Ryan, one of the guys in the office where I work has had some issues with this company, so promised I’d blog about it.
So my loves, here goes:
Ryan bought his girlfriend a gift for her 21st birthday - a ‘Deluxe Fashion Experience’ at New ID Photographic Studios in London - 17-18 Margaret Street, London W1W 8RP.
The experience included a haircut, a makeover and a photoshoot. He paid £50 for the ‘makeover session’, and an additional £50 to put towards any photos which she wanted to purchase.
Initially everything was going really well - the hair and makeup was lovely, and she really enjoyed the photoshoot.
They fully intended to purchase a couple of photos - (as a momento if you will) however, at New ID they employ some fairly sneaky selling tactics.
They rolled out the ‘you should really consider modelling’ line.
Buoyed up with a couple of free glasses of bubbly, seeing the photos, and the photographer’s reaction Ryan and his girlfriend (both 21) were swayed a little.
As Ryan’s girlfriend had previously modelled as a child the idea of going back to it didn’t seem too outrageous.
The staff at New ID then went on to suggest that she’d need a portfolio of pictures if it was something that she wanted to pursue…
That was the clincher.
End game is - they fell for it. At a terrifying cost of around £1,400 they decided to purchase all of the pictures. As you’d expect a couple of 21 year olds don’t have that sort of money knocking about, so they took out a credit agreement.
Come Monday - the realisation dawned that they’d been had.
Having called around a couple of modelling agencies they found out that not only was Ryan’s girlfriend too short to model - even if she was taller - she would not need a portfolio to approach an agency. Typically modelling agencies simply require a couple of photos - and it really doesn’t matter how professional or otherwise they are.
Perhaps unsurprisingly - it seems that New ID make it very difficult to get your money back. They claim that the agreement which Ryan & his girlfriend entered into cannot be cancelled.
To add insult to injury, they then called up Ryan’s girlfriend to ask permission to use her photos for promotional purposes on their website.
Without wishing to sound like a Daily Mail reader, I think that the policies and indeed the behaviour of this company are reprehensible.
Let’s face it, a couple of 21 year olds, who’ve had a really nice day, who’ve been loosened up with the complimentary bubbly are pretty easy prey.
I’m not a lawyer, but it may be that from a legal standpoint their ‘no cancellation’ policy can be upheld.
But this company’s business practise of encouraging young girls to purchase ’portfolio pictures’ which they do not even need is, as far as I’m concerned, morally devoid.
on Mar 10th, 2009 at 12:34 am
I agree with you and think we have a lawsuit on our hands but from the date of your article our window to file a suit is quickly expiring.
Please send me your information and I will quickly file the papers. I ask for nothing from you, other than the $1,200 filing fee that I need to pay the court.
Please wire those funds to Wachovia Bank account number 001023456 with routing number 090231453. the name on my account is Johnny Jupiter Esq..
on Mar 10th, 2009 at 5:34 am
Sure, the company should be shut down. The operators arrested.
The couple should be banned from having kids or voting.
on Mar 10th, 2009 at 9:27 am
@throbo - you’re funny, but you’re mean… but mostly funny. Anyhow, thanks for stopping by.
@Ugly American - you’re pretty funny too… but perhaps even more mean
Yep, I agree, they were naive, but nevertheless I think the company’s behaved somewhat unethically. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
on Apr 19th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
I remember that name, New ID. Myself and a friend also signed up to that £50 makeover promotion after being hassled for ages in the street by an extremely pushy persistent saleswoman. Said woman would not take ‘not interested’ for an answer, and my friend and I, trying to be polite and not push past her and carry on with our shopping trip, got stuck in a conversation with her…
Anyway, we ended up signing up, regretted it (too expensive) and couldn’t get our money back. Oh, saleswoman also had us sold by saying that we’d get free haircuts and colours included in the price - so we thought it was a good deal - and then after taking our money, pointed out that costed extra!
We never made it to the photoshoots even, as we were so embarrassed we got taken in. Just goes to show, some people will even lie to you to make a sale
on Apr 19th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
@Michelle
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experience of New ID - really sorry to hear you lost money too.
It seems like New ID routinely engage in these types of dubious sales practices. Hopefully others will read this and be forewarned.
on Apr 27th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
me and my friend also fell for the finance agreement and too realised what we had done and wanted to cancel it. have you managed to cancel the agreement? are you still fighting for it to be cancelled? please contact me to pass on any information that may help us do so
Thank you
on Apr 28th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
Hi Debbie,
It seems as though New ID aren’t budging - and as I understand it legally, they’re ok.
Sorry to hear you’re struggling with them too. It’s very disappointing to hear that they do this fairly routinely.
on May 6th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
4 had photos taken only ordered the free one we were promised at the newcastle branch 14 feb 2009 still waiting for photos. had 2 hours of pushy sales man trying to talk us into potfolios for the 2 teenage girls total rip of should be shut down
on May 6th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
Hi Pam,
Thanks for stopping by - the horror stories are beginning to pile up now.
There are more reviews (in fairness there are some good reviews, but the bad reviews do outweigh the good) on Qype
on May 14th, 2009 at 10:47 pm
you do know they write all the good ones themseleves…. feel free to email me for more info
on May 15th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Hi Willow,
That doesn’t surprise me too much, sadly many companies do. Thanks for stopping by
on Jun 10th, 2009 at 11:45 am
Yes New ID are very expensive! We went into the branch inside Mothercare Croydon and were sold 5 photos on a CD-ROM for too much money! I’m sure I could have haggled the price down, hindsight is a wonderful thing!
Their original prices for giving you the images on CD-ROM are outrageous! 1 image for £100, 5 images for £450. I’m sure they do this on purpose so that the prices they then offer seem a bargain in comparison.
Also, I had to do some photo editing myself on the background of the photos. When they show you on the computer, they don’t zoom right in, so you miss the imperfections which would show on a large print. Definitely check out independent photographers instead.
on Jul 5th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
me and my cousin went to the manchester one yesterday, had a fab day and free vip night out
we bought 55 pics on a cd for 500 quid, which we get after we have paid it, made sure we got a reciept and the guy that was selling it to us to sign it.
it is a legally binding contract if you sign to pay for it so nearly impossible to back out of it, am 19 and i understand this.
the sales person was just doing there job, i do it in my job, however no-one is forced to buy anything.
if she didnt want the portfolio 100% why agree to pay for it.
on Jul 19th, 2009 at 11:57 am
I took my friend to the newcastle studios for her birthday, got it really cheap initially! but what they don’t tell u is that wen u pay your deposit u are most likely not getting it back. I agreed£140 sale with them so gave them the money, then they decided to show me a receipt that said £190 and had taken my deposit in payment… they are very sneaky and definately have a set up in the order they do things! i will certainly not be recommending them and will discourage anyone from using them!
on Jul 23rd, 2009 at 11:33 am
Thanks for this was about to purchase this as a gift for my daughters 21st birthday. Having read these comments - not a chance. At least one rip off averted. Thanks again
on Jul 24th, 2009 at 9:43 am
Hi Lyn,
Really glad you found this useful
on Jul 27th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
OH NO My sisters, my daughter and I are booked in to go the Newcastle studio this Wed (29th). My mum had purchased these vouchers last Christmas for us and i was looking forward to going…..until now! They have already tried the sales act on the phone but i have told them we have no extra money and will not be taking any on the day. I am glad i read up on this now,I hope we manage to get through the day ok!.
