I received a flier from the Sears Portrait Studio a couple weeks before my daughter’s first birthday so I went there (studio number 42049) for her one-year birthday photos. The photographer took me to the back and asked what sort of background I wanted. I told her I didn’t know, because I didn’t know what they had to offer. Through the whole session she kept the same background and never asked if I wanted to, nor allowed me to, change outfits. My daughter wasn’t the perfect subject, but I felt like this photographer didn’t know how to work with mobile babies at all. She kept tickling my daughter’s face with a duster to get smiles but produced awkward faces. I would have been much happier with a more stoic look than sneers and grimaces. When she took pictures of my daughter’s whole body she was so far back my baby got lost in the background.
I wasn’t happy with the results, but I purchased three different poses that were only acceptable. One of the poses was of my daughter crying. I brought the flier I received in with me for the session. On the top of the flier it says, “No session fee”. I was charged a fee. They said that offer only applied if I ordered one of their package deals. The flier also said that I could get a portrait CD for as low as $9.99. They said that’s only after the purchase of a $120 CD or a $200 portrait package. The flier said that I could save up to 50% on “personalized collections”. The fine print even said that the savings was based on “individual products sold separately”. Somehow, the four sheets that I did purchase didn’t qualify. The flier said that they could have the portraits ready on the same day. I did get that. I saw my prints after signing the credit card receipt. I was horrified. My daughter looked like she had jaundice with pink splotchy skin. I was so angry I just left to cool down before asking for my money back.
Three days later, I returned to find out that the best I could get was a 50% refund. I don’t think it is fair for me to pay half of something that even the store manager admitted turned out “a little warm”. Nowhere on my SEARS receipt does it say that I would get anything less than a full refund if returned with the receipt, which I had. I called the customer service number and was told that the 50% refund was standard policy, however I don’t see anything on the Sears portrait site, the receipt I was given, nor the papers from the photo shoot, which outline that return policy.
Frustrated, I opted for the 50% refund. I returned the next day and was given a receipt for a complete 50% refund and told that it would go to my card. The manager acted as if I was done, but I hadn’t signed anything. I asked if there was anything I needed to sign and she printed out another receipt. This one only refunded 50% of the fee for the prints but not the sitting fee. She said the 50% for the sitting fee would have to be done separately but that I wouldn’t need to sign that one. I didn’t see her ring up the second receipt and I was not given a copy of either of those receipts.
With this sort of transaction, I’m keeping a close eye to see what shows up on my credit card. I never thought I would have to do that with a store that carries the SEARS name. To say I’m disappointed with the quality of prints I was given would be an understatement, but then to also pay $32.02 (or more depending on what shows up on my credit card) for absolutely nothing is outrageous. I will be sharing this story with my friends, family and everyone that reads my blog. I’m very angry about the quality of product – both the photographer’s skill and the prints, and the lack of customer service. I want a full refund.
A paper copy of this letter was sent to CPI Corp 1706 Washington Ave, St Louis, MO 63103-1717
CPI Corp is the owner and operator of Sears Portrait Studios and PictureMe Portrait Studios™ in Wal-Mart.
September 29th, 2008 at 7:51 am
I understand that they’re mainly the same company, but my mom had nothing but problems with Sears, but nary a problem with Walmart. The best shots were from the independent ones, though. I know Walmart does full refunds, or they’ll redo them for you.
The 50% refund is ridiculous, and if you didn’t like it, I would have put a stop on the credit payment.
Sarahs latest blog post… Weekly Winners – September 21 through September 27
September 29th, 2008 at 8:03 am
Sarah, thanks for the comment and information.
I did try to stop the payment, but my credit card said they let all charges go through. They’re sending me a form to dispute the charge though.
September 29th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
That’ll teach them to take on a not-a-lawyer!
Angels latest blog post… Overdoing It
September 29th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
First off, let me just say, it’s completely understandable that you are not satisfied with Sears, and how they handled this situation. And in my next comments, please don’t think that I’m siding with Sears.
