WHATEVER YOU DO PLEASE READ THIS PRIOR TO BOOKING WITH VENTURE PHOTOGRAPHY SOUTHAMPTON. NEXT TIME THIS COULD BE YOU THEY ARE SAYING THIS ABOUT BEHIND YOUR BACK!

[PB1]

My son bought a silver voucher from Venture Photography Southampton for our 49th wedding anniversary. When I called to book a session, the staff member asked if we were bringing our children. I explained no as my deceased daughter would be prominent by her absence. His response was “can’t you bring someone else?” No one will ever replace her but I didn’t respond. I suggested bringing our Rottweiler Puppy which he said “ok do that “
Having set time, date and paid the additional £25 returnable fee we ended the call.
I could hear loud voices on my phone and picking it back up I could hear him mocking me, using the most extreme swear words and imitating my voice in a rude and unforgivable manner. Saying to his female companion in the rudeness “You have got your Fing work cut out with these two!” Then “We are bringing our Fing Rottweiler” in a pathetic attempt at mimicking my voice. I was speechless as the female was laughing and contributing to the abuse whilst neither had ever met either of us and the female had not even been party to the conversation with me. I heard everything they said for a good 5 minutes (of the 11 minute call I have listed on my phone!) I shouted to get attention and they just replaced the receiver. I called back and told them I heard everything and demanded a full refund, but they hung up on me. I complained to the head office and they offered me a free session and a hamper, which I refused. I do not want anything to do with these disgraceful people.**

VENTURE PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO SOUTHAMPTON - TALKING ABOUT CUSTOMERS. AN AWFUL APPALLING EXPERIENCE!
Our Son purchased a voucher for us with Venture Photography Southampton. I rang them on 26/10/2023 to hopefully arrange for our wedding anniversary. He asked were we bringing our children (adults) to which I explained that our Daughter had died unexpectedly and it would feel like someone was missing from the photo (We had photos taken a number of years ago with Venture - which we have displayed around our home so for us to have the same type of photos but with 3 of our children rather than 4 displayed would not bring joy.)He then said couldn’t we bring someone else then? I said no - I said we have a Rottweiler puppy (Police dog handler trained) and he said to bring her then. I paid the compulsory £25 via Apple Pay for the returnable booking fee for the day.
The call was ended. But as I went to place my iPhone down I could hear voices. I picked up my phone and could hear his strong accent (South African or Australian as I’ve never been good with accents) he was laughing and swearing with a woman about me! Imitating my voice, being extremely rude with expletives.
“Your going to have your F#**ing Work cut out with these two“
“They are bringing their F#**ing Rottweiler!”
“Oh ya it’s our F#**ing anniversary!”
“What a F#**ing Prat! Etc. etc.
And on it went for several minutes abuse after abuse all said whilst imitating my voice etc. The female he was saying this to was finding it uproariously funny!
I shouted down the phone to get their attention and suddenly the phone went dead. I called straight back and told him I had heard everything he had said and wanted a full refund of our £25 and my sons money as well. The response was to put the phone down! I complained to head office and the lady there was speechless and extremely apologetic. She contacted them and I subsequently received a written apology offering us a free photographic session from Southampton and they sent a hamper which we refused to accept delivery of!
I have never heard such unfounded, rude, vile comments from someone in my life - and completely shocked after a five minute phone call to arrange a photo session.
Obviously their idea of customer service is to be rude about customers behind their backs. I do not want compensation, free hamper or anything else from these disgraceful people. Most definitely I would never accept their free photo session to be false to our our faces and saying God knows what behind our backs!
At no point was I difficult or demanding. I simply wanted to book the photo session. He suggested 08/11/23 I asked very politely if he could change it to our anniversary 16/11/23 which he did. I paid the deposit and that was all that the call contained.
I am not saying it is acceptable but a little understandable if you have a very difficult customer to have a little moan but his behaviour was vile and completely uncalled for!
Why be so very rude about customers? What sort of people or company does that for no reason whatsoever? In all my life I have never experienced such disgraceful behaviour from a Company!
This could make me paranoid about what businesses are saying behind my back but I cling to the hope that the majority of human beings are not this vile!

Put this on their social media (X/Twitter) or leave a review somewhere.

I’m sorry this happened to you - but Venture Photography gets terrible reviews everywhere.

