Gap Studios review: $800 gift vochure... 21

This pretty much sums up our experience too. How are these people allowed to get away with this? We received an $800 voucher as well. I have since written to the company who gave us the voucher. We have a large family, had fun with the photos - then at the end (after all the sales schmooze) they told us the price - $5, 000. Unbelievable! My husband and I looked at each other and almost laughed, if we weren’t in a state of shock I think we would have. We said absolutely not, no thank you. Then he kept pushing, oh but you can have the one photo for $1, 500, and pay it off. We looked at him in disbelief. Considering we get more enjoyment and fulfilment out of the photos we take by ourselves, and the fact they’re instantaneous, leaves me wondering how this company manages to survive. By the way, the one little photo (which came with the voucher) will take several weeks to be ready. It would have cost us $25 to get it delivered, but we will be picking it up - whenever it is ready. What an absolute waste of time!

I wish we did too. It was the worst experience and likes others were pressured into spending $4, 500 on photos. When we said no, we will just get the one free with our $800 voucher they said they were shocked that we don’t value our family that much, but are happy to spend $70k on a car (the voucher came to us from Ford after buying a car). The worst and I only wish I’d read this all before we wasted hours of our time. Didn’t know such high pressure sales tactics were legal, it’s like emotional blackmail.

How I wish I had read these comments before wasting 3 hours of our time over the weekend. I feel so terrible that I made my little 7 month old baby sit through that session, smile and play around for two hours. We got a $800 voucher from Kia and ai thought that's a good amount to maybe getting 2-3 photos at least and isn't a bad deal. My husband was reluctant to go but I pulled him along. Photo session itself was alright since the photographer was nice...but they show you all these photos which mind you was very very avaerage - I could take these photos myself if I were in a studio...and their sales tactics are annoying. Right at the end she tells us it's worth $3900 but you get a $650 discount, how amazing so it comes down to $3300, how lucky we are that we have such an amazing price. My husband and I looked at each completely shocked and asked her what we can get for the voucher - that's all we need. She tells us we get one paper copy, I ask for a digital copy of that ONE PHOTO and she says NO DIGITAL COPIES. Apparently each digital copy is $300 worth. Are you kidding me?! You waste 3 hours of our time for this absolute rubbish and can't give us one digital copy?!
Oh and they make you feel so bad for not buying into their demands. She even went onto say I hope you don't look at your house in 5 years and regret this decision you made of not having this photo hanging up there. My husband walked out but I decided I'm going to at least take that one family photo for having spent all this bloody time there. So yeah, one paper copy is all we get! Oh btw, that takes 4-6 weeks to be ready and $25 for delivery. Absolute [censored] hole of a place.

Please please avoid this place and throw the voucher away. Don't waste your time unless you want to spend some ridiculous amount on some average photos.

Hi Sue,

Thank you for voicing your opinion and I am so sorry that you are left feeling the way you are. We never want any of our clients to leave upset.

Just to address a few things; I am saddened to hear you did not like your photographs from your photographer, it is something we would like to rectify with you. In regards to our packages, they range in all different prices if you do choose to purchase above your gift voucher you can, but there is zero obligation to. I do understand your frustration and would love to have a chat to you over the phone to hear your out and see what we can do to turn this negative experience into a positive one.

If you could please contact us on customerservice@gapstudios.com.au so that we can have a chat to help you out.

Warm Regards,
Gap Studios Management

What can I get with the 800 dollar voucher? 1 photo ?

Unfortunately we just went through the same thing. I didnt think to check for reviews, since i thought a $800 voucher is quite a big amount, he photo sessions and photographer was so nice and professional. THEN they sit you down to look through all these beautiful pictures, and they are beaitiful. The compliments are a bit to much and over the top. When the "desinger" starts talking about the weekly down payment options you realise something is up. For $800 you literally get one printed picture, no digitals. We were charged $3000 + for I think 20 digitals. The pictures gets deleted right in front of you. I was so disappointed, sad and just shocked.

