Make sure you REQUEST SAMPLES!!!

I know you’re in a hurry, and don’t want to take the time to do it, but you may be really glad you did.  I sure wish I would have. . . .

I love a bargain as much as the next person, but I really hate it when something I thought was a bargain turns out to be a waste of my money.

I was browsing online one day and I saw that a website had FREE business cards — all we had to pay was shipping!  I really, really wanted us to have business cards, so we spent a couple of days working on a design, uploaded it, and ordered the cards.  I even paid a couple of dollars to upgrade to the Premium cards, because I wanted them to be nice ones.  I was so excited I could barely stand it!  

Finally they came.  I still remember how happy I was to see that box in the mailbox.  And I still remember the sick feeling in my stomach after I opened the box.

The cards were nothing like I’d envisioned them: the picture was blurry and discolored, the paper felt cheap, and worst of all, the cards were NOT full-sized business cards!  (And these were “PREMIUM”!!)

Turns out that the business cards are 3.43″ x 1.93″  – which may not sound a whole lot smaller than the standard size of 3.5 inches x 2 inches , but believe me: it makes a big difference.  (I know Moo makes some really cute mini-cards, but these were NOT like that: they were close enough to full-sized that they felt like they ought to be, but weren’t, if you know what I mean. . . .)

I’ve purchased other items from the same company and been pleased — but I will never order business cards from them again.  To their credit, when I called and let them know how dissatisfied I was, they refunded the couple of dollars I’d paid for the “premium” upgrade, but I was still out the $12 I’d paid for shipping.

My stomach did another flip-flop as I dumped the box of cards into the trash.  I HATE throwing things away, especially if they could potentially be useful: I could have used the backs of the cards as scrap paper, but I resisted the urge because I couldn’t take the chance that somebody would see one of these cards and judge us by it.

I ordered cards from another website and have been very pleased with them.  This time, I requested samples first, which I received in about three days.  We looked through the samples, found one we both like the look and feel of, and were able to tell the company exactly what kind of paper and coating we wanted.  (14 pt. w/ aqueous coating, if you want to know.)  I uploaded the same photo I’d used for the other card, and then waited for the cards to arrive.  

This time there were no unpleasant surprises: the photo was sharp and clear, and the paper has a nice weight and gloss to it.  We are VERY happy with these cards, and will order more of the same when we run out.

So, again, the lesson I learned was:

1) Request samples!!!

If I’d done this, I never would have ordered the first cards.

and

2) If you can’t get samples, pay close attention to details: size of finished card, weight of paper, and is it coated (and if so, what kind of coating)?  

If I’d asked these questions, I wouldn’t have ordered.  (Okay, so maybe I would have, because I didn’t realize what a big difference those details can make, but I sure know better now, and will always make sure I know the details before placing an order in future.)