I really wish I hadn't entered and "won" this competition

[Quarky]

It was my birthday and I was a bit tipsy. I looked on Facebook briefly and this competition came up for a "confidence building burlesque photo shoot". At that moment in time it sounded fun, and I knew someone who had had it done so I entered.

A couple of days later I got a phone call from a woman from the photo company saying I'd won. In my sober sensible state I wasn't at all surprised because that's how they find customers, but I still thought it might be fun. The woman asked for a £50 refundable deposit to secure the booking. She said to bring about 3 sets of underwear. Ok I thought, I'll go for it and see how it is. I went out that weekend and bought a couple of nice bra sets and a corset, which are all really nice and sexy so I'm glad about that.

I went along to the shoot and a young woman did my make up. I don't usually get things like this done, my hair and make up is usually kept really natural. When she had finished and I looked in the mirror I looked like a man in drag I really didn't like it, my eyebrows were so dark and thick, it just wasn't me.

Then I went to the photo studio and to be honest I just felt awkward the whole time. The woman doing my photos called me a milf and kept making fun of my accent, which didn't really do much for my confidence. When the photo shoot was over she gave me the price list for buying photos at my viewing appointment, which is this weekend. Oh my God I could not believe the prices! I know that generally these things are expensive and I was prepared to part with about £200 for my photos on a USB perhaps. Boy was I wrong. They charge £400 just for one A3 framed photo. If I wanted an album with 30 photos it's £1295. If I wanted a USB stick with just 10 pictures it is £600! They do packages ranging from £1200 to £2100. That is crazy money and I can't afford anything like that, even with the pay monthly scheme. Christmas is coming and I have a family to buy presents for. Money isn't exactly tight, but it is still precious and I am not prepared to pay such an extortionate amount for photos of myself in my undies. Like I say, I would consider buying if they were more reasonably priced but I have better things to spend our hard earned money on, like a family holiday.

When I think about it, it's almost cruel what they do. It's like taking a child into a sweatshop and saying look at all these delicious sweeties, and here's 1p for you to spend.

I'm dreading going to the viewing as they will try to make me buy and there's just no way. I have to go along in order to get my £50 deposit back. I never envisaged anything like this when I entered the competition, and I really wish I hadn't bothered. They phoned me up today to confirm the viewing appointment and ask me what I was going to do with my photos, obviously presuming I'm going to buy. CFs.

I'll be a lot wiser in future and stay away from these so called competitions.

Oh OP - you can't afford to lose £50, so you'll spend £300 on something you don't actually want or need, so you get your £50 back?!

Have you heard yourself? You know you won't like the photos as you didn't like the hair and make up.

This wasn't a competition, everyone who entered would win. Sorry.

You have thrown away £50 - are you going to throw away another £300 just to save face?

Step back. Tell yoruself it was a £50 make over you didn't like.

Do not go back. They will do the hard sell. You already know you don't want the photos. Cancel.

I’m offended by this sort of manipulative hard sell tactic...it’s so pushy and aggressive. They are absolute wankers.

I’d go and get that £50 back. I’d be so mad, their chat wouldn’t even make a dink on me. Shysters.

I don't intend to make things worse OP but aside from the attempts to make you buy them for a ridiculous price, I would probably be more concerned about them putting the photos on Facebook to advertise the business.

I have done exactly the same thing this week. I 'won' a competition for a boudoir photo shoot. Bought some nice underwear and turned up on the day. They did my hair and make up and then the shoot which I admit I really enjoyed. I paid £30 refundable deposit and get a free viewing and a free print as part of the prize. The prices start at £400 for 8 mounted 10 by 8 prints going up to £1000 for a whole album. I can't say it has been a negative experience and have not felt any pressure tbh. I will probably go for the £400 option if I like the photos as I don't have any nice pictures of myself. They also offer an instalment plan which I will have to take them up on cos I don't have £400 in one go. i don't feel scammed and if the pictures are shit then I won't be buying them. Not sure if this has been helpful. Good luck !

Take some one really firm with you who will tell them what's what

Just ignore any communication from them.

Don't buy any. The whole thing is a scam.

Report to trading standards. Its a scam

I'd turn up, look at the photos, say no thanks, pocket your £50 and leave

And take someone with you for moral support.

A god rule of thumb in the future, is if any firm asks for money up front, it isn't genuine.

I'll bet everyone who entered the "competition", "won".

OP - can you get your £50 back, or is it a deposit you can only have as credit on your purchases? Places like this do not give you money back easily.

(Remember, that "£50 off" is your money)

Call them, say on reflection, you didn't like the photos so won't be buying any, will they refund your £50? If they insist you should come and look at them, or fudge about giving you the money back, you know you aren't goign to see it again. Dont go.