I will let you know how we get on, you never know it may even be an enjoyable day all round!.
on Jul 28th, 2009 at 11:01 am
Hi Karen,
I’m sure you’ll enjoy the day - it certainly wasn’t my intention to ruin anyone’s experience!
I think you just need to be very firm with regard to what you are and are not willing to purchase.
I’m sure once they see that you’re not in the market to be ’sold’ to everything will be fine.
I look forward to hearing how you got on and I hope you have a fantastic time
on Jul 28th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
A review I recently left on a website.
Basically it could be like taking the lottery (sorta lol), you are probably most likely to lose, like me and my sister, which sucks. If you win its amazing- all the bucks fizz you want, being attended to how they have claimed through adverts, it would be fab, but don’t get your hopes up!
HONEST REVIEW:NEW-ID studios Manchester King street
To start off, myself and my sister are not the types to get easily impatient but when our 6 hour day (ID studios state it lasts a maximum of 6 hours) turned into a 9 hour day of being rushed around,messed around and made to feel miserable, it wasn’t all that great!
The staff I must admit were lovely- I couldn’t really fault the receptionists and they seemed more than happy to provide us with drinks at different intervals during the 9 hour day. However, if I’m honest, regarding any other job they had to do- hairdressing, nails and makeup- it was just a mess! The hand massage was a simple squeeze on each hand, the nails were filed down in around 2 minutes- they weren’t even done evenly. around 3 layers of nailpolish were applied again in the space of a few minutes- then I was quickly pushed out of makeup which meant I smudged my nails as they were not left to set.
Without going on into too much detail and boring you with my rant..basically when it came to the treatments which you paid for it was totally rushed, you didn’t feel pampered at all. The only time you weren’t rushed was when you were waiting for hours on end, honestly it was the most tedious thing ever! I was speaking to some others who seemed to wait 10 hours that day for everything to be sorted- they had the same treatments too.
I think part of ID studio’s mission statement goes something like this:
‘First in last out’- regarding customers coming in for an appointment and then leaving. Myself and my sister saw so many people come in and leave well before us! A lady came in at 1pm had extensions put it, hair cut and treated, makeup, nails and photoshoot in the space of around 3 hours! This is how I understand that some people have a fantastic time, because ID studios are so unorganised it may mean that you get treated more frequently than others during the day so of course you’re going to have a better time- that is at others expenses though, like myself and my sisters
I personally think it is a waste of money…it costs around £1500 for 20 pictures on a CD which you have to go and print off yourself- you have already paid for the makeover and professional photoshoot so what are you paying for? Well, the copy CD with 20 clips/images on. I saw a comment on here saying get the makeover at ID studios- take the free image (not actually likely you’ll get that either) or get the makeover and drive to a park somewhere, take photos of your own. I’d say the makeover is bareable, after that leave! I just hope that they are more organised for other people who might dare to visit ID studios. My advice, STAY AWAY! :):)
ID studios have been reported to Trade standards now for hard selling and other stuff, apparently the one in Manchester has never been complained about until this case. My sister and I got bullied into paying nearly £400 over a spread of 12 months to pay for 17 pictures on a CD- I mean seriously what were we paying for? We’ve managed to sort out a cancellation of this contract, although this did take a lot of phone calls and letters being sent out. I would not pay for any photos ff this company, i think everyone seems to realise they’ve made a mistake the next day! Seriously just get your free things and leave!!!!!
on Jul 28th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
Kate
on Jul 19th, 2009 at 11:57 am
I took my friend to the newcastle studios for her birthday, got it really cheap initially! but what they don’t tell u is that wen u pay your deposit u are most likely not getting it back. I agreed£140 sale with them so gave them the money, then they decided to show me a receipt that said £190 and had taken my deposit in payment… they are very sneaky and definately have a set up in the order they do things! i will certainly not be recommending them and will discourage anyone from using them!
THIS HAPPENED TO ME AND MY SISTER! CHEEKY AREN’T THEY! They didn’t even let us know that the £400 was when the £100 deposit we had put down got taken off the initial price of the 17 photos (in the end we managed to find out the price was £500!!) In discovering this, they lowered the price again. I understand as some people have said that these people are just doing their jobs, but it does seem unethical…at the end of the day, in hidsight I’m like what was I thinking, but when its been a long day you may like a few pictures you just think whatever! When theres a woman not taking no for an answer its hard to get out of it. In response to Jess, you probably didn’t feel the pressure so much as I get the impression you had every intention to buy the images, so I guess you’re not in the same boat as some people. Myself and my sister were focused on just getting our free prints, however this woman just kept going on and on, probably for around an hour. I don’t know about you but was the viewing room tiny? I felt this totally put even more pressure on when they were trying to get us to buy, I just wanted to get it over and done with, I was like fine whatever man!!!!!!!!!
on Jul 29th, 2009 at 8:56 am
Abby - thank you for commenting, interesting to hear they’ve been reported to trading standards - hopefully this might cause them to rethink the way they sell.
on Aug 12th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
I just have read all the comments and I’m really confused. I bought the voucher for makeover photoshoot for two in Manchester. I still have few days to cancel it and don’t know if I should do that. I am sure that they would not convince me to buy more pictures, but I’m afraid that I won’t get my free photo. I’m really really confused….
on Aug 13th, 2009 at 9:32 am
Hi Laura,
Obviously, only you can decide whether or not you want to go ahead with the day.
If you do go, I’m sure you’ll be fine. You’ve seen here that they do sometimes use pressure tactics to sell, but as long as you firmly say no, they can’t ‘make’ you buy anything.
In publishing this, and the comments of others, my intention was only to ensure that people were forewarned
on Aug 14th, 2009 at 12:21 am
Ive had 2 of these makeovers done now, and have a third one booked in Birmingham, and have had no problems, found it to be a fab experience. Yes, they do do a hard sales pitch (but so would any business!!) and it is expensive for the photos, but you can actually turn around and say no, and just take the complimentary one. I was only 21 when I had the first one, and I understood it all. I’m sorry, but if you’re silly enough not to read all the small print and check out what you’re doing first beforeyou agree to paying anything, then that is your problem - you can’t blame a company for your naievty.
on Aug 14th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
If I refuse to buy more photos, I may not get that free photo at all:) ‘cos it looks like who buys more photos, gets them on a CD and who doesn’t - waits it to be sent by pos.t
Is there somebody who didn’t buy more photos and got the free photo after the photoshoot straight away? Did you get back the deposit?
If I am going, I’m definitely not going to spend a fortune on photos!!!
on Aug 25th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
I didn’t buy more photos, and got the free one sent through the post (takes about 6 weeks) and my deposit back
on Aug 30th, 2009 at 4:52 pm
my two girl friends and I have just come back from the New Id studio in London. We were sold the deluxe makeover package in Westfield - they were doing a 3 for 2 promotion which meant it was £33 each for a haircut, makeup and photoshoot. To be honest, I normally pay more than that just for a cut and blow dry in London so it was a great deal!
