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Thomas Street Studios / Fusion Studios

Thomas Street Studios / Fusion Studios review: Taking money from accounts 56

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Author of the review
9:32 am EST
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Omg where do i begin its still a total nightmere for me nothing has ever been sorted

Ok so i was refered by a friend to have some photos taken and hair and make up on the day i thought great
The deal was to pay five pounds over the phone and get hair and make up done and some photos these photos we were under no obligation to buy atall!
I checked before and when we arrived.

So the day went well and then we had to go into the viewing room where we viewed are very nice pictures and then came the prices omg £75 for 1 photograph
We explained that we didnt have enough on us and then they started throwing deals at us like ok take nine pics pay £75 deposit doay and £22 per month for 9 months and we can leave with the photos today
Although i dont think they was getting it we hadent brought any money with us so we agreed to sign all paperwork and phone later that day with the £75 if we still wanted the pictures the lady said that was fine but only on the condition that she would post our photos once we had called back with the deposit which was understandable and we left.
We never called back!
We was under no obligation to buy
We never recieved any photos

But £300 was debited from my card !

What a theiving bunch of ********* i dont know what to do or who can help me !

Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

56 comments
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Ina Samel
, US
Apr 01, 2024 8:34 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Absolutely scammers they are. £1500 plus another £300 in air. Don’t trust them , zero perspective.

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ionel chelaru
watford, US
Sep 23, 2023 11:50 pm EDT
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nothing but a huge scam.be aware .ignore and avoid

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julien 151823
watford, US
Sep 23, 2023 3:24 pm EDT
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be aware .they will take your money without giving any pictures as told in the begining.the contract is helping them to take your money away.at some point the card given needs to be closed .camden town guys London are nothing but a big disappointment for all of us

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Sai Santiago
, US
Apr 22, 2023 6:49 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

They took 50 pounds deposit for photoshoot and told that it’s refundable if I don’t go further with the agency. But when I rejected the offer they have not refunded the money. It’s a scam.

Karen Oakes
Karen Oakes
, GB
Sep 12, 2017 8:18 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Right I agreed to pay them £1300 for 82 photographs of my 16 year old son in Aug 2017 last month. I was stung big time as this is an extortionate price. However, I did agree to it. What they did next though was unforgiveable. They linked our details with their partner company associates and one by one they all contacted me. Some asked for money upfront over the phone £125 before they'd even spoken to or met my son, which incidentally, is illegal. They even sent ridiculous emails making out how 'special' they thought my son was, their one liners were sickening and worst of all my son believed them. I fobbed a few off and went with the 'agencies' that wanted to meet my son. I took a day off work and we both travelled all the way to london (another £100 plus expenses from my pocket amd money lost from not working as im a freelancer) I had a feeling I was heading towards the hard sell road again. I was prepared this time to say no. Low and behold there i was in a scruffy office near victoria station full of people and their kids searching for fame; jeez it was and is still so sad. After she did her spiel i was watching her and waiting for the sell point and wham! Just as id suspected and she knew it. I told her i did not have my card with me and was running low on cash. at last i was in control. Id been smelling a rat all along but this time it was much stronger. This was proof enough for me that this was and still is, one big scam and they are all working together. I knew it was a scam from day 1 but I had to take my son down that road for him to gradually understand. He is 6ft 1 gorgeous and bright and has just started college so a 'model/celebrity' career was only something he wanted to do for extra pocket money..no thanks Thomas street/ kube/fusion/a@m/T@M etc etc the agencies that all asked for upfront fees. When one is searching for work, is it right that they fork out money first? It does not make sense. In a nut shell, say to yourself 'Who is benefitting out of all this?' And whatever you do, don't give anyone any money who promises you or your child a modelling job. They should pay you; full stop!

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kelly mc
, GB
Mar 11, 2016 5:46 am EST

scam ! I paid thousand pound for my daughter being told it was the best option to go for.. ive applied for agencies n they dont need the photo shoot pictures ! Waste of money as she as got different pictures on ther sight what they are using.. do not get conned into buying these packages, ther nice photos but ther al the same ! Thousand pound absolute robbery

Karen Oakes
Karen Oakes
, GB
Sep 12, 2017 8:23 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more
Replying to comment of kelly mc

I'm fuming too! Read my complaint..it really us unbelievable that they are free to scam the he'll out if vulnerable people/parents..I'm going to their studio very soon and will be warning all those poor wannabes sat there waiting..I live in Manchester and anyone eho foes, you should do the same. .just pop your head in the door and shout scam haha 😁