It's already spent and gone.

I would be also re what they going to do with your photos as you pretty much given them the right to share them. I turned down a wedding photographer for this reason. I found someone who took my wedding photos who gave me the copyright to the photos. I printed off what i wanted and know dh and my photos wouldnt appear at wedding shows for the next 20 years!

This was a scam - you didn’t “win” anything: you provided a company with your details for marketing purposes

This ^^ I've no doubt everyone else who entered the "competition" will have been told they've "won" too

I also very much doubt you'll get your £50 back; they'll almost certainly have a script for that too and tell you that it's refundable only against purchases of photos

If you really want the pictures, go and take nothing more than £200 and a USB key with you. Get your deposit back, let them do the hard sale, and walk away.

If they push, tell them you’ll give them £200 for X photos on a USB.

They’re very likely to take your offer rather than getting nothing at all.

OrdinarySnowflake - I am not going to spend £300 to save face, where did you get that from? I want my £50 back as a matter or principle so I can put the whole thing behind me without having lost any money.

I said that I WOULD HAVE spent about £200 IF a) the photos looked good and b) the prices were reasonable. But they're not. £200 would get me nothing at all so sod them.

Yeah, we “won” a photo shoot with Venture photography a few years ago. We never went back for the viewing because we knew the photos would be amazing and we’d have to put ourselves in debt for the smallest of the packages.

How did you pay the £50? If you paid by credit card, you might have some recourse if it is found to be a scam.

This happened to me nearly 20 years ago except it was a family shoot and I entered a free draw for a photo shoot at a stand at Tesco’s. We couldn’t afford anything (broke with 2 kids under 3). We chose the cheapest photo option we could at the viewing, it to give them credit when my DH went to collect it they’d upgraded it to a nice frame. We still have it and it’s one of my favourite photos however, so not all bad. Sorry you were conned 🙁

They asked me on the phone call today if I had any questions and I said yes, will I get my deposit back? And the woman said yes I would get a full refund.

God something similar (although not in lingerie!) happened to me at 17...

They then frogmarched me to the bank as I'd only taken £100 to the viewing. I was really scared!

It was a horrible experience all round.

Have you checked you can just get your £50 back or is it just to be knocked off your bill when you purchase photos?

Because if it was just a deposit to hold the booking slot, they would have given it you back when you turned up for the booked slot. They didn't. Check what it says on any paperwork you have.

Make sure you can actually get your £50 back without buying any photos. I would even phone them and ask for it to be transfered back, if it was just a fee to hold the booking, then you've had that and should get refunded without having to physically go and see them.

They will do high pressure sales on you. This is a horrible form of scam. Please check you can get your money back first.

You may have to accept you've spent the £50.

Did you pay by card OP? Maybe speak to your bank and see if they can do a chargeback.

oh X post.

OK call her back again, say you don't want the photos, so there's no point wasting their time, so can you just be refunded your £50 now without having to come in when you will not, under any circumstances, be buying the photos.

I want my £50 back as a matter of principle

While these might be your own (very understandable) principles, the sad fact is that people running scams are unlikely to have any

By all means go along and give it a try, but also be prepared for a very unpleasant encounter

OrdinarySnowflake - the deposit was for holding the two appointments; the photo shoot and the viewing.

Oh no! I’ve had this, a few years ago, it was awful and I’m afraid I got caught by it and was bullied into signing up for an a4 photo album (the cheapest option they had), and laying out £26 per month for... I’m afraid I’ve blanked it out but it was over a year. I was such a mug. I did it because I needed a ‘confidence boost’ about my appearance, basically, because I was vulnerable. That’s how their business model works, by preying on peoples vulnerabilities and pu them on the spot.

Learnt from my mistake please!

When you go to the viewing they will trap you in a room and work at you until you buy something just so you can get away.

Do not go on your own. Take someone else with you who can be tough enough to say no and get you out of there and away from the hard sell. They will try every trick on the book to make you feel like you have a moral duty to buy something from them.

Will you actually get your £50 back? Do you have access to the terms and conditions to read it and double check? I suspect they will lie and tell you a load of codswollop unless you go in armed with the relevant sentences highlighted and ready to argue.

I’m so sorry they took advantage of you in this way. Their behaviour whilst doing the photo shoot was horrible and not in the slightest bit confidence building. And if they follow the script of other photo scamming businesses, they’ll try and butter you up in the ‘viewing’ experience which will quickly turn into bullying, veiled insults, threats and all sorts of manipulation to close that sale. It’s almost violating somehow isn’t it? Disgusting behaviour.