Portrait Innovations

“We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused the consumer. On all our receipt’s we do state if the consumer did not receive their products by the estimated delivery date to please call the local studio or our customer service team. When an item arrives at the studio we do send 2 emails to our...

customers and provide a call before disposing of the product after 45 days. We apologize if the consumer didn’t receive any emails in regards to their products. Our customer service team did speak with the consumer on the 20th and the consumers canvas was reordered, and will be delivered on Tuesday 02/27/2018. We understand this was an inconvenience to the consumer and would like to extend a $35 Gift Certificate to the consumer that does not expire. This can be used at any Portrait Innovations the consumer chooses in hopes the consumer will give us another chance in the future. If the consumer would prefer a refund, the 16x20 canvas did come free with the APC, but we can extend a $20 refund to the consumer. Again please accept our apologies for the trouble and the inconvenience. Thank you for the feedback to improve our company.” Jazmine | Customer Service Manager | Order Support  Portrait Innovations, Inc.

Business Supplied Copy of Contract or Warranty

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
[Provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.]
Regards,
[redacted]
I have to travel back to the location for compensation. 
I would prefer that my refund be mailed to me. It is very hard to find time with two small children.

This was the worst experience I have ever had at any photo studio. I wanted to get photos of my child taken, and found a coupon on their website for $14.99 for a 37 portrait package with a free trick-or-treat canvas tote bag. Our photographer, whose name I never learned, made little to no effort to make my child laugh or smile. I finally asked her if she had something like a feather to try and tickle them with. Even then, she still put forth little effort. She was also giving posing directions as if my child were an adult! But I was willing to overlook all this, so long as I was able to pick out a decent photo in the end.

When it was time to pick a pose, that's when the high-pressure sales tactics came into play. I had to say, "No, thank you" repeatedly and state several times I was not buying anything but the coupon package. She tried to talk to me like I had no choice. We finally got to the end of all the upselling, and she asked for my address for the “free” tote bag. I told her I didn't want it and she told me I had to take it. I told her I didn't want it (again) and that I would not pay $7.50 for shipping and handling. Then she said if I didn't take the tote bag, I would have to pay more than the price on the coupon (blatant lie & scare tactic). I was so furious by this point, I left, purchasing NOTHING. Even the photographer last year was not this pushy!

Beware of their “teaser” coupons just to get you in the door so they can try and get you to spend hundreds of dollars.

I am done with Portrait Innovations.

However, I am grateful for this negative experience because it has opened my eyes and made me realize that there are more options than just a couple of “chain” studios to choose from for portraits.

Based on our findings, and what was told to our sales representative, an automatic delivery account was set up for the [redacted] Family and that they wanted to continue with us since we already serviced the house for the previous owner. We do not ask any customer to sign a contract unless it is a...

fixed price arrangement. Based on the discussion, we set their account up and delivered 49.6 gallons of heating oil.  On Dec. 21, 2017 we reached out to the [redacted] Family via email stating that we will cancel their oil account with us as they requested.  Because we did deliver the 49.6 gallons and this oil will be used by them, we offered to have them pay for the oil at the same rate that they are paying with the company they are currently with.  We did not hear back from them until January 11, 2018 disputing the delivery.  We are just simply asking for them to pay for the oil that we delivered at the same rate they are paying with their existing company.  As they requested, we have cancelled their account as well.

Very professional. My washer door lock mechanism had broke (likely due to an unbalanced load). There was a 2-day delay (from initial appointment) in completing the job due to part not being in stock but once the part arrived, the replacement was quick (under 20 minutes). Steve (service man) also provided maintenance tips for both the washer and dryer.

