An Owl's 2 hoots

Monday, September 12, 2005

Amarikka Podalanga

I still can't believe it.

1a. Processing a roll of film (24 stills) costs around 7 dollars + taxes.
1b. On the other hand, taking JUST 2 passport-sized photos costs 8 dollars + taxes.

2a. I am given the ENTIRE negatives for the roll of film I gave.
2b. NO negatives are given for the passport-sized photos. So, how do I get more copies?. Simple. Order more copies RIGHT NOW, else take your picture again.

3a. There is an option to get the pictures (from the film roll) in a CD (for an additional cost). The same holds good if memory stick is used to print the photos.
3b. No sir!. Although the passport-sized photos were taken using a DIGITAL CAMERA, a soft-copy of the picture is not available!!!!!.

I had to pay 26 dollars for 6 passport-sized photos, and I don't have any way to replicate. Oh wait!. She said their system holds the picture for 5 days and I can come back to get more copies!.

Yea right. Thanks a lot!.

In India, I can go to New Silver Labs in Usman Road, T.Nagar and finish the entire thing for under 75 Rs, and get negatives too!.

Amarikka podalanga!.

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posted by tt_giant at 5:51 PM

37 Comments:

  • what !! they dont give back negatives ??

    you take photocopies (Xerox it) of the negatives and give it to them..(indians are bigger pudalangaas :P)

    By Blogger KRTY, at September 12, 2005 6:34 PM  

  • When i went to India took it in Konica Labs, in a few mins they gave like around more than 20 copies all sizes, stamp size to PP size ....aint that cool. I just used 1 for the US Visa...this after paying $8 in Walgreens for a lousy Polaroid pic that was bad lit too.

    By Blogger Surya, at September 12, 2005 6:36 PM  

  • Keerthi: otherwise, I can take a picture of the passport-size photo using digicam and get a softcopy of the foto!. idheppadi irukku!..

    adhu seri.. namma oorkarangalukku tricks, tactics ellam solliyaa tharanum?. voodu katti adipom la?

    --..--..--

    Surya: adhey adhey!.. walgreens ey dhaan!.

    By Blogger tt_giant, at September 12, 2005 6:41 PM  

  • And the passport photo looks much ugly than what actually is (for me). :-)
    Look at this :
    A continental flight from Phoenix to Dallas through Houston costs $250 /- while the same flight, if I just get down in Houston costs $350 /- ???!!!

    By Blogger Kasthuri, at September 12, 2005 6:46 PM  

  • this is really too much.....

    By Blogger Ram C, at September 12, 2005 7:27 PM  

  • Srini: LOL!. no wonder so many airlines are filing chapter 11..

    --..--..--

    Ram: Tell me about it!. tholla thaangala!!

    By Blogger tt_giant, at September 12, 2005 7:30 PM  

  • Outrageous!!!
    D-pak - Now we all know why NASA started SETI!!! Could not locate any terrestrial intelligence!!!
    On a different note, I still have about 10 copies of my passport photos that i took 5 years ago!!! No intention of taking anymore till these run out!!!

    By Blogger ///slash\\\, at September 12, 2005 9:54 PM  

  • i read your post, on passport photo. India mathere varuuma. Thanks for your comment on my blog.

    By Blogger Jeevan, at September 12, 2005 11:42 PM  

  • Your Post on Trees impresed me.

    By Blogger Jeevan, at September 12, 2005 11:44 PM  

  • daylight robbery!

    By Blogger ada-paavi!!!!, at September 13, 2005 4:09 AM  

  • Slash: Unfortunately, I ran out of copies, so had to do it. Linked your new blog.

    --..--..--

    Jeevan: Thanks for visiting my blog, and glad that you liked the post.

    --..--..--

    Vatsan: worst robbery would be on the cell phone bill. tax kattiye bondi aiduven.

    By Blogger tt_giant, at September 13, 2005 7:06 AM  

  • Deepak, good one. Recently got a feel for it, just before Geeta left to India. And u know what, the fotos taken here were rejected at the embassy b'cos the background was not perfect white.. she had to take it there again. Unbelievable.. When we mentioned about it, the Wal-mart lady said this is the standard stuff we use for all the international people.. Grrrrr..

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at September 13, 2005 8:37 AM  

  • yep TTG,
    the average tax paid by citizens there is 45-50%(here it hovers around 20-25%)
    there is a very valid reason for the high taxes,
    ada patthi pesina oru periya post madri irukkum!

    By Blogger ada-paavi!!!!, at September 13, 2005 8:41 AM  

  • Enna seyya? Idhai outsource panni aduththa naal email le vandhu adhai acceptable aaga ivanga panninaa thaan thevalaiye

    :-)

    By Blogger Krish, at September 13, 2005 9:16 AM  

  • GP: I took mine at walgreens. they had a paal-vellai screen. But on account of my height, there was a shadow coming at the top of the picture. So, I had to bend a bit down. Tholla thaangala!

    --..--..--

    Vatsan: enna reason o. paadhiku paadhi pochu.

    By Blogger tt_giant, at September 13, 2005 9:32 AM  

  • Murali: One of my co-workers spent a fortune in getting passport sized fotos for her and her family. amazing, in this day and age!.