Apart from the early start on a Sunday morning (we got there at 8.45am), they supplied us with free tea and coffee all morning. The ladies in the salon were lovely. I wouldn’t have said that I felt pampered, as it all seemed a bit rushed. There wasn’t all that much consultation, and I had no idea what they were putting on my face! I was hoping for some advice and ideas as I don’t normally wear makeup but I didn’t really get any of that. I only really got to choose my nail colour (no manicure, no filing or basecoat even!) It was also really busy with lots of other people having makeovers so with all the waiting inbetween, it really felt like a production line.
The makeover itself was hugely fun. There is nothing like a girly session of changing outfits and taking photos! We all giggled at each other posing and really enjoyed ourselves.
Up to this point, we were all enjoying ourselves and we were really excited to see what our photos looked like. I had paid an extra £100 and we were expecting to take home 2 photos each for that. Unfortunately, this is where the nice experience ended.
It all started off pretty well. The guy showed us the photographs which were really nice, we discarded the ones we didn’t like and then the salesman started talking ‘packages’. He told us the normal prices (extortionate price of £70 for an A4 print and £50 for a 5×7) and then explained how it was a fantastic deal if we got a package which included the photos on a CD as well as some prints. Only problem was - after taking the discount and the money I paid upfront, it was still an extra £400 per person!! We looked dubious and he kept the hard sell going until the point where I basically said that I was unemployed, my friends were students and we couldn’t afford to pay that money. The charm and friendliness suddenly disappeared when we said that we just wanted the free prints and a couple of extras. He started hurrying us along and the atmosphere became really unpleasant.
Now I understand that it was his job to try and sell us photos. I expect that, but it is unacceptable to have to endure this kind of hard sell and attitude when you don’t want to accept their offers. It really spoiled the rest of the morning to leave on that kind of note. In the end, we agreed to forfeit the deposit and the £100 pre-payment to take home 6 photos on CD. Not the best deal I’ve ever made but at least we got some master copies of our day and didn’t have to sign up to 4 years of payments…
To anyone else thinking of going - you should still go - it is fun if you are in a group and you will still get a haircut and makeup. Just prepare yourself mentally and be very firm when you view the pictures so you don’t sign up for something that you don’t want to spend the next 4 years paying for.
on Sep 1st, 2009 at 4:01 pm
I HAVE ALSO HAD A BAD EXPERIENCE WITH NEW ID MAKEOVER.MY DAUGTHER BROUGHT IT FOR MOTHERS DAY.WE WENT ON 27TH AUGUST.WE AGREED THAT WE WOULD ONLY HAVE PHOTOS THAT MY DAUGHTHER HAD PAID FOR.MAKEOVER WAS RUSHED AND HAD TO ASK FOR ADRINKS.HAD PHOTOS THEN WAITED FOR HOUR AN HALF TO SEE PHOTOS.ASKED WHAT WE LIKED AND WHAT WOULD BE A MAYBE,THEN SALES PITCH STARTED.AT NO TIME WERE WE SHOWN WHAT WE WERE ENTITLED TO ,IM A 60 YEAR OLD WOMEN AND MY DAUGTHER HAS A GOOD JOB.WE WERE BOTH SUCKED IN FINANCE WAS OFFERED THAN SALES WOMAN SAID IF MY DAUGTHER TRANFERED HER ACCOUNT TO VIRGIN IT WOULD BE O%.BY THIS TIME I WAS TELLING MY DAUGTHER TO LEAVE IT AN RING HER HUSBAND BUT SALES WOMEN THEN WENT INTO A NEW PITCH.THAT SHE WOULD NEVER HAVE PHOTOS TAKEN WITH HER MUM LIKE THAT AGAIN.DAUGTHER PAID £1750 PLUS WHAT SHE HAD ALREADY PAID.£150. THEN CONTRACT WAS PUSHED UNDER HER NOSE.BY THIS TIME WE WERE FEELING UNCOMFORTABLE.MY DAUGTHER SAID SORRY I CANT GO THROUGH WE IT AND SALES WOMAN SAID NOTHING COULD BE DONE PHOTOS HAD BEEN ORDERED.
WHEN WE GOT IN CAR I RANG NUMBER WE HAD AN ASK FOR OXFORD CIRCUS BRANCH PHONE NUMBER WAS TOLD NO DIRECT LINE TO ANY OF THEIR BRANCHES.BUT SHE DID TRANSFER ME THOUGH SHOP WAS OPEN TILL 8 WAS TOLD NOONE COULD DEAL WITH MY CALL .MY DAUGTHER SPOKE TO THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE NEXT DAY AN WAS TOLD THEY COULDNT REFUND BECAUSE SHE HAD PAYED UP FRONT-THEN SHE HUNG UP ON HER.
I THINK ITS BAD THAT THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH TAKING PEOPLES MONEY LIKE THAT.
on Sep 2nd, 2009 at 4:14 pm
We had a terrible experience with the NEW id STUDIO which was a voucher from BUYAGIFT.com
Our experience has ended up with us contacting the Trading Standards and the Information Commissioners Office.
To receive this “gift” we had to pay £25 booking fee and recommended to pay for the photos in advance to get them half price so we paid £50.
We told them we were looking to have 3 or 4 photos, (one free with the buyagift.com voucher, one paid for in advance) and maybe another one or two.
They took 100 pictures, and were placed in a hot cramp room to view them whilst subjected to some high pressure sales. The price came down from £2000 to £1000 for 30 photos. We were refused the option of going outside to discuss it in private as there was another person was waiting and refused to reduce the number of photos as it would not affect the cost. We were then bullied into paying an additional £800 to have 32 pictures put on CD or to walk away and loose all the money we had already paid including the gift voucher from BUYAGIFT.COM not to mention a wasted morning.
We got home and looked the CD and the full impact of what we had been subjected to had hit us.
We then contacted New id Studios for a refund and found out from the Marketing Manager the viewing of photos is not only filmed but audio recorded without our prior knowledge or permission.
We contacted TRADING STANDARDS OFFICE who informed us of the following:
High Pressure Sales is a potential legal offence and they have opened a case on them.
The filming and audio recording is illegal and suggested we contact the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) as it is in breach of the 1998 Data Protection Act.
New id Studios have 40 days to supply a copy of the filming and audio recording together with their reasons for doing this. If they do not comply within 40 days the ICO will be taking the matter into their hands.
We have been offered a 50% refund which we are considering.
Furthermore, when I complained to BUYAGIFT.com they endorsed everything New id Studios do which in my book makes them just as bad.
We now AVOID both NEW ID STUDIOS and BUYAGIFT.COM LIKE THE PLAGUE
on Sep 3rd, 2009 at 3:53 pm
Wow, this is scary stuff. I am going with my mum, gran and sister to the Newcastle one in 2 weeks. I was looking forward to getting pictures, but there’s no way I’m signing up to any sort of agreement.
Sister had a makeover in Glasgow last year and got all 38 pictures on disc for £200, was hoping this would be the same - evidently not.
on Sep 8th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
We have also told New ID Studios we are contacting Trading Standards. Which Trading Standards did you contact? New ID have not replied to any of our emails about a very similiar experience to the above - dispite the promise on their website to respond within 24 hours. Also won’t reply to our email query about why they have deducted money from our credit card without agreement!!!!
on Sep 16th, 2009 at 12:00 am
Hi Natalie, we contacted the Government Consumer Advice for their help (www.consumerdirect.gov.uk) who then gave us a reference number for our case and said they were contacting the Croydon Trading Standards Office. I understand the Consumer Advice, were taking the matter very seriously.
