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I've won a makeover from Studio 64, yeah right!

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  • Well the missus anyway! Had to write a letter, they did call when they received it and the money was refunded a few days later. They do record the conversations so you can say if you feel pressured. So in all the sales side was rubbish but the customer services were good, just keep on top of them!
  • I went to Sapphire Studios with my two daughters this last Monday and I can honestly say I did not enjoy the day. I went on a similar photo shoot last year with some friends and had a super time but this trip to Sapphire Studios was not the same. I was told that we would receive a warm welcome and drink, well actually I wasn't offered a drink the whole time I was there, nor did we get time to have a wonder round after the shoot before viewing the photos. I had to ask for one of my daughters to have more time spent on her make up cos she must have sat in the chair for all of three minutes and did not really have a make over to start with. The girl who put on my make up didn't not cleanse my face in anyway but just added moisturiser to an already oily skin that I have and did not feel I had make up applied to a clean base. My hair took all of five minute and three squirts of heat defence spray. It had been slightly drizzley that morning so by the time I arrived at the studios my hair needed a thorough brush through. The girl doing my hair did not brush my hair thoroughly nor did she use the comb properly before using the straightners. I can not say that I felt pampered, just very thirsty and fed up. I bought the cd with 91 pics on at a supposedly reduced price after complaining about the quality of service. Having inspected the photo's more I have seen that there are a few with our eyes half shut, probably blinking, some background items clearly not meant to be in the photo's, too much light being thrown back on to us as we have very bright patches on our faces due to too much light, on one shoot I wore white jeans and honestly you cant see my legs as the jeans are seen to be soooo white there is no outline of my legs. The quality of the photo's are really quite poor and I will be approaching the trading standards office to seek their advice. I am clearly convinced that Sapphire Studios have not fulfulled their contract of produce quality proffesional photos due to the variety of background distractions that should not be there. Oh and they charge £10 per pic to have them airbrushed eg take something out, Why should we pay for something that shouldn't have been there in the first place. I would definately not reccommend any friends to go nor would I go back there again.
  • Sapphire Studios is a TOTAL SCAM! What should I do? :cry:

    I received a phone call from them & they said that I won professional makeover in their studio worth £300 and I'm allowed to bring guests with me who will enjoy the treatment for free also.

    They said they needed a deposit to ensure that I come. I was stupid enough to give my card details to them and now they've charged me £199!!! How can this be? One person should be £49 deposit?

    They ensured me that it is fully refundable but on their website it says that only £49-£99 is refundable on the day provided you completed the session.

    Can people please give me advice on how to claim my money back please. :(
  • Hiya, I dealt with this a little while ago and managed to cancel my appointment and get my deposit back.

    I was called by saphire to tell me that I had "won" a free make-over and could invite some friends over as well. I booked a date and was told at the end of the call that there would be a deposit of £99 to avoid time-wasters. I did check their website when I was on the phone with them and it looked legit so I went ahead. However, after googling them I found out that they are really dodgey.

    I immediately called my credit card company to block payment but was told that payment had already been taken and as this was £99 it was under the £100 margin where it would have fallen under the CC company protection.

    I then called all the numbers on the website (including the one they gave me as the "number to call if I wanted to cancel") but they all went straight to voicemail every time I called (and I must have called 20 times over 2 days).

    I then got so fed up I did the following and would suggest this as a course of action for all who want to cancel their appointments:

    1) call consumer direct to complain
    2) I actually called Lloyds bank to complain as well as they kept using the fact that they bank with them to put my mind at ease about paying them the deposit and I figured Lloyds would like to be aware that their name is being used in this way
    3) I then posted warnings about them on various forums
    4) I emailed every single email address on their website letting them know what I had done and that I would take this even further if they did not give me my money back and cancel the appointment.

    Within hours I suddenly received a call from the MD who told me that:
    A) the girl I spoke to should not have told me that I had "won" anything, so they are obviously aware that what they are doing is illegal
    B) that the T&Cs I read on their confirmation email stating the deposit was not refundable were wrong and should have been changed.
    C) that there is a 7 day cooling off period in which you can request the appointment to be canceled but you need to do this in writing (you can find the address for this in a previous post of mine on this thread but I figured that emailing them would constitute informing them in writing as well)
    D) that my appointment would be canceled and my money returned to me.

    Success as the money was back on my credit card the next day :j
    Hope this helps everyone here as they are obviously still up to their old tricks
  • I also got completely scammed - BUT I did get my full refund back...

    I received a call from a guy called 'Ben Davies' from Sapphire Studios who told me I had also won a competition for me & 3 friends to have makeovers & photo's taken.

    He gabbered on without pausing for breath for about 20 mins - in which time I googled them & the first webpage I came across looked totally legit. He said I needed to pay a deposit of £49 per person to make sure we turned up - he also said I would receive a full refund on the day when we arrived at the studios. I was very excited & without thinking gave him my debit card details but as soon as I'd finished, I just knew I'd done the wrong thing & felt sick to my stomach (he even had the cheek to offer me another 2 tickets but I politely declined!!)

