Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Getty Images's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Getty Images

  605 5th Ave S Ste 400 Seattle, WA 98104-3887

• 

  Getty Images

  6000 N Forest Park Dr Peoria, IL 61614-3556

• 

  Getty Images, Chicago

  55 E. Monroe St. 17th Flr. Ste 1700 Chicago, IL 60603

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  Getty Images, Chicago

  55 E. Monroe St. 17th Flr. Ste 1700 Chicago, IL 60603

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  Getty Images, Chicago

  55 E. Monroe St. 17th Flr. Ste 1700 Chicago, IL 60603

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/19/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am filing a complaint regarding the unauthorized licensing of my image without my consent. I was never notified, never signed a model release, and have now discovered my face has been sold and published globally for over 6 years.I submitted a formal takedown and compensation request on [insert date], and received no reply. I am seeking a $30,000 settlement and removal of the image from their platform. Their refusal to engage is unethical and violates basic consumer and privacy rights.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/29/2025

  Mr. ******** concern has been referred to the appropriate team for review. We appreciate his patience as we work to address the issue

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/29/2025

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and Im still waiting for a satisfactory resolution from them. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** ********* ******* *****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/10/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am a contracted creative contributor under Getty Images/iStocks contributor agreement, regularly uploading royalty-free and editorial content in line with their submission standards. My portfolio has consistently received daily downloads across both image and video content, demonstrating marketplace value.Recently, an entire batch of videos was rejected with a message citing vague quality concerns and claiming the company had been lenient up to this point. This was done without prior warning, constructive feedback, or any internal recourse for discussion or clarification. This lack of transparency and sudden shift in tone is deeply discouraging and inconsistent with the spirit of a contributor-driven platform.I believe Getty Images may be failing to provide basic standards of notice, fair dealing, and contractual clarity expected in marketplace relationships. There appears to be no proper appeal process or formal channel to dispute such mass rejections something that should be available to contracted users of their platform.I respectfully request a re-review of my submissions or, at minimum, a clear and fair feedback/escalation process to be made accessible. This complaint is not about special treatment, but rather a call for accountability, procedural fairness, and clear standards for contributors working in good faith.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/16/2025

  We understand Ms. ******* concern and have forwarded it to the appropriate department for review and follow-up. We appreciate the time and effort that goes into creating and submitting content as a contributor.  We will ensure that Ms. ******* concerns are reviewed in detail.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/28/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I subscribed to istock, because they advertised their model to be a monthly payment, however the whole time it was supposed to be an annual plan. I tried to cancel my subscription but they are still charging me for the rest of the annual plan which I am not even using - Ive only used two images (with 18 images remaining of this month, apparently). They do not have a way to manually cancel a subscription on their website, you have to contact them and they make the entire process a very unpleasant experience. I contacted them asking them to cancel my subscription but they refuse to do so unless I pay the rest of the annual plan (they are charging me an extra 195$ CAD along with $40 they charged me for this month). I contacted them back saying I cannot afford such a thing especially because I was lead to misunderstand their plan and pricing, I offered to amicably pay a reduced fee but they still refused and doubled down saying they wish to treat all their customers fairly. At this point, because of their unwillingness to run their business in an ethical manner, I refuse to pay any fee whatsoever. I cannot be led to believe I am at fault when they purposely mislead customers to believe they are subscribing to a monthly service when in reality they are subscribing to an annual one. They keep saying they are fairly abiding to their terms and conditions but I cant help but feel like its colourful language to intimidate me into agreeing to their scummy policies.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/07/2025

  Ms. ***** signed up for annual subscription on November 12th,2024.  She actively downloaded 2 images after signing up.  She agreed to the terms and conditions of the subscription.  However, we understand that circumstances change, and customers may need to make decisions that were not anticipated at the beginning of their subscription purchase.  We have cancelled Ms. *****s iStock subscription as requested and there will be no additional charges 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/07/2025

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* Cvilo

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/21/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  They charged me $70 for a year subscription but if i canceled i dont get to use the service. So i paid $70 for literally nothing.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/03/2025