I hope this helps.
on Oct 4th, 2009 at 12:53 am
This is awful. Its actually made me feel quite sick. I was going to buy the experience for a friend of mine for her birthday, and another one for me and my husband for our 1st anniversary together. I guess I won’t be now. I can’t believe some of you had such an awful experience with this company.
Any suggestions on alternative companies I could try??
on Oct 5th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
I had a horrible experience with them in London. They promise to much and deliver to little.
The booking fee that they said they’d pay me back…It’s passed 3 months and I haven’t received it. It was the worst and the most stressful day of my life.
on Oct 7th, 2009 at 12:22 am
My husband booked the deluxe package for 2 in London for me as a gift for having our baby son in July. I’m booked in for next weekend and was thinking of taking photos with my baby but after reading about all the hanging around and hard selling approach, I have been majorly put off. I’m thinking of cancelling the session but worried my husband won’t get a refund of what he has already paid (£50 initially plus a £25 deposit).
Has anyone cancelled before their photoshoot and got all their money back?
on Oct 9th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
Sorry, but I would have to disagree. I loved my New ID experience. Would happily go back to Margaret Street in London’s West End again to have the same.
If you want to knock a company then it should be Double Take studios in Farringdon, London. Made a total mess of the day and totally screwed my hair up in the process.
on Oct 14th, 2009 at 10:23 am
Its been 4 Months now and i still havent recieved my photos. I have rung numerous times and have been told. Sorry your photos still havent been dipatched. I have left London now to go back to NZ and am having big troubles getting throught to them and they keep passing the buck.
I have paid over 500quid for these photos and still havent seen any show of them.
I found the photographer to be quite inexperienced. We never got champagne as advertisered- nor a drink for that matter. We were told a manicure was included also which wasn’t. The airconditioning was cranking. When i said it was freezing and that i had goosebumps she said the aircon is controlled by the whole building (as we were below Selby’s) i said can you plz photoshop me and my skin came out purple and blotchy due to the aircon. She said its 20quid a photos.
I wouldn’t have posted a public complaint but am very annoyed 4 months down the track i STILL dont have my photos, and am still no where with this company… why arn’t they returning my calls or getting back to me? and why wont they send me my photos which are rightfully mine as i have paid for them!
on Oct 15th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
Please everyone must report this company to trading standards. I had an awful experience with them which is too complicated to explain. I have reported them to Trading Standards.
on Oct 16th, 2009 at 11:18 am
Hi,
I had an awful experience , same as you all. I went with a friend and when forced into a tiny room for the selling she explained she was bankrupt. they said they’d ”try” my credit rating I was approved and they said they’d put her under my booking. What this actually meant as i found out later was under my credit rating, which at the age of 20 is going to cause me alot of future problems. We were denied being able to confir, or have a moment to think. She would not let me read the contract and I asked her to outline in with anything I need to know which she didn;t nor did she explain the amount of interest we’d be paying. £3000 Later . I contacted their H.O as I was standing outside the studio to cancel, said It is non-cancellable. IT HAD BEEN 20 MINUTES. Apparently this is all processed immiediately. I got no money off. i GOT JACK.
on Oct 18th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
i was thinking of going for my birthday and bringing a friend. other friends have experienced it and their pictures look fab! im starting to wonder if i should go. how many pictures do you get on a free cd and are they good quality? are they thumbnails? do you get a choice of make up and photo sets or do you do what they tell you? overall is it a good experience and would you recomend the fashion shoot for 2?
on Oct 23rd, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Cut your loss now. The day was a complete waste of time.
on Oct 28th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
Anyone have any alternative recommendations?? Any other companies with a good reputation??
on Nov 2nd, 2009 at 1:52 pm
google photshot and do alot of research between companies
on Nov 4th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
really worried now after readin these comments, got a session booked for december with my best friend that my boyfriend bought as an offer £50 for the day make up, hair etc an a complementry pic, sounds to good to be true now. anyone got there pics so i can see an make up my mind my email is kelly (underscore) e85 (at) hotmail (dot) co (dot) uk or anyone with anything good to say?
was really lookin forward to it but not anymore.
on Nov 12th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
double take studios ,clerkenwell close london are exactly the same. my friend is having serious issues with them they will not cancel her contract and have lied about the installments being interest free… years back i had photoshoot at covershots..they were fantastic and the price was not bad…..government should lay down some rights to cancel… the staff are paid to be sly…sad lives they must have…xx
on Nov 12th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
Anybody heard of fireflycreate.co.uk??? They’re based in Manchester. I couldn’t find and reviews on them online, good or bad. Which maybe is a good thing.
I’ve spoken to them and they’ve only been open a year, which may explain the lack of reviews. But their website does look good.
I’m thinking of going with them now. They’ve offered me a free couples makeover and shoot with a complimentary free photo, and the opportunity to buy more on the day. Sounds pretty good so far. And they’ve assured me I would have a great experience as I stressed I would be coming with my husband on our (first) anniversary. Fingers crossed. X
on Nov 16th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
I recently received a voucher as a birthday gift to attend a makeover and photoshoot with my mam at these studios, which my partner paid £50.00 for. Before attending the studios I also had to pay a deposit of £50.00 to secure the booking which I was told was fully refundable within 7 days after attendance or could be used against any products we may have wished to purchase. After a long day at the studios (about 6 hours in total) we purchased 11 photographs on CD after a long viewing with an advisor who was adament to sell us more than £1000.00 worth of products. We ended up paying £800.00 for 11 photos in total on CD and were expecting to also receive 2 A4 prints for free as stated on the vouchers. On leaving the premises we realised the order confirmation stated that the £50.00 deposit would not be refunded and had been added to the total along with 11 A4 prints, which we had not asked for, a total of £850.00.
After realising this I have tried contacting the customer services, who gave me a phone number to call which is a disconnected number, and on trying to call customer services again for over a week could not get through to anyone. I also emailed the company via their website which states they will reply within 24 hours, and am still to receive a reply. I have searched the internet and cannot find a direct phone number for the Newcastle Studios. I also re visited the studios on 28/10/09 and spoke to the advisor who has sold us the products. She said the extra £50.00 was used for the extra prints which we did not want and that I would not receive any refund of the deposit and was realy quite rude to me, funny she was the nicest person in the world when she was trying to get money out of us!
The whols day was like living in an advert…every product used is practically forced upon you to buy and the sales advisors make it very hard to say no to expensive photos!
AVOID at all costs…………
I am reporting these to trading standards.
on Nov 23rd, 2009 at 6:31 pm
I have just been to a makeover photo shoot in New Id studios inside Debenhams, Westfield. I paid £50 deposit for me and my sister and £50 rollover for 2 small prints. Our voucher entitled us for free refreshments, hand treatment, hair and makeup done and an A4 print each.
