When Harry was a wee, pudgy, adorable baby, we had his picture taken ALL THE TIME. I can remember more than one occasion where I would take him down to the mall by MYSELF just to get pictures snapped at Sears. And they always turned out adorable. And I always used one of those cheapo coupons where you get a bazillion photos for $5 or whatever. It was perfect. This carried on from when he was about 6 months old (the first time I sorta realized I could actually get pictures done… what can I say? I was a first time mom!) until he was about two or three. I would get pictures done almost every month.
But then we started getting frustrated with the wait time. We would make an appointment well enough in advance, but it never failed that we would spend 30 minutes (or more!) waiting in the little waiting area with the germ infested bead coaster and watching a movie on the tiny television. Waiting with a toddler sucks, if you weren’t already aware. We were there for Christmas portraits and finally had HAD IT. We never felt like the photographer took enough time trying to get good pictures. Once they saw we had the $5 coupon, they would take a picture until we were relatively sure we got the shot we wanted and that was it. There was little to no personal attention. It was very disappointing.
It was around this time that Picture People was getting going in our local mall so we started going there. It was a bit pricier, but the customer service, quick turn-around and attractive prints made it worth our while. And, over the years, we’ve gotten less professional portraits taken. Harry gets school pictures done and since Liam and now Evie came into our lives, there just hasn’t been the time for it. And, of course, Picture People packed up and left town.
I decided to bite the bullet and made an appointment at Sears Portrait Studio, hoping that enough time had passed that their practices had improved over the years. We found out within 5 minutes of arriving that no, they had not. At least, that’s what I believed when we were told that they were very busy, several appointments had run over and that our appointment had been “bumped”. She meant to call us, honest! She could see about fitting us in later. Let’s see, it was 1pm… how would 7pm work? We’d only have to kill six hours at the mall with a surly third grader and two wee children. SURE, WHY NOT? We told her we’d think about it and made ourselves scarce faster than you can say, “Not on your life, sister!”
But my story doesn’t end there. After mentioning on my blog about my less-than-satisfactory experience, I was contacted by someone at Sears Portrait Studio. They wanted to make it right for us and would we consider giving Sears Portrait Studio another shot? They didn’t even ask for details on what went wrong with our experience, just that they would ensure we were treated well. What did I have to lose? Our local studio contacted us (the manager called me on her cell-phone to set up the appointment and assured me she would be there to photograph us as well) and we made an appointment. I started to get jazzed, hoping that FINALLY I would have a picture of all three of my children.
The studio manager called again a day before our photo appointment to go over the details with us. She asked what the children would be wearing, what sort of portraits we were hoping to get and other details. Before we even stepped foot in the studio, I felt like a very important customer. And when we arrived, that feeling only deepened. We never had to sit in the waiting area, as we were whisked back for our session right away. The manager and another photographer were there on hand to help us capture our children (no mean feat when you factor in Liam). I was still doubtful that we’d be able to get many quality pictures of Liam, at least, but I was game.
In short, we were taken VERY well care of. Liam wasn’t good for more than about two photos in a row, but the women were more than happy to go at his speed and let him take breaks as often as he wanted. Though I was stressed about Liam’s behavior, the women never made me feel like I had anything to be nervous about. The mood was very calm and relaxed and I appreciated that more than I can say. After the session, the manager went over the photos with us, helping us make our selections and giving advice where she saw fit. Of course they tried to sell us their most expensive packages, I would have been suspicious if they hadn’t, but I never felt like I was put on the spot either. The ball was entirely in our court.
We ordered our pictures and were on our way. Two weeks later when the pictures came in at the store, we were given a phone call. A few days later, a framed portrait we were given as an incentive came in and again we were given a call by the manager. We picked the pictures up and they are GORGEOUS. They turned out even better than I had hoped and I am so glad that I decided to give Sears Portrait Studio another chance. If you’ve felt burned by them in the past, like I had, I urge you to give them another shot. While we were treated like VIPs, I could tell that a lot had changed about their practices in general and I will be happy to return there in the future for more pictures (I’m thinking Evie will need some 1 Year pictures!). And check out this beautiful framed picture we got:
Not just a gorgeous photo but HUGE.
To give you some idea of scale… sorry it’s so blurry!
Edit 12/9/2009: I’m going ahead and closing comments on this post. This post is well over a year old now, after all. The discussion has been very interesting and I’ve definitely understood everyone’s issues. While Sears made it right for me and my family, it would appear that they have quite a ways to go to improve customer satisfaction overall. I believe it can be done!