I used to work at JCPenney portrait studio, and this was many years ago. I wanted to work there to expand my photography expertise…only to find out that would not happen. As a professional photographer who was looking to do full time photography work, I was only disappointed in how they compensate and train their employees/photographers. I had to quit after only a couple of months working there, due to high frustration at how my clients were being treated. The photographers they “train” are not compensated very well (less than $10/hour). They hire people without any experience whatsoever, and put them through “training”. The training doesn’t teach them anything about the technicalities of photography, such as lighting or color, and they only teach them about composing the shots and posing the subjects (which it sounds like your photographer knew nothing about). This is why their portraits are so inexpensive.
I could go on – but it would be more like a venting session. Anyway – I hate to say this – but you get what you pay for – and even though you didn’t get your full refund – you didn’t pay much at all.
The reason professional portraits cost so much more is because you’re paying for the photographer’s talent, time, and expertise. Wal-Mart, JCPenney, Sears, Ritz, anyplace like that, you’re not going to as high quality portraits as you would if you used a professional photographer who specializes in portraits.
Like I said – I’m not trying to criticize you for using Sears, as you should NOT have gotten a portrait of your daughter that looked yellow or “a little warm” (according to that manager). If anything, maybe you could go back to them and ask them if they would redo the portraits, with a different photographer? Just a thought.
September 29th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
jenej – Thank you for the comment. I know that these kids aren’t paid much and that there is a big difference between them and actual photographers. I’ve worked with photographers and went to the Photoshop conference in Vegas a few weeks ago. I’ve seen real photography. My grandparents were photographers and I’m not expecting anything close to that when I go to places like Sears. It’s like expecting a gourmet meal from McDonalds.
I know how much a photographer can cost, that’s why I go to places like Sears. But even at McD’s you expect a certain level of service (yes, very low) and that the burgers are the right color. I wasn’t expecting perfect smiles from my very mobile and very reserved toddler. I just wanted a shot that showed her pretty features without my filing cabinet in the background. I don’t think that’s a very high expectation. $62 isn’t much at all for some descent pictures and while I was disappointed I still picked three of the shots and ordered four sheets, it’s when they couldn’t even get the prints the right color that I had simply had enough.
I didn’t mention it in my letter because I could have gone on for four pages but I had told the manager that I was willing to pay for the session ($15) but wanted a full refund on the prints, after all it was the prints that I objected to the most. She said that wasn’t possible and I think when I did go for the 50% refund she actually charged other fees to my card. I was handed one receipt that I didn’t have to sign and a receipt with a different amount that I did sign but wasn’t able to get a copy of. I think I neglected to check for a subtraction sign on the one that I signed. – I don’t think I really need to say it, but I’m not going back there and asking for anything, ever.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
I’m so sorry to hear about your experience. This is entirely consistent with other experiences friends have had at various store-based photo studios. They’re basically little more than photo meat markets designed to move as many people through as quickly as possible. As jenej so aptly put it, photography really isn’t part of the equation. Neither, apparently, is customer service.
Thank you for posting this. Only by sharing experiences do we learn what to seek out and what to avoid. I, too, will steer clear. I’d rather stick my camera up on a tripod and do it on my own. Couldn’t be any worse – and certainly it would be a lot less expensive.
Carmis latest blog post… Wordless Wednesday – Scales of justice?
October 1st, 2008 at 12:19 pm
I’ll say it again-apparently not all Sears photo studios suck, because our family has used the one in Southcenter with excellent results several times. In one case the photographer took almost an hour with a preschooler and his two giggling 8 year old cousins as the litte guy danced and sang and joked his way through the shoot. In another it was senior photos for a moody teenager who wouldn’t know what background to use if it hit her in the face.
We’ve had background changes-all for the asking. We’ve been allowed to see photos as they pop up on the computer screen BEFORE choosing a package. We’ve been allowed to see the final package ordered before deciding which to buy. We’ve not paid a sitting fee if it was included and we’ve been allowed to buy the disc of ALL the photos, at a reasonable price, regardless of the package we’ve purchased.
Having worked in retail years ago, I can tell you that it’s not really fair to paint all branches of a business with the same brush, or to write all similar ones off as unprofessional just because they don’t cater to those with the money to hire highly skilled professionals with years of training.
It sounds as though Erica got a place staffed by clueless people who not only didn’t know what they were doing, but didn’t listen to HER, the customer, who is allegedly “always right”. That’s a shame, no matter where it happened.
