To ask your experiences (good and bad) with a company called venture photography

[therewearethen]

Had a voucher for Xmas to use at venture photography. It states "your venture pack entitles you to a £245 venture experience that will bring you and your family a lifetime of pleasure" sounds ok but then there's the T&C's

The studio photo shoot is valued at £150
The complimentary framed image from your photoshoot will be a 7" x 5" worth £98
At the time of booking, you will be asked to provide debit/credit card details to secure your booking.

I'm 38wks pregnant and the expiry date on the voucher is a few wks after my due date. I know I sound really ungrateful but I'm not a fan of having my photo taken and so quickly after birth I think I'll feel even more insecure and uncomfortable than normal. It states in the T & C that the whole family have to be included otherwise I'd just get the kids done.

The part about card details unnerves me slightly and we're skint! I really don't want to turn up and be pressurised into buying more photos that we simply can't afford.

So does anyone have any experience of venture?

[RunOrRioja]

They are a shit company.

They will do a VERY hard sell on you afterwards. The photography is not particularly good either. Lots of photoshop manipulation.

[KobayashiMaru]

They are shit and overpriced. This isn't an aibu though, is it?

[NoNoNoMYDoIt]

as above. rubbish, overpriced, hard sell. don't do it. Very very hard sell.

[AmandinePoulain]

Don't do it!

I fell for this when dd1 was a baby. The shoot itself was fine but they really put on a hard sell when it comes to viewing the photos. The free print is tiny so in my hormonal state I ended up buying 2 photos in a bigger size. Whilst they are nice photos they are certainly not worth the amount I paid for them. I'm actually quite embarrassed that I fell for the whole 'if you don't buy these now you'll regret it; you'll never see them again' spiel .

We've had photos done of both dds since dd2 was born by the photographer who did dd1's school photos, they are just as nice and far cheaper.

Avoid, avoid, avoid!

[harryhausen]

Very hard sell.

We ended up with a great photo which we love but it is WAY too big and was extremely over priced. Also, I didn't know but at the time I was of with our second dc - so he's not on it obviously. Do now, it doesn't even feel like a 'family' photo.

I went with a voucher and got sucked in.

[sleepyhead]

Run. Run away now. Shred the voucher and never look back.

Seriously, I've not heard anything good about this company and a friend was persuaded to part with hundreds of pounds after her "free" session. She's a really sensible, level headed person but she said the pressure was incredible.

[WilsonFrickett]

The voucher costs £35 (sorry to whoever gave it to you) so you have to think that at the very least they are going to want to sell you £210 worth of stuff to make it up to the £245. That said, I quite like the photo style. But they will push you hard to spend the money.

[AmandinePoulain]

I've also read a story on here about a mum who took along her baby for a shoot, the baby had a birthmark and the photographer edited it out! Shocking behaviour IMO

[Preposteroushypothesis]

Another vote against them!! Very hard sell and to get a decent sized photo you will need to pay extra on top of your voucher. The photo also comes built into the frame so you can't change the frame. The frame is crap and we can't even hang ours up just stand it up. There are much better companies who will do better deals, although they are all overpriced!!

[HokeyCokeyPigInAPokey]

I had one of those vouchers years ago.

The photo shoot was ok, I don't like having my picture taken but it wasn't as horrendous as I thought it would be.

It is the hard sell that is the problem like everyone else has said. I only took the free one as dh is very firm but they do try and sell you photos at astronomical prices.

The free one is a lovely family photo but I wouldn't have paid for it, not at their prices.

[BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack]

Expensive.......your voucher isn't worth jack as they will end up trying to flog you hundreds of pounds worth of photos. There are plenty of decent reasonable photograph studios out there who would be far better.

Bin the voucher, it isn't really worth that money!

[Mono1]

We've recently done the whole "photo experience" just before Christmas and have come away with some lovely shots. Helluva expensive tho but you could just take the voucher pic and run. I thinking depends on what branch you go to. Each branch is a franchise so they are dictated to by a Head Office but could (in our case at least) be a bit flexible.
The shoot itself was very laid back and although they tried all the guff about "telling a story" or a "journey" we ignored all that and just took nice family photos.
Then, this is the important bit, they did us a good deal on the print we bought and electronic/jpeg versions of the photos. It was still A LOT of money and more than we intended to spend but when we made it clear that it was the price that was stopping us they were very prepared to negotiate a deal.
I'd suggest that you phone them and explain your circumstances and ask them to extend the voucher until baby is about 6 months. If they don't seem understanding then I think you'll get an idea of how they would be about the rest of the "experience".