Please accept our apologies for your negative experience at our studio in IN. Portrait Innovations strives to provide excellent customer service and the highest quality portraits to each and every customer. We value your feedback and appreciate this opportunity to address your concerns.We were...

especially concerned to hear your report of inappropriate behavior by our employees. Portrait Innovations Human Resources, Training, and Management teams go to great lengths to make sure we only hire the best, most qualified candidates, and thoroughly train them to be excellent photographers and service people. It is never acceptable for any employee to be impolite or unprofessional in any way, and their primary responsibility is to provide excellent service to all customers. Please be assured that we are responding to this situation and will resolve any personnel problems decisively. We are a full service company since we do not charge any sitting fees we do provide the customer with a full session consisting of 40-60 photos taken on 4-6 backgrounds. As we understand there may be times this policy needs to be revisited such as this one and we are more then happy to make an exception if the consumer would like to book an appointment we can see how the session goes, and take as many photos as possible. Also we would like to extend a $15 gift certificate for a future session for the previous experience within our studio.In conclusion, please accept our apologies for your negative experience, and we sincerely hope that you will return to Portrait Innovations again in the future. Thank you for your feedback and the opportunity to further improve our business

To whom it may concern:   Please accept our apologies for the customer’s negative experience at our studio in Austin, TX. Portrait Innovations strives to provide excellent customer service and the highest quality portraits to each and every customer.   We value all feedback and...

appreciate this opportunity to address any concerns.   Although our studios are often busy, Portrait Innovations’ goal is to service all customers in a timely manner and minimize wait times as much as possible.  Due to the nature of our business, situations can arise that require extra time or attention (such as calming a crying child), that have the potential to cause delays.  However, all of our processes and procedures are designed with this in mind, and our employees are trained to deal with delays efficiently, effectively, and without compromising customer service.  In situations where delays are unavoidable, we endeavor to keep customers informed and update them if the expected wait time changes.  Anytime the Portrait Innovations Corporate Customer Service Department receives a report of excessive or poorly managed wait times, it is taken very seriously.  We understand that prompt service is one of the main reasons people choose Portrait Innovations and is key to an enjoyable customer experience.  To this end, we will follow up with the Studio and Regional Manager immediately to make sure that this problem is properly and completely resolved.   Regarding our pricing system, Portrait Innovations strives to offer the highest quality, lowest price portraits in America.  Since we do not charge sitting fees, the price of a customer’s portrait collection is determined by the number of poses and sheets they purchase.  As you buy more poses, the per-sheet price declines.  Regarding the customer’s concern with shipping and handling fees, Portrait Innovations works with third party vendors who charge a handling fee in order to produce and ship our specialty products. All shipping is free to the studio, however there is a fee to have a customer’s product shipped directly to their home. We provide full disclaimer language on all of our flyers and advertisements explaining that specialty product handling fees will apply and that shipping is free. These two fees are separate from each other.  Since our portrait collections can be highly customized for each customer, we train our employees to explain our pricing in a consistent, scripted way to avoid any confusion.  If the customer feels that our pricing was presented in an unclear way, please accept our apologies. We will follow up with both the Studio and Regional Manager to ensure that all employees are properly explaining our pricing, and answering any customer questions clearly.   Regarding our Advertised Pose Collection policy, it is our intent to clearly communicate the limitations of this offer to all customers.  To this end, our advertisements include a full disclaimer explaining the specific terms and conditions of each promotion.  Also, all of our employees are trained to present a consistent, scripted explanation of how the Advertised Pose Collection works, so that customers understand the promotion and whether or not they will be eligible to receive it.  If the customer feels that this information was miscommunicated in anyway, please accept our apologies.  We will follow up with both the Studio and Regional Manager to ensure that all employees are properly explaining this promotion, and answering any customer questions correctly.   Excellent photography is the core of our business.  We were alarmed to hear that the customer’s photography session did not meet the high level of quality they have come to expect from Portrait Innovations.  We understand that superb portrait photography requires not only technical competency, but also a talent for working with and relating to people.  For this reason, Portrait Innovations thoroughly trains our photographers in the mechanical, artistic, and personal aspects of portrait photography.  Our goal is to work with each customer to create the personalized portraits they envisioned for their family, including a variety of quality poses, backgrounds, and props. Portrait Innovations is an entirely same-day service and as such, our website states, “Most sessions take about one to one and a half hours.” This is in reference to a customer’s entire session from start to finish, including 20-30 minutes in the camera room shooting the photos, 20-30 minutes at the sales station choosing the customer’s favorite prints to take home, and 20-30 minutes of print time. It appears that our customer was under the impression that they would receive 90 minutes in the camera room. We apologize for any confusion that has occurred but it does not appear that the customer’s session was cut short, as they spent 60 minutes in the camera room, and 29 minutes at the sales station.  Our website also recommends, “Bring an outfit change(s) to add variety to the sitting.” Although the customer reports that they were unable to change into their provided outfit changes, we see a total of (4) four outfit changes for the customer’s two older children, and (6) six outfit changes for the customer’s younger child. The customer also reports that 26 shots were “junk poses with closed eyes and poor lighting.” We are very sorry to hear that the customer is unhappy with their photos. As such, this is why Portrait Innovations is a full service studio, taking 3 shots of each pose, ensuring that we get the best out of 3 for the customer to choose from to print.  Thank you for making us aware of these concerns.   We will follow up with the Studio and Regional Manager to address any training or personnel issues that may have caused this problem.   In the customer’s correspondence they mentioned they would like a full refund.  If the customer would like to receive a refund, they are welcome to return their prints and products to our Corporate Office directly and we will issue a refund check to the customer’s home. If the customer returns all of their prints and products they will receive a full refund; if they return only part of prints and products they will receive a prorated refund based on the amount of products returned.   In conclusion, please accept our apologies for the customer’s negative experience, and we sincerely hope that they will return to Portrait Innovations again in the future.  Thank you for providing feedback and the opportunity to further improve our business.

