How To Pick A Company To Manufacture Your DVDs
Friday, October 10th, 2008How do you decide which DVD replication company is the right one for YOU?
First and foremost you need to be an informed shopper, so here are some pointers that (I hope) will help you in your search:
1. Get referrals: It’s always in your best interest to get referrals from friends because you can learn from their experiences – be that good or bad. Ask some people you know (and whose opinions you trust) about where they got their DVDs made and what type of experience they had.
2. Manufacturer or Broker: Is the company you are researching the actual manufacturer of the DVDs or are they a broker. A manufacturer is a company that actually replicates your discs from scratch. A ‘broker’ is a company that acts as a middle-man and takes your DVD order and then contracts a DVD replication company to make the product.
3. How Long In Business: You want to be dealing with a reliable company that is going to still be in existence weeks, months, or years down the road when you may want (or need) to contact them again. Find out how long the company has been in business and factor that in with the other information you find out about them.
4. Terms Of Business: Ask for the ‘Terms Of Business’ for each company you are considering. Reading and understanding their ‘Terms Of Business’ is one of the most important ways to avoid unexpected (and possibly unpleasant) issues later on. Question anything you don’t understand or don’t get a good feeling about.
5. Product Warranty: The purpose of the ‘Product Warranty’ is to protect you from manufacturing defects and/or flaws. This includes everything in the order – not just the disc so make sure you read the warranty thoroughly to fully understand what it covers. For example, many times you’ll find that the warranty policy provides you with a window of time of only a few days in which to make a claim. If a company is not able to provide you with a Product Warranty Policy in writing do not do business with them.
6. Quotation: Never agree to anything or provide any of your materials or money to a DVD replication company without having received their detailed quotation in writing. Did you notice I said a “detailed” quotation? Here’s why: If something is not listed on your quotation the company isn’t obliged to provide it, so don’t accept a quotation unless you are sure it matches your needs exactly… item by item.
7. Samples: Looking at a photo on a website isn’t always a good indication of quality or workmanship, so requesting samples for your evaluation is of great value.
8. Customer Service: When you contact a DVD replication company how responsive are they? Can they answer all your questions quickly and easily? If you email them or have to leave a voice-mail message, how long does it take for them to respond? If you request samples, how long does it take for them to react and send them out to you?
No question is a stupid question so whenever you are in doubt ask, ask, ask… and get answers in writing.