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Alternative to Gemini for dimensional letters?

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Andy D

Active Member
I know I used to work with another outfit that were very competitive with Gemini, but I sure
can't remember their name.

My main problem with Gemini is they are so slow & their online ordering process is
very problematic. I just placed a large order with them and they never asked for the ship address during the process, so it was shipped to one of our other shops & their customer service rep. said I should have known to put that in the order notes...I know should have caught it, but what company doesn't confirm the ship address? Especially a company who probably drop-ships a lot? They didn't even have the ship to address noted in the proof I approved.
 
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solock

New Member
Matthews Architectural or ARK Ramos are usually within single percentage price wise to Gemini, but neither have a really robust online portal for ordering. We've found it best to submit all orders via email since no one really has a bullet proof portal that covers all the bases.
 
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unclebun

Active Member
I never leave any doubt about anything when I place orders by email with Gemini, and interestingly enough, I never have problems with getting the order wrong or having it shipped the wrong place. Suck it up and realize that you are the one who screwed up by not specifying the shipping address when you placed the order. Gemini gives you an extra chance when they send you a proof for approval.

As to the length of time it takes to make things, I am not sure what you are expecting. There is nobody who makes dimensional letters as fast as signs365 makes banners or coroplast signs, nor does anyone else get virtually free next day FedEx. If your dimensional letter customers cannot handle a 2 week production time, you need to train your customers better.
 
Texas_Signmaker

Texas_Signmaker

Very Active Signmaker
Andy D said:
I know I used to work with another outfit that were very competitive with Gemini, but I sure
can't remember their name.

My main problem with Gemini is they are so slow & their online ordering process is
very problematic. I just placed a large order with them and they never asked for the ship address during the process, so it was shipped to one of our other shops & their customer service rep. said I should have known to put that in the order notes...I know should have caught it, but what company doesn't confirm the ship address? Especially a company who probably drop-ships a lot? They didn't even have the ship to address noted in the proof I approved.
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Lol, this SAME exact thing happened to me a few weeks ago. They blamed me (which technically they are right, is my fault, but why they changed my default shipping address is beyond me) but luckily they re-routed UPS and they delivered to my address.

I order from them several times a week... and whole ordering process is SLOW. From quote request to actual ordering and artwork proof approval. You can spend a week just trying to order the damn signs on top of the 2 week production time. God forbid you need to revise the artwork mid-quote... it starts the whole thing over.
 
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Andy D

Active Member
Texas_Signmaker said:
Lol, this SAME exact thing happened to me a few weeks ago. They blamed me (which technically they are right, is my fault, but why they changed my default shipping address is beyond me) but luckily they re-routed UPS and they delivered to my address.

I order from them several times a week... and whole ordering process is SLOW. From quote request to actual ordering and artwork proof approval. You can spend a week just trying to order the damn signs on top of the 2 week production time. God forbid you need to revise the artwork mid-quote... it starts the whole thing over.
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What's your process of ordering? Via their website or as others have said, better to order from email?
 
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rossmosh

New Member
It really depends on your flexibility. The variety Gemini offers is just very difficult to match. Stocking all those materials is expensive and being able to put out the consistent product is not straight forward. Painting letters is not that straight forward.

If you're able to make some changes to your process, like having the letters cut out of a standard base white or black and apply vinyl to the face or simply direct print, you're going to find a lot of local companies willing to work with you.

I've also said it before, there's an obsession with using acrylic when PVC/Sintra simply works as well or better and is way more cost effective. So much of what you see in the mass market is painted PVC or other foams. It boils down to major cost savings compared to acrylic.
 
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Andy D

Active Member
unclebun said:
I never leave any doubt about anything when I place orders by email with Gemini, and interestingly enough, I never have problems with getting the order wrong or having it shipped the wrong place. Suck it up and realize that you are the one who screwed up by not specifying the shipping address when you placed the order. Gemini gives you an extra chance when they send you a proof for approval.

As to the length of time it takes to make things, I am not sure what you are expecting. There is nobody who makes dimensional letters as fast as signs365 makes banners or coroplast signs, nor does anyone else get virtually free next day FedEx. If your dimensional letter customers cannot handle a 2 week production time, you need to train your customers better.
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Yeah, I said I should have caught it, but I'm not sure why your referring to the proof because they didn't ask for or call out the ship-to address at anytime... Who does that?
 
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shoresigns

New Member
Overall, Gemini is one of my favourite vendors, but they aren't perfect. The biggest issues we have are that quotes often take several days, and it also often takes several days after placing an order before we get an order confirmation and a proof. But we've gotten used to it and we tell our clients that quotes may take a few days, and we include a few extra days in our production timelines.

Other than those two points, Gemini is pretty hard to beat in every other respect. Their pricing and product range are unbeatable, quality is top-notch and consistent, and the ordering process is easy and reliable. And 90% of quotes we do can be done simply with their catalogue pricing, so most of the time we don't need to email for a quote anyway.
 
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fresh

New Member
i used to quote using their catalog. But then when I go to order the job, i need to wait an additional 2 or 3 days to get the quote from them back before I can move the job into production. So now I just send it to them to quote ASAP so when the job comes in, there is already an order on file and the process goes faster.

but yeah, their turn around kinda sucks.
 
Texas_Signmaker

Texas_Signmaker

Very Active Signmaker
exactly.. add a week to the turn-around time just to get though the ordering process. They need to hire some more help or something.

I don't understand how it takes so long. I am sending CAMERA READY ARTWORK so why does it take forever to quote, get the order placed and get a proof back??
 
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chromira

New Member
Andy D said:
I know I used to work with another outfit that were very competitive with Gemini, but I sure
can't remember their name.

My main problem with Gemini is they are so slow & their online ordering process is
very problematic. I just placed a large order with them and they never asked for the ship address during the process, so it was shipped to one of our other shops & their customer service rep. said I should have known to put that in the order notes...I know should have caught it, but what company doesn't confirm the ship address? Especially a company who probably drop-ships a lot? They didn't even have the ship to address noted in the proof I approved.
Click to expand...
Cab Signs. Brooklyn,NY
 
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TrustMoore_TN

Sign & Graphics Business Consultant
Andy D said:
I know I used to work with another outfit that were very competitive with Gemini, but I sure
can't remember their name.

My main problem with Gemini is they are so slow & their online ordering process is
very problematic. I just placed a large order with them and they never asked for the ship address during the process, so it was shipped to one of our other shops & their customer service rep. said I should have known to put that in the order notes...I know should have caught it, but what company doesn't confirm the ship address? Especially a company who probably drop-ships a lot? They didn't even have the ship to address noted in the proof I approved.
Click to expand...


I started using Sign Reflections http://signreflections.com/ about 5 years ago for FCO letters and logos and have never looked back. They are located near Chattanooga and may be a closer alternative for you to try. They have been up to 1/2 the price of Gemini at times and their turnaround is far quicker. One thing that I appreciate is that they take great care to pack their product very carefully and I haven't had any issues that haven't been resolved quickly... even to the point of the owner making a 3 hour trip to our shop to address an issue in person. Get them to quote on your next project and give them a try. I don't think you'll regret it.
 
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