Anyone have any experience with these guys? Reason I ask is:

Sunday I was out with the family and just happened to be cruisin along throwing a large roost when what should appear in the sky  

...but the boatpix.com copter!!! Whoo hoo!

Suddenly, I was very very excited!  They were flying sideways above me like I was Steve McQueen  , not Steve-cat.

And I started thinking (always the start of trouble)  If any of those pics they are taking turn out, I am going to have me one of these dealios:


'cept, ah... ehem my boat isn't that cool, or fast, and my humidity is lower and my state knows how to count ballots.

So after I get home I've got a jones going to get on their website and wait for them to post up my pics. 

That's when the letdown started. 

Weird deal #1 - there's no preview or gallery of their pics. Instead, they ask you to basically give them a database of who you are and where you live and what boat reg# you are. (wonder how THAT could be used for ulterior motives??) Then they must take what is already a freakishly expensive process and make it MORE expensive because they then have to match up their photos to your info you gave them. (WTFO, how much better cheaper would it be to let ME look at the fuggin pictures and pic MYSELF out of the gallery??)

Weird deal #2 - the pricing isn't obvious. It's kind of an afterthought and hidden away on another page of their site. AND IT IS INSANE $200+ per pic.

Weird deal #3 - no digital files - it's "artwork" so they sell you a BIG poster. OK fine - but what century is this now? How am I going to scan their $200 poster so's I can make it my avatar, huh?

Weird deal #4 - Next they want you to "help them" by getting all that "messy" money chit outta the way by "pre approving" your credit card with them NOW - b4 they start looking around to try and match up your boat reg # to their photo.

At that point I bailed out and quit. I no longer had a jones for my imaginary helo-roost pic. I felt like it was a 1/2 step away from being a pfishing scam. (Cept the helicopter was real.)

I think they have a GREAT idea and a SHEETY implementation. Sort of the Windows Vista of boat pictures. 

Anybody use them and LIKE IT?

Sounds kind of phishy, but it looks like (from what their site says) that they send you more than one pic. I assume they pre auth your card and then charge you after they get what pics you don't want back. So if you keep all the pics they can charge you for them. Personally it sort of seems like a 70's way of doing business  . It's not that hard to copy protect a gallery of pics (dragboats.com does it) and then you the customer can order exactly what you want in what sizes you want. Makes more sense to me.

Exactly!!! Yeah my beef is 2 things - how much they charge per pic and how inefficient and ancient their thinking about what customers want and how they want it.

They have been in business a long time, its just probably the way they have always done business. They are actually from West Palm Beach, Florida and probably do a bunch of pics of high dollar off shore stuff and people out there probably pay it.

When your running around in a 250k+ off shore cat, whats a grand for some really nice pictures?

They would probably be better off setting up "Photo Days" on the lakes and rivers out here where they advertise that they will be out on this specific weekend, etc to maximize the people who want photo's of the ride. Maybe a presale kinda deal, would probably lower the cost of each pic.

If they go out on a day, spend $$$ on fuel, crew, etc and only sell 1 picture they are losing money, ALOT of money.

Also found this on their site:

"Simply submit a completed on-line Photo Request Form and we will send out a package for your review. Keep those photos you like and return the others via traceable carrier. You only pay for the photos you keep."

So you do get to preview the pictures first. and if you do like them you can return all the pictures and just order the digital. It is alot though!

Yeah I read all that. You are right, technically, they have a "preview" feature. But practically they don't. IMO it is beyond old school - it's more like no school.

And yes their mindset comes from the yacht blingboat market. Which makes me wonder why their chopper was wasting time shooting wakeboats (and lil ol me) in backwoods Portland OR. (Not exactly the home port of world yachting.)

I got such a hardon over this I ragged on their comments page and all day long I have been getting emails from them. Here's their "hi-tech" digital thumbnail review feature:

"Please find our request form attached to fill out option 2 we will send watermarked thumbs to you via the internet in a few wks. If you fill out our form on line we send out 3-16x20 pictures we don't charge for them until you receive if you like you buy if not you send back when we send out the pictures there is a $25.00 shipping & handling charge.  But the watermarked thumbs to review are free.  We have been in business going on 30 yrs."


And I wonder who pays freight on the hard copy prints you send back that you don't like?? (Answer - I do!!!)

Geesh, I sure got all worked up over my fantasy helicopter roostertail pic huh?? 

Come south, give Chromey $50.00 and a ride to where you want photos taken and you're all set 

We can hang Chromey from a plane