    My Hubby then googled Sapphire Studios & underneath the website we found loads of forums (this one included) revealing total horror stories of all the ladies being scammed - I was very distraught & upset.

    So, I called my bank who said it was too late to stop the transaction & advised me to email the studios telling them I wanted to cancel with a full refund - I didn't hold out much hope but did as they suggested.

    In my email I basically told them that I had never entered a competition for a make over, I didn't want a make over, they have no right to call people stating they has won a FREE prize but then asking them to pay money & being extremely forceful.
    I told them that I wanted a full refund, that I spoken to my bank & unless I received my refund I would be calling Consumer Direct (as recommended by someone else on this page) and asking them to launch a full fraud investigation.

    It took them all of 10 minutes to call me back, stating that there was indeed a 7 day cooling off period so "of course I could have my money back & there was no need to to call Consumer Direct."

    But I know there was no mention of this cooling off period in their T&C's - they just do not want an investigation to take place because the whole thing is a complete & utter scam.

    I'm putting an email together to send out to my entire address book warning everyone about this.
    I'm also going to call Consumer Direct & lodge a formal complaint.

    Just remember - if you win a prize of any kind, you should never be expected to pay any money. I wish I'd stopped & thought things through, but then I guess they bank on people getting caught up in the excitment - just like I did.

    So, if like me you have already paid your deposit (within the last 7 days) PLEASE email them & state you want to cancel, receive a full refund - as per their T&C's.

    If you have any questions or needs some help / advice, please reply to this & I'll do my best help you :)
  • donna-c-86
    donna-c-86 Posts: 139 Forumite
    ive "WON" this on a few occassions theres no way they're getting me to go to london to try to barter me into buying photos i know somebody who did it whos paying for it monthly! came to around 800 quid, shocking. not for me
    x :heart: x
  • prestige
    prestige Posts: 1 Newbie
    edited 18 August 2011 at 11:37PM
    Thanks everyone for posting all your comments as you made me think twice whether I've won something or simply been scammed! I'm not going to repeat what others've been saying here as I had exactly the same story. Luckily I got my money back!! Therefore my advice would be:
    1. First of all remember NEVER EVER give your details to strangers!! Think do you know who they are? do they actually exist? have you heard anything about them?
    2. Google them! see what other people are saying about them BEFORE making up your mind
    3. Ask them to give you some time to think about it and give you a call back. Never be rushed to make a decision - that's a first sign of them being scammers
    4. Ask all and lots of questions, don't be scared or shy. At the end of day that's your money and you must know where they're going
    5. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS!!! read their terms and conditions - if you do it's 99.9% that you'll get your money back (if it says write a letter write a letter not (just) an e-mail: it might work but they have the right to say read your T&C it says write a letter to...) If you want your money back follow everything what it says in T&C - use their T&C against them e.g. it says ... I've done it, it says ... I've done it...
    6. Also think have you actually participated in any competitions/prize draws? If in doubt ask them what was it and when and where. They have to know it! If they don't you know who they are

    BUT if you've made this mistake call your bank straight away to block your card so no further payments could be taken from you. Call/e-mail Customer Direct and report them because if you don't they will carry on their business and rip off and trick other people.
  • JanineB wrote: »
    I got called today and the over friendly woman was going on and on about how lucky i was to have "won" this and that i was only one of five winners.

    She went into her whole prize breakdown until I butted in and asked so how much do I need to pay for the photos?

    She didnt tell me (of course) but went into a speel about sadly theyre not free but we have different packages to suit your budget etc etc.

    Im not interested. You have to pay lots. I've seen these deals before.

