I recently made a trip to El Framo because I wanted to find a frame for some old war medals that…read morebelonged to my boyfriend's grandfather. It was his birthday and I'd been meaning to do something special with these medals for some time - framing them seemed like a great idea. I initially got a quote for getting them mounted and framed professionally by El Framo but it was just going to be too expensive. But the staff member was very understanding, and helped me instead hunt for the perfect box frame that I could use to complete the process myself. We then selected an off-cut of backing material (with a felt finish) which she cut to size for me. It was quite expensive for a piece of card ($25 from memory) and then the frame itself was $25, but it still worked out much cheaper than having them mounted by El Framo plus it meant I could do it that afternoon - his birthday was the following day so I didn't have a lot of time! Not the most modern selection of frames, a little motley, but a time and place for this little Ponsonby framers.

These guys are great, worked hard on a really tough job, great result and they worked hard to make…read moreit as cost effective as possible, would totally recommend!!

A special thanks to the team at The Framing Room​ for helping me take a flag from an outstanding…read moreteam adventure and epic memorabilia item then transform it into this awesome long lasting celebration of achievement. I walked into The Framing Room off chance on the way home from work and talked about a few ideas of what I wanted to and they helped guide me through design ideas and choices. The final outcome looks totally fantastic and the whole team is impressed, it has pride of place above our work area so we get to enjoy it every day. Thanks again, will definitely return again to do business and would recommended to anyone looking for framing services. For more details behind the history of the flag see http://www.adaptiv.co.nz/event/high-five-0-challenge/ Regards Nikolai Blackie Adaptiv Integration

Very quick response to my online query, and superb customer service…read more Excellent if you are looking to browse for a telescope in Auckland in a physical store!

Brought a Wolverine Film to Digital converter $310 and got charged an extra $7.75 for credit card…read morefee. Not happy as I could have brought through the website on my credit card with no fee and the annoying thing was I was going to buy through the website but instead wasted my petrol driving there. Bad form! Not happy, also no signage to warn people about the charge either.

Alex the owner/manager is a lovely man - he was courteous, responsive to my requests, and not only…read morethat but he took a real interest in the printing I tasked him with (even offering to "help me out" with my project in the future, which was climate change advocacy through Generation Zero). Good location, can be a bit tricky to park close by but the supermarket parks are just across the road, or even better, take the bus (which stops nearby) or walk! Website is pretty basic, but this is offset by Alex "da man" Milford Print. I asked Alex to print and laminate a page for me, and to print another, not super-technical tasks, but his service and engaging manner was quite unique.

From the owner: Photo restoration Copying and enhancing photos…read moreCustom photo framing Passport photos Photo albums and frames

I usually have my framing done by a more boutique framer. However, I wanted to acknowledge the…read moreexceptional service from Ava at the Apollo Drive store. She listened to me and provided several excellent options to enhance my artwork. Don't be fooled by Ava's youth. She has an artists eye and provided the best customer experience that I have had in that store. Thank you Ava

I approached Factory Frames to do matting only for 20 unsigned prints. They cut the mats for me but…read morerefused to fix the prints to the matting, claiming they would not take responsibility for trimming the artwork to match the mat size. This policy was never explained to me in advance and no clear reason was given at the time. They charged me one thousand dollars for this basic job, which took them around half an hour to complete. That rate felt unjustifiable, especially considering it involved no mounting, no framing and no signing, just cutting. After signing the prints at home over the weekend, I returned to have them mounted to the mats, expecting the job to be completed as originally intended. Instead, I was told there would be an additional charge, more or less one hundred and forty dollars, to finish what they had started. After a short discussion, Sharon, the employee I dealt with, consulted the owner, but they still refused to complete the work without further payment. I left feeling upset and disappointed. I found the service to be unreasonable and unaccommodating. If there was a policy around not mounting untrimmed prints, it should have been made clear at the outset. The pricing felt excessive and the unwillingness to see the job through without imposing further charges showed a lack of regard for customer care. Regards Sam Hatam

Yes, they are expensive, but they're GOOD. The owners love art - it's a labour of love for them…read more They love working with you to find the best frame and framing technique for your art. I could spend hours in there talking to them and I totally trust them with the art that we've bought from all over the world. I highly recommend. Also note, they're open every day. Quite often framing is a weekend job, and I love that you can pop in on a Sunday. I did take one star off because they are expensive, and I don't know if that's fair because I'd rather pay them than some chain... Tip: they sell lots of great NZ prints. If you're a tourist, I highly recommend for your piece of Kiwiana to take home.

