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I went to Barbizon in Wilkes-Barre, PA when I was 12. I sent my contact info to them via their website. Miss Deborah (the franchise owner) called me and when we (my mom and I) said we would come in and talk, she insisted that we HAD to do it the upcoming weekend because it was the last day to register for the next set of classes. My mom paid $100 per class, a total of $2000.
The "school" was located in a mini-stripmall type thing. Like a group of offices where you'd find an insurance company, a hair salon, and a small pharmacy. It had your typical 7-8 foot ceilings like a home. The "runway" was a small, carped, T-shaped platform. We usually went down the basement to practice our walks and stuff. The runway down there was a bunch of lines made with duct tape on the concrete floor with a few mirrors leaned up against the wall. All we would do it practice walking, turning, and posing. We did makeup only one or two classes.
We would be sent out for lunch about halfway through the day. After we came back from lunch, we would be weighed and measured. Why was I measured after I just ate a full meal? ;)
Since the ceilings were not high enough, our "photoshoot" was held at a nearby Hotel (The Hilton Garden Inn on Highland Park Blvd. in Wilkes-Barre. The girls and the boys were given one hotel room each to change in. They had a makeup artist and a hairstylist (who I found out worked for the hair salon in the Hazleton Walmart after talking to her). The photographer was a man from Florida. This counted as a class, so it already cost $100, plus the cost of the pictures. Our photos were all black and white, and we had to make up our own poses. I can remember my mom *** about them being so expensive. We got one free 8 x 10 and we had to pay for the rest.
When graduation came around, my mom said I wasn't going because we had to pay for the costumes. Graduation also counted as a class (another $100). I talked to other girls who did go, and they said the costumes were still being put together by parents just hours before the show, and that they were falling apart!
I haven't heard from Barbizon since my last class in 2005. They never told us about any local casting calls or auditions. Some girls who really did have some talent were "accepted" into Miss Deborah's talent agency, D&D Talent. Some of them paid another $2000 to go to IMTA (a complete joke to fly to New York just to meet with scouts and not know if you're even going to be signed).
Miss Deborah is a SCAM ARTIST. Barbizon in general is a giant scam. They suck young girls in by saying, "Hey, (famous person) went to our school. If you come here, you could be just like them!" They suck parents in by keeping everything a secret until they meet with the parent and child. Parents don't want their kids to feel like they're crushing the dreams, so they say yes.
I regret going to Barbizon. That $2000 could definitely have been much better used elsewhere.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
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They are a scam...my daughter and I attended a call for models as she was approached in a mall. So we went and were told to call back on a Monday between the hours of 1 and 2 pm to see if she was picked. Well you guessed it she was and I was the idiot who signed a contract. Yes, I was an idiot! Be that as it may, my fiance was laid off and had to return, with our only vehicle, to TN for work. Excuse the back tracking...but I live in AZ and he now in TN. Anyway, I do not have a vehicle and do not have a way to transport her 25 miles. Mass transit here leave much to the imagination being from NYC. I called them to inform them of my dilema. Long story short...I've been turned into collections for $297 dollars. Really! It's all about the money not modelling or acting. Thank goodness that's all it's for judging comments I've read from other sites. My advice to anyone who's considering Barbizon...reconsider before you sign!
Something is bothering me. If you have such reservations and bad feelings about Barbizon...why did it take you 4 years to make a complaint? You say you haven't heard from Barbizon since 2005 and you're posting this comment in 2009. Why?
This same complain is found elsewhere on the net too...word for word. It took effort to post. WHY? Seems like a smear campaign to hurt a law-abiding, legitimate, state accredited school.
There are as many people who have graduated from Barbizon who have become successful...they're not posting because they have done well and have moved along with their lives.
In addition, you get as much out of something as you put into it.
I find it hard to believe that you went through the entire program without a complaint after 4 years start to complain about it.
Not Convinced...
My daughter had a sleepover with her friends for her birthday. The next day we went to the mall.She was going to Claire's while I did some shopping on my on. Next thing I know she's telling me she signed up for some modeling thing. A talent scout called us for an interview a few months later, so we went.We had to give them a picture. It was called Barbizon. After that we went home. My daughter worried for 2 days about when they were going to call her and she was very excited when they did. Turns out they said yes. The classes were $2, 295 + all these other fees. So just to make sure I didnt get flim flammed(because I don't have money to waste)I did some research. Barbizon is a big SCAM! My daughter was dissapointed after I told her she wouldn't be going to those classes but when I told her about the results of my research on Barbizon me nor her are ever going to go to that company ever AGAIN! I even asked for the picture back I gave them of my daughter. Won't even give that back. That tell you something right there. But let me tell you something barbizon if you put my little girl's face on anybody's else's body. I'm gonna sue and from all the scamming(for all those years also)yall been doin. I might be the next richest person in the World. So be careful for the others and as for barbizon I don't think you want me to get a lawyer involved so you better hand over the picture. And parents be very careful, i suggest that you ask them some scam questions about the company if they studder or pause at more than 3 questions, I suggest you find another agency or should i say school(that doesnt rip you off)!
I went to barbizon modeling shool when i think i was like 13 im 21 now. i did all of the classes but i guess i missed one but did the graduation thing i guess. it wasnt exactly like it was for u like we never did photo's we never had a makeup artist or anything like that. but we learned alot about manners, and basically proper ettiquete for a woman or young lady. but the most we really learned about modeling was runway. we walked and walked all the time outside in the parking lot. anyways. graduation day or whatever we did like a runway show in front of our familys. i never got signed or anything like that because i missed some class i guess dont even remember what it was to be honest. but yea so basically we shell'ed out a crap load of money for absolutly nothing. and mj lover tell your friend or i guess have your friend read this if she wants to be a model they normally do not want one that has been to a modeling school. they want a fresh face and a person who they can mold and sculpt the way they want, you say oh i went to barbizon modeling school and its like a turn off to a photographer. so its better for her to maybe get with a real agency or something. john robert powers seems like a really good agency and they have worked with alot of disney stars. wish the best of luck to ya'll. i did learn better ettiqutte but didnt really learn anything about modeling. at least not from their.
my friend iz interviewing with barbizon, she doesn't have the money for it, AND EVERYTHING I SAY THATS BAD ABOUT THIS CRAPPY PLACE, SHE TURNS IT AROUND AND SAYS "IDC WAT U SAY, IM STILL GOING I CAN ALWAYS GET A SCHOLARSHIP" but the thing iz...HOW THE FREAK DOES SHE EXPECT TO GET ONE! she is so ignorant that its not even funny! SHE IZ SO ###ED WHEN SHE DOESNT KNOW THE TRUTH OR DOESNT WANNA BELIEVE IT! shez such a brat nd i read this to her...nd she still doesnt believe me. HER MOM WONT EVEN RENT HER AN INSTRUMENT FROM SCHOOL THAT COSTS LIKE $100 BUKS! WHERE DOES SHE THINK SHEEZ GONNA GETY LIKE $5000 FROM! she iz such a ###