    If you want a free make-over and images ask a photographer and MUA to work TFP (time for prints) with you. They get to use the images for their portfolios and you get free prints. I'm a model and can answer any questions on this.
    How did you get the full refund back? How long did it take? It hasn't even web a day for me but they have taken the money out however, they say the manager shall look into the conversation etc on Monday?! I'm riding my bank tomorrow to see if they can retrieve it back but I'm really frustrated about this. I really am.
  • Once upon a time, Friday the 9th Sept to be exact after one of those days I received a call on my mobile out of the blue....
    congratulations, I was one of a lucky five selected to have won three tickets for a free makeover and photo shoot for myself and two friends( a little scripted I now think). I was even asked if I remembered entering the contest! As I did recall seeing a tag for something to do with a makeover on an online contest I recently entered I replied yes. The representative then said she was the studio manager and given a name (I'll not post this at present). She even proclaimed how lucky I was and asked why I didn't sound exited? I said I was travelling home from work. She was very friendly chatting about how good I was using public transport, what I would like from the day, who I'd take and was even told the studio had worked with big names and dropped the names of a famous pop singer and BBC TV shows to convince me (My lie detector should have gone off here but failed. I can find no evidence for these claims as of yet) In between this friendly chat (a distraction technique me wonders?) she went though the ins and outs of the 'prize'. I was also told I wouldn't want to miss out would and how it would go to someone else if I said no (A little pushy? but not alarm bells yet). I was told of the refundable booking fee to hold my free tickets was required ( And this was something I'd won? Alarm bells shout have sounded here ). I checked if it was refundable even if I cancelled before paying (I like to double check. I was told it was). This fee I was led to believe was around £50 (£49.99) which I assumed was for everything and was not given any other details, just tied up in friendly chat (In my defence it's difficult to hear you phone on a BUS). At this point on a normal day I'd have hung up-booking fee for a prize? But I had a bad day it was nice to think I'd had some luck and what was the worst that could happen I'd lose £50. I was repeatedly pushed for a date especially when I said I needed to get home first to check out transport online she looked up from me there and then giving me prices from home and other places. I had stupidly mentioned about being away from work and Friday the 16th was brought and a provisional booking was made for two.
    So imagine my shock having got home and paid when I received an email showing triple that amount was taken. £149.97 FOR A BOOKING FOR 2! That isn't even divisible by two.
    Rapidly I Googled them and got that sinking feeling. I called a friend who told me they'd been caught a few years ago by a similar thing. (she got a refund, boy am I Jealous)
    Their own site only has one photo in each gallery (A bit odd I thought) let alone the 2nd 3rd and 4th listings being forums and complaints....(Those alarm bells were ringing now still better late than never). Since then I've been calling , all I get for the 100+ attempts is answering machines on both numbers and a big phone bill(one apparently customer service actually it was appointments).
    That Sat I cancelled my credit card (yes I paid on that. Thank someone because I obviously did not have my thinking head on that day)and tried to cancel again on Mon. As there was no reply again on both numbers I emailed and left a message to call me at first and then to cancel. (Now this is the odd thing after the use of the word cancel I got a reply, weird. They even tried to call me three times! I got voicemails but only one missed call, oddly the rest of the world could get hold of me.) The first message they left said I sounded distressed (Really do ya think) and could I call them back. Trust me I'd been trying. By this point the representative or 'studio managers' voice mail also changed hum....( a little more odd me thinks)
    Any who since then I've been embroiled in a war of words via text and email to cancel and get my money back and now simply have to vent before I explode!
    No one there seems to understand the word cancel I keep being told, I can give them to a friend or change dates it's valid for 3 months. (Do I look like a cabbage? I'll be dead before I'm that daft again and I wouldn't pass this on to my worst enemy. Also how would they get hold of them if I can't)
    To cap it all as it seems my chance of a refund is slim to none even with the blatant misrepresentation (PRIZE my backside). I'm trying charge back with my card but I don't hold much hope. Apparently because it's a leisure activity distance selling regs don't apply (Why didn't I find this out earlier) I can only go for breach of contract (good job I called consumer direct) and that is my word against theirs(Dash) and to cap it all they deny I what was told, this is part of the last email they sent.

    Thank you for this email.
    The terms and conditions on the booking confirmation we've sent is just a complex interpretation of what *****
    had explained to you during the initial call and a durable confirmation of the booking since it was done over the phone.
    At no point during your conversation with her were you told or led to believe you had won a prize. Therefore I am disputing the fact that you were misled or that our services were misrepresented to you in anyway.

    Now correct me if I'm wrong this implies I lied which adds insult to injury. The word prize may not have been used but it was implied by the use of the words won, completion and lucky. As I'm sure others know and as you can read from other posts I am not inventing this; if anything I'm rather embarrassed that they got me. Fortunately I recalled They said the conversation was recorded at one point so I've asked for a copy of this (I hope it does cover all of it from start to finish. If not I would like to know why not) so that I have evidence to prove they told me I'd won.
    I just hope the links to this and other forums I provided is taken as evidence of the misrepresentation. At least this will be passed on to trading standards and I urge all other to do the same. The more complaints the more evidence so Call consumer direct and tell them.
    On the whole I guess I've had an expensive lesson I just hope I can stop others doing the same.
  • Hi everyone. I didn't get caught by this company (and quite frankly never would, I avoid those clipboard-brandishing people like the plague and hang up on cold calls) but my friend did. Just to tell you don't give up hope - my friend kept on at them and eventually got her money back. It's probably taken three or for weeks of back and forth but at least it's sorted. Persistence is the key! I hope that the more warnings there are online, the fewer people will become victim in the first place. If you do give up and not get your money back, turn up to the makeover day and get your refund then. Please don't fall victim to their horrible hardselling again and actually buy the photos, that will only allow these dreadful companies to continue trading! If someone starts being rude and aggressive when selling to you, walk away, don't give them money to shut them up, for the love of god. Good luck, scam-busters!
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