In attempts to build a portfolio, my friend volunteered to take some photos of me to give my boyfriend on Valentine's Day. She sent them to me via email and I immediately sent them to be processed at CVS to be sure I would have them in time.

I sent them to a CVS near my apartment and went in to pick them up the next morning only to find out their machine was down and they had not printed them. I was never given any courtesy call to notify me they were not completing my order. In fact, quite the opposite. I received a message via e-mail saying my order was complete and ready for pick up!

Aggravated and pressed for time, I went home and had them sent to another CVS near my office. I called ahead and made sure their machine was in order this time and again received a confirmation email when my order was "ready" for pick up.

When I arrived to the CVS to pay for my photos I was told they could not give them to me as it was clear they were professionally done. I was told I would need a signed consent form from the photographer, who lives in Virginia. I am in Pennsylvania.

I explained to the manager I had not paid for the photos to be taken, there was no watermark on them to indicate they were copyrighted and even went as far as to get my friend who had taken them on the phone to approve the purchase. Still, they would not allow it. They were also very rude and continued to check out other customers at the register the entire time they were refusing me service, instead of attempting to talk to me personally, forcing me to interfere with others.

I asked if they had a consent form online to print and have signed, as Shutterfly and many other photo printers do. They said "no", and it was the photographers responsibility to write one.

I left the store infuriated, went back to my office, printed out Shutterfly's consent form, forged my friend's signature (with her permission) and went back to the store. When I presented the form, they barely looked at it. It could have said ANYTHING!

It appears CVS photo has clerks processing their prints 90% of the time, so who are they to judge what is professionally done? Just because some general manager, who probably thinks a Cannon, Rebel is a type of firearm, thinks a photo is too good to be taken on an afternoon in my friend's apartment, means I have to guess whether or not I need to print a written letter of consent?

Not to mention when I finally did have the photos in hand, they cut the bottom off of two of them.

Never again.