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Comments:
What the previous reviewer found to be positive about completely baffles me.
Nothing free about it! Nothing prize-worthy about it either. Just a bunch of con-artists extracting scary sums of money from guilt-tripped innocents.
Studio London needs to be investigated for the way it carries on. Read the forums and judge for yourself.
I had a free makeover and photo shoot with this company 7th Jan 2010 which was lovely (as were the photos). My main problem was with the sales pitch at the end, they do a VERY hard sell. Although I never intended to buy anything from them and suspected they would try quite hard to sell me things I never dreamt it would be as hard as it was. I actually spent over £1,000 on a CD of photos.
If you are considering going to a photo shoot here . . .
1) Please first arm yourself with a good knowledge of what other companies are offering and for how much. Have a look at www.studios4u.co.uk and www.image1st.co.uk for comparisons.
2) Prepare to be insistent on getting what you want, not what they make you think you want. E.g. If you want to know how much anything costs at Studio London you will probably have to be very insistent, as the sales person may try to tell you that they are doing you a good deal. Contrast this with other companies who display their prices on the web!
3) Take someone with you, even better if they are a professional negotiator and have a wise head on their shoulders. I went alone and could really have done with the help of a good friend in standing up against the sales pitch.
4) Practise saying no (very firmly), if they are offering you something you aren't sure about say no!
5) Beware the direct debit scheme. Take a calculator and some paper yourself £50 may sound reasonable after initial payment figures of over £400, but £50 per month for 21 months adds up to over £1,000.
6) Read the contract before you sign it. Do NOT let them rush you into signing an important legal document. There are terms and conditions that mean you CANNOT back out of the payments. Here are some extracts:
The Order Form clearly states the following:
“I have thoroughly checked the above order and confirm that it is a complete and accurate record of my requests and I understand that I am legally bound to this order and have no right to cancel, reduce or in any way alter this order”.
The Credit Agreement clearly states the following:
“Because this Agreement is to be signed by both you and us at our business premises, this Agreement is not cancellable under the Consumer Credit Act 1974.”
The Credit Agreement also clearly states:
“This is a Credit Agreement regulated by the Consumer Credit Act 1974. Sign it only if you want to be bound by its terms.”
Basically you have no way out.
6) The staff for the makeover and the photo shoot are friendly and help you feel comfortable. Don't automatically trust the sales people because of this!
7) Remember that the sales person is a professional - do you have what it takes to pit yourself against a professional who will try every trick in the book?
8) Ask them to repeat things clearly. Take your time!
Please be very wary of this company's sales tactics. They are treading very close to the wrong side of the law, they stick to the letter of the law, but not the spirit in the way they sell.
Thanks for reading :) I hope this has saved some heartache!
Lois
Add a comment about this blagger
Visitors to the site are reminded that the details contained within user comments are uncorroborated and as such should not be read as fact but as the opinion of the person who left the comment.
Comments:
Nothing free about it! Nothing prize-worthy about it either. Just a bunch of con-artists extracting scary sums of money from guilt-tripped innocents.
Studio London needs to be investigated for the way it carries on. Read the forums and judge for yourself.
If you are considering going to a photo shoot here . . .
1) Please first arm yourself with a good knowledge of what other companies are offering and for how much. Have a look at www.studios4u.co.uk and www.image1st.co.uk for comparisons.
2) Prepare to be insistent on getting what you want, not what they make you think you want. E.g. If you want to know how much anything costs at Studio London you will probably have to be very insistent, as the sales person may try to tell you that they are doing you a good deal. Contrast this with other companies who display their prices on the web!
3) Take someone with you, even better if they are a professional negotiator and have a wise head on their shoulders. I went alone and could really have done with the help of a good friend in standing up against the sales pitch.
4) Practise saying no (very firmly), if they are offering you something you aren't sure about say no!
5) Beware the direct debit scheme. Take a calculator and some paper yourself £50 may sound reasonable after initial payment figures of over £400, but £50 per month for 21 months adds up to over £1,000.
6) Read the contract before you sign it. Do NOT let them rush you into signing an important legal document. There are terms and conditions that mean you CANNOT back out of the payments. Here are some extracts:
The Order Form clearly states the following:
“I have thoroughly checked the above order and confirm that it is a complete and accurate record of my requests and I understand that I am legally bound to this order and have no right to cancel, reduce or in any way alter this order”.
The Credit Agreement clearly states the following:
“Because this Agreement is to be signed by both you and us at our business premises, this Agreement is not cancellable under the Consumer Credit Act 1974.”
The Credit Agreement also clearly states:
“This is a Credit Agreement regulated by the Consumer Credit Act 1974. Sign it only if you want to be bound by its terms.”
Basically you have no way out.
6) The staff for the makeover and the photo shoot are friendly and help you feel comfortable. Don't automatically trust the sales people because of this!
7) Remember that the sales person is a professional - do you have what it takes to pit yourself against a professional who will try every trick in the book?
8) Ask them to repeat things clearly. Take your time!
Please be very wary of this company's sales tactics. They are treading very close to the wrong side of the law, they stick to the letter of the law, but not the spirit in the way they sell.
Thanks for reading :) I hope this has saved some heartache!
Lois
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