Does anyone know anything about Models Direct?

[Cherry85]

Hi our baby was spotted and I am looking for more info on the company as very wary of these things.

We have been told DS photos have been selected and are going forward to a panel tomorrow and we hear back on Friday as to whether they want to represent him.

Lovely phone call, they were really interested in our baby, his personality and how he gets on with people..... BUT they did mention there was a £99 registration fee for three years representation.

I did a bit of googling and found conflicting info....whilst most baby agencies seem to charge a small fee, there is also websites saying legit agencies would never charge a fee. But then on the other hand trustpilot has a 4.8 review score.

So in short I am totally confused lol.

Anyone dealt with them?

God it all screams scam!

The reviews on trust pilot all look completely made up (lots of Aviva shoots?!) and all the recent reviews are by people who have left only one review in their trust pilot history and just for that company - highly suspicious!

Google models direct and MSE and there seem to be quite a few anecdotes About people paying their money and never hearing from them. (Being on their books doesn’t guarantee work - they say this themselves)

£99 is a lot of money to lose, especially before Xmas. Do some more research. I’m sure a reputable company wouldn’t ask for upfront fees but take a percentage of the first job.

Legitimate agencies won’t charge an upfront fee AFAIK

As PP said most of the positive Trust Pilot reviews are fake. Click on "filter" then look at the poor ratings only and read all the reviews from real people saying they had their number barred or never heard from them again after paying their fee

If you search "Models Direct Scam" tons of things come up including a BBC News article about scam modelling agencies.

Lots of forums talking about it too www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/topic/158593-for-those-who-have-been-caught-up-with-models-direct-please-read/

Any modelling agency that charges a fee is a scam

Also go on their Facebook page. Endless bad reviews

Well known scam.

Join the FB group - Parents of child models
If you are interested in child modelling. They have a huge list of all the scams and all the legit agencies.

I think they will "spot" any baby tbh...

Did u get a response with this?

Yes it is a well known scam. They charge you to put together a portfolio.

Scam I know people that fell for it paid for photos etc got nothing out of it

I said that to the lady Anna about it being a scam and she sent me loads of details back about confirmation that it wasn't,so I'm very confused as to wat to do,also said that's it been running 20yrs and she's been working there 14years.wat happened did u sign up and lose money?

Wat about celebrity booker?

@Jenny141386 the majority of them are scams. I checked with a friend who runs a modelling agency in scotland and they said normal process for a reputable company who.is genuinely interested in representing you/your child and has approached you is that they would bring you in for test shots free of charge. Modelling portfolios are then done in-house by their photographer once you have a contract with them- again free of charge as you are their product.

And of course the person at MD told you that. The same way the person who calls from 'your bank' has probably worked there for years too - people can say a lot of things, doesn't mean they are true.

This is a well known scam to play on the emotions of new mums who will always think their baby is the most beautiful thing in the whole world.... sorry love x

No problem thank u so much I was very wary of it afterwards just thinking was this it real had sum sort of feeling I dunno but yea I'll not bother with it now after hearing all this.

AVOID this "Agency"
AVOID this company "models direct", google them, they take money and do not obtain work for 95% of their models, the claim to be an "employment agency" to avoid laws, they will literally take anyone on their books if they pay the fee. but will may it seem you have been selected by their nation panel of judges. nonsence. Both my friend and I have been registered with this scam "company" for almost 2 years and received nothing from them, except random update emails that our profiles have been viewed. I am currently with other agencies and have regular work. NO (I repeat) NO genuine model agency will charge you an upfront fee. they have their scam down perfectly do not fall for it. DO YOUR research online. DO NOT register with them. read the 2009 BBC investigation into them, they have changed some practices since then but nothing has really changed. they still take advantage of people. if you are genuinely interested in modelling then avoid these "people" and do your homework. PS. also do not fall for paying for a photo folio to submit. all reputable agencies will accept clean clear pics taken on a phone etc. (Good luck)