Thank you. I have now left one on Trustpilot and Google Review. Never been so disgusted with a company.

It's a long time ago now, but our experience with Venture (years ago) was absolutely terrible - not Southampton though. We never even saw the photos that they took in the end because they refused to let us bring toddler dd for the viewing and they also refused to let just one of us attend. Clearly, they wanted to do the hard sell to the both of us without any distractions. We had no childcare and told them not to bother in the end - we never received the "free" photo that we had been promised because they made it so difficult. From what I've heard, it sounds like we had a lucky escape as I know several other people who were exposed to very high pressure sales techniques.

Thank you. It was awful as my son paid for it as a present due to a difficult period in our lives. Then this happened. I was so taken aback by it!

That’s outrageous OP. Although on the plus side in his rush to mock you he was idiotic enough not to hang up, so will hopefully get his comeuppance from head office… Sorry for your loss of DD

That's dreadful and must have been really upsetting for you. I would have been fuming too.

I'm so sorry you had to go through that, OP.

What a stressful experience for you.

I'm very sorry about your daughter.

Put it on their social media page

That was very kind of you. I was literally in a state of shock as I first heard what they were saying. Then I felt disgusted.

Sorry if I don’t answer everyone. I am new to this. But my wife, children and I were so disgusted we felt others should know what sort of people they are behind closed doors or once the phone is down or not it my case!

it says more about him than you OP. I would be very upset too but try not to take it personally. And good on you for refusing the hamper 👏 Hope you manage to find a an alternative and have a lovely photo shoot!

What a hideous attitude they have.

Imagine being them, and that being your response to a customer disclosing that their child had died. What emotionally impoverished lives those two must lead.

Take this to Venture's most senior person. That's always helped me in the past.

I'm so sorry for the loss of your daughter.

This is horrendous OP. I’m so sorry about your daughter and that you have had to put up with this.

It seems like you are being a little unfair on the company.. it is the fault of the man on the phone and the woman he was talking to. Not the whole company. Talk to them about what you do want from them ( these people to be identified and fired perhaps?) and if they refuse then by all means shout about it online and ruin their business.

Mavissdaviss I tend to agree. What those employees did was awful and they should be sacked, but it sounds like the company handled it decently in the aftermath, offering an immediate apology and trying to compensate. That doesn't lessen the awfulness of having to hear what the man said, and I get why you are upset, OP, but I don't think the entire company and everyone who works there deserve to be condemned in the same way.

That's dreadful I'm so sorry for your experience!
Definitely leave a review on all the company's social media platforms.

I agree. You can always contact head office again about this, OP. I wonder whether the woman on the phone call was also employed by the company or whether the man you spoke to was working from home and she happened to be in the room.

Very sorry about the loss of your daughter OP. Those people are evil and I’m sorry you had to hear that. At least you found out in advance so they didn’t get any money off you. Congratulations on your wedding anniversary, hope you get some nice photos done elsewhere

This is clearly and understandably a very sensitive issue for you of course.

I’ve taken what he said to mean, “This is going to be a hard shoot, they’re bringing along a Rottweiler puppy”. Not mocking you losing your daughter. Of course it’s not ok, but it’s maybe not as devastatingly awful as it initially seems. Swearing and mocking your voice is awful but it really doesn’t sound like they were being purposefully insensitive about you losing your daughter.

People who work with the public do complain behind customers backs. They just do. Anyone who works with the public and says otherwise is lying. I’m not saying there shouldn’t be consequences or that it’s no big deal, but it’s maybe just not as huge of a deal as you’ve built it up to be. It can be easily rectified with a refund and the employee in question being held accountable.

He said to the woman “you’ll have your work cut out with those two” so I’m guessing the woman is the actual photographer.

I think they just want their cash back,which the photographers are refusing at the moment.

I'm sure they wouldn't be posting as many bad reviews if they had just refunded the money.

They may have felt awkward if you actually declined the extra by saying your dead daughter wouldn’t be able to attend. As someone who has suffered a similar bereavement, people don’t know what to say-how can they say anything to make things better? Especially to a stranger? I wouldn’t have mentioned the reason why you weren’t bringing anyone because it puts an onus on the people you are telling to say something-and whatever they say, it isn’t the right thing. Sorry for your loss.