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Brownab
Manchester, GB
Jun 21, 2015 8:32 pm EDT

They are just thief kube studio

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Commonsensecredit
Chatteris, GB
Jun 19, 2015 4:24 pm EDT

Just to clear things up for people. Its not a scam, just some people are too [censored]ic to read small print when they sign legitimate credit agreements. The company can take funds out of a bank account without the bank account holders knowledge once the account goes over to a debt recovery team if it says so in the terms of service under breach of contract. To stop this happening instead of ignoring the fact you've signed up to a credit agreement and thinking it will all go away, fu**ing ring the finance company that deals with the credit. Otherwise you have no one to blame other than yourself.

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CESP
RED, GB
Oct 10, 2013 9:33 am EDT

I was rang by this over excited women to inform me that i had won a competition for a photo shoot worth £400 or something. I was told that i had to pay £5 per person as a deposit even though i won this 'competition' (Dont remember entering it) . Stupidly i said yes as my mum was coming up that weekend and thought it would be nice. They booked me in for 10am on sunday which at the time was fine. She then rang to ask if i could change the time to 11 as she had double booked me. I agreed but my mum said that was too late. A lady rang me on the friday completely forgetting about it to remind me, i asked to change it back to 10 but was declined, i then asked to change the day as it now wasnt really conveniant any more. I was told no. When i asked to speak to a manager, suprise suprise they were on the other line. I was threated with the 5 days cancelltion fee of £75. I did not receive the pack so wasnt aware of this. What a joke scam of a company. Bit of advice for the 10 year going stong company, you will ruin your reputation if you carry on like that.

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Eyelash
Bradford, GB
Dec 09, 2014 8:42 am EST

I rescived a call today with the offer that most have
Said so I made a booking then asked the friend that recommend me and she told me it cost her £1000 pound 200 pound booking up frount then 30 pound a month for next year ... She also got 600 pound aprently off so that's a lot for me round christmas . I called up and canceled it's right away ye would of been a nice day out for my family but a disappointment when it came to the cost of it all .when I called first to ask about the cost the woman would not tell me and was very secretive about it all but I am gald it only cost 10 pound ... I don't recommend

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annasaa
Dundee, GB
Nov 01, 2014 5:59 am EDT

I have been phoned by the man called "Jane" who said my photo was "chosen" on-line to attend the photo shoot that will enable me to get into a model industry. He also made me believe that I will receive a portfolio after the shoot. The only thing I have to do is to book an appointment and give him credit card details for taking £50 of "deposit" to ensure I turn up on the day. The deposit is refundable when I turn up. He informed me that it has to be done quickly as the appointments are going very quickly. I said that I will let him know the dates I can attend because I need to look into my diary and he was very reluctant to disconnect however I emailed him with 3 possible dates and he called back immediately, put me on 7th November at 3p.m. and informed that I need to bring 5 changes of outfits that I look good in. Then of course he asked for cc details which I stupidly gave him because he really sounded so convincing! However after that conversation I received an email with a "welcome package" which is nothing but 3 pages of introduction to Kube Studios with spelling errors and the list of TERMS and CONDITIONS that I have never heard before and that tell you about charging you more for: not attending the appointment, rebooking the appointment, cancelling the appointment, the fact that you will have to pay for your photos in the way: "The high-quality images from your shoot will be available for ourchase directly from the studio on the day of your shoot only. Images start at £50 each and thy decrease the more you purchase. Please note, we do not sell individual images". The conversation on the phone with the folk from the Studios did not mention any of those at all and it all started sounding a bit dodgy to me right away so I told my husband about it. He made a research on the internet and evidently the studios are illegally attract potential customers and charge money for promises that they do not deliver. You sign to something but the terms and conditions are made "clear" to you after you give them your credit card details so you are stuck because even if you phone your credit card issuer to cancel your card it is not a fraud because it was YOU who gave them your cc details so automatically you authorise them to take a payment. They of course stop replying to your emails and answering the phone calls when you find out but they fall under the distant selling regulations so you have a right to cancel at least 10 days after purchase if te goods delivered differ from what they were supposed to be! What I have done was: immediately canceled my credit card so no payments by the scammers could be taken anymore, e-mailed Trading Standard Officer about the situation to investigate the credibility of so called MODELLING STUDIOS. They phoned and they made me believe by the stack of lies that I am receiving a prize and a chance for getting into a modelling industry but mainly the charge you for nothing right from the start and they make you aware of the terms and conditions after you give them your credit card details! This is ILLEGAL! Certainly if I was told that tis is going to be a photoshoot that I will have to pay for my travel, taxi, every single photo (£50!) I would have said: Bugger off! It is all cleverly entwined in the stack of intelligent lies! So BEWARE OF THE FUSION-KUBE STUDIOS plus LUXE MODELS agency. If you want a photoshoot go to Pixie photo in Mothercare and pay significantly less for good pictures! I enclose a "welcome pack" I received with terms and conditions AFTER giving them my credit card details.

