Complaint Review: Soleil Model And Talent

To Whom It May Concern,

I would like to file a formal complaint about the deceitful and highly unprofessional behavior produced by Soleil Model and Talent Management in Holladay, Utah. I would also like to take this opportunity to discourage any individual from doing business with these people.
I signed a contract with this company in the summer of 2002. To paraphrase, this contract basically involved an agreement to pay them money REGARDLESS of whether or not they were able to find modeling/acting jobs for me in the future.

I was agreeing to pay for modeling and acting classes, as well as a portfolio which they told me were prerequisites to their ability to represent me. The amount they were asking for, exceeded $2000, so I considered it as they assured me that I had great chances of succeeding in the modeling world. The contract was strictly a monetary agreement, and it was completely void of any definition of their end of the deal. It also claimed a percentage of any earnings paid to me by should I ever find work under their auspices.

I went through with the classes, and signed their one-way contract, in full faith that these people would deliver what they promised me. My mistake was believing them and signing up based on false flattery and spoken promises. If I had in writing, what they told me in words, I would be able to hold them legally responsible for the services they failed to render. It's merely implied that they will make any effort to represent you, they never legally bind themselves to that effort.

Obviously, they cannot promise that they will find you work, because its up to the individual contracters with specific criteria into which you may not fit. However, this company is purposely lying to one victim after the other. They mislead you to believe that your chances of succeeding in the tightly competitive world of modeling are high and that they are the ones who will help you realize your dreams. Behind closed doors, these people are laughing all the way to the bank and reaping the rewards of ill-gotten money. They never had any intention to represent you at all, but they are glad to take your money.

Not only are they dishonest in their dealings, but their entire company is a joke. Their staff changes every week, so it's nearly impossible to know who to call with questions, concerns, or of course, complaints because nobody in that office assumes responsibility for anything. Ironically, the owner is a native Utahn, who claims that she herself was once the victim of scam artists in the industry. She also promotes models based on her personal relationships, and not necessarily on individual talent.

As for her staff and employees: a bunch of incompetent con artists like herself. For example, I spend 800 dollars and an entire summer learning how to walk down a runway, only to be told that following fall that I had been instructed incorrectly on the proper technique. If you do not have personal ties with the owner, or if you are not male and subject to her sexual harassment, you will not go far with this company. DO NOT BELIEVE THE HYPE.

It's true: as with most modeling agencies, there is a "buyer beware" forewarning that somehow exempts companies like Soleil from being held accountable for misleading and deceitful acts of business. They have their bases covered, and they are virtually untouchable as far as law suits are concerned. They know they are lying to people and stealing obscene amounts of money, and that they are doing so under the protection of the law.

It's cruel, it's ridiculous, and it happens every day. These people prey upon parental pride and fragile egos. They lie to your face and take your money, and if you complain, they slap you with a lawsuit and destroy your credit. Do not be the bread and butter of their company, do not allow yourself to be tricked and fall subject to this sad assortment of dishonest people. There are real modeling agencies out there, and you wont find them in a cheap building in Holladay, Utah. If you have potential, a true agency will agree to represent you free of upfront charges. HELP PUT AN END TO SOLEIL MODEL AND TALENT!!

Vanessa
NSL, Utah
U.S.A.