"I placed two orders for a muslin backdrops on May 3, 2012 and May 27, 2012. I have sent about 17 emails to Backdrop Outlet about these orders. I have only received a long list of excuses /lies. from their customer service people. It is now October 21, 2012 - 5 months latter and I have not received either muslin. I believe that they have no intention of ever shipping these muslin backdrops nor making a refund. I would advise people to never do business with this sorry excuse for a company. As others have reported, Backdrop Outlet is eager to take your money but do not want to send you the product. "

"I started using them when I started my Photography Business back in 2008 after my previous profession was over after the economy tanked. I was looking for a good supplier for Backdrops and Props who was also affordable. They are way more than affordable there prices are KILLER my biggest problem is that I am tempted numerous times a week to buy more with there weekly sales.

I have never had a major problem in my 4 year history with them and the one time my Diamond Cloth pocket ripped open because a client tripped over it I called in and spoke with Jon and he replaced it for me with out a problem even though it was 11 months old. I found out that all there products have a 1 year product warranty.

Regardless of that I am extremely happy with all of my orders from them and as long as business stays strong, I will stay a loyal customer because without them when I was starting out with there low prices and selection I am not sure what I would have done.

Thanks for everything Backdrop Outlet."

"I placed my first order with backdrop outlet last month for my upcoming back to school sessions. I ended up order the fantasy cloth because it was in my budget and I only needed these type of backdrops for one shoot.

I placed my order on a Thursday night and chose standard shipping. I ended up receiving my order on the following Monday which was very surprising because of fast it was. I used my 2 fantasy cloth and all though cheap ended up doing the job needed I am going to some other backdrops for the upcoming holiday season. Overall good experience.

Also in my order was a coupon for $20 off my next purchase of $100 or more! I will for sure put that to good use."

"I placed my first order through Backdrop Outlet a few weeks ago and am pleased with the experience. There is a great selection of items at a very reasonable price. While there was originally an issue with shipping (international order) I was contacted by Backdrop Outlet and everything was sorted out and shipped.

Overall I am very pleased with the service from this merchant, while there was a small problem, they stepped up and corrected the issue immediately. I will definitely be doing business with them again."

"When I started using BDO they were awesome. Now they do good to ship your order within 3-6 months. I ordered 3 backdrops about a month ago. The shipping has been slow with BDO lately so I was surprised to see the backdrops show up within a week. But there was a problem.... I got two in the mail. Looked up my account to see when I would get the 3rd...it's showing it was shipped with the 2 I got. I called and talked to a man 2 1/2 weeks ago. Was told the order shipped seperate and I would recieve a tracking number in my inbox by the end of the day. Heard NOTHING. Called again today and talked to a woman who promised to call me back with a tracking number by the end of the day. Still nothing. I'm worried I'm not going to get this backdrop and they don't seem to want to refund my money. I ordered a hat in the spring and after 4 months I called for a refund. Was told they couldn't refund me because it had "just shipped out". When I got the hat it was postmarked several days after I was told it was shipped. I believe they had just ignored my order and if I hadn't called I would have never got the hat. I have one more gift certificate for this company and after it's redeemed I will not be wasting my time with BDO. I will pay a few dollars more to ensure I receive my merch. I've ordered a LOT from them, but I'm over the poor customer service. If I treated my clients this way I would be out of business...

Update 8/24/2012: A few days ago I got an email from Eric at BDO offering me an apology and a free backdrop for my troubles. I emailed him back today. I asked him about the backdrop I'm missing. He says he will send me the free backdrop and the one I'm missing together. I will update again when they arrive.

Update 9/18/2012: My other backdrop and my free one finally arrived last week. I'm very pleased with both of them and can't wait to put them to use.

Update 10/18/2012: When I spoke with Eric via email a few weeks ago he asked me to change the star rating on this review. He said if I would do that when the drops arrived he would send me a $25 gift certificate. I felt kind of bad doing that because they honestly don't deserve a good rating due to the fact that so many clients seem to be having problems getting their orders, but $25 is $25, right? Well, I never got that gift certificate, so I decided to change the star rating back to what it should be. I hope that instead of trying to buy people's loyalty BDO will start just giving the client what they say they will. That's all we want...."

"I found this company at a local trade show up in Pasadena they lots of products my new studio needed and the people in there booth seemed very nice and eager to answer alot of my newbie questions. As I looked through there catalog in the booth .