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bexter222
Chorley, GB
Sep 02, 2014 9:53 am EDT

Forgot to add, if people don't know they are going by Thomas Street Studios now.

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bexter222
Chorley, GB
Sep 02, 2014 9:51 am EDT

I haven't actually booked anything yet, but I've had the phone call saying that I won from completing a survey, a pamper day package. I just thought I'd check online as I remember seeing something about a company like this on Fake Britain. The lady who has been calling me is called Lisa, and she sounded really nice, so I'm not commenting about her personally.

After reading some of the comments, I've decided not to accept the "pamper day" just to be cautious, heaven knows i can't afford to have money taken from my account, I'm skint enough as it is.

I'm just wondering, also, whether these posts from satisfied customers, which are accusing people of being liars, are the staff members themselves. It's certainly appearing that way to me. I would just exercise caution to everyone. There's no such thing as a free lunch, and if it sounds to good to be true; that's usually because it is.

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ritatweedy
Ashton Under Lyne, GB
Aug 26, 2014 7:30 am EDT

I had a photoshoot at thomas street studios and I had a fantastic time! I don't know what you lot are whinging at... Most of the comments are rubbish. I arrived, was greeted by a lovely receptionist, was seated for 5 minutes before having my hair and make up done, the pictures were amazing, the service was fantastic, I spent £1200 in total and received top quality pictures. If you sign an agreement you are bound to have money debited from your account because you are giving them consent. They are not a scam they are a great, top, state of the art company.
You lot need to get a grip rather than posting over exaggerated comments about the studio because you have nothing better to do with your lives.

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Nella35
, US
Jul 08, 2020 9:19 am EDT
Replying to comment of ritatweedy

how did that went for you than? as they are still scamming ppl into paying 1200 pounds for some pictures! you do know that any modeling agency would never do that?

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billy jean1985
Oklahoma, US
Oct 02, 2023 12:32 pm EDT
Replying to comment of Nella35

he is definitely one of them with this useless comment

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harriet45
Preston, GB
Aug 08, 2014 4:26 pm EDT

she is telling the truth its one big scam. they call you up tell you its free and a prize etc and then comes the registration fee you have to pay there and then on your card thats were alarm bells should ring but didnt. then you are told after paying this that theres 75 pound cancelation fee. then you turn up its awful place and the staff are horrible there pushy and rude and not proffessional at all. im a single mummy up to my eyes in it and wanted a nice day now i just feel like a fool who has been bullied and now scared of whats next. im not a rival company etc as lisa likes to tell you on the phone im a young single mummy. Hang up if they ring

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evoo
Stockport, GB
Jul 23, 2014 8:33 am EDT

WORST PLACE EVER! PLEASE READ...
They phoned me through groupon and saying i won a free day with a friend i can bring! on the phone they told me free photos, wine, going home with facial products, make up, hair etc etc
And now the nightmare starting...
when we arrived there the place looked unprofessional with a guy (make up artist haha) dansing arround moving his ### terribly... i was like WoWw!
then i sat on the chair after filling some paper out and the lady started with my hair with a dirty hair straightner! then the woobly guy was on his phone and approached me with some cream in his hand rubbing on my face! germs, dirt! i was shocked! then messed my hair pulling it hard with dirty brushes, it was hurting! wasnt like enough then he was so close i could actually feel his balls on my leg, it was disguisting! plus the way he was chewing a chewing gum! terrible hair experience finished then make up started! he was using brushes thats being on 100s of face.. it was a mess.. dirty.. probably disease from others!
after mine finished then my friend was supposed to have make up or hair styled but he looked at him with a dirty look saying "yours fine" ... then he asked for some jel himself putting some on his hair himself!
anyway we had the photos taken. some outside some inside! they were ok! we didnt like most of them but cmon what you expect from such a scam place? i probably could take better pictures of my phone and edit them from photoshop but it was more like a day together that we was planning!
YES.. THE FINAL!
smiley cheesy lady took us upstairs! ( seemed like the owner because she can do the photoshop on pictures so opened this place)
showing us the pictures before and after she edited them! some of them looked ok, we was happy to take them with us! finally after we chose she got a list from the side of the table saying the prices:) i was shocked and looking at my friend and she was quiet, she didnt know what to do or what to say! 6 pictures £399, i think 30 good quality was £1499. a very simple picture with no edit was £30. OH My DAYS! then the cheesy lady kept talking and trying to do a deal with us, saying we could pay with credit card etc! I HAVE NO MONEY.. when they did the booking for us they didnt ask if we have any money! STUPID!
anyway it cost me a day of my life to waste.. a terrible experience in a horrible place! will not recommend to anyone at all.. I came back with only one picture in a disc as a complimentary, she chose it as i wouldnt be able to choose unless i pay £30! how nice my friend didnt get one! situation to cry...