  *** ****** actively opted for a Free Trial subscription on February 14th, 2025. After the free trial period concluded, we billed her credit card for the first month of the annual subscription. Its important to note that customers can cancel their free trial subscription using the self-service feature or by contacting **************** prior to the conversion to a paid subscription. A reminder email was also sent to *** ****** two days prior to her free trial ending. As a courtesy to *** ******,and because of her limited use, we have refunded the one month she was charged. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/20/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I was attempting to use iStock for a project that I am working on. I subscribed for a month-to-month Basic plan that was advertised as $49/month with 10 image downloads per month. I sucessfully applied a 20% off coupon that reduced this cost to $39.20/month. But then, when I attempted to download images, I discovered that this 'Basic' plan did not cover the 'Signature' images that I had wanted to download.Upon discovering this, I IMMEDIATELY contacted customer support via their chat system. I asked that my plan be upgraded to the Premium plan, which was advertised as $65/month for new users, and that I wanted to apply the same coupon that I'd just used.They informed me "The price of the Premium month-to-month plan is $99, so you will only pay the difference of $59.80"... effectively meaning they intended to charge me ***** DOUBLE the expected cost (compare to $65 * 0.8 = $52).Their reasoning? That the "coupon could only be applied once" and, since I now had an account, I was "no longer a new customer," despite having signed up only MINUTES EARLIER.I refused to accept those terms and asked for a refund. Instead, they only turned off auto-renewal... meaning my original payment--for a service I effectively can't use to download the desired images--still applies.I can't overemphasize how insulting this is. I am (or rather was) a customer willing to pay for a service. I had attempted to faithfully purchase the right plan to do what I needed to do. When I discovered that I had signed up for the 'wrong' plan, I attempted to correct it immediately. But rather than simply honoring the new user price and the coupon, they tried to charge twice as much money, basically on a technicality.I have attached both my order confirmation and the transcript of the chat (which, after adjusting for the timezone difference to UTC, occurred just 3-4 minutes after the purchase).Since I can not use this service as intended, I want a refund.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/31/2025

  To clarify, the coupon was applied to the initial subscription, and we were unable to apply it again to the upgraded plan.  However, We understand the confusion surrounding the coupon and plan differences.  Weve reviewed the situation and as a courtesy to Mr. ******* have issued a refund for the one-time charge.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/16/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My complaint actually relates to the online company iStock (*****************************************), which is owned by Getty Images.I previously subscribed to iStock's monthly subscription. However, in January and February 2025, iStock (Getty Images) terminated my subscription early for both months.I contacted customer service at ********************************************* during the first occurrence of the issue, and they told me to resubscribe and that they'd give me credit. That's unfair because they owe me and not the other way around, but I did what they suggested anyway. During the February subscription, iStock (Getty Images) did it AGAIN cutting short my subscription. I contacted them to let them know that they cut short my subscription again. But this time, iStock (Getty Images) didn't care whatsoever. They just said that they'd look into it. That was it! They blew me off, and I've never heard from them.I've attached a screenshot to prove that iStock (Getty Images) shortchanged me during the February subscription. The screenshot shows the time of the screen capture (on the right side of the screenshot) to prove that my subscription shouldn't have been cut off at that specific moment in time. Anyway, iStock (Getty Images) is very shady; their business practices are not cool and unethical.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/26/2025

  To clarify, Mr. *** subscription did not expire early. The expiration date was clearly stated as March 1, 2025, at 1:20:36 AM UTC. It seems there may have been some confusion due to the time zone difference, as Mr. *** screenshot shows 11:07 PM EST. Since UTC is four hours ahead of EST, the subscription actually expired at 9:20:36 PM EST. This information was also shared with Mr. ** when he contacted ***************** We apologize if the explanation provided at that time was unclear.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/02/2025

   
  Complaint: 23074070
  
  I am REJECTING this response because:
  
  Their expiration policy is UNCOMMON, if not UNHEARD OF in the **** I understand that iStock is a GettyImages (an **************************** and hence should subject their American customers to the laws and customs of the ****  
  
  Eastern Standard Time (EST) should be the default/honored time in the **** 
  
  By default interpretation, the phrase "ends on March 1st" is commonly understood to mean the subscription service remains active until 11:59:59 PM on March 1st. This interpretation aligns with consumer protection standards, allowing subscribers access for the entire stated day.
  
   Industry Norms: many digital services follow the "end of the day" approach to avoid customer frustration. For example, streaming services and **** products usually allow access until the end of the stated date.
  
  iStock should show some ***** (which it CLEARLY doesn't have any) to their customers to make an exception and ask for their acceptance to their policies going fwd. I was NEVER given the courtesy. I'm merely asking for the time that I PAID FOR and DESERVED. Let me be clear: no charity being demanded from iStock here.  
  