I found 2 styles that I very much liked and being new I wanted to order them as Candy Stick because that was the cheapest option. Luckily the rep in the booth let me know that it might not be the option for my needs because I need something durable enough to use outside. Numerous times he said I am not trying to upsell you but for $20 your getting a two much better products. I ended up buying a Platinum Cloth and a Candy Floor. 

I ordered them and they came in so fast! I placed this order at the show on Friday and ended up getting it on Tuesday!! I was shocked that it was so quick. I think it was because I am local and in a one day shipping zone. 

As for the products I must say thank you so much to the gentleman who helped me because these products are great. The floor is so durable and doesn't slip or slide at all. The Platinum Cloth is also really great, it's pretty much wrinkle free and the design is nice too I got a damask wall that matches the floor perfect.

Thank you Backdrop Outlet for these great products and I hope to order more soon. I feel like a kid in a candy shop when I am on your site now.

"

"I have used BackDrop Outlet before a few years ago and had no problem. I had actually recommended their site to another photographer friend of mine. I hadn't used BackDrop Outlet for awhile, but recommending them then sparked my interest to check their site again. I found some things I liked and I placed an order for several small items on July 7th that were listed "In Stock", just a flash drive and some bumper stickers. I spoke with my friend the same day and told him I was interested in purchasing some vinyl and what he thought about it. (He had purchased vinyl from BackDrop Outlet) He proceeded to tell me a horrible story about how it took almost 3 months for him to receive his order. I decided to hold off on ordering the vinyl and just wait to see if my small order would arrive in a timely matter. Today is July 31st, which is 3 weeks from my order date, and I have still not received my items. I have called BackDrop Outlet 3 times, and each time I have been told the same thing "The item is on backorder, but we are receiving one of our largest shipments in a few days. So please don't hesitate to call back then" When I call back I am told that the shipment has been postponed and won't be arriving for an additional "few days". Luckily the items I ordered aren't hindering me since they are just novelties, but it is a bit annoying. Plus it is discouraging me from ordering larger items in the future.

*Edit*
I received an email from Erik of Backdrop Outlet on August 2nd. He informed me that he would look into my order and get it shipped right away. I have now received my order today August 7th, 2012. "

"Just received my first purchase from Backdrop and am very happy with it. We ordered 2 backdrop stands and 3 Diamond Cloths and a Titanium Cloth. First the website was great and very easy to use, I also loved all there Videos because when your buying online it is really hard to figure out exactly what your buying so Videos really help. My order came within about a week of me ordering it which was amazing. As for the products I am very happy with the quality of everything I bought. Overall it was a great experience and will be back soon. I wish I would of bought the Titanium in a bigger size but that was my fault. "

"Lackluster customer service. I placed an order June 21, just received it July 14. Called multiple times to check on the status of my order, the first time, four days later I called to see if I could tack on an extra item, I was told that A: the backdrops I ordered had to be made, even though they were listed as in stock. B: I was told the website mischarged my shipping, and it was raised from $15 to $35 when all I added was a strap. The package itself weighed 9.5 lbs in a $15 flat rate box. I called two weeks later after not hearing anything. I was told they were putting the order together and it would ship soon. No email or phone call.Called on a Monday, they said they were shipping as late as the next day. Again, no correspondence. I called on Wednesday, and was told it had just shipped and would be receiving the tracking number soon. No email. The shipping box said it went out on the next day. I feel that through their interactions, that this is representative of how this company does business, and above all I feel like I was lied to to placate me."

"I recently bought 3 reflectors and some titanium cloth. I have recently started to do studio photography again I stopped about 15 years ago to pursue a different venture. Back 15 years ago I used to use Backdrop Outlet and when I needed a backdrop this week I was surprised they still were around. Back then they used to have amazing customer service and nothing has changed they are still doing now 15 years later. I ordered these all and received them within 7 days of the purchase which was fabulous and the quality was to my liking. Back then I started using them because I really admired Art Ketchum and he was sponsored by them. I was sadden to find out when I called to check on my order that he recently passed away that's a shame he was a great man and photographer. Overall great experience and great products. "

"BUYERS BEWARE!!!!

I thought I had struck gold when I saw the advertisement for these "Candy Sticks" drops - only pay $49 for one as long as you purchased 3! As new photographer, the price was almost too good to be true….and indeed, it was.

First, don't be fooled. Your money will be taken immediately from your credit card even though you must allow 4 - 6 weeks for processing on your drops.

Secondly, once those 4-6 weeks passed by, you'll check online and still, the ever so infamous message will be there saying something like, your order is on backorder or is production or something that makes you realize it will taken even longer.

