25/08/2025
Who remembers the old Castrol Oils ad on tv that used to have the catch cry, Oils ain't Oils?
Well, picture framers ain't picture framers!
Had a customer come in over the weekend who'd used another framer not all too far away from me. She had done her due diligence, looked them up online, read their reviews. All seemed fine. Now as soon as she showed me her frame that she brought in all unhappy with, I knew the kind of framer this was. Let me paint the picture for you .....
Husband and wife team, semi retired, working from their garage at home, recently started up the business. A number of 5 star Google reviews (no doubt by their friends and family). These guys do not have a $45,000 miter saw, nor do they have a $50,000 mat cutter and lastly, they don't even have a $38,500 V-Nailer/Joiner. They cut their mitres with a hand saw, they join their frames using a Series 80 stapler (common size sold at retailers like Bunnings, they don't use proper stretcher bars for canvas wrapping and they screw the frame onto the makeshift stretcher bars.
Customer wanted their canvas stretched and put into a frame with glass. The framer told them that this was impossible, they couldn't do that. To put glass on a canvas you need to use a traditional style frame, very simple, easier than using shadow box. When the customer picked up the frame she was not happy, she took the frame back and asked for it to be repaired, which, I have no idea how or what was done. This one has left me speechless. If you look at the images I have attached you can see how terrible the miters are, the chips in the moulding tell me it was cut with a hand saw, not even an electric miter saw, but a hand saw. Look at the staples. Honestly, one of the worst attempts at framing. Quite common from backyard operators that buy a few tools and start presenting themselves as "professionals"
Now I know what you're thinking, they were cheap right????? Ummm, they charged the customer $450 CASH! Obviously no GST involved. Our price, now keep in mind I have $200k of framing equipment, a retail lease, insurances, workcover and a multitude of costs, wages, and of course, GST. So you would think our price would be significantly higher right? You'd be wrong. $350 GST inc. That's my price day in day out, $100 cheaper than theirs!!!!!
I make no claims or representations that I am the best picture framer around and suggest you must use us, but you need to really be careful with whom you entrust your valuables with. This canvas could have been completely destroyed by these inept & incompetent "framers". And Google reviews are great, but if the vendor has only a few, say lass than 10, this means next to nothing.
Whilst I am all for people to have cottage industries from home, I do have an issue with hacks presenting themselves as professionals that are detrimental to my profession and industry.
It goes to show that Oils ain't Oils!