Tags: family, kids, photo, portraits, Sears Portrait Studio
I had an awful experience today at Sears. We come year every year and I usually buy them all! My family consists of 5. Mom, Dad, 3 boys ages 16, 15, 13. We all dressed in matching tops and jeans. Easy enough right? We arrived promptly for our appointment and waited. No problem, it’s a busy day. During the shoot she (the photographer) kept the white sheet as the background and never changed it. Honestly, 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, my family is getting restless. Teenage boys and husbands don’t appreciate this process as much as I do. Finally, our photos. What a disappointment. 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 holiday card” $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 dearly! I decide on 1 8×10- 3 5×7’s. She asks if I would like the disk for $39…I always buy one to put in a safe in case of fire. After another 10 minute wait at the ONE register..I about stroke when I hear the total of $173.40. For what? 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.) With several families in line behind me I decide to give her my card and figure it out after we are out of there.
I decide to go…let’s get lunch and look them over. We walk across the street to have lunch. 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. I call Sears and explain my disappointment. 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 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 CS 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. 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. We were never offered a retake then and there on the spot. No one has contacted me from Sears. I asked CS to have a district manager contact me. I’m extremely disappointed in my photos and the lack of customer service.
How did you get them to make it right for you? If you would like to see these pics…I would be happy to share them. EMAIL me at mcklatt2007@aol.com
Laura
Bloomington, Illinois
Hey there. First of all I’m super glad to hear that you gave sears portrait another chance. I work at a Sears Portrait Studio and I must say that we really do care very much about the customer even though sometimes it might not seem like it. It’s kind of hard to give your full 100% when you’ve had appointments all day, have been running back and forth between the camera and the phone, and are now running late because jr. was screaming bloody murder and mom kept insisting to just try for a little longer because it took her for ever to get in for an appointment. If ever you’re not satisfied with your portraits just let us know. We are more than happy to accomodate you, and make up for any inconviniences we may have caused. The worst thing you could do is to do what Laura above did. We promise that our feelings will not be hurt if you let us know that you don’t like our picture and would like to try again or even if you just walk away. To Laura, Just ask your portrait studio to redo your pictures tell them you are not satisfied with your pictures and that you would like to reshoot. You’ll need to return all pictures and you probably wont be able to get the CD of your new pics because you had your old CD and even if you return it there’s the possibility that you hve them on your computer. But still you can have the old print replace print for print with the pics from the new sitting and if you like them enough then you might even decide to pay the extra for the disk. I think you should give it a try and see what happens. I hope you get a solution to your problem.
I”m glad you gave them another try! I have always used Sears w/ my kids growing up and thankfully have never had any problems. The picture you ended up w/ is gorgeous btw. From personal experience, I know my kids dont like to wait but they can also be the sit that puts everyone behind…..Babytime is such a pain
To Laura: I’m sorry that the sit left you w/ a bad taste in your mouth. Working in Customer service for as long as i have, I know that there are just some things that can’t be fixed w/ in company policy. Xmas time can be so crazy in these studios with new help ect. I frequent Bloomington now that management has changed over there and i find it to be wonderful, Personally I only allow Kim to do my pictures. You must have caught her on a bad day. Have you tried going in and talking to them ect. I know she would be willing to make things right. She always has for me.
The way I feel is this. You get what you pay for. If you want someone to kiss your ass then you need to go to a professional photographer and spend between $250 and up. From: an ex- Sears Studio Manager
By someone that has an appointment scheduled on Saturday, I am truly back and forth on deciding to cancel. I have spent the last 4 days trying to do the pre-work for the lady in the studio by already having poses printed out that I would like to have done, just in case she just stands like duhuh, and doesn’t know how to do her job. I called today to get an idea of costs for engagement pictures, and the prices were nothing like the ones online. It sounds like no matter what, we will be spending $130.00 at the least to have our pictures taken with backgrounds from the 80’s and not as many sheets as I feel like that price should include. The above comment by Robbie kind of makes me sick, because thats what you are if you work in a studio is a professional photographer, are you not??? ( Probably why your an ex- Sears Studio Manager). And that price is a huge chunk out people’s paychecks in this economy. Maybe if you live in LA you should feel that price is nothing but in small towns that is outrageous for 2 people to get some shots taken for the local paper. I’m already scared that the pictures might look bad but to have to sit there and wait, or for them to not make the pictures look like a professional should make them look, it makes me have a headache before I even get there! A friend tells me they just went to Wal-Mart and got their pictures done for $30! If thats the price at Wal-Mart then I would imagine I could find a REAL professional as Robbie suggests and probably be satisfied with my pictures afterwards for around that same price! Honestly I’m surprised Sears even feels comfortable pricing their pictures that way. I have sold cameras for years, and the quality from them now are sooo professional I can’t even tell a difference! My best bet is to just ask my mom to take pictures of me and my fiance’ with my 8 megapixel camera at the local park with the poses I have already picked out. I could just crop them and have as many shots as I want without a copyright release! The paper would be all I would pay for in my own printer! So how can Sears afford to price these so high and why shouldn’t I just cancel the appointment? Just save myself some time, some money, and a few goody powders?
