Sears Portrait Studio Customer Service

I've read as much as i could. I've worked for several years (10yrs)
... seen so many great customers come in and seen some nasty chicks
come in... From company perspective: 9.99 is a great way to let
customers try us, and if the customer tells me the truth that they are
really broke but would like to get atleast one good one then you know
what i give them my time and attention. They are honest and aren't
trying to waste my time. But to those people who come in expecting
magic tricks are the ones that i dont go that extra mile because again
its a waste of my time. (6poses & thats it)...
People can be hard to please and approaching us in a rude manner is
not the way to go especially when we can make you look really good or
really bad. in focus or outta focus. Pictures can take 3weeks instead
of 2 weeks...
If you have something in mind then please speak up so we can
accomidate.
I love my job. I enjoy what i do because i know that my customer is
happy with what we get.
Every customer is different, some are sooo sweet, they actually take
their time to talk to us like humans. I love the customers that come
in and tell us what they want and are opened to new ideas as well.

The shitty part about my job is getting bitched
at by some broads that think we are out to get them on a personal
level. We dont make the rules! But shitting on us for pictures being
late has nothing to do with employees. For pictures being bent because
fed-ex dropped the box isn't our fault. Customer coming in late and
wanting to go in front of the one that was on time isn't the reason to
cry in front of the studio and scream its the photographers fault!
Complaining you didnt get a call about picking up your pictures isnt a
reason to ask for a return! Complaining you waited 3 hours on a sunday
(when we open at 11) & you walked out at 2pm is only due to the time
choosing your pix. Complaining that your 7.99 or 9.99 package isnt
available same day (because it doesnt say anywhere on that coupon that
it is ready same day!) Since sears has been open we've always printed
in a 2 week period. Complaining when pictures were due in October and
customer decides pick up with out a receipt on February IS rediculous
that we have to stop a session and look for it! Or taken pregnancy
pictures in november and then wanted to reshoot 3 months later because
now the baby is born and on top of that wanting a brand new cd with
out having to pay. Well if you weren't happy with them they why are
you asking for more? Hello being cheap can be interpreted in different
ways. The customers that come in late and expect service on the spot
because they are ready to shoot their 9.99 with their free sheet
shouldnt be comnplaining about our service... you get what you pay
for! So threatening us that you will never come back, to call
corporate and sue us is not only pathetic but funny!
We can only joke about those chicks that want to ring our necks for
doing what we are asked by corporate. Charge extra for enhanced, same
day, shipping, sitting fee, etc...

I have learned so much and for one when i go somewhere to take my
picture i enjoy the ride and expect to be surprised, because i want to
be relaxed and enjoy the experience with my children and husband. I
work a lot and i berly get to be with my family so i rather see the
positive side to what we do together.

To my wonderful customers in southern california i love you all. I
feel very fortunate that you have chosen me as your family
photographer. And appreciate coming to me when you need something done
right.

To my not so happy customers chill-out! Talk to us dont just bitch us
out and we will bend over backwards for you.

To the nasty ones that bitch from beginning to end, why did you even
come in if you were already mad!?

To the associates that left bitter, yall must have had some shitty
attitudes to start with. Sound just like a customer. Work on your
people skills.

To the managers that are currently trying to keep it together. HOld on
we are on the same boat. We can only do so much and if you feel like
your gonna throw in the towel just remember the customers that call in
to request you!

Thank you,
and goodnight
gotta be at work tomorrow!

EVERYTHING is sent by computer and is automated. You think with over
900 studios, there is an ACTUAL PERSON there to "change out" your
pose? Lets see, stop production to stop your pose from going thru?
YOU are the one who chose it, not the photographer. "Back in the day"
when it was actual film, you could change it PRIOR to it being sent to
lab for printing, but now being digital it sends IMMEDIATELY. You
didn't want to "cancel it" , then it is getting printed and who do you
think will buy it? Not like it can be put on a shelf and restocked to
be sold to someone else!!! I have been going to our local Sears
Studio and everyone there knows us and greets us warmly. Like our
photographer tell us, the 9.99 pkg is a good deal if you only can get
1 good pose due to a fussy baby (or stubborn 2 year old as was our
case once) but the best value to save $ is to pick and choose the size
and poses you want. We usually spend about $60 - $70 and end up with a
sheet of every pose! If you started going to Sears and referred
others, you must have had good experiences.. so 1 bad time because YOU
changed your mind, you had poor customer service... Give me a break!!!

Try contacting the company president. His name is Renato Cataldo and I
believe his email address is rcataldo@cpicorp.com

im having a similar situation... and try finding a customer service
rep? GOOOD LUCKKKK! No email address, no one on the phones, it just
keeps saying due to heavy call volume call back and hangs up!

Our photographer at sears in Paramus accidentally erased all of our
session photos right before we went to view them! I have a 4 month
old, who fell asleep... and a husband who had taken a day off from
work for our first christmas photo session... and im empty handed!