Everything ran smoothly till the end when a middle aged man took us into the viewing room. I didn’t like most of my pictures except about ten of them and the same goes for my sister. He tried to sell them all by putting a lot of pressure on us. I have never been subjected to something like that before. His first offer was that he would give me all the pictures on CD + large photo frame, on top of that he would throw in free retouching of all images for £2000 (half price) I explained it was a bit too much so he quickly jumped to calculating how much it would cost me monthly for 48 months if he took all the money I had originally paid as a deposit. It came to £50 a month and I was thinking “no way”. Again I explained it’s too much so he cut it down to £20 pounds a month. I was not happy with the deal and I knew I would never be paying that much. He then started filling in credit forms online to check my credit history by asking for all my personal details including bank details. I hesitated but he reassured me that it was just to check if I am eligible for monthly payments or not. I then told him “I don’t want you to waste your time as I’m not sure about this deal” I was trying to say it in the nicest possible way. He then went on to say that it didn’t matter if I wanted it or not, he was just checking if I was eligible. I didn’t have a job therefore he pretended I had a job “just for the computers sake” but he included I worked 0 years with that made up company. My bank balance was very low and I was rejected. That was a relief for me. He then tried it on my sister (she’s only just turned 18 for gods sake) although she did not bring her bank details with her he insisted she went online on her online banking just to get her account details for the credit history check. Luckily she gave a false name therefore she was rejected too. He was very pushy and I started to get very agitated and wanted to be out of there ASAP. It had already been a long day for us and we just wanted to go home. It was nearly 8.30pm by then and he finally came to ask how much we were willing to pay. I said £200 pounds was the maximum so he went along with that and gave us 10 images on the CD making it seem like he was giving us a great deal. I think the original prices are all made up so they can charge whatever they like. I did not realise that my deposit and rollover money would be included in the price and I would not be getting my free prints until after the deal had already been agreed. All in all, I paid £300 for 10 images on a CD. It was one of the most horrible experiences I have experienced, being grilled in that room and feeling like there was no way out. At the end, the receptionist told me to sign a contract and he only explained that it was to prove that I was 18 or over. I signed it but when I got home and looked at the CD, it had only hit me then that I was probably ripped off. I then read the contract which stated that after signing, I agreed I would not be able to get a refund on the CD. It ruined the whole experience.
on Nov 25th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
Wow Christina! Look like you got off lightly only paying £200 for 10 pics! We paid £800 for 11!!! I’m sure I have “Mug” stamped on my forhead now.
I’ve spoken to Consumer Direct (08454040506) and they have said to write a letter of complaint to the company and see where this gets me.
I urge all of you who have had a bad experiance with these to report them to watchdog: http://www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog/gotastory/ and also to your local trading standards.
Also, if you would like the address of there head office (Which I’m not 100% sure is the correct address yet as it was given over the phone from their contact number and they have been known to lie) it is:
2 Lacemaker Court
London Road
Old Amersham
HP7 0HS
The more people complain and report this company, hopefully the less people will get ripped off!!!
on Nov 25th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
I’ve highlighted this blog post and your collective comments to Watchdog - hopefully they’ll decide to go ahead with the story.
In the meantime thank you so much for sharing your experiences with this company - it’s cold comfort, but if nothing else I’m hoping others are forewarned and forearmed.
Hannah xxx
on Nov 30th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
I had a similar experience with my friend last year at the one in London. My friend was visiting so i thought it would be a nice day out. There was alot of waiting around between make-up, hair and photo shoot which wasnt a big deal but then we got in and the actualy photo shoot was very rushed and a little stressfull.
The it came to the viewing: we were ushered into a small room with a very rude woman. We looked through pictures and picked the free one we wanted that i had already paid for. Then came the hard sale she said we could have 10 photos for 900 quid. I straight up told her i was a student and couldn’t afford it so they she began on my friend who is not as firm as me. She bullied her for about 5 miniutes with different prices and effects they could put on the photos i knew my friend was going to decline but she didnt want to be rude.
after another 10 minutes i couldnt take it and took the lady we had somewhere else to be.
I’m so glad u started this blog as I thought it was a off with me and i was going to book it again for some other friends that are coming to visit me but after reading all this no bloody way !!
I feel bad for your friends cause it really does ruin your whole experience and it should be something fun and different to do.
I hope all your complaints go well ! X
on Dec 1st, 2009 at 8:57 am
I have had a totally different experience with this company and I thought my feedback might be useful to you. I went to the Birmingham branch and found everybody there, especially James the manager, to be really friendly and kind and welcoming and yes I admit I was not prepared for the cost of the pictures but I had a really nice day and I never at any time felt like I was under any pressure to buy more than I wanted to. Yeah I did by more than I could really afford but the pictures were so good it seemed a shame not to have as many as possible. It seems to me there are a few people out there that have had a really good experience with this company and as much as I feel really sorry for people that have had a bad time I think it’s worth a mention that some people have found it to be a great experience. What I have decided to do as it is not cheap is to save up for another make over next year and give what I have saved as a full deposit before I go and then they match that once you are there so that way you can get all of your pictures and its half price and works out to be a good deal. When you consider what you pay out each week or even day on other stuff its not actually that expensive and you get to keep the photos for life. Compared to what my husband spends on smoking its really actually very cheap! I don’t know if the staff have changed or what but from my end it was a great day out and I really enjoyed it and feel sorry that the people that made my day so great are getting really bad press.
Just thought it was worth sharing with you
Philly
on Dec 16th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
I have had the same problems with no resolve as yet and I have been waiting months for my photographs.
The added insult is that I have been sent someone else’s photographs. To my disgust, I am now worried that my photographs could be anywhere and other people looking at them. When I called to report this they didn’t seem too interested that I was looking at someone else’s (some partially nude) pictures. This worries me as they also do family portraits and what happens if pictures of your children are sent out into the wrong hands!!!
I still have the photos so if you had a photo shoot with your mother and have red hair, please get in touch as I would be happy to sort out some sort of joint complaint for breech of privacy?
on Dec 16th, 2009 at 8:43 pm
I went to New ID today for a photoshoot session. I had a great day and great pics taken. At first the sales man was offering me photos for £1400 on a cd. These guys are only doing there job. If you don’t want to buy just say no. Quite simple really. I actually found the free bubbly made me feel less worried about saying no lol.
You need to improve your haggling skills. In the end I got 5 pictures for £200 which is a bargain at £40 each. They were on a cd and retouched so they would have normally been £110 each. Professional photos do generally cost a lot of money. Nothing good comes for free or heavily reduced. It is worth haggling as they want you to part with some money so you might as well get a good deal on it.
on Dec 19th, 2009 at 10:30 am
omg i cannot believe what i am reading!!!!! i went yesterday to the one in london…. it was a loooong day we waited round for ages for the make up to be done and to actually get the photoshot done, it didnt really bother ne because i just thought that they was busy, when i finally got to do my photoshoot i thought it was done very quickly but i still had fun!!! hen we had to wait ages to see the photos but i did understand why because you have to see all your photos and then decise which ones you want which is a long process! when i saw my photos i thought they was absolutley brilliant i loves them and wanted them all!!! after abit of thinking and getting the best ones i got 23 photos on cd for 800 which i thought that it isnt that bad 35 a photo only so much a moonth thought brilliant……. when i got home the cd is blank!!! i am so annoyed i rang them up and now i am waiting for them to get back to me! if they have skammed me i wil be going back to london to speak to them in person i cannot believe this i feel like a rite mug i am 20 and got this present from my mum for my birthday!!! i just hope that i havent been robbed i really dont =(
on Dec 29th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
We had a photoshoot in which my two sisters and I were told that we were allowed upto four outfit changes. However as soon as the photographer saw the asian outfits we had brought along he refused to photograph us in them. After much persuasion from my twin sister and I, he allowed the two of us to have our final outfit change but did not allow my elder sister.. We did not like any of the images but the assistant told us she would retouch images as we liked for additional charges. She was very persistaent and even showed us an example of a retouch in front of us on how it would be done. Seeing as we did want some mementos we agreed to it. The images arrived on a cd a month later and NONE of the images had been altered,apart from the one shown to us on the day. The reason we agreed to buy any of the images in the first place was on the conditions that the images would be retouched. We paid approx £600 in total for 18 images and only 1 was retouched. We complained to them and asked for a refund but have been completely ignored. Can anyone help plz?