To Ashley, the reason I am an “ex studio manager” is that I got tired of making them money and opened my own studio http://www.mildunstudios.com. Wal-Mart “Picture Me” studios and “Sears” portrait studio are the same. They are both owned by CPI Images. We were told Wal-Mart is for low income and Sears is for middle-class. Our goal from each customer at Sears was AT LEAST $110.00 and if we didn’t get that, then we we briefed and in some cases wrote up for it. Thats the reason that employee at Sears quoted $130.00. If her average goes below $110.00 for 3 weeks you are taken off of the schedule and replaced. Sears is ALL about $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. And Fast $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Just like a Doctors office, that is why they schedule 15 mins appointments during Christmas, to get as many ppl in the door as possible, they don’t care how long the customer has to wait. The training for a so called “photographer” at Sears and “Picture Me” is 30 hours. and that’s another reason I left I didn’t want my education as a professional photographer and my background be tarnished by somones image of a crappy photographer at Sears. We were told that if a customer spent less than $110.00 that they would rather not even have them as a customer. “Picture ME” and “Sears Portrait” are like the fast food of photography. A real professional photographer being filet mignon and “Sears” and “Picture Me” being something from the dollar menu at Mcdonalds. You get what you pay for. Sorry this is the harsh truth.
Do you even realize what a “Photographer” at SPS goes through? Especially one that is booked every 15 minutes and with only ONE camera room? We empathize with you, trust me. We hear it all the time. But ya know….there really is NOT much we can do about it.
We are ROBOTS. We don’t eat, we don’t use the bathroom…and the more dedicated ones? Well, we work 20 days in a row from open to close without a break. CPI..the company we work for doesn’t care at all about their employees..they care about the MONEY.
We are FORCED to badger our customers with outreach-aka telemarketing because they are too cheap to put our number in the book or even advertises.
And that cheap coupon you use? Do you realize how HARD we work for you to take beautiful pictures for you to spend 5 bucks on ONE pose? Yeah..we get wrote up for that.
I think you need to work a Christmas season for your local SPS. You will then realize why things are the way they are.
Also. I quit working there..after only 10 months of being a manager and putting in 3 years all together… I have turned into the invisible mommy. I never saw my kids. I was always at work.
The prices are what they are. We can’t help it. We are told to charge x amount of dollars for x item.
I hated to push the expensive collections on my customers…but if I didn’t..I got wrote up..it was even worse when the district manager came to visit.
Do you realize how many times I cried at work? Do you realize that our jobs were in constant danger? Like they say above.. No one can afford those prices in this economy..especially NW Ohio where the jobs are really scarce. Well, we can’t afford to lose our jobs.
We are professional photographers..but the ones that charge 60 dollars a sitting and another 100 for clothing/pose changes are the ones we call “Prime rib’ photographers..they can charge what they want..it is their business.
SPS is “steak” and PM is “hamburger”.
Even the BEST photographers have bad days. I had been taking a families portraits since their 3 year old was a baby..and I had the humiliation of taking crappy photos..wanna know why? Cause her 3 year old was acting up..screaming every time I put him down and got behind the camera to take his pic only to have him MOVE! We were 30 mins behind and only ONE camera room. I felt HORRIBLE!! I had to make a choice..continue with the crappy pictures or just get that kid OUT of there so we can continue down the production line….
It got to a point where I put up a sign….”All appointment times are approximate, to better serve you we run on KID time” Most customers appreciated it.
Sometimes we got 10 minute Johnny who listened, did all the poses we were required to do, plus what his mother wanted and had no problems..or we got 40 minute Susie who was shy and needed to be reassured. *shrug* That is just the way it is.