BASICLY A PLACE TO SCAM
A PLACE OF DISEASE WITH UNPROFESSIONAL STAFF

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shawn12
halifax, GB
Jul 13, 2014 5:40 pm EDT

BEAWARE THIS IS A SCAMMING COMPANY,
KUBE STUDIOS WHICH WAS ORGINALLY CALLED FUSION STUDIOS. NEVER GIVE THEM YOUR BANK CARD DETAILS THEY TAKE £50- £100 REFUNADABLE DEPOIST OVER THE PHONE THEN IF YOU DON’T SHOW UP THEY FEE FOR MISSING IT IS AROUND £150 CANCELLATION CHARGE
WHICH THEY WILL TAKE OUT OF YOUR CARD DETAILS THEY HOLD WITHOUT INFORMING YOU.
THEY WILL DO A FREE PHOTO SHOOT FOR YOU AS SAID BUT DON’T TELL YOU THE PRICES
FOR PURCHASING THEM WHICH I WILL TELL YOU KNOW,

4 PHOTOS ON CD £299

10 PHOTOS ON CD £599

20 PHOTOS ON CD £999

ALL PHOTOS ON CD, BUSINESS CARD AND
WEBSITE SET UP AND AGENCY DETAILS FOR YOU TO CONTACT YOURSELF £1999

ALL ABOVE PLUS ANOTHER SHOOT £2499

THEY DON’T HELP YOU FOR FREE OR
NEITHER DO THEY PASS YOUR DETAILS ONTO AN AGENCY AS PROMISED IT’S ALL A MONEY
MAKING SCAM AS MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN RIPPED OFF!

FINALLY WHEN YOU DON’T WANT ANY OF
THE ABOVE PACKAGES THEY WILL TAKE THE MICK REFUNDING YOUR DEPOIST BEEN WAITING
4 WEEKS!

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Simon pickering
Blackburn, GB
Jul 07, 2014 2:19 pm EDT

We got a phone call saying my fiance had won a make over worth £250, all she had to do was pay a £5 Refundable deposit. We paid the deposit and then after thinking about it decided to google the company and was horrified when we read the reviews. We quickly realised that the only reason they take a deposit is so that they have your card details in case you don't show up and they can take their £75 so called cancellation fee. We immediately cancelled the card and called citizens advise who told us that they can't legally enforce the cancellation fee as long as you cancel in writing within 14 days from when the deposit was taken it doesn't matter how close to your appointment it is. This is covered under the consumer contracts ( information, cancellation and additional charges ) Regulations 2013 And as long as we stated this in our letter they couldn't take a penny. They also stated that if we had any threats or repercussions from this company they would help us take legal action. If these people have your card details i would still recommend canceling your card but as far as the cancellation fee goes you can tell them where to stick it as long as you put it in writing. I hope this helps too stop any one else being bullied by these clowns.

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cas1950
Truro, GB
Jul 01, 2014 5:05 am EDT

I too am having a very hard time to get in touch with anyone at Fusion.I have an appointment on 12/07/2014 at Kube Studios in London but now I cannot make it.As I live in Cornwall - 320 miles away, it is just not viable to travel that distance just to be scammed into spending more money. I unfortunately only did my research after my deposit of £100 was taken from my account.I have been in touch with the lady from Startup Models who made all the arrangements and in touch with Kube.They are both throwing me backwards and forwards giving me the run around about who to actually contact to do the cancellation and get my money back.On the Internet I have found a lot of other clients who have had dealings with these various companies and have also experienced the same problems.I get no response from phone messages or emails.I have contacted my bank and they will now deal with these scam artists who should be forced to close down their operations.It's a total rip off of young girls who wish to aspire to being professional models.

