I had an extremely disappointing experience at JCPenny Portrait today, and I feel compelled to share my story to warn others.
I originally had an appointment scheduled for 4:30 PM, but yesterday I received a call informing me that due to their scheduling error, my appointment had to be moved to 4:00 PM. Despite the inconvenience, I agreed to accommodate their mistake and made sure to arrive on time, driving all the way from Cupertino.
Upon arrival, I was met by the photographer, Shawn, who seemed visibly unhappy and spoke so quickly that it was clear he didn't care whether I could understand him or not. He immediately asked if the rest of my group had arrived and mentioned that he had another appointment at 4:45 PM, clearly rushing me. I told him we were ready to start and asked about the price for a digital photo. When he quoted me $60, I mentioned that the price was higher than what I found on Groupon. He abruptly told me that Groupon vouchers couldn't be validated on the same day, which I was not aware of.
I explained that I wasn't willing to pay $60 for a digital photo, and he responded with a cold, indifferent expression, continuing to rush me to take the photos. At this point, I felt extremely uncomfortable and would have requested a different photographer if one had been available. Unfortunately, Shawn was the only photographer there, so I decided to cancel the session.
To my shock, Shawn immediately threatened to charge me a $25 no-show fee. I argued that I was present and not a no-show, but he insisted that since I didn't take the photos, I would be charged. I asked to speak to a manager, but before I could even leave, I received an email notification that the $25 fee had already been charged to my card without my consent.
When I confronted Shawn about this, he was unapologetic and continued to assert that the fee was justified. Throughout the entire process, he made no effort to help or accommodate me. His only concern was rushing through the session and collecting payment. I felt completely disrespected and undervalued as a customer.
I've been a loyal customer to JCPenney Portraits for the past 10 years, and I can't believe I was treated this way. This experience was beyond frustrating, and I would not recommend JCPenny Portrait to anyone. The lack of professionalism, poor communication, and disrespectful treatment from Shawn made what should have been a simple photo session into a nightmare.
After this incident, I contacted JCPenney's customer care manager, who escalated the case to the Portraits manager. I'm hoping to receive a fair resolution from them and will surely follow up to ensure I'm treated appropriately. I hope JCPenny takes this feedback seriously and improves their customer service standards. read more