Just be pleasant always..and if you need to complain.. do it nicely.. and to the studio manager. Most of them are more than willing to “break the rules” for a customer who is calm and nice.
I’m low class.I should have gone to Walmart.I had a coupon with 20% off, 7.99 picture package, 2.99 for customized pictures and a no session fee.The manager didn’t listen to my wants and needs.I winded up paying 208 with the 20% off due to him pressuring me.Money that I need for my new baby.Now I’m not sure if I can tell them that I just want the cd and not the pictures that I ordered.Not sure if I could get a refund for the pictures I ordered.I’m not going to pick them up.I can take my cd and print pictures myself or go to my work and get it printed for 29 cents per picture.Not sure if I should call or not and tell them I don’t want the picture print .I’m not going there again.I don’t like being pressured into buying something I can barely afford.
As a sears portrait photographer i can not express well enough the stress we are put under especially around the holidays. we have 2 rooms at our texas location and even when we have double coverage it is a hassle. we are told to make appointments every 15 minutes for both rooms and also toldnot to rush the customers. it takes well over 15 minutes to get good shots especially with young kids and another 15-20 minutes to preview with the parents. we also get calls from district posing as customers just to make sure we give them an appt 15 minutes after we have a double book. if we try to offer an alternative time we get fired on the spot. All we ask is that you try to be a little patient with us. you our customers are important and we try our best but you need to realize that you re not the only customer.
I think you were treated like VIP’s because obviously they were trying to score points hence your blogging and impact made. they suck. don’t be a suck up. it’s a contracted studio. not sears.
Ashley that way of thinking is a big part of why Sears employees hate their jobs. Of course a place like walmart will be cheaper than Sears Portrait. If you the type of person to be happy with Walmart to take their engagement photos even at that price tells me alot about you. You do get what you pay for you can can get a Burger off the dollar menu at mcdonalds and it will fill you just as an 45 dollar steak will. A person can go to a photobooth and spend more money with our coupons at sears. but at the end of the day you have a crappy fake burger and 4 set photo shots. Our Standards are much higher than alot of department store studios The days of Kmart walk in and stand as up and smile in and out days are over. We are required to get 6 to 9 different poses, this doesnt mean background you have to be in a complete different positions. we have a whole series of photos that we are requried to take We get graded on eyes direction hands and feet, connection poses. you are not just paying for the the paper with your picture you are paying for the person trained to make you look your best. I am broke myself. I couldnt afford out prices. As an soon to be ex-asst. manager I dont like this company. the way is has been discribed on this page is true. There are a few of us (it sounds like robbie might be one us,) that love the work and take pride in our photography. We spend hours and hours training alot of it on the job to make memories into art. They do really understaff us and they over book us,They dont pay us and are jobs are threatened every single day. A great photographer can have a run of the “walmart customers” with their low sales and will be written up. Nobody does this job for the money you have to love what you are doing, after a while the good photographers stop dealing with the mess. Which leaves the seasonal/temps and the part-timers making min. wage who dont care.
Diana I hate to tell you but the cd is the most expensive part of your order. Photos if they do offer a refund is only 50% and you dont get the photos. We sell the Cd for 199.99 and there is no refunds on them. if you got the cd at a discount due to a collection that you now dont want it will revert to the full price. It will cost you more to cancel then it will be to keep them.
Ashley I hope your wedding goes well. I can already see the truck dragging natural light cans (well why pay for good beer) to the drive though and on to the honeymoon suite at the motel 6.( because a bed is a bed)
i wouldn’t mind buying portraits from Sears if i can use a coupon for 7.99 or 8.99 portrait package. i just don’t like it when the photographer talks me into using a more expensive discount on the coupons.Not sure if you get less quality etc when the photographer knows you want the 7.99 or 8.99 portrait package.
Our photos were taken in Dubuque, IA tonight. The young lady who took my daughter’s photographs tonight worked very hard for us. She took a number of good poses and was good with children.
However when we sat down to order the photographs (an order over $150), she rushed through the shots. I was exceptionally decisive in my selection. I knew which shots I wanted and in what sizes. I asked her to remove the vignettes from all of the poses I was ordering. I told her that I did not like the vignettes. She became irritated. She hit her hand down on the table in frustration and said, “well, this is going to take me forever to remove these!” I apologized and told her that I didn’t realize she was enhancing these shots without asking me. She told me that was the purpose of buying this specific collection. Then she pulled up a picture and confronted me saying that the picture looked bad without the vignette (it was a very sweet photo of my three-year-old daughter). I told her I liked. She become more irritated and let out a sigh. I started to feel very uncomfortable. It only got worse when I asked her to zoom into a few pictures. She sighed louder and made rude facial expressions.
