Has anyone heard of/been to Fusion Studios?

Hi, a few months ago I purchased a promotional card for a local hairdressers – I paid upfront in order to have ‘X’ amount of services in a limited time period.

On the back of the card it says I have an invitation for ‘A celebrity style day a Fusion Studios’ in Manchester, and a fully refundable deposit is taken to secure a booking.

I was just wondering if anyone has used Fusion Studios, any comments on what it is like?

Thanks

Reply 1

CliveHurst

I would beware of Fusion Studios, run by Mike Hannah, who also runs 'The Blue Rooms' & 'Diesel Models' - which is not a model agency but they promise to kickstart your career by charging a huge amount for useless photographs.

Fusion Studios have a business partnership with Zebra Collection etc, now called Guava Talent Management; and so it goes on and on...

For more information see my blogs:

http://thezebracollection.blogspot.com

http://dieselmodel.blogspot.com

And my website:

http://www.anactor.net

Where you can watch the BBC video exposing Zebra...

Never pay for photographic portfolios, they will NOT help you get work. Students must be on their guard from such trickster!

**;^))

Reply 2

Clauclau

I agree, Fusion Studios is a dodgy place. We purchased a Groupon voucher for a pamper photo shoot for two and were completely disappointed. The whole thing was a rip off.

We didn't get any champaign or refreshments, also no hand massage, which would have been part of the deal. The photographer wasn't too bad but it all felt that they wanted to rush us through as it was Sunday afternoon. They pushed us into individual shoots which we didn't want (we were looking for couple pictures for wedding invitations) - all part of the hard selling.

The biggest disappointment came though when we found out that the £100 of our Groupon voucher for photography wasn't valid towards individual pictures, only for a package which starts from £299!! That wasn't clear at all from the description!!

And the photos were just average, if we would have asked a friend we would have had similar results.

Avoid this place, not a pleasant experience at all.

Reply 3

Cherylmcm

Hi I purchased a voucher from living social and then I wanted to find out a bit about the company. As it turns out it is Fusion studios and now I am a bit apprehensive about using the voucher. I just wondered if anyone had been lately:

http://livingsocial.com/cities/1737/deals/158307-makeover-photoshoot-and-champagne-cocktail

Reply 4

Random_Ruth

Hi, yea i've been and had an enjoyable experience, they did my hair and makeup really nice and the photographers were really lovely and they had lots of different backgrounds for the pictures BUT there was a catch, I was given a £50 off voucher by the studio for my pictures but this was £50 off a full price package of 6 photos for £299! then 10 for £399!, I managed to haggle with them and didnt get a bad deal, at the end of the day they want to make something out of it, they are sales people! and only gonna delete the photos : )

Reply 5

Abi24

3

Treat this like any other makeover/pamper photo studio:

-DONT take your credit/debit card. Take a set amount of cash, and do not even think about getting more out for them - best thing to do is ask "what is the best deal you can do me for £x?"

-Don't expect the photos to be even remotely close to the standard in the fashion/modelling industry. They're fine for a few nice ones to send granny but they definitely won't get you modelling work if that's something you thought of using them for.

-Make sure you're aware of prices/hidden charges before you sit down with the salesperson

-Photographers are usually not too dissimilar to school photographers ie very limited in their creativity when it comes to posing, etc. If you're sick of doing the same old cheesy poses, tell them you want to change it up and do something different, and do your own thing. Don't get boxed in.

-Don't buy photos for the sake of it. If you're not happy with them, you won't wanna show anyone, which = waste of money.

Reply 6

singerlong

DO NOT TOUCH THEM WITH A BARGEPOLE!!!

I had a call saying I had won a 'pamper day' for me and a friend. They refused to send anything in writing until I had made a provisional booking. I was told I could change the date and who I took up to a week before the date. The guy I spoke to gave me his 'direct line' and also said he would ring me to confirm the week before the appointment.

I have been trying to contact him and anyone else at the place for almost 2 weeks now and have left numerous voicemails and also filled in the 'contact us' form on the website.

No-one has got back to me, so I think I can kiss the 'refundable' booking fee goodbye.

Reply 7

victoriajackson

11

Original post by singerlong

DO NOT TOUCH THEM WITH A BARGEPOLE!!!

I had a call saying I had won a 'pamper day' for me and a friend. They refused to send anything in writing until I had made a provisional booking. I was told I could change the date and who I took up to a week before the date. The guy I spoke to gave me his 'direct line' and also said he would ring me to confirm the week before the appointment.

I have been trying to contact him and anyone else at the place for almost 2 weeks now and have left numerous voicemails and also filled in the 'contact us' form on the website.

No-one has got back to me, so I think I can kiss the 'refundable' booking fee goodbye.

I had a call from them the other day saying the exact same thing and that it was to do with their 10 year anniversary and I payed a 1p booking fee charge which confused me and the next day I recieved a letter with a £50 voucher in but I'm worried that I will have to pay more. Did this happen to you and did they take the money out of your account?

Reply 8

singerlong

Original post by victoriajackson

I had a call from them the other day saying the exact same thing and that it was to do with their 10 year anniversary and I payed a 1p booking fee charge which confused me and the next day I recieved a letter with a £50 voucher in but I'm worried that I will have to pay more. Did this happen to you and did they take the money out of your account?