(Abby i read ur comments..please could you help me with what I have to do!)
(sorry hannah!)
thanksssssssssssssssssssss x
on Jan 2nd, 2010 at 11:41 am
Hello my dears - New ID contacted me directly and asked me to post the following comment:
“In the last 12 months, New ID Studios has undergone a massive development and repositioning in order to be more transparent to our clients, better manage their expectations, avoid mis-selling our services and improve our customer service.
We shut down the Margaret Street studio in Feb 09 and have relaunched our website with lawyer-certified terms and conditions, print and product sizing with retail prices and demonstration video’s of what a day at our studios entails – as much info as we could put forward to ensure our clients are fully informed before they come to our studios.
We truly value our reputation and client feedback (good and bad) and have methods in place such as our Customer Satisfaction Surveys to ensure that we fulfil our aim of ‘Constant and Never-Ending Improvement’ across our business.
We thank all our clients for their honest feedback and have a dedicated customer services team which aim to repair or replace any unsatisfactory products and ensure that all feedback is filtered back to the studio managers to improve on.
Please feel free to contact us on customerservices@newidstudios.com or our direct customer care lines 0121 634 6621/22/24 should you have any concerns you’d like us to address.
Take care, the New ID Studios team.”
on Jan 2nd, 2010 at 5:08 pm
Hi, I just wanted to share my thoughts in view of all the negative reviews posted. I must admit, I read the reviews before I went (only by chance however as I googled it to find out where it was and saw the links to the reviews). On reading the reviews I was horrified. This was a present for my wife, who due to a couple of major family crises needed a good experience. We arrived slightly apprehensively but her experience was fantastic. Freindly greeting, very pleasant staff, no waiting around, excellent hair cut and make up, good photoshoot and the sales guy was not pushy about selling the photos at the end. Sure, his job is to sell you those expensive packages but we never were made to feel pressured at all. In fact, we left with the best photo on CD having spent no more than we had budgeted for. Would I do it again…based on our experience - yes without doubt.
on Jan 5th, 2010 at 11:33 pm
I am so glad to have read the reviews on here about New Id Studios. I too got sucked into buying a package for £50 (2 for the price of 1, so £25 each) but thought it was a really good deal as my haircut costs around the same price anyway and I was getting all the extras for that price. After booking, I wished I hadn’t as the thing I was dreading was the photos but looking forward to having my hair done, etc.
A friend of mine said she would come along with me but has heard about a really bad experience from a friend of hers. My sister has also informed me of a work colleague having a bad experience. Rather than feeling pressured and intimidated I think I’m going to cancel the experience and lose the cost of the package but hope to get my deposit back! Wish me luck ….
on Jan 11th, 2010 at 10:20 pm
Went to london holloway branch, paid additional £50 for photos and were supposed to receive an additional 2 complimentary pics. Yet to receive anything at all. Pushy sales staff, when they realised we weren’t intending to top up any extra cash we were promptly hurried out. In tim from croydon’s words (who was in london branch that day) ” we have other customers here spending a lot of money who take priority!” Complained to head office, calls never returned. Awful company.
on Jan 13th, 2010 at 5:20 pm
hi all, i ordered 2 vouchers off buyagift as they were free, just had to pay p&p. i wouldn’t be buying any prints, just getting the one free a4 one offered. i would have to pay the £25 each deposit though, if I didn’t buy any extra prints would I be forced to forfeit this deposit in exchange for one even though it says it’s just to prevent cancellation? also has anyone had a particularly good or bad experience recently with either the oxford circus or the westfield branch as i need to choose between these two? thanks
on Jan 18th, 2010 at 12:49 pm
I have been reading the posts on here and i thought i shall put my comment on.
both myself and my sister have been to NewID in Birmingham. My sister went on 25/07/2009 and she only recieved her photos at the start of 2010 so 5 months waiting! She has been trying so hard to cancel her order but because she went for the credit agreement she was told she couldn’t cancel and they took money from her bank before the album arrived. The album arrived and the photos are terrible! they arent set out correctly and they look stretched!
I had my photos taken with my boyfriend on 10/10/2009 and i am still waiting for my photos and i am in a dispute with them at this very moment trying to get a delivery date! The customer services manager Emily is rude and doesn’t want to help. I have been waiting for many phone calls from them. I feel there is no one to contact to get it solved and i feel so stuck! Also from looking at my sisters photos i dont think i want my photos anymore!
its terrible and i don’t think they should be getting away with it!!
my rant over :o)
on Jan 26th, 2010 at 6:37 pm
I went to the NewID London studio last September 09. The sales man was very pushy and convincing and I ended up paying far more than I really wanted for a set of prints and a CD. The CD arrived fairly quickly in the end of October however the prints did not arrive. Since the day the CD arrived I have tried contacting their customer services department with no success. Every time I called the number I was on hold for over half an hour. When I tried calling the sales number and got through straight away (what a surprise), here I was told someone would get back to me. No one got back to me. I called over 5 times and received the same answer however no one ever got back to me no matter what I said to them on the phone.
Finally I managed to get through to them via email and was told I only paid for the CD. I was fuming. I emailed them a copy of the order form I had which the sales man had written ‘CD & prints’ in is handwriting. I was then told it was not valid as it was not typed! I emailed them back again and was told the matter would be pas on to a manager. After chasing them up 3 times I have still received a reply from the managers. It is now the end of January!! I have paid for both the CD and prints so expect to get what I paid for. They do whatever they can to get your money, then they don’t care about you. The after care is crap.
on Feb 21st, 2010 at 1:14 pm
My daughter and her friend went to New ID in Birmingham recently, they had the most fantastic day. They are 14 and 15. The photos came out really well, we had an A4 photo included in the price and I paid an extra £50.00 upfront which then paid for another two photos, so my daughter has three wonderful photos (although it was hard for her to pick 3). My daughter and I are going together to have a photo shoot at Birmingham as she really wants me to experience it with her. Just remember to look for the best deals on line 1st - thinkbubble are currently doing a good offer, decide on a budget before you go and pay upfront as that doubles your money (much better value).
on Mar 16th, 2010 at 2:36 pm
Hi
Maybe a little late to comment, but I am a professional photographer who once worked in the same building under a different name(12 years ago!)
I know it has changed its name at least three times, but is very likely to be run by the same money-grabbing brothers that owned it then.
It was the worst job I ever had, but I did learn a lot about posing people!
Photographers, Stylists and make-up artists were paid a low wage whilst sales staff were paid huge commissions & could work towards holidays abroad etc.
I can say that running a photographic business is very expensive and it is unfortunate for professionals who are expected to charge so little, as consumers get confused between taking a few pictures to the high st. from their compact camera or mobile phone.