Really disappointed, same experience, we spent an hour travelling from central coast and spent money getting hair and make-up only to be told that the total package was $6000, we almost fell off our seats, my wife said later that if she knew she would not of gone, con artists

Also wish we had read these comments before going. Our end of session price came to over $10 000.00, we hastily left and will see if the voucher photo ever materializes. So disappointing to say the least. Definitely seems to lean towards a scam...

Thank you everyone for your comments and honest reviews I am definitely deleting the $800 gift voucher email I just received: not worth it. I am so glad I read these reviews

I have nothing positive to say about GAP Studios. My daughter broke her 3 front teeth because of negligence. Spraying water on a polished concrete floor and not wearing shoes (as requested by photographer) does not mix. We have not only had to deal with the trauma that my daughter had to go through but also having to deal with GAP Studios ignoring us when we ask for their insurance details so we can claim back the expensive dental work to fix my daughter's teeth! We will never again use their services. What kind of photography studio does this to a family who only wanted to build the confidence of their 12 year old daughter.

Very nice and friendly place, however they make you so comfortable in order to get you to spend. The packages are HUGELY expensive. I like photos of course - who doesn't? But i have better things to spend thousands on as I'm sure most of us do. We went in for the Who am I Project but when I expressed an interest in how it worked etc they showed no desire to tell me. Focused on selling me a package. When i asked if I could come back later he almost spat back at me you've been told in emails and its on our website what you don't buy today is deleted. It supposed to be a building confidence type of endeavor.
I felt he was angry and just wanted me out after I said I will buy one photo. His friendliness disappeared.
Just wanted to get to the next poor person in line i suppose. So sad. I sort of wish I hadn't gone.
Definetly I wish I'd seen these reports first. I cant reccommend these people its all about money.

Very bad experience. Entered a competition on IG and were told we'd won an $800 package where we get the session and a print for free. We thought that was great! After a couple of busy weeks, we finally had our session. Tired and rushed, I forgot to check the email about our prize before we went. Subsequently, we were scammed into spending money on an extremely expensive package. ($2300 for a couple of digital images). After getting home I reviewed the emails I'd received and realised we'd never been offered our prize, they had one intention, and that was to get us to spend thousands. After seeing all of these reviews, I can now see they're running "fake" giveaways and competitions, and everybody is lured there by the $800. Don't fall for it! Oh, and BTW, I emailed them immediately, following the Australian Scam Watch instructions. I got a reply to that email that said the manager will be in contact with me on Monday. I never heard from the manager, but received a missed call and message from their receptionist the following Friday asking me to get back to them ASAP.

It’s purely a rip off.Its one kind of Facebook Scam.they better go and steal insted

I went to the studio today for a photo session.everything went well until they started explaining their package.it was not that what i been told and offered when they made the appointment.i felt like being deceived on a Facebook scam.The sale tactics they make you feel such an embarrassment not to having any photos taken.Totally felt so miserable and disappointed. This is a total SCAM.

Scammers for sure, my 19 year old daughter thought she had won a competition of $800 photography package, when it really cost her $1500 as she is a young mum and couldn't say no to the package of her new born daughter offered after the shoot. She is now paying them off at $50 a week and still has no photos to show for it. The photo shoot was in October 2021 and it is now August 2022. 10 months later, no photos even though $1000 has been paid and they said she could get them after half was paid ...DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY...ITS A SCAM...They pray on young innocent vulnerable people for a business, disgusting...

So helpful to read all these reviews. Looks like they have been playing this $800 trick for quite some time now. I signed up for it on Facebook and few weeks later received a text and call to book in a spot for a free experience and one free print. However to lock the booking I had to pay a refundable $99 fee and she wanted my CC details over the phone. I said I could come in to the studio and pay but she said it has to be on phone only. That’s where I got suspicious and googled if this was a scam and here I am! Thank god I didn’t waste my 2 hours going into the studio, my husband would have been furious.