Whenever I come to the Photo Warehouse I end up figuratively drooling over all they have there…read more It's a store filled with all the most amazing cameras and camera gear. literally every where you look there's something I want, need and must have. It's a photographer's dreamland. It's great for the amateur photographer too as they have a wide range of cheap cameras to the very, very high end of the scale for the more professional people. The staff are super helpful and know so much about cameras. It's a great place to go if you're looking for a camera but don't know where to start. They'll help you figure out exactly what you need and the kinds of cameras you should be looking at. I'd definitely pop in there if you're into photography, or even if you aren't it might inspire you to start having a go at it.

I went to Photo warehouse because I had a problem with my charger. Jason was so friendly to check…read moreout what the problem was by using a spare cable from the store. Although they didn't had my charger in stock they helped me out anyways! Unfortunately I was leaving the next day, so we couldn't order a new one either but he helped me out anyways and charged both my sony w-batteries for free! Awesome service there for sure!!

Just been advised that my online order that I should've received between 2-4 working days now wont…read moreget to me until between 8-9 working days. Really not good enough! Will now have to wait until the item arrives then organise it to be returned via post at my own cost for a refund. No notices on their website at all on delays. I would've purchased elsewhere if I had known.

I went here to get some printing done for uni and I received friendly and efficient service…read more Unfortunately they didn't have a heavy duty stapler, although the staff member did offer me a clip instead. It was probably a good opportunity for him to offer me binding he didn't and afterwards I thought of that option myself and came back for it minutes later. For 31 pages it cost $7.40 for the printing (including a $2 fee for retrieving the .pdf file from a USB) and $3.49 for the binding, all of which I thought was reasonable. So I got what I came for and it was a pleasant and totally hassle-free experience, which surely is what everyone wants.

Geoff's is no longer the in-the-know Auckland hipster's secret. Go here on Halloween and you will…read moresee what I mean. Luckily, Halloween only happens once a year but year round Geoff's is the place that truly does have everything. I am most often here for random products like baby oil ($6 for a small bottle of branded petroleum by-product at a supermarket? $2 here), fabric dye, art supplies, sewing stuff and what must be Auckland's cheapest fabric. No offence to Spotlight, but go here first if you need anthing crafty. There's ribbon, cotton, buttons, sparkly bits, belt buckles, bra pads, googly eyes, appliques, patches.... on and on and on. The fabric selection is no small part of the shop and the pricing fairly freakin ridiculous. You'll also find toys, costume jewellery, probably Auckland's biggest range of wigs and "ready-costumes" for adults and kids, as well as such essential props as tiaras, plastic swords, feather boas, cowboys hats, gloves, face paint and garters. There are paints, brushes, canvases, dyes, sketch books...... You can even buy paperbacks, hardware, kitchen equipment, candles and it just goes on. What I love most about Geoff's is that it has been around as long as I can remember and as far as I know, Geoff himself is still around too. My kids love coming here with a handful of coins and leaving with treasures and so do I. The staff are awesome and Geoff's is such a wonderful reminder to me that some things don't ever change, they just get better with age.

This place is AWESOME. Recommended to me by a fellow sewing friend, I decided to check it out…read moretoday. Walked in the door and thought wow, this place is a bit...crappy. But then I walked in further, through the narrow door and into a huge space, filled with all manner of crafty supplies! I was there to buy interfacing, and buy it I did - 5m for $5! Incredible prices. I also got a zip for $1.05 and a belt buckle kit for $1. The prices are insane, even cheaper than what I paid living in the US. I saw some gorgeous fabrics in there, too, but I'm trying to watch my fabric budget right now so I sadly left it behind...for now. The woman who served me was really friendly, carefully rolled up my interfacing and asked about my projects. I can't wait to go back and browse their fabrics some more, and they will definitely be my go-to place for notions, too! I didn't explore the rest of the shop too closely, as I had a sick husband in tow, but they have a huge range of paint/art supplies, party supplies, incense and other trinkets, and heaps of other stuff too.