Pro Images Studios
Questions / Complaints
To Whom It May Concern:
I am hoping you can tell me something about Pro
Images Studios in Riverdale, Georgia.
I recently responded to an ad in our local newspaper
regarding modeling. My daughter is the one who wants
to be a model.
They held a meeting in a local hotel. They said they
are not a modeling agency, they are a photography studio
who shoots pictures for magazines, etc. They say that
their customers look to them to provide people for their
ads, etc.
They said they have a lot of business and they need
new faces of all shapes and sizes. They want $450 to
place my daughter's picture in their magazine with other
models for their customers to pick from.
They have guaranteed my daughter a minimum of four jobs
within one year.
I have checked with the Better Business Bureau and they
seem to have a good record.
What can you tell me?
F.D.
F.,
The BBB record for Pro Images Studios is
not terrible, but it's not great, either. There have
been a number of complaints.
Whenever you hear about "a meeting in a local hotel," it
is a good idea to take a much closer look at the company.
Pro Images Studios in Riverdale, Georgia, was the subject
of an article earlier this year in a news publication
called The Hook ("Model
Seduction II: The Model's Revenge," February 14,
2002, by Barbara Nordin).
Pro Images Studios, according to the report, asked a
60-year-old woman size 16 to pay $300 for guaranteed
work:
- In February 1997, when she was 60 years old and size
16, Stone paid Pro Images Studios $300 for their guarantee
of three paid modeling assignments within the next
year.
What is a photography business doing guaranteeing three
modeling jobs to a 60-year-old woman at size 16 within
one year?
Nothing against women this size or this age, but this
is not the modeling industry standard age or size, is
it?
The premise of their business proposal needs a closer
look.
You said: "They have guaranteed my daughter a minimum
of four jobs within one year"; and the news report
already mentioned said they guaranteed the 60-year-old
woman three jobs in one year.
There is another news article about Pro Images Studios
published by the Northwest Florida Daily News ("Dozens
Chase Model Dream," November 29, 2001),
which reported:
- Those who scored well were encouraged to sign contracts
with the agency that would guarantee at least four
modeling jobs over the course of the year. However,
models must also spend up to about $450 for classes
and pictures.
So they guarantee work. But they don't decide who works.
And the clients have never even seen the models. What's
wrong with this picture?
Pro Images Studios has no control over who works. If
they don't decide who works (their clients do), how can
they guarantee anyone will get any work, either four
jobs within one year, or one job, ever?
Guaranteed work in the modeling industry is a red flag.
In New York state, for instance, it is illegal to guarantee
work unless you are a licenced and bonded modeling/talent
agency.
Pro Images Studios is a photography business, the BBB
says:
Type-of-Business Classification: Photographers
They are not even a modeling agency. Like you said you
were told, they don't even claim to be a modeling agency.
There are photography businesses which pose as modeling
agencies, act like modeling agencies, or they blur the
lines and it creates confusion. Their goal is to sell
photos or sell advertising. That is how they make money.
A modeling agency, on the other hand, makes no money
until they get the model work, or not until after the
model has worked.
If this photo studio can get as much work as they claim,
why aren't they a modeling agency? They would earn 20%
of the model's earnings.
Another important question is: What type of modeling
work do they help people get? Is it low end? Like $15/hr "promotional
modeling" which could be handing out flyers for
a day or two?
The big question is: Does everyone who signs up earn
more from the modeling assignment(s) they get through
Pro Images Studios than they paid Pro Images Studios
for photos?
The idea of publishing a picture taken by professional
photographers in a book for potential clients to see
may seem legitimate but it is not conventional wisdom.
Conventional wisdom says take your daughter to local
modeling agencies. If they want to sign her, they will,
and they will then get her face in books or visible to
potential clients. Reputable clients, for the most part,
work through modeling agencies, not photographers.
If you don't live in a large city, send good photos
to agencies which you have checked and found to be reputable
in nearby large cities, major modeling markets, or even
New York, calling them in advance to ask their requirements,
and confirm their interest.
P.S. I never found their website. The BBB record does
not list their website address, as it does for other
modeling businesses. Why not? It's hard to imagine a
photography business in 2002 does not have a website.
To Whom It May Concern:
I paid $450 for my daughter to be registered with Pro
Images Studios.
Pro Images Studios guaranteed her four
jobs in one year.
I have her picture which they took and printed in their
book. But I have heard nothing from Pro
Images Studios since then.
I wrote Pro Images Studios a letter
last week asking them about the "guaranteed" jobs.
How do I go about getting that money back from Pro
Images Studios if I do not hear from them?
I believe now that Pro Images Studios was
just a scam, and I should have thought more about it,
and not paid Pro Images Studios the
money.
Do I count this a loss and a lesson learned, or can
I fight to get my money back from Pro Images
Studios?
The order was placed more than a year ago in March 2001.
Thank you,
C.K.
C.,
If the company has made false promises, or it is based
in another state, you probably should not leave it to
a letter. Get their phone number and call them. If you
leave it to a letter, you may never hear from them again.
It is easier to ignore a letter than a phone call, right?
Pro Images Studios, according to your
letter, has failed to provide a service, and broken a
promise. They guaranteed work within a year; it is now
about three weeks from a year and a half?!
You have every right to demand your money back. You
signed up and paid them because they guaranteed work.
That type of guarantee should also have a money-back
guarantee. "We guarantee you four jobs in one year
or your money back."
If they do not give you a full refund, report them to
the BBB, and report back here. The BBB will most likely
contact them, and help you get your refund.
In some states it is illegal to guarantee work, unless
you are a licensed modeling agency, or a licensed employment
agency. That is the law so people do not get scammed.
Did Pro Images Studios break the law?
Pro Images Studios has no business guaranteeing anyone
any work. (See link below for more information.)
To Whom It May Concern:
After reading the complaints about Pro
Images Studios, I felt compelled to
share my story.
I was also enticed by the newspaper ad promising modeling
work if selected that night.
I went to the hotel, I got a perfect score on my "evaluation," and
was thrilled that I was finally fulfilling a lifelong
dream.
I paid $450, which seemed small compared to what I was
sure was waiting for me.
They read me a list of clients that exclusively used
their models. One of these was Pier
One Imports. I later spoke with someone from
Pier One who had never heard of Pro Images.
I was sent a "contract" and promised work.
My phone never rang.
A terrible picture of me was published in their fake
modeling magazine, and when I called to complain about
how terrible it was, I was rudely spoken to and told
not to call again.
I tried unsuccessfully to reach the company for about
a year.
When my "contract" was up, I did not hear
from them again.
I was scammed. I felt so embarrassed and naive. I want
to prevent them from doing this to others.
I wish I could get my money back, but seeing as how
this happened in 2001, I think there must be some kind
of statute of limitations.
Please let me know if I have any recourse in the matter.
N.A.
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