Yes to both, in that order. If you are not happy with the audio or picture, we re-run the transfer at no charge first, and if another lab can produce a visibly better result from the same original, we refund your money. Tell us the file name and the timestamp where the problem shows, keep your drive, and we pull the original back out and re-run it on different settings or a different deck. Legacy Digital Productions is an independent lab in Orange, California. We run our own scanners, so a redo is a scheduling decision here, not a claim filed against a vendor in another state.
That is our founder Scott Foster’s stated standard: “if someone else can produce a visibly better product, one which is noticeably more colorful and clear, we will refund your money.” The honest caveat sits in the same sentence: heavily degraded media has a ceiling, and nobody can scan detail the tape or film no longer holds.
- Redo first, refund second. We re-run at our cost before money moves.
- The refund standard is comparative, and we tell you below exactly who pays for the competing transfer and what counts as proof.
- Audio is billed by the hour of sound actually recovered, so a tape that fails partway is billed for what came off it.
- Refunds go back through the original payment method.
- Your originals are always yours. Nothing is held as leverage.
The belief most callers arrive with
Most people expect a bad transfer to end in a shrug: “that’s just how old tape looks.” That is the retail-counter experience, and it happens because the counter is not the lab. Drop tapes at a CVS, Walmart or Sam’s Club and they travel to Capture (formerly YesVideo) in Norcross, Georgia. In that setup the staff taking your complaint at the counter are generally not the people who ran the scan, so a redo typically has to be routed back to the processing facility rather than handled where you are standing.
When the technician who scanned your reel is the same person who answers your complaint, a redo takes a phone call instead of a claims process. Every order here is handled in-house in Orange, CA. Nothing is subcontracted or sent overseas.
What “not happy” usually turns out to be
Before anyone talks refund, name what is actually wrong. In 25 years of transferring film and tape in our own lab, complaints sort into three buckets, and only one is a defect.
A fixable transfer issue
Wrong aspect ratio, audio out of sync, a reel scanned dim, color correction pushed too warm, a tape that needed a different deck. We redo these at no charge, no debate.
A source limit
Fifth-generation VHS dubs, hiss baked into the original cassette, an under-exposed indoor reel. We improve it. We cannot invent detail that was never recorded.
An expectation gap
Standard-definition video will not look like phone video, and a 3 inch reel holds roughly 3 to 4 minutes of runtime, not half an hour. Better settled before you order.
How the redo works
- Tell us the file name and the timestamp where the problem shows.
- Keep your delivered drive or discs. We do not need them back to investigate.
- We re-check the original media and re-run it on different settings or a different deck.
- If the flaw is in the source, we show you where, on the frame or in the waveform.
- If the flaw is ours, corrected files go back to you at no charge.
Our expected production cycle is 6 weeks, anticipated rather than a hard date, because queue and complexity vary. A redo enters that same real queue, and we tell you where it lands instead of promising a date we cannot hold.
The comparative refund, step by step
Redo-to-refund path
Tell us the file and timestampKeep your drive; we do not need it backWe re-run the originalDifferent settings or a different deck, no chargeSource limit shown, or corrected files sentWe point to the frame or waveformYou choose a competing labYou pay that transfer up frontSide-by-side, same originalSame scene, same monitorRefund of our invoice for disputed itemsIssued through the original payment method
“If someone else can do better, we refund” is only meaningful if you know how it is administered. Here is the procedure we follow.
- Call or email first and let us attempt the redo. Almost every case ends here.
- If you still believe another lab can do better, you choose the lab. We do not pick it for you.
- You pay that lab for the competing transfer up front. If their result wins, our refund covers our invoice for the disputed items.
- Proof is the competing lab’s file from the same original reel or tape, viewed side by side with ours, same scene, same monitor. Not a phone recording of a screen, and not a different reel.
- Bring it to us while we still have your order on file, before you dispose of the originals. As a working window, raise the claim within 90 days of delivery, while both the originals and our project files still exist. Waiting years after delivery makes a same-source comparison impossible, which is the only comparison the standard can be judged on.
