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I am never going back to the Picture Me Portrait Studio inside of Wal-Mart. I dislike Wal-Mart to begin with, but Tom reasoned with me that it was an independent studio that leases the space. Our mistake.
We’d tried calling for an appointment at the Halfmoon NY store, but they never answered the phone. Since TJ’s hair was behaving tonight, we decided to drop in. There were two families already there when we arrived. We decided to wait, even though the photographer never said two words to us.
More families arrived. When we thought we were next in line around 7:30, after we’d been there for more than 30 minutes, we learned that the family that came in after us had a 7:30 appointment. A family that stopped by after them had a 7:00 appointment.
At 8:00, the photographer was still with the same family she was with at 7:30. She still hadn’t said two words to anyone in the waiting area. It was only after she had the people at the register that she finally acknowledged that other people were there. And oh, by the way, she would be taking the people who had appointments before taking us, despite the fact that we tried to get an appointment and only failed because she didn’t bother to answer the phone. (We heard the phone ring, unanswered, at least six times while we were there.) Despite the fact that we had been there for over an hour, at least 30 minutes longer than anyone else there. Despite the fact that, had she bothered to speak to us in between families to tell us she couldn’t accommodate us without an appointment, we wouldn’t have waited for an hour in the first place. She was also very rude. Zero points for customer service. Even the people with the appointments were angry at this point.
I’m generally pretty understanding when customer service people are busy – if they show even an ounce of effort and have some customer service skills. This girl had neither. Do not go to the Picture Me Portrait Studio in the Halfmoon Wal-Mart. In fact, if this is how the company operates, do not go to the Picture Me Portrait Studio anywhere.
So at 8:00, half an hour after TJ’s bedtime, we left. He was screaming he didn’t want to go anywhere. He wanted to get his picture taken. He had been such a good boy; I hated having to make him leave.
Tom decided to give JCPenney Portrait Studio a try. They were only a few minutes away, and we had to do something. I called them on my cell phone on the way there, but they said their last scheduled appointment was at 8:00, and they wouldn’t be able to see us until tomorrow. Tom wanted to show up in person anyways.
He explained to the nice man behind the counter about our horrible experience at Picture Me, and we were squeezed onto their schedule.
The photographer was great. She really connected with TJ – unlike the girl at Picture Me who spent 20 minutes trying to photograph a screaming infant without stepping away for two minutes to let the mom comfort her. She made TJ laugh. When he wasn’t able to understand what pose she was asking him to get into, she got down on the floor and modeled it for him. And she captured the mischievous twinkle in his eye in more than one picture.
I was so happy with how our impromptu portrait session turned out. The people at JCPenney Portrait Studio were friendly, professional, and accommodating. They answered their phone, which was something that Picture Me couldn’t bother to do. They were polite and happy to help us, which was something that Picture Me wasn’t capable of. They were very good with my son, capturing his love for life on film, which I doubt the overworked and underqualified staff at Picture Me could ever accomplish. And even after going above and beyond for us by agreeing to take TJ’s picture tonight in the first place, they offered us 50% off when I told her I didn’t have my coupon with me.
The moral of the story? JCPenney Portrait Studio has won my loyalty. I highly recommend them, especially the amazing staff at the Clifton Park Center location. I am never going back to Picture Me, no matter what promotional portrait package they dangle in front of me. Bad customer service is not something you can get away with when you cater to moms and families.
That’s me: Christina Gleason. I’m a writer, editor, and disability advocate. I'm a multiply disabled autistic lady doing my best in this world built for abled people. I’m a geek for grammar, fantasy, and casual gaming. I hate vegetables. I cannot reliably speak, so I’ll happily conduct business over email or messaging instead.
