if told to. but if no one is watching him he will just drop off and run.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 07-14-2010 03:57 AM                     quote: Michael Riley B. Neither I nor anyone I work with should have to risk injury lugging the cans and / or boxes around any further than necessary Gee, when I worked in a discount house with quite the cadry of film that would come in and out, guess who had to haul all of them up and down three flights of stairs since the yo-yo kiddie staff downstairs whined about the same factor above and the manager was one of them...? Not Hulk Hogan, to give a hint... ..and I'm 59 yrs old and have been lugging film up and down since I was 18 and never got hurt, disabled or have any back problems with all the film that I've hauled.. Now, I can finally get spoiled a bit: got a film dolly and an elevator to do the print hauling from downstairs to up, but still use a board to move prints from house to house in this 14 plex that I'm working in....so, I still have to lift and haul film...lol  |  IP: Logged Manny Montes Master Film Handler Posts: 270 From: United States Registered: Feb 2010 posted 07-14-2010 05:12 AM                     I wish we had an elevator, I usually end up getting a floor staff member to come up and help me haul out this weeks shipments, keep them in the box office (locked). Our UPS driver is great, he always asks "got those films ready for me?" and we always do. While sometimes I think it may be the driver is just a bad apple, every single time if we treat them well and have what they need ready to go (not fumbling to get it at the last minute and wasting their time) they are always kind in return.  |  IP: Logged John Hawkinson Film God Posts: 2273 From: Cambridge, MA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 07-14-2010 11:35 AM                     Oh, also: be nice. Give the guy a free popcorn and soda every once in a while. --jhawk  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-14-2010 12:17 PM                        quote: John Hawkinson Mike Blakesley says, "The driver is also not SUPPOSED to leave the label for next-day use." I don't think that's not strictly-speaking correct. I think we're both correct, actually. The driver CAN leave the label but if he does, it's probably going to result in a late pickup charge. TES was having trouble with people not having prints ready so they instituted the charge. I think we got a letter on it about a year ago.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 07-14-2010 01:13 PM                     ..they did on us this week by leaving the shipping labels since a Tech print didn't get broken down on Thurs...  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-14-2010 01:18 PM                        I am confused. I generally don't deal with print traffic issues, but I did have some prints delivered to and picked up from my office at my full-time job for a festival recently. The UPS guy who picked up the prints showed up with some labels, stuck them on the cans, and then took the prints (with the new labels). But people here are speaking of labels being delivered first and then a return trip being made to pick up the print. What would be the point of that, when one trip would do?  |  IP: Logged John Hawkinson Film God Posts: 2273 From: Cambridge, MA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 07-14-2010 01:20 PM                     There's some question as to whose job it actually is to stick the labels on (the customer or the UP driver). But in our case, our driver comes back because he doesn't have room in his truck in the morning, and it's easier for him to do pickups in the afternoon after he has emptied his truck. Because his route is a very dense urban area, that's easy for him. It may not generalize very well. --jhawk  |  IP: Logged Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 07-14-2010 01:24 PM                        quote: Scott Norwood But people here are speaking of labels being delivered first and then a return trip being made to pick up the print. What would be the point of that, when one trip would do? That's what they're supposed to do if they show up and the print is not ready for them. Rather than continue to show up, not knowing one way or the other, they're supposed to leave the label, and have you call when they can pick them up. I'm pretty sure Technicolor gets word of this, too... though it's more likely I'll get 3 or 4 daily faxes from them before the first actual pickup attempt.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-14-2010 01:33 PM                        jhawk--but why would he make two trips? Why not just show up once with the labels, attach the labels then, and take the prints? That would seem to be easier for all concerned. Same for prints that are not ready--why not just leave a sticker or something that says "call 1-800-555-2368 to arrange for print pickup," rather than labels that may be lost or stuck on the wrong prints? Does the prints-not-ready-for-pickup thing really happen that often? Assuming that the driver arrives at his scheduled time (usually the day after the end of the engagement), I don't see why it would be a problem. If the print is being picked up immediately after a screening, it seems that notice is always given to the theatre that the print needs to be ready by xx o'clock. Forgive me if some of these questions are naive. We can certainly argue some minor points (for example, two nearby theatres ought to be able to make their own pickup/delivery arrangments for prints going from one to another, in order to save shipping costs), but the basic system seems to work pretty well.  |  IP: Logged John Hawkinson Film God Posts: 2273 From: Cambridge, MA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 07-14-2010 04:04 PM                     Again, his truck is full when he arrives initially, and he would rather empty out his truck and make space rather than carry them around with him all day and have them get in the way. It's not like he's more than a few blocks away at the end of the day anyhow. He spends his whole day here at MIT... I don't see why the labels are likely to get lost or stuck on the wrong prints. They are pretty clearly labeled with the print they belong to. And leaving the labels means he doesn't have to wait for the labels to be applied (or apply them himself) when he returns later. I don't really know, but I think it's not rare that prints are not ready for pickup. --jhawk  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 07-14-2010 05:11 PM                        All of my outgoing prints are ready for pickup Friday am no matter what. The Deluxe courier usually comes Friday am and then UPS swings by around 5pm or so and picks up the things that are orange.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-14-2010 08:47 PM                        quote: for prints that are not ready--why not just leave a sticker or something that says "call 1-800-555-2368 to arrange for print pickup," The idea is that the prints are supposed to be ready for pickup on the appointed day. Back in the Airborne days, the return label was already attached to the print (under the shipping label), and the expected date of pickup was programmed into the depot's computers so there was an automatic charge if your driver showed up to get a print and it wasn't ready. With UPS and the labels, it became easy for people to say "leave the label, I'll have it for you tomorrow," so a lot of prints were getting back to the depot late. So UPS figured out a way to reinstate the late-pickup charge if the label doesn't go thru the system by the right date.  |  IP: Logged David E. Nedrow Master Film Handler Posts: 368 From: Columbus, OH, USA Registered: Oct 2008 posted 07-14-2010 10:18 PM                        Our DFS courier is really good, and he just comes between 2-4am to deliver/pickup. UPS is a bit of a problem for us, since we appear to be early on his route (eg. prior to 9am). Sorry folks, but I'm not even typically up by 10am, let alone 8am. So he usually ends up sticking the labels in our door. If he sees my truck around, he'll knock and give it a minute or two. He's reasonable, though I'd like to end up later on his route. Hi replacement driver(s), however, is/are a problem. They don't even stop at the theatre when they see the "Closed" sign in the door. They don't leave the pickup labels, nor do they leave "attempted delivery" notices when they're dropping stuff off. I even have printed signs displayed on all the doors with a giant "DELIVERIES" header. My phone and a brief request that they try drop offs next door, or call me, etc. In any case, our DFS courier is like a gentle wind that comes in the night, kicking up and taking some old cruft with him, and dropping new cruft in his wake. Completely hands off. Much more brute force with UPS. Fortunately, I live 2 minutes from a major sorting facility, so I can drop the TES prints off on my way in to the theatre.  |  IP: Logged

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