But I hardly think all store-based photo places are that terrible, or none would be in business.
October 4th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
I’ve had horrible experiences with Wal-Mart, Sears, and JCPenney. I’ve now settle on Portrait Innovations. They are awesome! Inexpensive, quick, and I’m always satisfied w/ my pics. Once my 2 year old would not cooperate, so they just let me end the session and reschedule. There’s never a sitting fee. They always snap at least 120 shots, then line them all up on a 40 inch computer screen and you narrow it down til you’re comfortable with the price. Then, to top it off, you walk out w/ your pics in 20 mins! If you have one in your area, I highly recommend them!!!
October 6th, 2008 at 8:14 am
Carmi – thank you. I think that the stores that offer a free sitting, not just for a promotion, but as regular business model tend to take better pictures. They’re probably pushed to take care to get a few good shots because they make their money in the packages. There will still be some used car sales tactics, but if you can handle that at least you’ll get some good shots. I went back to Olan Mills and got some cute shots.
October 6th, 2008 at 8:19 am
krystal – Thank you for the comment. I think going for a place without a sitting fee is best. I went back to Olan Mills, which are in K-marts and got some great shots (as always). One of the ladies at our local Olan Mills is a lot like a used car sales person, which is why I tried Sears out, but I got a different person this time.
October 14th, 2008 at 12:00 am
I agree with the sentiment of the others.. I would only go to a sears portriat studio if I knew the photographer from previous work and could trust they take good photos.
Davids latest blog post… The Art of Lighting – Baby Style
October 26th, 2008 at 1:34 am
I am offended by the fact that some people think that there is no real training for photographers at JcPenney’s. It is true that when I started 8 years ago there was only on the job training but now there is extinsive training that has turned JcPenney into a wonderful place to get your child’s picture taken for the best price out there. As a real, true professional photographer who discovered my talent and learned about discovering the special something about each child that came through the door at JcPenney Portrait studios I am offended by people not calling me a proffesional photographer. There are all kinds of so called professionals out there who don’t have any degree or any more schooling than me all they have is an expensive camara and call themself a professional and certain don’t have a clue how to relate to children. I am appaled at wedding pictures I see so called professional photographers have taken…I go to friends weddings and do pictures for them and there so called expesive professional photographer has runied all their pictures and they thank me over and over and say I didn’t know you were a professional. I am not currently working for JcPenney Portraits but as a current customer, I would never even put them in the same catagory as Sears…Sears pictures are terrible and always have been. If you call a JcPenney Studio and ask for their best photographer they will usually be happy to tell you when that person is working and I can bet you will get as good or even better pictures than the so called proffessionals and guess what if you are not completely satisfied they will give you 100% of you money back and probably a retake and free sheets to boot….nothing like Sears.
November 14th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Here is a thought which i am sure evidently has stumped you all.. IF YOU DONT LIKE YOUR PICTURES DONT BUY THEM!
November 14th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Here is a line from my post that you obviously didn’t read, “I saw my prints after signing the credit card receipt. I was horrified. My daughter looked like she had jaundice with pink splotchy skin. I was so angry I just left to cool down before asking for my money back.”
While I wasn’t excited by the pictures that were taken. I was ok with what I saw on the screen. It wasn’t until I AFTER I paid and saw the prints that I had enough.
November 17th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
I am actually currently employed at a Sears Portrait Studio, so I think i can shed a little light on this ladies’ predicament.
I worked at two studios in Bergen county during the summer, and I can honestly say that there’s a difference between GOOD studios and BAD studios (I worked at both). Some studios train their photographers a lot more than others, and some studios are a lot better organized.
The Good studio (in Paramus) should be a LOVELY experience for ANY customer. Now some of the coupons CAN be mis-leading, but after researching other studios, I have found out that Sears prices are actually tremendously lower than most professional studios. At our studio we greet everyone extremely politely, explain to them thoroughly what they should expect, offer them a plethora and backgrounds, and then ask for any other questions.
It is the customers responsibility to mention wardrobe changes, or any special request.