    --..--..--

    Thennavan: nalla idea!. idhellam outsource panna maataanga. Mcdonalds drive thru order vaangaradhai outsource panni, ordered items oda foto vai disperser ku kudukaraanga.. !!!?!!!.

    By Blogger tt_giant, at September 13, 2005 9:34 AM  

  • ttg: I've come across the same thing at walgreens too, but was surprised to see that you've used namba Usman Road Silver Labs....

    By Blogger mitr_bayarea, at September 13, 2005 9:39 AM  

  • Its the same story in many other things..

    I wanted to change the battery and strap for my watch...The estimate given to me was $4+$11. Where as If I go to Walmart, I can get a decent timex watch for $15.

    Totally confused pricing...

    By Blogger Rags, at September 13, 2005 11:18 AM  

  • Some things just do not make sense, do they?

    One thing that has really stung me were the fire engines screaming through midday traffic giving passer-bys heartattacks. For wat? To save the friendly neighborhood cat stuck on a tree.

    By Blogger Maverick, at September 13, 2005 11:36 AM  

  • Mitr: ellam namba local madras dhaan!.

    --..--..--

    Rags: Welcome. no wonder people just use and throw things here.

    --..--..--

    Maverick: LOL!. i recently learnt that the fire dept. is the first one to attend to an emergency. so, that should probably be the reason!.

    By Blogger tt_giant, at September 13, 2005 11:41 AM  

  • since they have stuff for every thing, why not a cat saving brigade? ;)

    By the way, I have writen my sev7en things on my blog.

    By Blogger Maverick, at September 14, 2005 6:34 AM  

  • Deepak, there is a big discussion going on in Balaji's post on your college. Unga karuthukalaiyum anubavangalaiyum alli vidunga..

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at September 14, 2005 12:37 PM  

  • Maverick: Went to your blog and read it!. Cool!.

    --..--..--

    GP: aaha.. enga college a vida maatanga polarukkey!. seri.. will visit his blog and hoot there.

    By Blogger tt_giant, at September 14, 2005 1:30 PM  

  • nice one tt.ur ability 2 narate events in ur life with such humour and irony is what makes ur posts such fun.

    keep it up man!!!

    By Blogger Siddharth, at September 14, 2005 8:40 PM  

  • amarika silasamayam podalanga than!

    By Blogger lakshmi, at September 14, 2005 11:23 PM  

  • i still remember that for my H1B visa, they needed photos. took 6 shots with my regular camera, wearing a kadhar jibba (they were not even replicates.. my roomy kept clicking and I tried to stay still) and the photos were accepted !!

    :)

    By Blogger Unknown, at September 14, 2005 11:30 PM  

  • Siddharth: Thanks man!. I have learnt a lot of things after I started blogging. A nice experience indeed!.

    --..--..--

    Lakshmi: ikkaraiku akkarai pachai!.

    --..--..--

    Sundar: LOL!. Amazing that you pulled it off!.

    By Blogger tt_giant, at September 15, 2005 7:06 AM  

  • Have experienced similar stuffs like this.

    An apt pudhumozhi to suit these situations::" Oru bottle beer-ukku muzhu Bar-a velaiku vaanganum"

    By Blogger Adaengappa !!, at September 15, 2005 5:02 PM  

  • My friend, Please don't compare India and US. !!

    Please buy a photo quality printer at home and with a digicam, voila, you can do everything at home.

    But I do agree it is expensive. I go to Costco to get my Passport photos.!

    By Blogger Narayanan Venkitu, at September 15, 2005 5:26 PM  

  • Adengappa: LOL!. unmai dhaan..

    --..--..--

    Narayanan: In fact, the price comparison is also secondary. The sheer idiocy in not providing with a means to propagate more copies of my OWN photograph deems comparisons to more efficient means/places.

    By Blogger tt_giant, at September 15, 2005 5:34 PM  

  • Yeah, I agree, I felt the same ways too.

    By Blogger Narayanan Venkitu, at September 16, 2005 1:04 PM  

  • Narayanan: :-)

    --..--..--

    Gangadhar: Thanks man!.

    By Blogger tt_giant, at September 18, 2005 4:45 PM  

  • ehhehee - i fought with my local shop. they gave me the photos in a diskett and that went kaboom eventhough it was in perfect storage. Now they stored it in their pc available wheneever I need it ;p

    By Blogger Visithra, at September 23, 2005 4:18 AM  

  • Visithra: CD a sabotage panni kuduthrupaanga!. I just don't get the logic behind this. Even people here seem to just accept that passport-sized photos are supposed to be expensive!. Enna ooro..

    BTW, thanks for visiting my blog and adding my name. Have done the same too.

    By Blogger tt_giant, at September 23, 2005 7:26 AM  

  • Im one of those ppl very strong on consumer rights- aveh mathum vereh ehtavadu sohlirunda galatta pahniruhpehn - even burning digi images into cd is so expensive - but i hear in india they do it for free - so sad so sad

    Hey no prob n thanks too ;)

    By Blogger Visithra, at September 25, 2005 7:32 PM  

  • Visithra: Yea, even i heard that you get more for less in India. Indha vaati pogum bodhu theriyum..

    By Blogger tt_giant, at September 26, 2005 8:47 AM  

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    By Anonymous Anonymous, at October 28, 2005 8:52 PM  

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