The business model of this company is not terrible because it’s hard to get any customers if you charge them what you need to run a viable business up front. However, they use extreme and under-hand tactics and they are over-priced if all you get these days is a disc most of the time.
Please support your local photographers where you can!
on Mar 20th, 2010 at 9:18 am
hi, i have been on 7 of these new id photo shoots and on all except one it was a great day, yes a long day but they do look after you. On one i got 62 photos on cd plus 4 a4 size photos for £450, INCLUDING MY DEPOIT i think the guy was wanting to get off home, so said he would put all the pics taken good and bad on the cd for £450.Yes they do try to get you to purchase more which was my bad experience only because i did not want any other pics and the women relised this got very shirty so i got shirty back and told the manger she was rude. I was with my 3 nieces who felt awkward which made me angry. but except for that one women i can not fault them.All i will suggest is to stick by your guns and only buy what you want. remember you have payed for a service when you bought your voucher and it does not state you HAVE to buy more prints.
on Mar 30th, 2010 at 7:12 am
they took 700 pounds from me, they prey on people!
depending on how you look to them, “poor study aspiring to be model to make some cash” or” desperate women looking for assurance in those pretty shots before she age or being dump recently”, or using “teenage’s so desperately like the pictures so the mom will fork out the cash” types.
YES THEY DID the oh u look so good, keep some for good memories/ u can look back, so the men how good you look. And BANG, THERE goes my money!
they are disgusting! they did not bothered to explain on the spot the 14 day money back guarantee dont apply to them so everyone sign it on the spot. only to regret later but cant do anything!
IT IS NO DIFFERENCE TO GIVING AN ELDERLY SOME UNKNOWN DOCUMENTS FOR HER TO SIGN HER HOUSE AWAY!
IT IS ILLEGAL, new id has no right to misled their customer to signing a one way agreement that favor them and disadvantage the buyer.
Under any circumstance, this agreement is a FRAUD in itself.
WE SHOULD SUE THIS COMPANY, as it con its customers to sign into a contract to give them money
on Apr 1st, 2010 at 1:37 am
i wished i have read the reviews before going. now after paying a deposit which i was convinced to spent on the pictures and 800 quid on a cd.
Upon reaching home, then i realised how expensive it was, but being exhuasted after a day of hair, makeup photoshoot and grilling by the salesman. I really just want my pictures and leave for a rest. when they drop the price from 2000 quid for the 20-30 picctures to 800 quid, i thought i had a great deal.
Looking back, they are really playing your mind, make u buy things under unfortunately your weakest frame of mind. Its a scam dont go. Still waitng for my cd.
on Apr 8th, 2010 at 11:40 pm
Please, Please, Please everyone who have had a bad experience with this company complain to consumer direct, trading standards watchdog, the citizen advice bureau and the newspapers. The more of us who report this comany owned by Clive and Kelly Coleman then then something might happen to this comany.
on Apr 9th, 2010 at 12:10 pm
Hello my dears.
I’d also highlight that you can also complain directly to the company:
customerservices@newidstudios.com or via the customer care lines 0121 634 6621/22/24.
If you’re not getting anywhere with a specific complaint, let me know - I have a contact there whose address I’ll not post here (because that’s just mean) but I’d be happy to pass your complaint directly on to them.
You can email me on tzeitelhannahsmith (at) googlemail (dot) (com)
Thanks
Hannah
x
on May 1st, 2010 at 6:29 pm
Not surprised to hear about eveyone’s bad experiences i’m afraid.
I worked for New id a few years ago and I did hair and make-up. It was just a conveyer belt and we had a set amount of time to do people in, so it was all very rushed and sometimes I would do up to fifteen people in a day with 10 min lunch break.
You can hardly do a good job when you are very rushed and the sales people are normally on commision only wages so are very pushy!
I encourage you to go to a local photographer and they can book a make-up artist and you will have a whole or half day in a studio to yourself and a reasonable priced CD at the end of it.
on May 14th, 2010 at 5:52 pm
Hi, I am a Photographer and started my own business called ‘Photo Studio at Home’ last May in Coventry. It was just such an experience that most of the subscribers to this blog seem to have had that inspired me to start my own business offering a fair price for Quality Photography, no over paid salesmen are used to harrass people into buying more than they want ! The customer gets days, even weeks to choose their images online and Print prices approx 80% lower than ‘ID’
I paid for a experience day with the Birmingham studio for my Partner and luckily I got back to meet her at the end of the day just as she was being taken in for the hard sell, she told me at the start of the day that she was quite happy to just take the one photo that was included in the offer.
I could not believe how manipulative the salesman was, after refusing one package after another he said ‘ look, don’t you think you should consider buying more prints, after all the time and effort we have put in to produce them’ like it was some sort of freebie we had or something. I could not believe that he managed to persuade my partner to part with another £60 for a 10″x8″ print, in fact when we got home she was bemused as to how she had spent such a sum on 1 print, and then to cap it all it took 12 weeks for the prints to arrive and nothing too impressive about them either, in fact 18 months on and they are still in the package.
So, take it from me and book one of your local photographers who will give you a much better service, cost a lot less, and you will treasure the photographs forever !
on May 15th, 2010 at 3:59 pm
My friend and I were conned this month, I paid the initial £50 for two of us to get the works. I then paid the REFUNDABLE £50 deposit and we pre pair another £50 (which would be doubled to use on the day for £100). We did not receive a free print, were bullied and harassed to try and set up a direct debit to pay for the photos on CD. We were forced to pay an additional £50 on the day (NO refund on the deposit) and a CD with 4 photos on and NO free prints.
Has anyone had luck trying to complain? I am going to go to the ends of the earth to get compensation, this has to be illegal!
on May 17th, 2010 at 6:41 pm
I wish you luck getting compensation. I did not
get it after an awful experience with New ID
who is owned by Clive and Kelly Colman. They employ people to misrepresent their services and products and grab as much money as possible from customers. Then, the after care from customer services is disgusting. Once they have your money, they treat people with no respect.
May I suggest you telephone consumer direct on 0845 404 05 06, write the letters they advise you to do and send recorded delivery to New ID Experiences, 2 Lacemaker Court, London Road, Old Amersham, Buckinghamshire HP7 0HS. If you have no reply from New ID, go to the citizen advice bureau who can help you with the small claims court form. In the mean time, write to your trading standards, watchdog and the newspapers.
The more people who complain and report New ID to the above, hopefully, they will be named and shamed on TV and in the newspapers to warn other people they may get ripped off like ourselves!!!
Look at the bad reviews on New id experiences on Face book.
If you google ‘photo shoot companies in London’ you can see more bad reviews on New ID. It is a shame New ID are taking the custom away from the GOOD companies with the GOOD reviews which you can also see.
on Jun 18th, 2010 at 6:56 pm
I’m going to sue them! This is ridiculous! Has anyone got any money back!? My order arrived incorrect (wrong pictures) and apparently it’s not their fault! I paid thousands for them! They will not get away with this!!!
on Jun 19th, 2010 at 10:25 am
18th June
I went to a New Id Studio. I was kept waiting 4 hours for the photo shoot after the makeover and spent over 8 hours there. They offered me a free make over in way of an apology and I rebooked with my mother and sister, but was required to pay £25 deposit for each of us. On the day of the appointment I phoned to say that I would be a little late (20 min) and was reassured that this would be fine, On arrival I was told that I would have to rebook. On calling customer services to re-book and spending nearly an hour waiting on the phone, she was told that the deposit would be refunded within 7 days. 2 weeks later and many hours and upset on the phone the deposit still has not been refunded.