[GeorgianMumto5]

They're OK. We have some prints from them. If I were you, I wouldn't go, for all the reasons you listed in your OP. They are good and valid reasons to ignore the voucher.

My dh, for reasons unknown to me, really likes them. We went once when dd was a baby and again when ds was a toddler. First time we went, Venture and their style was a new thing. By the time ds arrived, everyone was doing it, many of them better and cheaper. I could not convince dh of this and he insisted on going there and on buying prints for my birthday. (I know!!) The one of ds is really cute. They didn't really capture dd and I think I look like a pair of tits and dh like he's balding. He doesn't see it though! I have spent the past 5 years pretending I like the ruddy huge prints on my wall.

Don't do it! Wait until you feel gorgeous and baby has passed the wrinkly stage, then book a session with your local photographer.

One thing in Venture's favour though: people say they do a hard sell. Maybe they do, but we never felt pressured (well, apart from me feeling pressured by dh).

[MrsShortfuse]

Agree with all the above. Very hard sell, they don't like it if you don't want to pay ££££ on top of your voucher and they are pretty unpleasant about it.

Avoid!

[NolittleBuddahsorTigerMomshere]

Awful, DM won a photograph with them when I was younger for a family photo, but DF was working and couldn't go with us, and the women refused to take the picture! What if he had died? Or Walked out on us? She didn't ask why he wasn't there and told us we couldn't come back and was very rude. Never forgot it, and never used them with my own family!

[NoNoNoMYDoIt]

oh yes - the editing. they edited DS's eyelashes. he was about 7 months old and he looks like he is wearing mascara. it's a nice photo but tbh i have taken better ones myself.

[Twattybollocks]

Serious hard sell experience here. Dh booked me a makeover and shoot with them when I was in a really low spot a few years ago. They were lovely until the last bit when I reviewed the photos to decide which I wanted as my free one (none really, I looked fat and tired anddepressed on all of them, no amount of slap and nice clothes was going to hide that)
Once it became clear that I had no money to buy more and no intention of succumbing to the pressure, the bloke became quite unpleasant and couldn't get me out of the office fast enough. Left me in tears on the way home. Never again.

[Vagaceratops]

I used to work for them as a telesales agent.

Nasty company - they are liars too.

[therewearethen]

Thanks for the quick replies, my gut instinct was to think oh god I really don't want to go but what do I tell the person who I assume parted with hard earned cash to buy the voucher when they ask!?

I know it's not an AIBU but didn't know where else to post and they've rung and left a voicemail which I've ignored but I assume they'll keep ringing me until I answer!

I'm all for using someone locally as long as I'm not in it as the only price I could see was for the 'free' print and at £98 that made me tbh if I had that in the bank I'd be ordering my electric breast pump and not buying a photo!

[squeaver]

They are naffola and a complete rip-off.

[SilverBellsandCockleShells]

I had a 'free' Venture picture taken at a show a few months ago. Once they'd taken the picture, they tried to book me in for a family photo shoot! I can't remember what the actual deal was, but it was 'normally' £150 and down to about £20. When I declined to book in, I got the third degree about why I could possibly resist such a bargain. They realised they weren't getting anywhere and moved on. If they were that bad at the show, I dread to think what they would have been like at the studio (which was, incidentally, an hour away and I'd have had to go twice ...)

I did like the picture they took, so googled local photographers and found a lovely lady who came to our house, went out for a walk with us and took photos of us all. She gave us a digital copy of all the images and free reign to use them. All for £200! Much nicer pictures out in the countryside, too, rather than against that stark white backdrop Venture use.

[valiumredhead]

Shit and over priced and will do a huge hard sell on you like you have never experienced before!

A local photographer will do a better job ime for a fraction of the price.

[RyleDup]

Shite. They do a serious hard sell and any extra photos you want would mean taking out an extra mortgage. You dont own the copywrite to your childrens photos and they can use them for advertising without asking you. Steer clear. Get a local photographer instead, cheaper and a better all round experience.

[hellsbellsmelons]

I have some lovely pics at home from a photo shoot with them.
I thought they were very good. Pics are all fun pics and I don't usually like having my photo taken.
It is a hard sell but as long as you are strong you won't fall for it all.
I had 1 set and that was it. Think I paid an extra £30 and that was it.
It you're not good at saying 'no' then it's probably not for you.

[RyleDup]

Well if you have a voucher then just get the one. Take an assertive friend to bat off their hard sell like I did. They are still shite though!