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becky_
Accrington, GB
May 09, 2014 9:35 am EDT

Like many of you, i received a phone call this morning from fusion studios tell me if had "won a free photo shoot worth £250" after filling in a survey. It all sounded amazing and a little to go to be true, but I just went with it. They took £10 booking fee off me for me and my mum and told me if I didn't turn up I would have to pay £75, but I could cancel my appointment in 5 day and I wouldn't be charged. The latest appointment she offered me was Thursday. After I got off the phone I had a look at all these reviews and changed my mind. I rang them back up and was told that I couldn't cancel my appointment Because it wasn't within the 5 days. I asked the woman how I could possible cancel within the 5 days when Thursday was the latest appointment i was given? After a few minutes worth of choice words, she spoke to someone else and cancelled my appointment with no charge. i have also rang me bank and stopoed any further payments going to them in the future just in case they try and take the £75 off me for not going.

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Princess78
Middleton, GB
May 03, 2014 11:19 am EDT

I went to fusion studios recently and had a great time, I went with my best friend and only bought pictures I could afford, I think you guys must have gone and realised you will never look like that again got excited bought more than what you could afford and didn't read the paperwork properly and then got p****d off cause you can't cancel it. Or you got home uploaded your pics to your comp and are trying to pull a fast one. I'm guessing your all adults and can read and make decisions for yourselves. I recommend it as a great girly day, all the staff were lovely including the guys on the phone and my pics were fab.

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Gemzibobz
standish, GB
Apr 25, 2014 8:51 am EDT

They conned my friend out of over £100 shes in hospital wasnt told about any cancellation fees AT ALL! not over the phone or anything It was free it was won and now theres over £100 missing out of her account. She was rushed to hospital the night before the shoot. The people who are slagging off the lady who has the complaint work there do not be fooled they are not self employed each employee knows that it is a scam . YOU SELL THE PHOTO SHOOT AS FREE BECAUSE IT WAS WON! WINNING SOMETHING DOESNT MEAN TO PAY FOR IT! Also the way they obtain mobile numbers and telephone numbers is also illegal. I have another friend who at the end of the shoot they sat her down and told her to write down her friends numbers and if she didn't they wouldnt let her have her photos for a discounted amount. You do not have permission of that person to aquire there number and to be contacted for marketing purposes or cold calling. I myself am looking into ways to take this company down and would like as much help from people who have had the experience to help me :)

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sam121179
Rochdale, GB
Mar 05, 2014 3:48 pm EST

HI I GOT A PHONE CALL YESTERDAY YVONNE THE LADY TOOK A PAYMENT OF 10 POUND BOOKING FEE. GOT A LETTER TODAY. SPOKE TO MY BROTHER HE SAID ITS A SCAM. WHAT DO I DO. CANCEL THE APP AND GET IN TOUCH WITH BANK

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djsparkle
Bolton, GB
Mar 05, 2014 11:36 am EST

I have had a phone call this morning for the exact same thing saying i've won a pamper/make over day after taking part in a survey - which i certainly don't remember doing! However, It all sounded very genuine and tempting and they even used my married surname which i have only had for a short while! I Was told same as others, £5 each booking fee blah blah! They are very clever as they catch you on the hop. Having had a few hours to contemplate and discuss with my Husband, and certainly after reading reviews we decided to cancel. As much as it would be nice to have some family photo's we were not looking to spend money on something we did not need at this present in time and certainly don't want the pressure on the day to buy! - As i remember she did advise me to bring along my debit card so i can make purchases or photos! I rang them up & spoke to Yvonne, the lady who contacted me this morning - she originally said we had to book by the end of march, now she is saying we can change the booking to April! I said i would rather leave all the same but still she was still persistent for me to re-arrange and said it was a pity i had now lost the booking fee! I asked her why we had lost it as it does actually say on their website under FAQ's that the booking fee is refundable and she never once said the booking fee wasn't refundable during our original phone conversation! In the end we were just going round in circles. I have contacted my bank to cancel my card & block any further payments they could potentially take from my account. With regards to the £10 Booking fee - this had already been requested and my bank have advised me they cannot stop a pending payment but they did also advise that Visa has a responsibility to the consumer and i can dispute the transaction with Visa once the payment has left my bank under the consumer act of not receiving or being happy with goods supplied/not supplied or being taken under false pretences. Steer very clear!