If you are not put off using New ID Studios then only do so if you are content to lose your deposit, they are disorganised, rude and will look for any excuse to add to costs and take your deposit.
I have been very restrained in my writing here I think the company is the worst I have dealt with.
on Jun 22nd, 2010 at 2:06 pm
HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have had an absolute nightmare with New ID Studios.
I booked an appointment for myself and a friend; it was already paid for from last minute.com, at £10 each I thought it was a steal. I booked our appointment for Sunday 6th June at the Wimbledon studios. When I booked I was told they needed a £50 refundable booking fee and that I had the chance to purchase a double money offer. The lady on the phone, Aneesa, said that I will get this refunded to me on the day if I did not like the photos. I asked her 3 times this question and she always said ‘yes, you will get it refunded to you on the day’. At this point it all seemed to be going very well.
A week or so before my appointment I received a voicemail saying that the studio I had booked my appointment for had been shut and they were relocating me to another studio. I called them back and they said that the original time I had it booked it for also had gone and they only had really early or late bookings available and it would be at Oxford Circus. I found this very inconvenient and could not do another weekend as my friend was going travelling the week after and this was a fun girly day out for both of us. I do not live in London so this was very inconvenient. In the end I settled for very early booking and decided to drive up to save the hassle of an hour and half train journey.
When I got to the studio the sales lady, Natalie, was very pushy. I then told her what Aneesa said and she laughed at me and said I don’t think that would be the case. She then got very annoyed and left the room very rudely. I then spoke to the manager (or so he said he was the manager there) Patrick. He was very polite and friendly and said that they do not do refunds at the studio and that the only way of me receiving a refund was to call customer services. I have only just had time to call the customer services line as I called them on a Saturday and they said that they are only available during the week from 9am to 5pm, these are the times I am at work. I have also been away with work. I spoke to Nadia or Madia Zasar and she informed me that there is no way I would be getting a refund on this as it is company policy that thee roll over is only refundable after 7 days. I asked to speak with her manager who she said was Emily several times and she said different things on different occasions. She finally decided that Emily was in meeting, I then asked for Emily’s direct line and she gave me 0121 634 66 22. I called this number on several occasions and Nadia answered. I hung up the phone every time Nadia answered. I then tried about 10 mins later and Emily answered. I explained my story to Emily and she told me that again there is no way they can refund me. I said that I wasn’t told that it was only refunded after 7 days and that I had been told a completely different thing.
Also they still have not refunded my £50 refundable booking deposit. Emily informed me that this will be refunded to me this afternoon but somehow I do not believe her.
I believe that New Id Studios are giving out false information to its customers and taking them for all they have. I am at my wits end with New Id and really don’t know where else to take this. Please can you help me or point me in the right direction!!!!!!!!!
on Jun 25th, 2010 at 2:52 pm
It’s a relief to read all these comments. I had a really bad experience a few weeks ago.
As with most people who’ve written here to complain, I was bullied into buying photos I didn’t want, signed a direct debit which they didn’t tell me was a credit loan agreement and gave me a cd which I can’t return.
I only wanted 4 pictures which I paid for in advance and ended up buying 20 which I didn’t want.
I’ve contacted Consumer Direct and the Citizen’s Advice Bureau, as well as writing to New ID whose only response has been ‘you can’t cancel your contract’.
Any suggestions as to where I go from here? I do not want to pay for photos and neither wanted or could afford - and I did mention this at the viewing appointment. That’s when they tell you how reasonable £15 a month for the next 4 years is!
I would strongly recommend you do not go to New ID for a makeover or photoshoot. It’ll be a once-in-a-lifetime experience you’ll certainly never forget.
on Jul 16th, 2010 at 10:21 am
I had the same issue. They used some really harsh tactics and made me purchase the photos for £500. I was not able to come out of that contract. I also got the original copy before they “claimed” to photo shop it. There was no difference in the two. I feel like a fool for buying it and regret every moment of it! i could have used that money for better things. P.S. the make was rubbish. i could have done a better job on it. so pls pls pls think twice before you go with them..
on Jul 19th, 2010 at 12:22 pm
I agree with all the above New ID Studios STINK. voucher ordered through Nectar points. Worse decision I ever made and am £400 poorer. A session in November 2009 and Ive still yet to receive photos that Im happy with. Report them to trading standards. biggest crooks going
on Aug 26th, 2010 at 10:58 am
To post numbers 75 - 80
like Anne wrote in post 74:-
May I suggest you all telephone consumer direct on 0845 404 05 06, write the letters they advise you to do and send recorded delivery to New ID Experiences, 2 Lacemaker Court, London Road, Old Amersham, Buckinghamshire HP7 0HS. If you have no reply from New ID, go to the citizen advice bureau who can help you with the small claims court form. In the mean time, write to your trading standards, watchdog and the newspapers.
The more people who complain and report New ID to the above, hopefully, they will be named and shamed on TV and in the newspapers to warn other people they may get ripped off like ourselves.
on Sep 1st, 2010 at 6:01 pm
I had my photoshot done in New Id Studios based in Westfield Shopping Centre in London. I bought a voucher for 25 pounds and supposed to have a haircut and hairstyle, professional make-up and then pictures taken. 1 printed picture was in that deal.
When I went there, I was greeted by my “hairstylist” - unfriendly, miserable man, that hardly touched my hair at all. after his professional haircut and hairstyle my hair looked like I’ve washed them 2 days ago, and then I just turned up like this after waking up. I have naturally curly hair, not extra extra curly, but still curly and when I complained to him about what he has done, he answered that my hair just aren’t curly on the top. he left them still a bit wet, saying that if he dries them they’ll get frizzy, what is absolute nonsense and told me that if I’m still unhappy after my make-up being done I can come back and he would do something more. What exactly could he do when they got dry and he turned them into wavy hair. Anyway, I was really upset about that.
Then time for my make-up came, and lady after asking me what kind of make up I want, started to put foundation on my face. What they do is really unhygienic, she put foundation on back of her hand and then put it on my face. When it came to applying mascara, she had no clue how to do it. I have long eyelashes, and when I do it by myself home every day they’re always up,curled and not clumped. The way she apply mascara was putting in from top to bottom, putting my eyelashes down, it looked like i didnt have eyelashes at all, they were all clumped together, and when I told her that it’s not really nice, she told me it’s my eyelashes that go this way. Really? have you ever seen eyelashes going down on your eyes? I haven’t! Definitely not my one. Photoshot itself was nice, photographer was a nice person and knew what to do, and how to do it. But still I was really unhappy with all experience. If you want ur photos done in there hairstyle ur hair first and do your one make up first!
When I was booking my appointment on the phone, lady suggested that I should pay some money then, so they can be doubled on the day, giving me more pics. I did that, and after I had to buy pictures that I didn’t like, because they wouldn’t refund that money. Even tho I told them I wasn’t satisfied with my hairstyle and make up, and because of that those pictures looked like a normal every day pictures, instead of pictures from professional photoshot.
New Id Studios in Westfield is definitely a huge NO NO!