Complaint Review: Set Scouter

Recently my company booked a location through Set Scouter to use for a film shoot. We had never used their services before and were a little hesitant to use them because of the steep damage deposit they charge directly to your credit card (as opposed to just placing a hold like other companies would) but decided to give them a chance. Boy was that a mistake.

The shoot itself went great and the property owner seemed fine while we were filming. Our crew was respectful and nothing got damaged. We even did a walkthrough after filming and the property owner signed off that everything was as it should be, that there was no need to bill us for anything extra, etc. We even took before and after photos as Set Scouter had suggested.

Fast forward almost a week later when Set Scouter informs us that they are keeping a good portion of our damage deposit because of a claim the homeowner supposedly made after the fact. They didn't care that we had a signed document stating otherwise and they didn't care to hear our side of things or see our photos, they just claimed "oh the property owner is one of our top renters" and would take no further action to reverse the charges.

So, filmmakers beware. You have zero recourse if you let these people anywhere near your credit card information because they will absolutely steal your money.