Complaint Review: Sears Portrait Studio - Buena Park California

The company min standard is 6 poses.  My district requires 9-12.  They refuse to give pictures without meeting that standard because they are the ones who get written up when YOU dont make a purchase of at least 100$.  Instead of realizing that the cust does not want or need that many poses or sheets, the blame for the low sale order falls on the photographer's lack of distinctly different poses or failure to switch backgrounds, no matter how much the cust says they dont want a back ground change, or to do all those poses.

The choice of 6 poses is not theirs, trust me when I say not only would we rather not have a fussy baby to take pictures of but they def. dont want to stand there begging you to let them do their job. It is their job to take wonderful portraits that make you want to buy pictures it is your job to sit back and be strong when its time to look at them. I have been in the industry a long time I use to manage Olan Mills and more then once I've sat with crying familys due to fires or loss of a loved one where they are now back to get some preccious memories of years gone by. SO rather then look at it as a huge inconvienence why not look at it as a great chance to have some awesome pics done. And if 6 really bothers you ask for 7 Im most sure they will be happy to snap a couple more!

I always take my family to "The Picture People". They have awesome photographers and they are always friendly. I have never had a bad experience. They make their money on your annual membership fee. The fee gives you no sitting fee for as many times as you can use it in a year. You could go in every single day with as many people as you want and never be charged a sitting fee that year with the membership. You also get one free page with the first sitting. They take up to 8 poses. You choose how you want your family sitting and the back ground they should use. You can do 8 different ones or all the same, your choice. After they develope those into 8 different packages you choose which ones you want. You can choose all 8 or just one and you only pay for what you take home. The packages are standard 8X10, 3X5, and wallets. Anything more than that they will ahve to send to you or have you pic up later because they'll have to develope more but you still get to take home the standard packages you choose. The best thing is, they don't charge per package, they charge per page. You can take the 8X10 of one pose and the wallets of another and they will only charge you for two sheets. They are more expensive then Walmart studios or Sears but you get quality and friendly service. In my opinion, they are well worth the price.

Being a former employee of Sears Portrait Studio (owned by CPI Corporation) and also having worked for Life Touch (JC Penney and Target) I can tell you they all work that way! Now a good photographer (I was a manger at all of them) can take portraits of an infant in just a few minutes and give you 6 different and great pictures. You have to understand this is how these company's make money. If every person came in and bought the package (one pose deal) for $4.99-$9.99 there would be no studio, that cost would not cover the employee, shipping, developing and other things. 60% of people who come in for the package deal leave buying one other pose or not going with the package at all. I am also a Mom and know how frustrating it can be. Just know pretty much any other place you take your child, other then Sears will want to take more then one picture of your child. It's better that way also cause things happen, and if for some reason that one picture you ordered got damaged wouldn't you want there to be a back up?