  Sincerely,
  ***** **
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/14/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I signed up for a free trial. At the end of the trial, I tried to cancel before being charged, but there is no way to cancel on their site. I tried to contact them to cancel, but by the time they responded, I had already been charged $75 (my first attempt to email them was kicked back as undeliverable. I reached out to them to cancel and for a refund, but they told me I agreed to be charged and won't refund my money, even though they made it impossible for me to cancel. They are committing fraud by making it impossible for people to cancel the trial.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/26/2025

  Ms. ***** initiated a Free Trial subscription on February 13th, 2025. This annual subscription includes the first month free. During the trial, she downloaded a single image on the first day of the trial.
  Customers can cancel their Free Trial through self-service or by contacting **************** before the trial converts. Ms. ***** reached out on March 13th, 2025,the same day her trial converted to a paid subscription. Her subscription was cancelled as requested and according to our cancellation policy, which can be found at **************************************************************************************; As a courtesy to ******** we are refunding the most recent charge she incurred. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/07/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I signed up for the free 30 day trial to try out iStock. Unfortunately, most of the photos I came across were AI generated. I tried 3-4 images. I tried to cancel the subscription during the free trial. I thought everything was good to go since I cancelled. Again, unfortunately, they did not cancel the subscription. I was charged $70 for a monthly fee. I reached out immediately requesting a refund and explaining the situation. They were rude in response and did not give a refund. I explained it again, and again they denied a refund. It's pretty ridiculous at this point, as I have reached out with no less than 5 emails explaining the situation and trying to get a refund.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/20/2025

  Mr. ****** opted into a Free Trial subscription on January 17th, 2025, and downloaded 7 images during the trial period. After the trial ended on February 17th, he was charged for the first month of the annual subscription. Its important to note that customers can cancel their free trial subscription using the self-service feature or by contacting **************** prior to the conversion to a paid subscription. Mr. ****** was also sent an email on February 15th reminding him that his free trial was about to expire on February 17th.. On February 19th, Mr. ****** contacted **************** and his ********************** subscription was cancelled as requested. Because Mr. ****** actively downloaded images during the trial period,he does not qualify for a refund according to our cancellation policy, which can be found at ********************************************************************************.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/08/2025

  They responded finally and I was on vacation so I did not see it. What they said was incorrect. As I stated, I tried to cancel during the free trial period. I said that. But there was some sort of error on their website I guess. I never received confirmation or anything. THen when I was charged, I immediately responded to them and asked them to resolve the issue. They have not done so. This company deserves an F minus for their customer service. I said, once again, I tried to cancel during the free trial. They had an error. They need to resolve it by giving me a refund. ******.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/22/2025

  We've let Mr. ****** know that he's not eligible for a refund, as he actively used his free trialdownloading 7 imagesand didnt request to cancel until after the subscription had already renewed to a paid plan. Our cancellation and refund policy applies consistently to all free trial users, and its available here for reference: ********************************************************************************. While Mr. ****** mentioned that he canceled during the trial, we werent able to find any record of that; in fact, the first contact we have from him came two days after the subscription was billed.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/23/2025

   
  Complaint: 23035974
  
  I am rejecting this response because: What Getty Images said was incorrect. As I stated, I tried to cancel during the free trial period. I said that. But there was some sort of error on their website I guess. I never received confirmation or anything. Then when I was charged, I immediately responded to them and asked them to resolve the issue. They have not given a refund. This company deserves an F minus for their customer service. I said, once again, I tried to cancel during the free trial. I tried to cancel during the free trial. They had an error. They need to resolve it by giving me a refund. Getty Images HAS STOLEN MY MONEY and they aren't giving a refund. Also, most of the images on their site are AI generated. This is not good. They are crooks.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *** ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/26/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I signed up for a "free" trial. I canceled at the end of the trial based on the date given. At that time I was already charged. I reached out regarding a refund and was basically told it wasn't a free trial but an annual subscription with one month free. Even the screen capture they sent me says cancel by end of free trial and you won't be charged. Though the email I received says otherwise.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/10/2025

  Our records confirm that Ms. **** started her free trial on the same day it converted to a paid subscription. Her subscription was canceled as requested, though there may have been some misunderstanding regarding the timing of the request. We apologize for any confusion about our cancellation policy and have refunded the first month's charge.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/25/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I canceled a subscription prior to the end of the 30-day free trial. They have charged me for the annual subscription plus a monthly admin fee.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/10/2025

  Ms. ***** initiated a Free Trial subscription on August 21st, 2024. This annual subscription includes the first month free. During the trial, she downloaded eight images and an additional 3 after the subscription converted to a paid plan.
  Customers can cancel their Free Trial through self-service or by contacting **************** before the trial converts. Ms. ***** reached out on February 25th, 2025, six months into her annual subscription, requesting cancellation.  Her subscription was cancelled as requested and according to our cancellation policy, which can be found at ********************************************************************************.  As a courtesy to Ms. ***** we are refunding the most recent charge she incurred.