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kellyroe
warrington, GB
Jan 24, 2014 5:19 pm EST

I have been to the studio today and purchased a £1999 package, yes a £1999 package :/ ove paid £200 upfront and been sent home with 2cds im ment yo pay £127 amonth they said it can take upto 6weeks weeks for my canvas's and other pictures to come in the post but in these 6weeks i will be payin my loan thing with them i just wondered if anyone else has had this package, do your pictures actually come or am i gonna be scammed? After seeing all these bad reports im a lil worried now any advice or info would be great thanks kelly

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Jade87
Liverpool, GB
Dec 23, 2013 3:24 am EST

I have had the exact same problem, had photos taken LAST YEAR only to find they've now taken £73.33 out of my account unauthorised! I'm fuming.

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Mcrfrenchfry
Salford, GB
Dec 16, 2013 4:34 pm EST

My friend booked us for a photoshoot as she was referred by one of our friends so she received a £100 vouchers ... The all session went well up until the viewing when the price was announced ! We almost choked out of surprise. Those vouchers were only valid on a minimum of £400 package which is the equivalent of 6 pictures ! We end up negotiating 4 pictures altogether for £100 basically 2 pictures each that we could have one of our friend done... Be extremely careful ! Those people are thieves !

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Catherine R
Nelson, GB
Nov 03, 2013 2:57 am EST

My husband bought vouchers for me and my daughter to have a makeover and photo shoot. We chose Fusion Studios because of the studios listed it was the nearest and easiest to get to. The vouchers included the makeover, photo shoot and included one picture each (either on CD or 8" x 10" prints) and £50 off any package we purchased. A deposit of £50 was also made to secure our booking which would also be deducted off the price.

Having read reviews on here and other websites we were a little concerned, however we took time out to look at Fusion Studios website and were under no illusion of the costs involved should we wish to purchase any photos and the 3-day deadline required to cancel our appointment.

Our experience actually started on the Tuesday before our appointment on the Saturday. We received a very polite voice mail message asking us to confirm our attendance and reminding us of the terms and conditions should we wish to cancel within 3 days of our appointment and should we fail to attend. We rang them back on the Tuesday evening and spoke to a very nice man who talked us through what we could expect on the day. He also gently reminded us of the fee payable should we wish to cancel or fail to attend.

On arrival we were pleasantly greeted. It was also good to see that there were other people using the studios. There was a couple and their three children including a new born, a woman on her own and bride-to-be with her mother. Whilst we were there we saw couples, friends and more families with children.

Our makeup artists made us both feel at ease and actually took the time to consult with us about the products and shades that we would use. Our photographer Kerry was fantastic. Because we had taken the time to think out our outfits and gone prepared, Kerry embraced our ideas and joined in with suggestions and proposed props which resulted in one of our favourite photos of the whole shoot!

One thing we did learn was that the makeup artists and photographers were all self-employed and worked at the studio subject to bookings taken and their own availability. As we had been advised that our appointment could last up to 5 hours, in our opinion the £75 fee for cancelling within 3 days or not showing up is justified!

In reality our appointment lasted about three and half hours. We came away with some really good pictures (which we own the copyright to because we purchased them on a CD). We were also advised that the photos are kept on file and that we can purchase more if we wish. Should the studio choose to delete them, they would contact us first to give us an opportunity to purchase them should we be inclined to do so.

On the whole we had a very enjoyable experience and would not hesitate to recommend Fusion Studios in Manchester.

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Kelly Potter
Manchester, GB
Oct 16, 2013 3:38 pm EDT

Kube Studios part of Fusion are a complete Scam. Am also speaking with Tading Standars. I can't even be bothered to put my whole scamming story on here but just want to advise everyone that has any bad experiences with this company to contact trading standards so we can bring this company to a close!

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Sabba13
Radcliffe, GB
Oct 13, 2013 5:57 am EDT

The lady who works for fusion - you 'book the hair and make up artist' umm! They re already their and employed by fusion!
I myself have come along to you for employment, I declined due to the standard of your work and environment.
All fake and the sale pitch is the worst I have ever seen! Maybe if you employed people who were capable you would get customers!
I came for an interview and was left for 45 mins until some could be arsed to introduce themselves, at this point I'd already witnessed the speel that comes out of your workers mouths! And they way you treat people who say they are only here for the free ones to the people who are buying is disgraceful! Hope you get shut down!

