• Shutterfly

Shutterfly

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Overview

Shutterfly has a rating of 1.4 stars from 975 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers complaining about Shutterfly most frequently mention customer service, christmas cards, and photo book problems. Shutterfly ranks 143rd among Photo Printing sites.

  • Service
    284
  • Value
    264
  • Shipping
    271
  • Returns
    162
  • Quality
    236

This company does not typically respond to reviews

Positive reviews (last 12 months): 8.8%
Positive
7
Neutral
0
Negative
73
160
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How would you rate Shutterfly?
Top Positive Review

“Beautiful Books and Cards”

Wanda K.
2/15/24

I've created 27 projects over the past 15 years on Shutterfly. This includes 15 different photo books. Each and every time, I've always received excellent, professional customer service and beautiful books. I custom design all my books. There may have been a couple of times over the years that I needed Shutterfly to help with a mistake. However, they stand behind there products 100%. If you aren't an experienced design person then ask for help. Use high quality photos! Remember Shutterfly didn't take the pictures. The photo quality of books and cards depend on what you upload. Low quality photos will create poor quality projects; so don't blame Shutterfly for your photos. They will make what you approve. Start your project early enough to allow for help and receive book in ample time in case the book or cards need to be possibly replaced if it's the direct fault of Shutterfly.

Top Critical Review

“Poor performance”

Beth T.
8/23/24

I ordered three photo books. The order was processed, they gave me a delivery date and then only one book came in the mail. No explanation- I figured it was an error and called customer service. I was told that it would come in two shipments---Why? This makes no sense and was a huge inconvenience. Now I see all the complaints I understand this is not a one off. I will not use them again. Way too expensive for such poor service!

Reviews (975)

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Reviews that mention popular keywords

christmas cards (114) photo book (92) delivery date (44) customer service (366) photo books (92)
Thumbnail of user vanessak64
Colorado
1 review
2 helpful votes
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December 16th, 2019

Shutterfly lost my order of Christmas cards. Then made me pay and extra $20 to get them delivered 3 weeks late.

I've been a customer of theirs for 18 years, but this is ridiculous.

For how much money they are making this time of year, to have me pay $20 to fix their mistake. AND my Christmas cards are going to be late.

Super unhappy. I spent 3 hours on the phone with customer service and this was the best they could do.

I'll be taking my business elsewhere.

Thumbnail of user ssiciliano73
New York
1 review
0 helpful votes
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December 20th, 2023

I ordered my Christmas cards on Dec 6 and paid $25 for shipping and it is now Dec 20th and they are still not here! Unbelievable and unacceptable! Their chat only customer service will only offer me a 25% refund. No cards for Christmas, but too bad for me I guess. I will never use them again

Products used:
None, photo family Christmas cards are still not delivered.

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Thumbnail of user loril76
Wyoming
1 review
1 helpful vote
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September 23rd, 2017

Their coupons mean NOTHING! You end up paying full price and shipping is as much as your purchase. They won't honor their free shipping promo code as they say it's expired. I wish I had the option of zero stars. This site is a total scam! Buyer Beware!

Thumbnail of user marianea8
Massachusetts
1 review
0 helpful votes
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December 24th, 2022

I have been ordering my christmas cards with them for years now and its never been this bad. It kept saying it was going arrive that day everyday for a week. It is now christmas eve and my christmas cards have still not arrived after i purchased expedited shipping. They ignore my emails and don't answer the phone. Do not waste your time and money as i certainly wont any more. Will start buying on vistaprint from now on!

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Thumbnail of user sc303
Florida
1 review
1 helpful vote
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November 19th, 2019

I ordered two small luggage tags. They were discounted and cost a total of $9.98. They charged $9 to ship them, along with other egregious, high charges for other items. I called to cancel my order. Buyer beware - they make a profit on the shipping and it's absurd.

Thumbnail of user barbaram840
Arizona
1 review
12 helpful votes
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December 30th, 2019

We are using a groupon for five books & have been working on them for days! The website is NOT user friendly and as of right now, we keep getting a 500 error saying they are down. Have to finish these by January 1st and we can't even find all five books we had done! We will never use this company again! So disappointing and aggravating!
I'm guessing by all of the other reviews, we won't get our books for weeks once/if we can get them done on this horrible site!