Read the letter - if you do not turn up they will charge you £75!! So much for 'free'

Reply 9

katehlouise

14

Received a voicemail today from a woman at Fusion Studios saying that I was being given a free session for myself and a partner, after filling in a lifestyle survey last year. Glad I googled them first... I've found all sorts of 'scam' information! Definitely will not be ringing her back!

Reply 10

singerlong

Original post by victoriajackson

I had a call from them the other day saying the exact same thing and that it was to do with their 10 year anniversary and I payed a 1p booking fee charge which confused me and the next day I recieved a letter with a £50 voucher in but I'm worried that I will have to pay more. Did this happen to you and did they take the money out of your account?

I reported them to Trading Standards. they did not take any more money from my credit card because I cancelled it before they had the chance!

Reply 11

victoriajackson

11

Original post by singerlong

I reported them to Trading Standards. they did not take any more money from my credit card because I cancelled it before they had the chance!

I did the same! I had to close my account and open a new one so they couldn't get anything and then I reported them to trading standards, I hope nobody else falls for it

Reply 12

Alesha1991

16

I've seen their adverts before but didn't really know much about them. Sounds like they might be one to avoid.

Reply 13

Sweetyxpie

I randomly received call yesterday and was vary how they even got my mobile number. The women says I filled some sort of questionnaire & that my numbers has been selected hmmmm. Anyway the offer sounded good, but she wanted 1p card payment.... No other method of payment like PayPal or even cash if I was to come to their studios. This is were I questioned that I never heard of your company and why on earth I'd pay a penny on my debit card??? Sounded too good to be true, again the women was convincing saying that I could pay at the studio were she would take the card payment in front of me, but not cash.... I said I come and see her lol... Luckily I googled feedback on fusion photograph and I am glad that I came across the reviews, the one on not turning up fee if £75 really spooked me up, i guess that would be debited from my card if I didn't turn up or like me got lost and i'd be charged lol.

Thanks guys, and beware others!

Reply 14

kel34

Dont go thay are con artists, check the fusion studios sight and click on the comments what people say because it true I got succerd in still sorting crap out, good look ,

Reply 15

PJEffect

Original post by Sas

Hi, a few months ago I purchased a promotional card for a local hairdressers – I paid upfront in order to have ‘X’ amount of services in a limited time period.

On the back of the card it says I have an invitation for ‘A celebrity style day a Fusion Studios’ in Manchester, and a fully refundable deposit is taken to secure a booking.

I was just wondering if anyone has used Fusion Studios, any comments on what it is like?

Thanks

I may as well share my horror story too I guess

My sister and I were given a free of charge pamper day by Fusion Studios a year ago and of course we jumped at the chance, it's not often two broke young people get the chance to go on a pamper day and it seemed too good to be true

We showed up on time, filled out a couple of forms, had our hair and makeup done for us and were photographed by a photographer, when that was done we were shown the pictures and we were asked if we wanted to buy any of them

When we said no the sales people kept badgering us to buy them and how they were giving us a great deal (£600 for 30 pictures is NOT a good deal) and while they were talking to us I could see out of the corner of my eye that they were putting the shutters down (my sister is in a wheelchair, the shutter made it impossible for her to leave)

It was only after we agreed to pay for the photo's and they had emptied out my wallet that they let us leave (1 hour and 30 minutes after they were meant to let us go)

The way they treated us was terrible, they tried to con a terminally ill young woman and they made it so that she would be unable to leave until she gave them what they wanted

Fortunately our father's a legal buff (no idea what paperwork he filed but it stopped them from coming after us) and we ended up spending £80 instead of £600

Reply 16

PJEffect

Original post by victoriajackson

I had a call from them the other day saying the exact same thing and that it was to do with their 10 year anniversary and I payed a 1p booking fee charge which confused me and the next day I recieved a letter with a £50 voucher in but I'm worried that I will have to pay more. Did this happen to you and did they take the money out of your account?

CANCEL! NOW! WHILE YOU STILL CAN! you have seven days from the day that they debited your account where you can cancel and they won't take money, take it from me, they are con artists who will force you to pay them £600 for a couple of mediocre pictures

EDIT: sorry, didn't notice the date of your post :/

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 17

victoriajackson

11

Original post by PJEffect

CANCEL! NOW! WHILE YOU STILL CAN! you have seven days from the day that they debited your account where you can cancel and they won't take money, take it from me, they are con artists who will force you to pay them £600 for a couple of mediocre pictures

EDIT: sorry, didn't notice the date of your post :/

It's ok I cancelled they didn't charge me any money either I made sure they couldn't they didn't have a legal leg to stand on. I hope you didn't get conned by them :frown:

Reply 18

PJEffect

Original post by victoriajackson

It's ok I cancelled they didn't charge me any money either I made sure they couldn't they didn't have a legal leg to stand on. I hope you didn't get conned by them :frown:

They got £80 out of me because they wouldn't let me and my sister leave unless we agreed to put down a payment for a set for 30 pictures, but immediately after that we got our father on the case (he knows more about the law than we do) and I have no idea what he did but they never bothered us again :smile:

Reply 19

victoriajackson

11

Original post by PJEffect

They got £80 out of me because they wouldn't let me and my sister leave unless we agreed to put down a payment for a set for 30 pictures, but immediately after that we got our father on the case (he knows more about the law than we do) and I have no idea what he did but they never bothered us again :smile:

Should have rang the police they can't keep you in a building like that :frown:

I and so many other people have reported them to trading standards no idea how they are still going.

Has anyone heard of/been to Fusion Studios?

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