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Previous: Unicef plea | Main | Next: Tropical stop sign
October 1, 2005 12:03 AM
Broken: Kinkos.com form
Paul Schreiber writes:
Most of the fields don't have asterisks, but when you submit, it claims they are required. Argh!
You have NO IDEA how broken this form is. I use it all the time and the really broken part is that no one at Kinko's ever pays attention to it. After submitting this form, you have to call the store (after waiting 30 minutes) to tell them you have submitted something, and then wait while they check their computers. Which doesn't matter much because they never read the instructions you submit (in the special instruction field), anyway. At least 4 out of 5 times, they have to re-do or modify my order to fix something that was on this form ALL ALONG. I keep waiting and hoping that FedEx will improve Kinko's (since their merger), but so far, no dice...
Office Max's "Copy Max" is the same way with the submit order by 'email', you have to call them also. Although it doesn't say to call them, when you go to pick up your order, they don't have it and you get the "Wow, you should've called." Ya, you're right, I should've called someone else.
I'd like to see somebody say "This isn't broken! It clearly states it's not optional in the pic LOL!!!".
What's also broken here is that it needs the state, city, and the zip code.
The zip code will give them your state and city. (In fact it's slightly more accurate than the city because zip codes don't usually cover entire cities.)
I've seen this on countless other online forms that I've had to fill out.
On the other hand, asdf, my zip code covers several towns and villages, so if you really want the town you'd have to ask that seperately in a few cases like mine.
maybe it's saying contact zip code is required because it checked and noticed that 10024 is not a california zip code, it's actually 1 of New york City, New york's Zip codes.. and address shouldn't be required for a pay at store order, only a contact phone number so they can call if they have questions or you don't show up
How about using a real local printer instead of a big corporation with poor customer service?
You get what you pay for. Perfect example of the unattainable triad: price, service and quality.
You can get two of the above, but very rarely all three. Looks like Kinko's is offering price only... I'd rather pay more and deal directly with competent professionals and craftspeople on a local level.
Good idea Jackson.
But most people don't know any "local crafts people" in that line of work.
Oh well. Not a bad idea. :)
Kevin,
If you look carefully, you will see that it was just the programmer taking a shortcut. It says "One or more of these errors have occured".
Therefore I conclude that the programmer didn't want to take the time to write the code to figure out which error it is.
This sort of thing is so common that I wouldn't even bother reporting it as broken any more: I run across something like this at least three times a week. Almost as bad are the forms that give no indication of which fields are optional (even if they are wrong about it); for example, if you try to post a comment to an entry on this blog with only Name and URL (no email address), you get kicked to an error screen even though there is no indication that email address is required. Lazy developers, lazier testers.
Comments on this entry are closed
Previous: Unicef plea | Main | Next: Tropical stop sign
theres no reason to make any of those things optional, they just shouldnt have *s at all.
Posted by: gmangw at October 1, 2005 12:28 AM