As far as the “jundice” on your daughters face…..there probably was a rash on her face, no? If not, then that’s an unusual occurance as most studios (at least the one I work for) would fix that kind of problem, or simply re-shoot. We do not offer flat out refunds, thats true. But we always offer to try again, offer free photos for a future session etc.
Mothers HAVE TO LEARN THAT THIS JOB IS NOT EASY!!!!!!!!! You say your kid “wasn’t the easiest to deal with”…..when I hear that, I hear “my kid was crying and moving and did not want to do it”. Sometimes there is VERY LITTLE the photographer can do in certain situations.
Yes we do get trained pretty “half-assed” but during our employment our manager and the veteran workers always offer advice on how to improve the photographs and different techniques on getting a child to sit still and smile.
Personally, I get offended when I take a variety of funny, cute, and original photographs and then a customer presents me with a coupon which only allows them to take 1 photo. You ARE getting professional photographs so do not expect to leave spending only $10. If you DO NOT WANT TO SPEND MONEY, take your OWN PHOTOS.
But listen, I also worked at a BAD STUDIO where our manager was never there, never organized her appointments, and always cropped/edited pretty poorly, so Im’ sorry if you ran into one of those stores…but the store I shoot in is run extremely efficiently.
November 17th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Adam – My daughter didn’t have a rash of any sort. The photos looked ok on the screen. It was the PRINTS that turned out like shit. As it the prints looked different from what was on the viewing screen. I presented my coupons prior to the session. NOTHING was explained to me and I did mention that I had two different outfits. I had to pull information out of the person ‘helping’ me as far as what packages cost and whatnot, which led me to find out that the coupon I had was completely misleading.
I know that taking photos of a mobile baby isn’t easy which is why I was so forgiving about the so-so shots that were taken, but the prints looked like crap. It has nothing to do with re-shooting and everything to do with poor quality. I told the manager I would pay for the photo shoot, but I refuse to pay for the prints. I don’t see anything on the Sears portrait site, the receipt I was given, nor the papers from the photo shoot, which outline a 50% return policy so that is total bullshit. I should get a full refund for those prints.
November 26th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
I have had my sons portraits done at JCPenney since he was three months old, he’s five now, and I love them! Over the years he has had different photographers, but there is one in particular he reponds to the best. My advice would be to find the person who works the best with your child and keep returning to them. I went to a couple different studios over the years, but was not happy at all! I’ve never had a problem with JCP, and any minor issues were taken care of right away. My house is decorated with many portraits ALL done at JCP. I refuse to go anywhere else and recommend them to all my friends! Plus they got the best deals!
November 28th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
I had an awful experience today at Sears. We have used them in the past and have been very pleased. My family consists of 5. Mom, Dad, 3 boys ages 16, 15, 13. We all dressed in matching tops and jeans. Easy enough right?
Arrived promptly for our appointment and waited. No problem. During the shoot she (the photographer) kept the white sheet as the background and never changed it. Honstely I didn’t pick up on it until after reviewing the photos.
We waited for 30 minutes or so for our photos to be ready for viewing. Meanwhile, people are coming and going and babies are crying etc.
My family is getting restless because teenager boys and husbands don’t appreciate this process as much as I do.
Finally, our photos. What a disappointment. First, there is mentioned in previous complaints about a lack of photography skills. First rule of photography should be posing your subjects…if you can’t do this…why are you in this line of work?
As I am looking them over I realize that I hate all of the “family shots”. I don’t order them. What about our holiday cards? The sales person shows me a card that has a couple different shots available. Okay, let’s try that. I find 3 shots that will make up a “family pose”. $50 for 30 holiday cards. Next she crops in a couple shots and adds a background…okay that helped a little. I later discover her correcting them will cost me dearly! $10 bucks for each “enhancement”
I decide on 1 8×10- 3 5×7 (tradition to give to grandparents). She asks if I would like the disk for $39…I always buy one to put in a safe incase of fire…
Ready for the total…$173.40.
I about stroke at the register…I look over to my family and can see that they are more than ready to go…(our appointment was at 10:30 a.m….it’s almost 1:00 p.m.)
I decide to go…let’s get lunch and look over them. Maybe I will be more objective once we are out of there. (Maybe I’m getting irritated…am I being too picky?)