- If we look at the side by side and disagree with you about which file is better, we do not get the last word by default. We are the interested party, so the tie is broken by a neutral third party: a transfer lab or imaging professional neither of us used for the disputed job, agreed on by both of us, viewing both files from the same original on the same monitor. If we cannot agree on a referee within a reasonable time, we refund rather than argue you into a corner.
We would rather admit the obvious conflict of interest than pretend the lab can fairly judge its own work.
The written version of all of this lives in our refund and returns policy and our terms of service. Read both before you ship anything to anyone, ours included.
Audio is the honest case, because the billing rule already contains the answer
Cassette transfer runs $20.00 per hour with a $20.00 typical minimum on a 60-minute default. Reel-to-reel audio runs $40.00 per hour with a $40.00 minimum per reel. Both are priced by the hour of sound actually recovered, a mechanic spelled out on our audio cassette and reel-to-reel digitizing service page.
If a cassette shreds twenty minutes in, you are billed for what we got, not the hour we hoped for. We tell you exactly what came off the tape and what did not. That is why audio refund disputes are rare here: there is no scenario where you pay full freight for silence. What can and cannot be repaired afterward is a separate technical question, covered in our guide to what audio editing can fix on old tapes.
Where a redo will not change the outcome
We would rather lose an order than take money for a result we know we cannot improve. Magnetic tape and film degrade on a clock: binder breaks down, dyes shift, splices dry out, and every year in a hot garage takes something off the top. The earlier media is digitized, the more of it survives. That is chemistry, not a sales line.
Film is the more hopeful half. Frame-by-frame scanning captures each frame individually instead of pointing a camera at a projected image, and color correction routinely undoes decades of fading. Before you write reels off, read our answer on whether old, faded or damaged film will still look good. Tape is less forgiving, but 40-year-old Beta is usually still recoverable.
What the money looks like if a refund happens
Refunds are issued through the original payment method: card online, card at the counter, cash or check. Because we bill in three cumulative stages, most refund conversations happen before the full amount is ever collected.
| Stage | When | Cumulative target | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reservation | At checkout | $50.00 | Buys your place in line |
| Deposit | When your media arrives | 50% of pre-tax order | Media in hand |
| Balance | At completion | 100% of pre-tax order | Plus CA tax on actuals |
The final invoice reflects reconciled actual counts, not the estimate, so if your reels ran shorter than the standard footage estimate, the bill follows reality. Note also the $50.00 service minimum: small orders are brought up to it with a “Minimum order adjustment” line, and drives do not count toward it. Goodwill discounts and credits, where they apply instead of a refund, are at staff discretion.
The most common complaint is not “this looks bad,” it is “this is not the tape I meant.” Label your tapes and reels before shipping. A misidentified tape is a redo that costs both of us six weeks for no reason.
Reading anyone else’s guarantee before you ship
Every service says “satisfaction guaranteed.” The useful questions are what triggers it and who decides. Ask in writing, before your only copies leave your hands.
- Who physically performs the transfer, and in what city?
- If I dislike the result, do you re-run the original, or only issue credit?
- What is the standard for a redo: your judgment, or a comparison against another lab’s output on the same reel?
- Are my originals returned regardless of whether I pay in full?
- Is film priced per item or per foot? Per-reel pricing makes a 3 inch and a 7 inch reel one line item, though they are eight times apart in footage.
- Do you charge for blank sections and copyright-rejected tapes?
If a company will not answer the first question by name, that is your walk-away signal.
One redo, start to finish
A customer called about a wedding reel and said the whole thing came back “too orange, like everyone has a sunburn.” That is a real complaint and a specific one, which is exactly what we need. She gave us the file name and a timestamp about two minutes into the reception footage.
We pulled the original back out of storage and looked at the frame she pointed to. Part of it was the reel itself, indoor tungsten light on film stock that had shifted warm over the decades. Part of it was ours: the color correction pass had been pushed too far in the same direction the fading already went. So we re-ran the scan and graded it cooler, then sent both versions back so she could see the difference on the same scene rather than take our word for it.
She accepted the second version and kept it. Skin tones read normal, though the room lighting is still warm, because that is what the film recorded and no scan invents light that was not there. No refund, no competing lab, no third party. Total cost to her: nothing, and the redo went back into the same production queue rather than an express lane. That is what the overwhelming majority of “I am not happy” calls look like when they are handled by the people who ran the scan.
