Please can someone help ref cancelling contract?

DottyJane

Hi,

Not sure if im posting in the right place.

My friend was told she'd won a competition from Double Take Studios for a makeover day and photo session. She was told there would be no obligation to buy photos just a fun day out.

We went on Saturday and it was a nightmare, the studio wasnt particularly nice just a house with a couple of grubby rooms for make up and the studio. The make up was nice and then we had some pics taken, this all finished up at 4pm we then had to wait over an hour just to see the pics, by this time i had a banging headache and just wanted to go home! They take you into a room with a sales consultant who shows you the pics and tells you how beautiful they are etc. Some of them were lovely but then I found out the prices, just for 10 photo's on CD and printed it was £600! After playing myself and my friend off against each other we both said we liked them but couldnt afford them, this is after another 45 minutes looking thru the pics and the sales girl saying how lovely they are. So then she says oh dont worry we do finance! I said I was dubious as didnt think id pass but she said oh dont worry we can just try. Stupidly by this point i thought let her just check the finance and il fail and then il be able to leave! I did fail the finance but then she made me feel bad and said dont worry after all this we dont want u to go home empty handed we use another finance co called ezi pay.

Anyway I could keep going on but it ended with us being there 2.5hours after the shoot finished in a boiling hot room being pursuaded to buy them so ended signing up for a £600 finance package (paying £60 deposit). Now I realise this was really stupid but now I dont know what to do there is no way I can afford this but the order form iv got from them says "I understand this is a legally binding agreement and non cancellable".

Do I not get any cooling off period or anything? Cant believe I've just signed £600 in the heat of the mo just because I wanted to get out of there - dont even get the pics for 6/8 weeks!

Does anyone know what my rights are and what I should do?

Thank you very much

DJ x

10past6

Deleted, posted in error

McKneff

Look at your terms and conditions on the contract that you signed.

I really dont know about cooling off periods but i'm sure someone will be along to advise.
If there is a cooling off period it should say so. If indeed there is a cooling off period and they have not informed you of it then they are acting illegally.

Go through it with a find tooth comb

RAS

Hi

Get hold of Trading Standards first thing in the morning, both of you.

And speak to your bank/card provider about any DDS you authorised.

hollydays

Search the boards, for some light reading,double take studios get several mentions including this one.


http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=515308&highlight=double+take+studios


And

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/consumer/article.html?in_article_id=481550&in_page_id=5

According to this ,the owner said that any telesales staff who tell people they have won a competition ,are fired.

Ps how old is the OP and her friend?

rjayne

Oh sorry to hear about your experience with them.

I was pestered into booking an appointment with them, long story short I was pressured and pressured and in the end told them to shove it up their you know whats, to which they replied and said they would be taking £180 out of my bank account. I was gutted and rang the bank who said there nothing they could do.

So, I rang the bank back and told them I'd lost my card and so they canceled it and when DT tried to get the money they had a nasty surprise.

These people are rude and they should be shut down!

Im nearly 30 and up on my rights etc but even I fell for this one - their market is generally younger girls as well so its disgraceful.

marie.jacobs

i was taken in by them as well my friend won a day at there studios.
After 4hrs there we were taken in to the sales room where we were told that the pictures were great ect. we were pressured in to taking out the credit for the pictures, at the time i was not aware that there was NO cooling off period and it WAS NOT made clear that it was a non-cancelable contract. After getting home re-thought about the purches and regretted it so i phoned them got hung up on twice by there customer support team then when someone could be bothered to talk to me told me there was Nothing i could do and would have to continue with the contract.
I didn't think i would pass the credit check as i have bad credit and my husband has been declared bankrupt several years ago.
Not sure where i stand with this either but live and learn, but it must be said NEVER AGAIN am i going to be taken in by pressure selling