How can I cancel my order? I feel terrible about my experience and never want to work with this woman again. She made me feel stupid.
jeni- u have GOT to seek the store manager and complain asap. i am in davenport and had the most awful awful experience with sears that i have not gotten pics since and my daughter is now 3.
i looked forward to tons of pics all the time but nothing is worth the worst experiences ever re: photos. sears photography is not really sears. they are contracted and TERRIBLE. i cried. and cried. it sucked bad. she was going to THROW all of my pics away unless i bought a 300 dollar package.
Jeni
If your talking about the pregnant lady in dubuque sears, she was having labor pains and tried her hardest on helping you! She was probably just under pressure and with being pregnant with no help in the studio probably didn’t help. You said she took good pictures then why return them?
@ Jo -
Hey Jo! Thanks for the feedback! I am also pregnant and on restriction. I have a high-risk complication that causes me to cramp and bleed. This pregnancy has been very difficult. But I continue to work at my professional job without burdening my employer. And…. I rarely crutch on these difficulties. I am the last person to excuse rude behavior because of pregnancy.
I am calling the manager today to cancel this order. And I have also contacted corporate.
I am trying to make an appointment with our local studio. I’ve done so on line, but need to know how long it takes to order. I know they can print them while you wait, but I prefer the ordered ones because they look nicer. But I need them by Christmas and I’m not sure this is going to happen. Especially because I’ve called the studio three or four times (and left a message) and no one has called me back.
Why can’t Sears independently contract to professional photographers? It’d be like McDonald’s – the portrait studio would be separate from the store and you’d have your own franchise with employees. Then you would just rent the space from the actual store. It sounds like their management is completely out of touch with how things work – especially when photographing crabby children who don’t care that some stranger wants them to cooperate. What the heck?!
Carrie, “Sears Portrait Studio” is a leased name. It is leased by CPI Images based in St. Louis. This company owns “Sears Portrait Studio” and also “Picture ME” located in Wal-Marts nationwide. I used to be a district trainer for CPI Images. Sears Portrait is just the name when you go to get portraits done there the real company is CPI Images. Just like the Sears Vison center is owned by Luxotica. They are both licensed business’s renting the Sears’ name and the space in Sears nationwide.
And yes I agree, these people are overworked and underpaid at these places. Christmas time is a nightmare for them. I got out of there quick when I saw these practices. I currently have my own successful studio in WV.
Check out: http://www.mildunstudios.com
Thanks
Carrie,
Your portraits will be back from the lab in plenty of time for Christmas. We can take photos up until Dec 20 and have them back by Christmas Eve. Good Luck with your seesion.
Sasha,
What studio did you work in???? Your regional manager is the worst in the company!
Julie,
Thanks so much for your reply!
I did call another studio in our area and asked and the girl who answered the phone was very nice – she was very helpful! I feel so badly for you guys and understand that you are basically between a rock and a hard place – I wish there was some way to change this situation, which looks like widespread abuse on their part. Can anyone file a formal complaint with the Better Business Bureau? Will that even do anything?
Good luck to you.