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CESP
RED, GB
Oct 10, 2013 9:34 am EDT

i agreeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

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Miss Rose
Northampton, GB
Sep 20, 2013 8:41 am EDT

Well again just like others where do i start. My mother recieved a phone call suggesting we had won the 'free makeover' and photoshoot in Manchester through an online competition she had entered. My mum paid a deposit for myself and her to attend this session and we both travelled down to manchester to stay in a hotel for this 'free photoshoot' the same day. We arrived at fushion promised a change of 4 outfits and 2 looks for the photo session. we were the last customers of the day the the make up artists rushed home and did not stick around to finish our make overs. we let this slip as we thought it may have being an emergency. After the very rushed photos we were told to wait for the photos which had being taken. we were then led upstairs into a very small back room and shown the pictures all of which didnt look so bad after a few touchups. then came the prices. we were told to pay 1000 pounds to them for a mother and daughter package which contained a cd each of our photos. we didnt come prepared with money as we were told it was free. the woman then pressurised us into paying money too her and signing over a very forcefull direct debit with them. My mum had 150.00 on her which they took all this money off her and left us with 20.00 to get back to the hotel and home to bradford the next day on train as well as food for the night. they also took everything out of my bank (as im a university student) this was only around 100.00 however this still left me completly skint. when i got home i found that the pictures on the cd were not what we asked for and they were very poorly edited. the direct debits were then due to start. However they decided to double the ammount suggested to us for the monthly installment (even though there was a contract) and completly robbed my mother of everything in her bank. leaving her with no money at all for bills and no electricity in the house because of this. We have both not stopped our direct debit with them as it is apparent that they are a scam. My partner is self employed so has looked into this business scam with the help legally. Only to find that they are a scam linked with a fashion studios in london. The business has being found out to be a scam on several different occasions and instead of going to court to fight this out they dissolved their business, relocate and open in a different name. and this has happed 7 times now with this manager. It is a massive scam, when they ask you for name reccomendations at the end of the session for a free bottle of wine they call the 30 plus numbers you have put down and suggest to them that they have won a free makeover and they really pester them to go to manchester (all my friends were told the same, it was free) so please do not reccomend friends at the end of the session as they will also be called into the scam. I have the managers home address and number through business research if anyone would like it? (Mikes)
I have also sent him an email suggesting that i do take this to court as we have got backing from trading standards and solicitors to do so. I have also being approached by ITV show Rip Off Britains to take this to the televisions if he does not respond to me and money is not paid back
Anyone wishing to contact me further if they do threaten you with courts feel free to respond to this complaint and we will make sure that this company is recognised for what it really is... a scam!

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804476
, US
Oct 21, 2023 4:44 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more
Replying to comment of Miss Rose

Hi Miss Rose

I have had the same scamming experience by TS studios and I am now being threatened with Debt recovery collection.

Please advise what can be done as I am more than happy to take these scammers down..

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Bazooka147
Manchester, GB
Sep 06, 2013 2:39 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I received a phone call in January off Fusion inviting my 6 year old son down to London for modelling pictures, As we live in Manchester we refused, later on in March we received a second phone call telling us that they had opened another studio in Manchester and would we still be interested? as we were quite keen on the idea we said yes! they told us that a charge of £25 to book the studio would be needed but this will be refunded on the day?
When we arrived at the studio we were sat down and offered a drink, we confirmed that we were who we said we were and also confirmed that my son had 5 changes of clothes for the shoot, (as instructed over the phone) we went into the studio and had some photo's taken and also went out on the street for some different backgrounds.
After this was done we went back in to the studio and was told that somebody would look at the photo's and let us know if my son had a chance in the modelling industry, after 45 mins of waiting we was met by a women who took us upstairs to show us the pictures.
At this point she was showing us some amazing pictures of my son, then she started with the sales pitch? She explained that my son had a very good chance in the industry and also the information that they could provide us with would help him with work.
She started to explain that modelling agencies would only take people on with what Z cards (basically a menu type card with different pictures of my son on it) also she would give me e-mail addresses and phone numbers of agencies that I couldn’t get anywhere else? Oh and the photo's on a CD. We said that we never came with any money and that we wasn't told about any of this as it was a call from them to see if my son would have a chance in modelling, nothing that we had arranged. after a few more minutes of explaining things to her she then started to throw prices at us, the only one that would have been any good to us was £999.99 (SHE SAID) and we declined, she then explained that she would discount some of this if we gave her a deposit of £250 on the day and she would throw in all the pictures (82 in total) and not just the 12 that she originally said. After eventually agreeing to this we gave her the deposit and set up the direct debit for the package that she mentioned. (BECAUSE THE INFORMATION SHE WOULD GIVE US WAS NOT AVAILABLE ANYWHERE ELSE?) After we left with the pictures on a CD we were told that the Z cards and information would arrive with in 3 to 4 weeks? it actually took 6 weeks to arrive and after another monthly payment of £65.00 coming out we looked at the Z cards and they were all the pictures that we didn’t want, (what we previously agreed) and also the e-mail addresses that were (ONLY AVAILABLE FROM HER) were all bouncing back when we e-mails to them, and the phone number were NON existent? We then contacted a well known modelling agency and was told that all the information that we had BOUGHT from fusion was available on the internet and the Z cards were a lie. This is when alarm bell started to ring and we cancelled the direct debit after another £65.00 had gone out (total so far of £405.00 paid to them) before I cancelled the direct debit I had sent e-mails to Mike Hannah MD of Fusion and he had responded once but when I told him I was giving him 30 days to respond again or I would cancel the direct debit he never responded so I then cancelled. Later that month £650.00 and £65.00 then came out of my bank account (total so far £1120.00) Not bad considering the total should have only been £999.99. anyway I have had this returned by my bank and after several calls to Mike Hannah (who is a very nasty person) i have paid them as a good will gesture £400 for the photos and that’s as far as its gone.
The company are very clever at taking money from people but as long as you document e-mails and letters but always give them time periods for replies, They always thing because they have a big company they can take money from you, if they have done this to you then i suggest taking it further as when push come to shove they seem to fall over quite easily.
Sometimes when people write things like this on the internet he (Mike Hannah) tells everybody that its rival companies that do it to loose him business, THIS IS NOT THE CASE... HE IS A NASTY PERSON THAT SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF WHAT HE HAS DONE TO CHILDREN AND VULNERABLE PEOPLE

