What happens with film lost during shipping to and from the lab?

If you send a roll of film to a lab and they never receive it or when they send it back to you and you never receive it. What do you do? What do the lab do for you?

Here in the UK at least, the forms for sending (or just handing) a film to the lab usually have a line that you acknowledge that if your film is lost or damaged by the lab, they will send you a new unexposed roll of film, and the value of your film is no more than that.

However, if you believe the lab never received your film, or you believe they posted it back to you and it was lost in the post, the issue is with the postal service, not the lab. I expect film is treated just the same as anything else in the post. I'd be surprised if you get anything more than 'Sorry, but that happens', unless you paid for insured carriage.

 

For example, the last lab I sent any film to is Peak Imaging. Their term of business includes this:

I tried looking up the terms of business of Royal Mail. They're harder to make sense of, but there is a 'Compensation matrix' in an appendix, which sets out what they will reimburse for loss or damage on each service. Common first- or second-class mail (not insured, not signed-for on delivery, not tracked) doesn't appear, so I think you get nothing but an apology. Compensations for other services all have the format 'The LOWER of * The market value of the Item (not including the market value of any message or information it carries); or *£100 ' . The money amount varies from service to another; but for a roll of film, I think they would argue any images on the film are 'the information', so you'd get the price of a new roll of film.

I managed a 1 hour photo lab back in the early 80's and I am familiar with what we do in case we lost of damaged the film. We had the same policy to protect our business and personally that the very least I can do for the customer in such a case. I am thinking of offering processing via mail and I don't know what to do if the film is lost or damaged in transit.

I am thinking of offering processing via mail and I don't know what to do if the film is lost or damaged in transit.

Terms and conditions disclaimer - "Lost or damaged = replacement of film" also offer outgoing choices of paid for premium delivery methods, including insured. Incoming is responsibility of the customer and delivery agent - damaged on arrival, contact customer advise of situation and ask if they still want processing. In past years, I used many, many mailers without an issue. More recently have mailed quite a few rolls to a processor, only issue was that one set was "temporarily" lost, delivered intact a week or so later than normal. If you never receive it, you can't be responsible. Can't imagine you would have delivery issues, though I'm unfamiliar with the Royal Mail. Best of luck with the endeavour as you move forward!

I don't think you can safely offer upfront to accept liability for losses by the carrier. Of course, there's nothing to stop you going beyond whatever terms you publish, in the case of a customer you have come to trust.

I guess you have already done this, but if not, you should read the terms of some labs already running (and copy them ;)). I found this one interesting, from Ag Photographic in Birmingham, UK:

Ag PHOTO LAB Terms and Conditions

It's clear they have learned from some bad experiences with students!

US mail has insurance, which is optional on some mail classes, but I believe is include with a minimum value on others.

 

I suspect royal mail also has an insurance system.

 

But if people send in priceless (so they say) photos, what do you insure for?

 

The margins are small enough, that it will be hard to insure for much, though.