The Blue Rooms Photographic Studios review: Misleading customers with hard sell tactics.

I’d booked my 10 year old daughter into The Blue Rooms at the Birmingham studio, on the 17/06/2023, via The Models Kit, but I had to pay a deposit of £50. I had actually registered my details with The Models Kit myself.

On getting there, most of the staff were polite, apart from one women who was one of the make up/hair stylists, all she did was scowl at everyone and bark questions out to the parents who were accompanying their child. She even spoke to her colleagues like absolute rubbish, when she wasn’t busy, she just strutted around, listening to music and glaring at everyone, EVERYTHNG seemed like one big chore to her. Everything from there on inwards, was extremely rushed. My daughter had 4 outfit changes and had a few different hairstyles, no make up was applied, which I am glad about because she is a child but it was sold to me by Myla, from The Models Kit, that she would have her own hairstylist and makeup artist(in hind site, I’m thankful that Miss Charmer wasn’t applying makeup on my daughter because her own looked hideous).

On finishing the shoot(which was extremely rushed and quick)we waited around for over an hour to be ushered into ‘The Office’ where we were shown all my daughters photos. The images shown, although beautiful, were literally skimmed through so quickly, to then immediately, having a price list pushed under my nose. What I saw was truly laughable. No matter how much they spewed their nonsense out, about needing this and that, and do I want the best for my child, I wasn’t getting scammed. I stood my ground and said that I would take 8 photos at £50 each, the very package which was described to me by Myla from The Models Kit. Once I’d told them that this is all I was having, I was told that it was a very ‘basic’ package with no editing(why does a beautiful fresh faced, 10 year old, need editing?)and nothing more. I’m more than happy with this, so I wasn’t getting conned by a company who is out to fleece you from the moment we walked through The Blue Rooms doors. I also need to add, that if you don’t mention ‘the very basic package, to them, they won’t mention it but will proceed to shove their other extortionate packages under your nose.

We were also given a memory/USB stick with the 10 images, on it, which they had chosen. They also told me that they had given me 10 photos for the price of 8 but all they did was give me a bit of a discount and said that the stick would fit in any tablet/phone/laptop……….. it doesn’t at all, it only fits specific items, so until I get my prints posted, I can’t view the photos(please take note of this specifically because if you do not pay the full amount, for whatever package you buy, you do not get them until all monies owed are paid in full).

So, in short, avoid The Blue Rooms and The Models Kit with a wide birth. If you are looking for a portfolio, make your own and use a local photographer to take the photos, the portfolio cases can be bought cheaply on Amazon, and surely any modelling agency who could potentially take you on, would provide an ebook, once signed.