Thumbnail of user bethanyg25
Arizona
4 reviews
16 helpful votes
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October 31st, 2019

I order magnets, calendars, and photo books from here regularly. Yes, high shipping is charged on "Free Items" most of the time. The trick is to never be in a hurry to get your items and wait for the really good sales and promos. Everything I have received is excellent quality.

Thumbnail of user momv
Alabama
1 review
2 helpful votes
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October 15th, 2016

I liked the way I could edit an entire album at one time. For example saturate all photos in an album with one click. I do not see that option anymore. Instead it must be done one at a time... exhausting! Why did the site change? Also I miss the option to make a video set to music. That program had a few glitches but when it finally worked, I loved the final product. In the past I always promoted Shutterfly, but now I'm considering trying something new.

Thumbnail of user jenb57
Pennsylvania
1 review
7 helpful votes
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August 21st, 2016

What has happened to this company?

I used Shutterfly for years, but something has happened within the company and the site. Many changes have been made that either do not work, are not intuitive, or are not properly explained. Who has been authorizing all these changes? Does anyone care?

If you call for help, you will NOT receive any. That is IF you can find time to call when their call center is open, which if you work outside the home - is almost impossible. Last time I called, I was put on hold so long I finally just hung up the phone.

I recently had trouble simply dragging photos to a project, something I had done hundreds of times. I could not even figure out the tutorial video. What?

To say that I am disappointed is an understatement. This used to be such a fun, relaxing, enjoyable experience - NOT SO ANYMORE.

Any suggestions?

Thumbnail of user robertp241
New York
1 review
1 helpful vote
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December 30th, 2016

I ordered four copies of a calendar equipped with lovely photos from our family's beach vacation as Christmas presents. So Shutterfly sends me a 2017 calendar with all the dates occurring on the wrong days of the week. Pack it up, Shutterfly. Try a different line of business. My pet cat could do better.

Thumbnail of user annaf67
California
1 review
0 helpful votes
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October 13th, 2017

I paid $10 for $20 credit in Shutterfly. However, it cannot be applied towards shipping costs. Why not?... It's money you paid!... and the deals on their website are better than the Groupon!... so basically, if you buy the Groupon, you end up paying more than just using their own deals. Makes no sense!

Thumbnail of user susant96
Wisconsin
1 review
5 helpful votes
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August 10th, 2016

It took me 4 months to navigate the site and create the type of book I wanted. Still, after all that, I decided to try and upgrade the size just before ordering. Alas, I could not without having to go back in once again and re-do several sections of the book. So, I just ordered the size I had. Way too much work for the result. Would rather get prints and make a physical book myself. I will do that next time.

Thumbnail of user marias2043
Maryland
2 reviews
4 helpful votes
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February 4th, 2022

This is the customer service I did not expect. My package got lost by my mistake, I called back wondering what they could do and guess what: they reprinted the $225 order! I am with them since 2017 and this is the first time, but this is so nice of them! I highly recommend Shutterfly!

I previously ordered photobooks and wall pictures on metal -- all wonderful quality! It is the best present to yourself and your family!

Thank you Shutterfly!

Products used:
Photobook

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Thumbnail of user margerym24
Rhode Island
1 review
2 helpful votes
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December 18th, 2022
Verified purchase

Awful, just awful!, I would give ZERO stars if allowed! I ordered Christmas cards and received photo prints of the cards I designed. AND they arrived a week late!
This is the absolute worst photo service ever! I have had other issues in the past and this is the very last! There are other, better options out there and I will NOT be back!
Once I reclaim and delete all my pictures I plan to cancel my account!
Goodbye.

Products used:
None

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Value
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Thumbnail of user rg158
New York
6 reviews
10 helpful votes
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July 3rd, 2019

Created my engagement party album on there website. Was extremely user friendly and a pleasure to work on. Album arrived with great quality. When I called customer service, they were really friendly and helpful. I will be using them again.

Thumbnail of user joeb1560
Massachusetts
1 review
2 helpful votes
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October 6th, 2020

"We (wife) ordered prints, they came with mistakes. I (husband) called back on behalf of my wife. I explained that they can just correct and send the order back to the same address. I verified with the address, email, cc # that I was authorized. They would not correct because my wife ordered and I am not her! My wife works extremely long days in the dental field wearing as spacesuit (PAP). Now she has to take time and call these folks, they, who are all about SHUTTERFLY not the customer As usual... these companies are okay with the customer being their quality control department! Find another provider!"