Thirdly, be ready for more excuses. Upon week 7, I called and was told to allow another week or so because they had a problem at a plant. I've read this many times on other reviews but like an idiot, I thought my experience would be different. Another week passed by and again, same message. I finally called and after waiting 30 minutes or so, talked to a woman who then told me my backdrops came in and she would ship them to me express 3 day for FREE.

A few days later, as promised, I got a package.

Fourth, I opened up my package and to my horror, I only had TWO of the THREE backdrops. To make matters worst, one of my backdrops had scribbling over it like a kid had attacked it with a dark blue crayon.

Fifth - I called Backdrop Outlet and waited another 30 minutes before speaking to Eric (?). He told me my other backdrop was still not available because there was a horrible accident at the plant or something. Upon asking about the scribbled backdrop, he said it was part of the drop. I'm not sure but you can check it out yourself CB634 - the white wood one. I do NOT see any markings on that backdrop at all…but whatever.

At this point, I asked for a refund on the backdrop that I still hadn't received and I will be walking away very disappointed, disgusted and dissatisfied. I placed my order on May 5, 2012 and today is July 10, 2012 - I received one crappy backdrop and am still missing another one entirely. You can do the math there. I'm fearful of how long this refund will take but I've waited 2 months now, guess another 2 won't hurt.

If their motto is 100% customer satisfaction, they have FAILED. No discount is worth this nuisance! I'd rather go elsewhere even if their products are more expensive because those places probably DELIVER!!!

BUYERS BEWARE!"

"BEWARE! Backdrop outlet likes to list things as "in stock" to get you to buy them, then miraculously after you order it, it is back ordered. Now I am stuck with a photo shoot coming up in 1 week with no backdrop. Not to mention, they don't even send you an email or anything letting you know that it is now back ordered. They just hope you don't notice, until you end up checking the status and discovering this lovely fact. Don't do business with them. Not looking forward to the phone call to customer service I have to make today, because according to most of the other reviews, it takes WEEKS for a refund.

UPDATE: I received an email from Erik, who offered to fix the situation. He explained that they were waiting for a shipment and could ship my backdrop priority mail to make sure I received it before my photo shoot. He made good on his promise! It arrived exactly when he said it would. I will do business with them again."

"I never write reviews but I had a great experience and I saw this site on Backdrop Outlet's facebook page so I decided to write one.

I ordered some Vinyl back in April and was a little hesitant because I have been a long time user of seamless paper which is great but it's a fortune to keep replacing after it tears.

So I ended up just biting the bullet and just buying them. I bought them on sale and got a pretty good deal. I was worried about how long it was going to take because I know it was coming it a giant tube but it ended up only taking about 5 days for delivery.You should of seen the look on my UPS drivers face when he had to carry this 9 foot tube 3 flights of stairs lol! When I opened up the tube and put them up I was surprised they shot almost identical to my seamless and there super easy to clean! What a deal I hope to order the Black and Green one soon.

I also called them and they mentioned that they might be adding more colors. I really enjoyed my buying experience with Backdrop Outlet and will for sure order again. I also got 10% off my order for being on there Email list.
"

"I ordered a backdrop from the Backdrop Outlet website. After a few days I checked on my order, only to discover it was on backorder. Because I needed it promptly, I canceled my order. I was told my refund would take 3 to 10 business days. After waiting ten business days, still no refund. I called and was told that the refund would be processed that day. The next day, still no refund. After another day I called back and was told that the the refund had not been processed yet. It would take another 3 to 10 days. Still waiting for the refund.
Their products look good and seem reasonably priced. I can't comment on the quality of the product, but have been very dissatisfied with the customer service.
UPDATE: This issue has been resolved. I received a full refund today. Erik contacted me after my posting here and was very helpful in getting the matter finally resolved. "

"Backdrop Outlet has amazing products for extremely low prices. Their website is extremely easy to use, but if you do have a problem they have a great customer service department where you can actually talk to a real live person which is extremely rare these days especially for a primarily internet based business. Their staff is extremely helpful and knowledgable about the products. I especially love their platinum cloth. It's a very good quality product that comes in so many different styles. Having dealt with Backdrop Outlet for many years, I find their products and service to be extraordinary.

If I got someone on the phone that did not give me the service, I asked for another person to help me and was always left satisfied and their prices on backgrounds, props and lighting products were the best in the country. Love this company.

Overall I like this store a lot and it has helped me really expand my business at a low cost. I wish they would have never moved from Chicago but what can you do"