I should have just gone to the picture people like everyone had told
me to before our session even came around!

Surprised theyre still in business.

Again.. youre not alone!

I am sorry to know about what you have experienced from sears portrait
studio. Please do not go there again, go somewhere else where people
are nicer and more professional. It is the best way to deal with
problems like this. It is just not worth the time or money wasting on
poor service provider like Sears Portrait. We have to remember all
they want is your money, so don't give your money to them anymore.

I work at SPS as well, and agree to all of the responses from other
employees. You wouldn't BELIEVE the criticism that WE receive for
selling $9.99 packages! And altough it shouldn't be taken personally,
it's a slap in the face to spend an hour getting 6+ beautiful shots of
a child only to have the customer quickly say, "I'll take the $9.99
pkg." If that was the plan, then why they HECK did I waste all of
that time in the camera room? Calling back to lodge a complaint over
$10 would just be adding insult to injury in my studio.

It sucks, but they do give you time to pick the pose you like. And
yes it hard to do when they take so many good ones. Just go back and
take another bunch if it only $9.99.

Let me start by saying that I manage a Sears Portrait Studio in Denver
and have worked for the company for almost 4 years. I have to tell
you that you are being completely unreasonable. As someone said
above...we can't give you an updated list of procedures to every
customer partly because customers wont read it anyway. I will tell
you that in my studio I tell every customer that "Once I send it, it
goes straight the the lab/printer and I cannot stop it or change it."
So that they know before hand. I agree that your photographer could
have mentioned this and the girl you talked to should have been more
understanding and kinder about it but what she said to you is 100%
accurate. How would you have felt if you were the one in the camera
room while your photographer had to answer the phone only to hear a
customer complaint that she has no control over and can't change. But
frankly, you are a 9.99 customer, you are literally our least favorite
kind of customer. We work our butts off to get you great pix and then
you want us to hand you the world on a platter for $10. We are
photographers, not miracle workers. We make minimum wage, we don't
work off commission. And, we don't work for Sears. Sears Roebuck has
NOTHING to do with our business. The company you want to complain to
is CPI. And instead of posting your phone number on the www for
everyone to see if you had read the receipt you were given when you
checked out, there is a customer service number at the bottom of it.
They will reiterate the fact that you cannot under any circumstance
change your order after it is sent...but MAY be able to work as liason
with the studio to see if there is middle ground. But please don't
blame the photographers in the studio for company policy, we are only
doing as much as we can do.

That is the policy. I dont understand customers like u that want the
moon and stars for 9.99. Spend more money u do get treated better, sad
but very true. Spend 9.99 we want u in and out because the next
customer could be the 200.00 sale.

The Sears Portrait Studio I went to was great. All the staff were
friendly and very helpful. The only thing was that they weren't on
schedule and my children got very antsy. Other than that it was a
wonderful experience. The manager Maria is very nice.

i am currently a manager at an SPS location and just to inform you, on
the paper work you should have received along with your receipts it
says that you can add to your order, no where does it say that you can
change your order and it also states that there is a fee to add on to
a finished order. i'm sorry but nothing irks me more than someone who
can not/will not read their receipt.

Sears Portrait studio is HORRIBLY managed (I used to work there, LOL).
The "policy" then was when customers came in for a package, three
poses were taken. The first pose that the customer accepted was the
package, then addiitional prints could be purchased from the next two
poses. Customers often changed their mind and wanted a different pose
as their package. The employees were not supposed to allow this, and
tell them that the system would not allow changes. The reason for this
was that they wanted the customers to cough up the money for extra
prints, instead of switching and not buying the first pose. But the
thing was, it absolutely could be done, and during busy seasons (like
Christmas), managers would tell us to do it, just get the customer out
and on their way. I'd also see managers do this when they actually had
to get off their butts and in the camera room (a rare event) if it was
super busy, for the same reason - get 'em out of there. But the part
time employees had to refuse and deal with angry customers. Bad
enough, but especially when that customer had previously been allowed
to change their package pose. Very annoying that they are so
inconsistent with their procedures. I hope you get your package.

Do you realize your phone number is here for the whole world to see?

Policies change all the time. Do you expect evertime you walk into a
store that they should hand you an updated store policy on EVERY
little thing? I understand that you are frustrated but thats the new
rule. The way I see it you have two choices. You can either go with
the pose you chose or you can elsewhere. Sounds pretty simple to me.
So explain to me again why it is that you deserve anything?


By the by its beyond irritating when customers resort to the "but I've
done it before" reason as to why they should get their way. It doesnt
matter if you've done it 3 million times before NOW you cant. Dont
like it? Dont have to- go someplace else. What you shouldnt do is
waste your time and others trying to bend them to your will.

A much better letter would have been to inform Sears that you were
dissapointed in the change and you would hope that they will allow
people to change their pose in the future.