What “good” looks like, so you can judge fairly
Film is scanned frame by frame at HD 1080p on Gold and Platinum, or 2K on Professional, with Platinum and Professional adding full color correction and grain reduction. Video tapes are captured per tape up to 2 hours of runtime, which is why a 4-hour tape counts as 2 units and a 6-hour tape as 3.
Storage follows format, not quality: about 12.5 GB for a 2-hour tape, roughly 31.75 MB per foot of HD film and 50 MB per foot at 2K, about 96.5 MB per hour of cassette audio and 1.4 GB per hour of reel-to-reel. Those figures exist so we can recommend the smallest drive that fits your library with 10% headroom. File size alone is never the quality claim.
FAQ
Will you redo my transfer for free if I do not like the picture?
Yes, when the issue is in our transfer. We pull the original back out, re-run it on different settings or a different deck, and redeliver corrected files at no charge. If the limit is in the source, we show you where it lives on the frame rather than re-running for the same result twice.
Who pays for the competing lab’s transfer in a refund claim?
You do, up front, and you pick the lab. If their file from the same original is visibly better, noticeably more colorful and clearer, our refund covers our invoice for the disputed items. Bring the comparison within 90 days of delivery, while we still have your order on file and the originals exist, since a same-source, side-by-side view is the only way the standard can be judged.
What happens if you and I disagree about which transfer looks better?
We are not the referee in our own case. If we review the side by side and cannot agree with you, the decision goes to a neutral third party, a transfer lab or imaging professional neither of us used for the disputed job and that both of us accept, judging both files from the same original on the same monitor. If no neutral party can be agreed on within a reasonable time, we issue the refund rather than let the disagreement stall.
Am I charged if a tape breaks during transfer?
Audio is priced by the hour of sound actually recovered, so you are billed only for what came off the tape. If it fails partway, we tell you exactly what we captured and what we did not, before the invoice.
How long does a redo take?
A redo joins the same live 6-week production queue rather than an express lane, and we will tell you where yours sits.
Do I get my original tapes and reels back either way?
Yes. Customers own their originals, always, and the output drive is yours too. Nothing is held over a payment or a dispute. Return shipping is billed at the carrier rate on the final invoice and is never taxed.
A low-pressure next step
If you are weighing whether to trust anyone with your only copies, start smaller than you think. Send one reel or one tape, look hard at what comes back, and decide from there. Nearly 20,000 customers since 2001 and a 4.9 out of 5 Google rating across 192 reviews are worth something, but a single test job tells you more than any rating will.
Walk it into the Orange, CA studio, ship it yourself, or ask for a prepaid shipping kit. If you want a number first, call us and you can ask questions without hearing a pitch.
Call the lab, or email us with your order number, the file name and the timestamp where the problem shows. We answer during regular studio business hours, Monday through Friday, and we will tell you the same day whether it is a redo or a source limit. Walk-ins are welcome at the Orange, CA studio during those hours.
Reviewed by Scott Foster, Founder of Legacy Digital Productions, Orange, CA - transferring film, tape, slides, photos and audio in-house since 2001 - last updated September 4, 2026.
Sources for this article
- Guarantee language and comparative refund standard: Scott Foster quote, Refund and Returns Policy, Terms of Service
- Audio priced by hour of sound actually recovered; failed tape billed for what came off it: Audio Editing on Old Tapes post
- Audio cassette $20.00/hour, $20.00 typical minimum, 60 min default; reel-to-reel $40.00/hour, $40.00 minimum per reel: config Audio conversion
- Three-stage payment targets $50.00 / 50% / 100% pre-tax: config Payment schedule
- Refunds through original payment method; goodwill credits at staff discretion: config Payment schedule
- $50.00 service minimum, minimum order adjustment line, drives excluded: config Business rules
- Expected production cycle 6 weeks, anticipated not hard date: config Business rules
- All work in-house in Orange, CA, nothing subcontracted or overseas: config Business rules
Facts drawn from this site's own documented knowledge and first-hand experience.
