Warning to anybody who is contacted by Sapphire Studios!

maninthestreet

nanaw wrote: »

Hi, yes I know they want be to give up. I got this website address from consumer direct as well. I am worry that I will have to spend even more money and still I don’t know if I will get any refund.
They told me that because I have seen the photos before I have pay probably I will not win it. When I bought photos I thought I am buying them on CD and framed photos as well. Sapphire Studios is clever because now they want to give me couple framed photos. On the other hand I have an independent opinion from other studios that the photos are poor quality and on the Sapphire Studios website they look much better. I don’t know what to do?!?! Don’t want to spend more money and don’t have time to go to court.
If any lawyer is reading this can you give me an advice please?!?

It's not clear form your posts what your actual complaint with Sapphire Studios is. Please explain.

nanaw

I will first write down what I thought I am paying for. I have payed £699 for 13 brushed-up photos on CD and 13 framed photos.
I have got a CD with 13 non brushed photos as that is it.
They did show me all photos but it was on a laptop which was far from me so I couldn’t see photos correctly. When I did have a look at those photos at home I was terrified. I didnt like any of them! Just before my photo shoot I had a knee operation and I wanted to cancel my appointment. They said that then I will lose £99 deposit. I thought I will go just to get my deposit back.
I don’t like my photos because the poses I had to do caused a pain in my knee and you can see it on photos. My photograph said that I look good and I everyone has to do this poses and she is not prepared to change it for me. All my friends are saying that I look in pain and I was. [FONT=&quot][/FONT]
In a viewing room, the sales person took advantage that I am foreigner and I didn’t understand what I am paying for. I know it is stupid but I had payed only so I can go home. After I payed I had to stand (stand!! They even didn’t offer me a chair) outside the viewing room for 30minutes to wait for my CD. I was in agony!!
I don’t know if I have any chances to win. Because I have seen photos before I payed and now Sapphire Studios wants to do brush up and frame the photos. But I don’t think they can change my face expression. I want to get my money back and forget about this nightmare. Ay help? Suggestion?

fran1390

Hi everyone,
like all of you I got a phone call from Sapphire Studios with regards to a free makeover session. At first it sounded fun but the they ask for a deposit of nearly 50 pounds that will be refunded to you once you've attended the session. I didn t feel really comfortable giving my card details but as they didn t ask for the security code, I thought it was licit. In fact, it is licit, but then I searched online and found all these negative reviews so I got scared and decided to cancel my booking. I've called them and left lots of messages and I also called the customer protection service where they gave me useful advice. Basically, as a customer, I had the right to cancel any distance selling contract within 7 days from the agreement. they suggested to try calling them and if that didn t work, to send them a letter asking for my right to be exercised. So I did all that and luckily today I got a call from SS saying that they were going to delete all my details and they wouldn t process my deposit payment. I guess all the messages and email I sent them, letting them know I knew about my rights, made them just do the right thing. Anyway, nothing this company does is illegal, the trouble is their methods are a bit pushy, in fact I think they ll do everything to make you buy at least a pic, but if you're strong willed, by law, you have the right to decline the pics after the session, demand a refund and walk away. What I'd suggest tho, is that if you already know you can't afford pics for 100 pounds each, why waste time to go for a photoshoot?? So I told them I didn t want to waste my time nor theirs.

I'm sure I'm not gonna accept anything like that anymore. I've learned the hard way

kirstiex

MOG - have just stumbled upon this thread! It appears that my friend and I have got caught in this trap too - receiving a phone call for a supposed 'win' and paying money for the deposit. Didn't think too much of it until we had to contact them to cancel, owing to my friend's illness. We were told if we cancelled we lost the deposit - we could only re-schedule or 'transfer' booking to someone else. My friend would still not be able to attend within the 3 month validity period so again asked for refund. They have said they will extend the validity period for a further 3 months provided they hang onto the deposit and we use that to pay for our photos! Having read this thread and a number of sites I found whilst 'googling' I want nothing to do with this company!

We have been in contact with consumer direct and as advised have written to SS to request a refund. This is unfair and unclear marketing tactics and is likened to being in a contract with him even though we have signed nothing! At no point we were told if we cancelled we lost the deposit nor that we were under obligation to buy photos (altho we expected a hard sell).

We've both learnt the hardway - I'm not hopeful of a refund but interested to know if anyone has?