Thumbnail of user tamaral282
France
2 reviews
0 helpful votes
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October 17th, 2023

My purchase was for a birthday- framed portrait. The end result was an embarrassment: The head as cut off, the centering of the photo changed, overall very poor - costing 160USD! I should have read the reviews before buying!

Tip for consumers:
My advice: do not use this provider!

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Thumbnail of user charlesy12
Arkansas
2 reviews
8 helpful votes
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June 7th, 2016

Recently Shutterfly did an upgrade of their services and when they did they forgot to transfer all the captions on hundreds of photos taken over the past ten years. Now, I have no way to retrieve information about when and where particular photos were taken and individuals listed. I spent hundreds of hours inputting information on nearly each photo take while on a trip or vacation. All that is now lost. When I asked for help from customer service, the person trying to help me did not have a clue of what I was talking about and then said "well they didn't transfer to the new system!" I am done with Shutterfly and will look for other, better operated and user friendly service. I suggest you do the same.

Thumbnail of user brenab1
Ohio
1 review
21 helpful votes
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January 5th, 2020

I've been a customer of Shutterfly for years. I think it takes a while to understand their formatting for books etc, but every book I have ever made has been great. I have had a few issues with orders not looking exactly right and they have been willing to reprint or refund. I know they get really busy at Christmas time, this year I didn't get my cards made until December 6th, but they still arrived in time to mail out before Christmas. I've been very happy with Shutterfly for years.

Thumbnail of user miriams150
Virginia
1 review
0 helpful votes
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January 22nd, 2022

Unethical, rude staff, and still no product delivery! I'm just trying to find out where my package went and they can't even tell me that. This is the second time I've ordered it, and the second time Its "gotten lost". It's a waste of money AND time. Everyone else has been able to adapt to the pandemic EXCEPT them. They are slow and their quality isn't even that great.

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Thumbnail of user kristens709
Florida
1 review
0 helpful votes
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December 11th, 2022

No idea what Shutterfly has changed in their software, but I have ordered by Christmas cards from here for more than 5 years and this year my photos won't stay saved, my projects don't save, and it's been impossible to actually create what I want and place an order in an acceptable amount of time. Horrible experience this year. I'm going to have to look elsewhere for my cards.

Products used:
None this year

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Thumbnail of user laurad2331
Missouri
1 review
0 helpful votes
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December 12th, 2023

I would give them less stars but can't... I spent over 3 hours downloading photos, editing them, then at end they add a photo book for $16 and some change... Spent even more time doing the book... only to find out that the book now is $23.+ and the shipping costs are almost more than all the photos together. I was under the assumption I could pick up at walgreens or cvs... Oh NO, that is only for shinny photos... after spending over $100. On christmas cards and no consideration... I WILL NEVER USE SHUTTERFLY AGAIN...

Products used:
cvs

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Value
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Thumbnail of user geoffreye2
Illinois
1 review
2 helpful votes
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December 4th, 2013

While they charm you with great offers, the service is awful and quality even worse. The "customer service" team has been expertly trained to avoid the truth and to lie to customers (I was told by one representative that my missing package was picked up by UPS, delivered to FedEx, and then given to the Post Office, so there was no way for Shutterfly to track it!). Spend your hard earned money with a company that cares. Shutterfly is NOT a good company if you want good quality products and honest customer service.

Thumbnail of user beverlyk133
Washington
1 review
1 helpful vote
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February 28th, 2023

I wanted duplicates of pictures of my precious pets that are no longer with me. The first order came back to me with their ears, necks and legs cut off the pictures. I got in touch with customer service to see what went wrong. They assured me they would fix it and send another set. I got the EXACT same incorrect cropped pictures and when I was on the chat asking if they normally cropped pictures, the agent ended the chat. It was my second try. I would not recommend using them for anything at all.

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Thumbnail of user marr6
California
7 reviews
20 helpful votes
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December 17th, 2019

After paying 15 dollars shipping to get my Christmas cards delivered in a week, my cards where shipped using a cheap USPS service and never arrived. I had to call customer service 5 times already and I still haven't got a refund.
I recommend that you use another company. I will not be ordering from Shutterfly again. Terrible service.

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From the business

Create photo books, personalize photo cards & stationery, and share photos with family and friends at Shutterfly.com.

Company Representative

Thumbnail of user levih42
Levi H.
Typically does not respond to reviews

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