ComplaintsforVIP Holiday Photos

• Initial Complaint

  12/18/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  The customer service is very poor. I wanted to take my dog to take pictures with Santa but to pay $40 is ridiculous and then when I inquired about a coupon code I was told the only existing one expired at the beginning of the month yet when I inquired about the same thing at the end of November (November 24th to be exact) I was told one did not exist. When I called back Sunday, December 17th I was told the promotion had just ended. Each time I ask to speak with a supervisor the agents magically claim to be the supervisor and today the agent refused to tell me who the owner was so that I could file a complaint.

• Initial Complaint

  12/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I made A reservation for my son to meet Santa. We decided to not go through with the photos and I went to cancel (over 48 hours before) and had to call multiple times to get someone to answer. I was Told I was not allowed a refund for a service I have Not received. There is no where in making the reservation or paying that says you cannot cancel or that there are no refunds. It is apparently in their FAQS but not in the 4 they have pinned most frequent. You would have to search specifically. After ending my phone call I went to their social media and see a flood of other complaints. I have already reached out to the director of operations at the mall to let them know about their poor business practices. I cant Believe a company would exploit people so close to Christmas in this economy. I want to get my $47 back and hope that this company will include verbiage in purchasing that says there are no refunds or cancellations to avoid all of these complaints.

• Initial Complaint

  11/14/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I booked a photo session with Santa for 11/18. I called 11/15 to cancel the appointment as we will not be able to make it due to unforeseen circumstances. When I called I was told it is not possible to cancel and get a refund as it’s against their policy and that I would have to reschedule if I can’t make it and pay an additional rescheduling fee. I’m calling well enough in advance, and cannot make the appointment, we have no other free time to reschedule. I think that it is unreasonable to have such a policy, especially one that is not mentioned during the booking process. These are photos with Santa for children. Things come up all of the time, they get sick, family emergencies happen, and life just gets crazy at times. To not be able to refund people’s money, is completely insane. Especially for something like this. Didn’t know that I was signing my life away when booking these photos. I will never be booking with this company again, and will be advising others not to either.

  Business response

  11/15/2023

  The policy is stated on the reservation site.

  Can I cancel my reservation?
  

  There are no refunds or cancellations after you have reserved your visit or if you are a no-show. You can change your reservation while time slots are available as long as you do so at least two hours before your reservation. Note: there is a $3 fee to change your reservation Date & Time.

• Initial Complaint

  01/03/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This company operates a kiosk inside the mall where they charge $40 for your child to get a photo with ****** The company took my money and took the photo, but never provided me the image. It was supposed to be emailed to me instantly after having the photo taken, but I never got the photo. I have contacted them no less than eight times through phone, and through their online contact form. I have even reached out to the manager at the local location through mall management, and they will not respond to me.

  Business response

  01/04/2023

  As soon as the hard drives return to our office in Houston Texas, we will process these photos and get her her emailed images. This hard drive is scheduled to be returned to Houston on January 6, 2022.

• Initial Complaint

  12/23/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I had made a reservation for Santa Claus photos at Oshawa Centre for December 23rd, 2022 at 12:27 pm. I had called on Wednesday at 5:52 pm est, to let them know I need to cancel and would like a refund, as we have COVID in our house and can’t attend a mall. The woman on the phone said she would escalate it to her manager. NOWHERE on their website gives an option to cancel, but when signing up, it also never says that there is no refunds. I have tried getting in touch with them since to confirm the cancellation. They never answer their phone, email back, and won’t return my voice mails. However I did receive another email today saying that they look forward to seeing us at 12:27 pm. I just want my money back for something I gave more than 24 hours notice to cancel and was never told there was a no cancellation policy. I feel like this is a scam company, with bad policies and even worse customer service.

  Business response

  01/04/2023

  This refund has been issued do to the family unable to attend their photo session with Santa.

  Customer response

  01/05/2023

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  
  
  
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  12/08/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I ordered pictures with Santa and reserved a time. When my family arrived, they were having technical difficulties and were unable to take the photos. I have continued to contact the company for a refund and the phone numbers disconnect and the ones that work cannot be returned. One person returned an email and said I was in for a refund, but that was more than a week ago.

  Customer response

  01/10/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  This letter is to inform you that VIP Holiday Photos has carried out to my satisfaction the resolution it proposed for my complaint, filed on 12/8/2022 and assigned ID ********.
  
  Regards,
  

  Hi,
  I wanted to let you know that VIP Photos did refund me. I am grateful for your help!
  
  Thank you,
  **** ********* ********
  ************
  

  
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  12/03/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I reserved holiday photos last week and paid $57.21 online. Santa was sick so when we arrived, we were told to wait 3 hours or be sent away with a business card to be refunded. I've called multiple times and there is an automated recording saying to go to their Google doc web site to request customer service. I did that a week ago and have had no response.

  Business response

  01/04/2023

  We have received the complaint and have begun the refund process.
  
  
  
  Ted *********
  Director - IT, Logistics
  & Customer Service
  VIP Recognition
   
  t*********@viprec.com
  
   
  
  
  
  
  
   
  
   
   
   
   
  
  
  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