Don't get me wrong, the photography itself is wonderful. The customer service however, is not. I had previously reached out to them, after purchasing a package for a second time. The first time I bought one, there were free prints given in each session. The second time, apparently there was an additional charge. That in itself would be okay, had I been informed prior to to my purchase
The way it use to work is, you'd buy the package, and with each session, you were given one print, at no additional cost. But they changed this, making it so if you wanted any print at the end of your session, you'd have to pay up. Given that people want photos of their children, and they paid for a package through misinformation, paying up was the only useful option
When I inquired about the unexpected (and previously free) charge, I was told that ismile was dangerously close to going out of business due to a hemorrhaging of money. I left my name and number and asked for a call back from the one in charge
The individual I spoke with, Erik, who describes himself as a master of customer service actually laughed at at me. He stated there was no one higher than himself, leading me to believe he was in fact, the highest individual to speak with. As it turns out, he was not (we'll get to that in a minute)
Erik stated that ismile was in no danger of going out of business, despite his own staff telling clients that. What had me concerned was the sudden charge from free, to over $300 in annual fees. That is a hell of a jump for a company that states they aren't having financial problems (so, greed?)
He then stated that those selling the packages to customers definitely told everyone about the price change (how would he know this "definitely" happened?) He then backtracks and says, it was a long summer, and its likely they forgot to inform you. How is that my problem?
After spending all this time thinking Erik was the one in charge, I recently found that he in fact is not. When I inquired about this information, he told me due to security reasons he couldn't provide the information about the owner. A quick google search brings up the owner's name, information about the business she runs, and the ismile website itself provides her information, as well as email. When I tried to confirm any of this information with Erik, he refused to acknowledge any of it, telling me it was a safety concern (despite her assumed permission to have all her information publicly shared on the ismile website)
Erik is a manager of the studio, but the actual owner is Stephanie McCauley. Based on my experience, she won't respond to any message to clients, but instead puts Erik in charge. Which, to be perfectly honest is what will be the downfall of this company
I sincerely hope that Stephanie reads this review, and makes some changes in the near future to keep what could be a great business, in good standing read more
