I visited the Summit Woods Crossing location in Lee's Summit, Missouri on March 7, 2013. My initial contact by phone was terrible. I called for an exact location of the studio because I was having trouble finding it in the large strip mall where it's located. The manager, Trisha, answered the phone. She was discouraging and down-right rude. She asked if I had an appointment which it didn't. I explained I would just like to drop in and check out the studio and the packages being offered. She said they really didn't have time for that sort of visit. I was puzzled by her statement because the company website clearly welcomed walk-ins but sessions were limited to photographer availability. After a few scoffs, she gave me a vague description of the location.
Upon entering the location she continued to be rude. As soon as I walked in and asked for package information, she restated her earlier comment about not having time. At that point another employee took over the conversation. She asked me to ignore the manager because she was having a bad day. This employee, Janelle, was totally different, very nice and knowledgeable about the products.
I decided to go ahead with the photo session with Janelle, because I really needed to have the portraits taken. By then, I was so disturbed by the manager's treatment, it showed up all over my pictures. I couldn't even manage a decent smile. I looked tense in all of the shots. Trisha totally ruined the entire session with her poor customer service skills.
Even though I wasn't satisfied with the finished product, I felt I needed to go ahead with the transaction because Janelle had taken so much time with me. I paid for the pictures and took them home. I continued to be disturbed about the experience until the next day. After reviewing the pictures, that were quite expensive, I decided they were terrible and not worth my money.
I was referred to this business by a friend. She said her son's photos were nice but she reported having a similar interaction with the same manager. I've contacted the corporate office with my concerns and requested a full refund as well as a follow-up from the Regional Manager, Katie. As of today, I still haven't heard from her.
Needless to say, I won't be making any referrals to Portrait Innovations and I am expecting my full refund expeditiously. read more