The customer's insurance company had us repair her vehicle with aftermarket value line bumpers.  The fit of the bumpers was not satisfactory to the customer.  The insurance company then authorized us to replace the bumpers with [redacted] OEM bumpers.  We completed the repair both...

times as instructed by the customer's insurance.  We did not damage the vehicle while it was in our possession.  The customer was asked to leave our business because of the use of profanity at vehicle pickup.  Since we did not damage the vehicle we will not offer any refund.

The customer did come into the dealership and the numbers checked and had won the gift card.  The disclaimer did state that having a winning number does not guarantee you have won a particular prize. Tim W[redacted]Sales Manager

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
Regards,
[redacted]

We went in with the ad from the paper for 52 photo package for $14.99. Nowhere on the ad did it state that we had to buy a large portrait package to redeem the coupon. When I called to make the appointment I even asked the woman about it and she stated that they would take a series of photos and we could chose which image for each size photo in the special package. Like 4x6 for one image, wallets another image, etc. When we got to the end it was not allowed and he kept making up rules, there was a lot of "Im not supposed to do this but I will for you" being said. He brought up military discounts then said he wasn't supposed to apply that discount for anyone but he would for us. It's a whole lot of false advertising. He said that if we didn't buy it now all the images would be deleted as soon as we left the building. So we paid for a 6 image package and we asked for a high resolution disc so we could print the others at home. The disc is low resolution and are all watermarked, they are not supposed to be, they also refused to give me a copyright release form-even thought they stated that it came with the disc.

“Please accept our apologies for the consumers negative experience at our studio in New Hartford, NY. Portrait Innovations strives to provide excellent customer service and the highest quality portraits to each and every customer.   We value their feedback and appreciate this opportunity...

to address their concerns.  Excellent photography is the core of our business.  We were alarmed to hear that the consumers photography session did not meet the high level of quality you have come to expect from Portrait Innovations.  We understand that superb portrait photography requires not only technical competency, but also a talent for working with and relating to people.  For this reason, Portrait Innovations thoroughly trains our photographers in the mechanical, artistic, and personal aspects of portrait photography.  Our goal is to work with you to create the personalized portraits you envisioned for your family, including a variety of quality poses, backgrounds, and props.  Thank you for making us aware of this issue.   We will follow up with the Studio and Regional Manager to address any training or personnel issues that may have caused this problem.  We were especially concerned to hear your report of inappropriate behavior by our employees. Portrait Innovations Human Resources, Training, and Management teams go to great lengths to make sure we only hire the best, most qualified candidates, and thoroughly train them to be excellent photographers and service people. It is never acceptable for any employee to be impolite or unprofessional in any way, and their primary responsibility is to provide excellent service to all customers. Please be assured that we are responding to this situation and will resolve any personnel problems decisively. We apologize for all the trouble the consumer had and see where she spoke with our customer service team and was provided a $35 refund. We are more than happy to extend an additional $100 Gift Certificate for a future session, in hopes the customer will give us another chance. If the customer would like a refund instead we can provide an additional $50 refund. Generally the most we extend is a 20% refund with the customer keeping the photos but due to the circumstances we are willing to provide an additional $50 refund with the customer keeping the photos. If the consumer would like a full refund then she can return all prints, and products for a credit voucher. The credit voucher can be mailed in, or faxed in for a refund check.  In conclusion, please accept our apologies for the consumers negative experience, and we sincerely hope that they will return to Portrait Innovations again in the future.  Thank you for the feedback and the opportunity to further improve our business. “Portrait Innovations Customer Care