We walk across the street to have lunch. We begin looking at the photos and discussing the photo shoot. I can’t get over how badly we are posed. My husband asked what I ended up with and about fell out of his chair when I showed him the receipt. I call Sears and explain my disappointment. I offer to walk back across the street to cancel my order and discuss my options. The manager Kim, tells me there is nothing wrong with the photos and she can only offer another sitting. Could I come back tomorrow? I explained I couldn’t because my step son (16 year old) is only here for the day and he lives 2 1/2 hours away.
I go home and call customer service and ask for the district manager’s contact information. Sorry, we can’t give that information out. I explain the entire situation to customer service rep who states that is Sear’s policy. I can only get a refund for $40 (some prints) because now my disk will be $120 and they are not refundable. The disk with these horriable pictures cost me $120–what happen to the $39 dollars I was charged. Oh, well that was with your portriat purchase. Now, I will pay full price. Don’t you think someone should have told me that? It wasn’t a secret that I didn’t care much for the photos when I was selecting them, again I was trying to make the best of it.
No one has contacted me from Sears. I asked customer service to have a district manager contact me. I am extremely disappointed in my photos and their customer service. Let me say it again…I have been going there for years…and had great results.
If anyone would like to see how badly we were posed, shoot me an email at mcklatt2007@aol.com and I would be happy to show you. I guess I own these miserable pics so I intend to use them to detour others from Sears.
This was a learning experience for me. Don’t ever worry about hurting the photographers feelings. Don’t worry about being too difficult or putting them behind schedule because guess what…they don’t care about your happiness!Customer Service means nothing to them. And by the way…my receipt says I can have a full refund with my receipt and I intend to get it! Buyers Beware!
Laura
Bloomington, Illinois
November 28th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Laura – Thanks so much for your Sears story.
What I had to do was hand them everything I purchased (hand over everything even if they say it can’t be refunded), ask for a refund and accept whatever pitiful refund they offer. It won’t be the full refund because even though they use Sears receipts, they are a separate company. Keep the original receipt and the refund receipt, make copies of both sides of both receipts and file a “charge dispute” with the credit card company as soon as possible. On my dispute I wrote that despite a full return of merchandise I was not given a full refund and the policy on the back of the receipt does not say anything about a partial return for the type of purchase made.
I finally received my full refund. It took a couple months and it wasn’t from talking to Sears, it was through my credit card.
I went to Olan Mills (in K-mart) to get our next set of photos done. There isn’t a sitting fee, so they really work to get the best possible shots. I was MUCH happier with my Olan Mills photos and prints.
November 29th, 2008 at 9:38 am
Being a professional photographer myself I hear these kind of stories way too often. I could never be in business if I treated people with that kind of customer service!! Sorry to hear of another bad experience.
November 30th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
I also currently work at a Sears Portrait Studio and I think it’s important that you understand that not all studio’s are alike. Our studio transformed from a bad studio to an amazing studio that deeply cares about customer service just because we got a new manager. Also understand that you need to GET YOUR PICTURES DONE EARLY BEFORE the Christmas season. During Christmas every studio becomes swamped and has to hire seasonal workers. So try and get your pictures done in August or early September to ensure that you get an experienced photographer instead of an inexperienced trainee.
I also really dislike those coupons that enable you to buy pictures for $5 or $10 because no matter how beautiful the photos turn out it makes an excellent photographer feel like they aren’t capable of taking high quality pictures that are worth buying. It also brings the sales average of the studio down and it makes it hard to keep our studio in business. If we don’t make money off of pictures how are we supposed to keep our studio going?
Anyways, the bottom line is… Don’t bash all Sears Studio’s because you had a bad experience and were treated unfairly in your local one. =)
December 10th, 2008 at 8:18 am
I am very sorry for your bad experience. At one time, the family portrait photographer was another family practitioner, right up there with the family doctor, but sadly now, photography has become a commodity, and many people get burned by this sort of thing.
My recommendation is to use your own camera for recording your family’s life day to day, and then save to have some really great portraits created occasionally at a professional portrait studio. People say going to a professional is “too expensive” but how on earth can it be more expensive than what you paid?
Good luck!
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