BeachGlamTeresa

Hi Everyone,

I was called by Sapphire Studios and paid the deposit to come in. I'm not saying everything is wonderful but my husband and I had a nice day there and some of the photos were lovely. It wasn't the best day of my life but it certainly wasn't the worst either! Some people are going on like they are charlatans - look, if you don't want to buy something, you don't have to buy it. We got 5 photos on a CD which are really nice and I was satisfied with the experience.

Before you ask, I don't work for them either.

Teresa

angelicmary85

BeachGlamTeresa wrote: »

Before you ask, I don't work for them either.

Of course you don't :cool:



:rotfl:

glendam

My daughter and I had a horrendous experience with double take. Everyone was great and we had had a great time and before you go to view you have to recommend people to upgrade your "free gift" this turned out to be a bag of tat.

We then went into the viewing room nothing was said about money until the end when I said we couldn't afford it I asked for my free picture they got nasty and went out for her manager slamming doors behind her. Manager was equally rude and said our deposit was not to cover an extra picture that we had been told twice.

My daughter had bought this for a Christmas presant for me and she was very upset by it all.

I complained after and did eventually get what we had been promised on the voucher.

Please stay clear unless you have £2/3000 spare and then they will be ok.

Glenda

leeylou

I just had a phone call from Saphire Studios too. I didn't enter a cmopetition so I don't know what she was going on about. When she said I had won a free photoshoot bla bla I knew it was some kind of scam, all these things are too good to be true and plus I am a model myself and know all about these kind of scams..!

I told her I was a model and wouldn't need a free photoshoot and she suddenly was really interetsed in what agency I was with and what not, I found it very weird so just said I am busy got to go.

Really random and weird.

It's never free, they always get you with the prices of the photo's if not something else..!

bosseyed

nanaw wrote: »

Bosseyed I thought the same when I went there. You really would have to be there then you would understand why we didnt say "no".
I think they use some hypnotize techniques or something so you will pay.

I'm afraid I'll never understand why any of you said 'yes' to thousands of pounds worth of photos you didn't want and couldn't afford.

I've been to places where there is constantly applied pressure on you to sign up and buy - theres a second hand car dealers in Bristol called Bristol Trade Centre, the salesmen there are phenomenally and disgracefully pushy, doesn't mean I came out with £15k worth of car does it?

I don't care how pushy and lairy these people at Sapphire (and others) are, they're not hypnotists, at the end of the day they can't force you to say yes to anything. I appreciate its not pleasant and its a fairly abhorrent way to run a business preying on the weak willed, but such is life. If you find yourself in that situation, just walk out or get just as lairy back and they'll back down. What are they going to do, lock you in until you sign up?

SianS_2

Hi there,
interesting to read the posts that the company is legitimate. I did enter a competition just this week and got a phone call today offering me and up to 5 friends a free photo session which included the makeup and hairstyling.
It is something I would like to do, it sounds fun. I spent about 40minutes talking to this guy, Martin Lawrence, he was very nice and explained what would happen on the day.
I was a bit uncomfortable when he said that the package of photos would be £46 minimum which it says on their site, I was looking at it at the same time. He said that it would depend on what type of photos I had done on the day and they would do their best to see what I could pay on the day. I like to know what I am getting into, what's the worst case scenario. Anyway, I thought that would be ok, that I would be happy to pay that amount for about 10 photos which seemed to be the minimum and then it would have been up to me to agree to pay more if I wanted more pics or not.
He had explained about taking a deposit to make sure I turned up which I competely understand but then he asked for my card details. Something just went off in my brain that I was giving my card details to a total stranger on his assurance that I would get it back when I went to the session.
I am going to be in the area next week so I said that I would drop by to see the place before I gave my deposit and then I would call back after I had at least seen that the studio existed or we needed to stop the conversation as I was not giving a deposit now. He said that if I turned up, I would be charged as a drop in, at least £300 and he wouldn't be offering the free seesion any more. I reaffirmed that I would not give my details today so it was either I come and see it or we forget the whole thing. He said, then we just forget the whole thing. I laughed and said ok and hung up.
He was very pleasant and I'm glad to hear that some people had a good experience. I wasn't comfortable with the vague bit about how much the photos would cost or giving my card details.
I guess you have to decide what you want to do and if you're not comfortable, don't do it.
Hope my experience helps someone else to their decision. Thanks for your posts.
SianS