Unfortunately my experience of a "complimentary photoshoot" at Broadway Studios ended extremely negatively.FYI I had been informed on call that the photoshoot would cost £10 admin fee and include 3 free prints. I was asked at the time to provide my card details on the phone, for a £50 deposit, £40 of which would be refunded as long as I turn up to the shoot. I told on the phone that I should book ASAP as the slots will run out quickly. (Not true - they actually run these shoots all year.) I placed the deposit and turned up to the shoot. I must say that the reception staff, the makeup artist and the photographer were all very friendly, welcoming and helped me to create what I was looking for in my makeup and image, which is why I've upped the rating to two stars instead of one.My experience was soured when I met with the salesperson at the end, Joanna, who helped me choose my final photos. She was very kind and told me how wonderful the photos had turned out. Was I a model? Without even a mention of my 3 free prints, she took me through all the photos and quoted an extortionate price to purchase all of them. When I declined, she offered me a payment plan. (Not inherently bad, I just want to provide context.) I asked how much photos cost individually as I couldn't understand the price breakdown, and she said it didn't really work like that, and seemed unable or unwilling to explain that further. (FYI there is a price plan on the website.) I narrowed the photos down to a few options and enquired about the free prints.This is when it all got a bit strange. I couldn't remember the free print dimensions (which are available on the website) and when I asked her, she told me the numbers but didn't say what the measure was (inches, cm, mm etc) so I still didn't get it. She said she'd show me on her phone: she showed me her screen and covered most of it. I said 'is it really that small? that's about the size of a passport photo' and she said yes. It transpires later, when I left the studio, that actually wasn't true and the photos are much bigger than passport size. That was NOT what was communicated to me. She said there was really no point in taking only the physical prints as they're so small that there's nothing I can do with them, anyway. Again, this is not true. Their free prints are a standard photo size, much bigger than passport size. I can understand an aggressive sales tactic, but directly giving me misinformation and capitalising on my confusion in the moment is not okay.Then my partner called (he knew I was at the shoot) and asked how it was going, so I told him the price I'd received for upgrading my 3 chosen photos to digital images. He seemed surprised at the price but accepted when I told him I was happy with the photos. He just didn't want me to get taken advantage of (ironic really!) When I came off the phone, Joanna asked me 'Was that your dad?' and I said 'No, it was my fiancé'. She then, out of nowhere and completely inappropriately, replied 'Oh, does he give you an allowance?'What? Where did that come from? This is overstepping boundaries, making assumptions and giving very targeted remarks about my personal life. She then started asking about his job and the ring I had on and seemed to be digging for information (it didn't feel natural at all), so I tried to be as vague as possible but felt quite cornered. She commented that she liked how I'd told him I was happy with the photos I'd chosen, like I wasn't letting him tell me how to live my life - and besides that being a completely inaccurate reading of the conversation, it was not her place to comment on my relationship at all. I had actually been about to pay when he called, but I felt so uncomfortable after that conversation with her that I couldn't get out the room quick enough. Looking back, I should've excused myself to the bathroom and taken some time to really evaluate the decision, because I could tell she was pressurising me and I had only had about half an hour to evaluate all the photos and confirm the price, with her in the room the whole time and listening to the phone conversation too. But at that moment, what I wanted most was to leave. I paid the money and left and spent the evening wondering why a nice day had turned so uncomfortable in the end.P.S. just to note, they get you to send other people's email addresses to get a 'referral discount' before you've actually completed your photo review and payment. At that time, when I recommended some friends, I had still been having a really nice day.It was very disappointing to end like that.If your studio is so good then why do you need to give people misinformation and use such aggressive sales tactics? It honestly feels like a bit of a scam. Turns out one of my friends has also been and had a similar experience.Please evaluate your staff techniques and treat future customers better.
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