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Better Business...

Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
Regards,
[redacted]

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a...

reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:  I called dealership to verify I had won the tailgate package and was assured I had. I made the 1 1/2 hour trip to pick up same and was told at that time it was a gift card. This is NOT acceptable!!  They flat out LIED!
Regards,
[redacted]

[A default letter is provided here which indicates that the business has not responded to you directly.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
At this time, I have not been contacted by Portrait Innovations regarding...

complaint ID [redacted].
Regards,
[redacted]

To whom it may concern: Please accept our apologies for the customer's negative experience at our studio in Universal City, TX. Portrait Innovations strives to provide excellent customer service and the highest quality portraits to each and every customer. We value all feedback and appreciate this...

opportunity to address any concerns. We were especially concerned to hear the customer's report of inappropriate behavior by our employees. Portrait Innovations Human Resources, Training, and Management teams go to great lengths to make sure we only hire the best, most qualified candidates, and thoroughly train them to be excellent photographers and service people. It is never acceptable for any employee to be impolite or unprofessional in any way, and their primary responsibility is to provide excellent service to all customers. Please be assured that we are responding to this situation and wilt resolve any personnel problems decisively. Regarding our pricing system, Portrait Innovations strives to offer the highest quality, lowest price portraits in America. As of February 2016 Portrait Innovations made a change to the pricing structure in which all customers receive 2 sheets per pose instead of 3. Over the course of some time, we gathered feedback from customers reporting that they did not need as many sheets per pose. Since we do not charge sitting fees, the price of a customer's portrait collection is determined by the number of poses and sheets they purchase. As you buy more poses, the per-sheet price declines. Since our portrait collections can be highly customized for each customer, we train our employees to explain our pricing in a consistent, scripted way to avoid any confusion. If the customer is unhappy with our pricing change, please accept our apologies and we hope the customer can understand our reasoning. We will follow up with both the Studio and Regional Manager to ensure that all employees are properly explaining our pricing, and answering any customer questions clearly. Regarding our Advertised Pose Collection policy, it is our intent to clearly communicate the limitations of this offer to all customers. To this end, our advertisements include a full disclaimer explaining the specific terms and conditions of each promotion. The different poses and backgrounds shown on our advertisement are simply to display examples of backgrounds and poses that we offer in our studios. Our disclaimer language clearly explains that the Advertise Pose Collection is for the customer's ONE favorite pose. All of our employees are trained to present a consistent, scripted explanation of how the Advertised Pose Collection works, so that customers understand the promotion and whether or not they will be eligible to receive it. If the customer feels that this information was miscommunicated in anyway, please accept our apologies. We will follow up with both the Studio and Regional Manager to ensure that all employees are properly explaining this promotion, and answering any customer questions correctly. Excellent photography is the core of our business. We were alarmed to hear that the customer's photography session did not meet the high level of quality they have come to expect from Portrait Innovations. We understand that superb portrait photography requires not only technical competency, but also a talent for working with and relating to people. For this reason, Portrait Innovations thoroughly trains our photographers in the mechanical, artistic, and personal aspects of portrait photography. Our goal is to work with each customer to create the personalized portraits they envisioned for their family, including a variety of quality poses, backgrounds, and props. Thank you for making us aware of this issue. We will follow up with the Studio and Regional Manager to address any training or personnel issues that may have caused this problem. In consideration of the customer's experience we would like to offer any one of the following options: If the customer would like to set up a reshoot and swap out the poses they are not happy with please have the customer contact their local studio or our Customer Service Department and we would be happy to make that appointment for them. We truly want our customer to be satisfied with their pictures. A reshoot works as an even exchange of images the customer is unhappy with for new images. The reshoot does not have to be with the original photographer and can be done at an alternate Portrait Innovations location as well. If the customer would like to receive a refund instead, they can return their products to the local studio and they will issue a Credit Voucher. The Credit Voucher can be used for in-store credit towards the customer's next purchase, or they can mail it to the address on the voucher and receive a check in the mail. If they return all of their products to the studio they will receive a full refund; if they return only part of products to the studio they will receive a prorated refund based on the amount of products returned. In conclusion, please accept our apologies for the customer's negative experience, and we sincerely hope that they will return to Portrait Innovations again in the future. Thank you for providing feedback and the opportunity to further improve our business. Sincerely, Customer Service Portrait Innovations, Inc.