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kaylab
York, GB
Aug 23, 2013 11:33 am EDT

I did some research and found fusion studios is owned by the same people who run luxe models and kube studios. I think the scam is on a bigger level in London.

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hgordon
, US
Aug 04, 2013 9:48 am EDT

I went to fusion on Friday and after reading all these reviews was absolutely dreading it but decided to go because I didn't want the £75 charge, im so glad I went, had a really good day the hair wasn't amazing but the make up and everything else was really good, couldn't have asked for more to say we paid £5 each and "won it".. I don't know how so many people can win so it is a bit dodgy but if you do get the phone call I would definitely do it, didn't buy any photos neither and all the staff were really nice / friendly the prices for photos are ridiculous but you can get a good deal if you knock them down.. all depends on what you want from the day

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mark pinnock
Manchester, GB
Jul 15, 2013 1:12 pm EDT

this company is a pure scam. They ripped my fiance off by charging her a booking fee of £50 then taking another £50 a week later.
a maximum of £100 pounds taken and then when she rings to ask why they took the money, they refuse. awful. and untrustable, DONT GET DRAGGED IN BY THESE FAKERS

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northernmonkey
manchester, GB
Jun 01, 2013 8:47 am EDT

The people disagreeing with the poster work for fusion, everything I have heard about this company is bad, scammers and con merchants. I have had plenty of friends that have had issues with these ###... BEWARE nothing is free and the people 'selling' you this offer are ruthless.

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Josaphinejo
Manchester, GB
May 16, 2013 7:07 am EDT

I have just had the same phone call re survey and won a day of pampering etc, I paid £5 each so £10. Having read all the reviews I am really concerned. I am going to go along for the day and see...but I will be careful. I understand there is a £75 cancellation fee so will not cancel and will not sign anything or be forced into anything that I don't want to pay for. I will also be keeping a very close eye on my account as I have not agreed to any other payments...worried but keeping my wits about me

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JammyD
Leighton Buzzard, GB
May 14, 2013 8:59 am EDT
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To all those "smart Alecs" who pose the question as to how a company, any company, can take money from your bank account without your permission the answer is simple. You sign up for an introductory or no obligation offer and you are told there is a small admin/up front fee to be paid. Whether or not you choose to cancel soon after (referred to as the cooling off period) that company has still got a record of the details and if they choose they can take a further payment using the details you originally gave them. They do not need your permission to take the money because in giving the details in the first place it is construed as giving them permission to do so. We all take it for granted that if we cancel a deal by whatever means that this is the end of the matter. Buyer beware.

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sidmal
manchester, GB
Apr 30, 2013 11:08 am EDT

i just got a cll today from fusion photo and said that i have won the survey n give me a package. she charged me £3 per person. so its two of us going. that's my first time. so what shall i do? shall i cancel it or clear everything out before they do my makeup and photo shoot?
any suggestions please..