As a former photographer at SPS, it was my second job. I have a professional position for a fortune 30 company making good money – however I have always had a creative side and enjoyed the prospect of thinking that I am creating something that will stay with people for years. I love when I have people come in with an open mind, fun spirit and kind hearts. These people are why I chose to work at SPS during the holiday season – the highest stress time of the year for photographers. Now I can understand that having made an appointment, you assume that you will be taken in at that time. However, between scheduling appointments via the Studio call in’s, Online and 1-800 Number, we are booked every 15 minutes. As I am sure you can guess, a family of four with two young children doing family portraits, pictures of the two kids together, and individual shots of the kids with background changes does NOT take 15 minutes. Now, if you were that family and I told you after 15 minutes (even if you were not even half way finished getting the poses in you wanted) that your time is up, please leave the room and if you require more pictures, book another session on another day because we are booked for the rest of the day – I’m sure you would be just as upset. So we try to avoid doing this. Knowing that especially during the Christmas Season – we have no wiggle room – I would advise you call the Studio directly to book your appointment and if want more than 15 minutes, indicate that you would like two back to back 15 minute appt slots and are willing to pay the sitting fee for both (essentially, paying 2 sitting fees). If you are Super Saver Member, be willing to pay one sitting fee. Now – if you are a Super Saver Member – I would advise you book your appt on a Monday – Thursday to really take advantage of your benefits. The Associates are not payed by commission, however how much a location averages indicates how many people get to keep their jobs. Now – if you want to go somewhere and pay $5 for a bunch of pictures, okay. But why would someone spend the exact same amount of energy and effort to creating beautiful portraits as they would for someone who is going to pay $100+? Catering to people who consitently undervalue the effort and pride that photographers put into their work, will in essence only encourage that activity and someone will end up losing their job simply because the studio does not have the income to support that position. Now in my studio we have a team, not everyone is a photographer – some only work the sales tables. Those who do the portrait session are all professionals. I know in the past there have been those who were trained on site and thrown into the mix, however in my studio we are all professionals. Trained, Schooled, and passionate about what we do. I loved this job. Unforunately it was not enough to support myself and my family and I was forced – for the sake of my health and budget – to take a position in the business world. As a SPS employee – we do not normally get any kind of break. Not food, Not water, not bathroom. Do you know why? It’s because the second we do someone complains that we were doing nothing and the studio was behind. I can understand your frustration with wait times. But do you truly wish ill health and sickness on someone who is simply trying to earn a living for their family? On bad days, I used to lose the streangth in my hands. My legs, My hands, my back would be shaking. I lost 20 lbs in 3 1/2 weeks. My skin was always a kind of ashen gray, I didn’t sleep because I was so anxious from the enviorment I worked in. It took me a long time to start believing that people were good at heart. When you encounter every kind of nastiness and cruelty in a PORTRAIT STUDIO – it’s a sad day. What does it say about you that your little power trip has to be in the studio? I am not saying everyone is like this. The majority of my customers have been wonderful, patient and grateful. It makes me love what I do. And I will say this, at the end of the session I had a customer say to me, “Thank you so much for your time and your effort. This is a beautiful portrait and we appreciate the time you took for us.” It makes all the difference. It nearly made me cry once. A simple “Thank You” when heartfelt costs so little but means so much. Those are customers I remember. Those are customers I will ensure I take personally – that I laugh with, work for, and ensure I take care of them personally each step. If you walk into the room with an attitude that says, “I own this place,” we TRY to forget you. Keep in mind, much of the time we do not stay and endure abuse because we can’t just up and walk away to our own studios or various occupations, we stay for eachother. It wouldn’t be polite to jump ship and leave someone else to deal with it all. We stay to help one another, or for those kind and generous customers. We all have our bad days. And even if you feel you never allow situations to affect how you handle a customer, it may be because you are saving your frustration to take out on someone who is serving YOU later. It is not appreciated. I NEVER take out my frustrations on someone in customer service. Most should know they have little to no influence or say as to what they can do for you. And there are those who complain simply to get free stuff all the time. Personally – I think that is a disgusting practice. Completely Reprehensible to take the food off someone elses table to put something in your own home. It makes me sad to think how self-centered people can be – especially during this season…
Rather than charge the customer more for time that should be allotted anyway, perhaps this idiotic company needs to pull their collective heads out of their asses and schedule time in a more realistic manner. Of course I should book a double session – that’s what they want me to do so they can get more money from me! I know where you’re going and it bothers me immensely – really, it does – that they treat everyone like crap. And it trickles down to the customer. I dread showing up with my three small kids to a place that will be crowded, hot, and miserable knowing that we will probably be rushed through no fault of the photographer because of this company’s policies. If only everyone going there for photographs realized what the *real* problem is.
When I booked a session online, they asked me how many people were in my party. They never ONCE asked me their ages. I have a 6 and 3 year old and an 8 month old infant. In this case, it definitely makes a difference. Shouldn’t they automatically give you more time if you have small kids? Less stress for everyone, I would think, and a more satisfied customer.
But I know that’s not up to you at all.
I took my 10 month old for christmas pics at sears today. Definetly not satisfied. Im not looking for special treatment,but a photographer should know that with a small baby the child may not go along with the program. my baby was crying and they told me to come back another time. I said “hell no” it was hard enough for me to get here this time!. My babys pics came out with out a smile. because they rushed me out of there! and guess what months ago the same thing happened in jc penny. These places are an assembly line. If I could afford a real photography studio I would definetly do it.
Connniann,
Have you been reading any of these comments?? I also suggest you read through the blog http://spssucks.blogspot.com/ to get some idea of why you were rushed through your appointment.