In response to this Outrageous claim First off I sent her mug via UPS so she has received it!  Tracking # [redacted] Second After Brittney Ann discussed the matter on the phone the lady ended the conversation with ok, So Britanie Ann assumed the conversation was finished...

after 1 min of silence on the phone so naturally she hung up.  She did not call a third time she only called twice. The second time she talked to my Assistant Manager Britanie.  She was offered the shipping option, but did not take it because she did not feel she should have to pay the additional 3 since she was paying the 5.99 handling fee.   It is a handling fee not shipping.  We do not make the product so that fee goes towards the additional expense of outsourcing.  So now I am being bullied into shipping a mug to a customer who fought the additional fee in the first place!  Last but not least she chose the picture with the glare and was told  at time of purchase we would not be able to correct the glare if there was another picture she would like to choose instead.  But she wanted that one.  When she came back to pick up the pictures we OFFERED her a refund of the sheets but she would need to give them back to us and she got offended.  You chose the picture and we told you it could not be corrected, now you want us to give it to you for Free?  I'm sorry but she can keep her "hard earned" money and go else where she is not the type of customer we welcome here.    Mary Sovich-SenerRegional Manager: Katie Palmer-NeffStudio Manager #17Region 4Studio: 913-906-0994Cell: 660-441-5089

I am rejecting this response because: I do not feel like you received the entire story from your store.  I also do not feel like this company accepted any responsibility for their actions. First of all yes I received the mug. However, I was not offered the option of shipping and I had worked out a way to get to KC to pick it up. She said on the phone she would hold it as long as I needed her to and she was going to put a note on it stating that. I did understand that the "handling fee" was not part of the shipping fee. We worked that part out together. I also did call 3 times and I have the phone records to prove it. There was not a minute of silence. The phone was clearly hung up. I could hear it. I also feel like you calling me a bully is a bit harsh. I only wanted what I asked for and if your peons that you employ can't understand simple requests then maybe you need to rethink who you leave in charge. Calling my claim outrageous simply because a customer is asking for help is ridiculous. I also don't think you are so high and mighty that you need to tell customers that they are not welcome in your store. I never once asked for free photos or free shipping. I am sorry that I caused you so much trouble and maybe you are correct. I need to take my business elsewhere. A place where employees are honest with their bosses and not fearful they will get it trouble. I also hope that nobody else gets treated the same way I did. As for the "refund" that I was OFFERED. That is also incorrect. I was never offered a refund.  So I would appreciate you re-checking with your employees and maybe asking them for the truth because they were not truthful with you. That's unfortunate when businesses are striving to meet customers needs and you are refusing to do that.
Regards,
[redacted]

Spoke to Store supervisor [redacted] stated that she hadn't previously received the complaint. She asked me to resend the initial complaint to her via email. [redacted] looked up the customers information and stated she will contact the consumer directly to see what they can do to resolve the issue....

ie retake pictures or request refund from corporate office.