I have several complaints over the past six months I have been using this studio and it always pertains to the two associates that seem to always be there. For starters, it is very HOT back in the studio. They claim the fan broke but they will not replace it, maybe because they are not sweating because they have the parents put the babies in all of the poses while they just stand behind the camera and push the button.
Secondly, their was supposedly a "contest" going on so I took my twins (on two seperate occasions) to have their pictures made. "The All-American Baby Contest" I was told a picture would be picked out and submitted but when I took my second twin back two weeks later for "Prettist Eyes, Longest Lashes" Contest I asked to see the picture that was picked and the associate told me that she went to another location. Well thats all fine and dandy but she needed to do what she told me she was going to do. So I have no idea if my baby was entered in to the contest or if that was just a marketing tool to sell more pictures. When I picked up my pictures two weeks later I had to cut a 3 1/2 X 5 and give to the associate to enter into the longest lashes contest and I asked her why I didn't have to give them one (that I bought) the last time and she said "they changed the policy". We'll what if I didn't buy any 3 1/2 X 5's would she have taken a 8 X 10 or larger? I was told I wouldn't get that picture back wither. Something is wrong with your policy!!!
Thirdly, I received a coupon in the mail so I used it for one contest picture session and I told the Associate I needed another one since I had twins that I was taking two seperate occasions and she said "We can't do that" So, my sister told her to send her the coupon to her address but she has still not seen any coupons.
The two associates names are Heather and Jade and might I suggest you orient them on the real policies and procedures because I highly doubt their preception is correct. It seems to me they tell customers what they feel will get them out of the most work or what will benefit them not the customer.
When I picked up my last order one of them wrote with a black magic marker on the outside cover of the pack and I had ink marks on one of my sheets, they did studio print another one for me but now I have some that are matte finish and one sheet that is shiny and it messes up my collage I always to of each session.
I use t be very pleased with the quality of the pictures but now after the way your associates ruined all of my experiences I will just go somewhere else.

Well, I use the SEARS portrait studio in Greenville, NC. I have used this studio many times in the past for things such as my engagement pictures and my first child's portraits up to 2 years old. We have always had wonderful experiences and I am always referring people to this studio. (I am an OB ultrasound tech so I come into contact with a lot of new parents) Last weekend we went in for my second son's 6 month portraits and my oldest son's 3 year old portraits. The girl that took the photos I could tell was very new and not used to working with Children. It was frustrating but my youngest was giving great smiles so I figured we were getting great shots. My oldest is very shy and we were having a tough time with him. The manager came in to "help". She was aggressive and rude. She talked over me and was dead set on doing it her way. She actually told the photographer to snap a picture while my child's back was turned so she "could get her 8 pictures." That irritated me. The service was getting worse and worse. Too many things happened to list them all but what set me in a rage was when the manager was moving my baby (I wasn't doing it fast enough) she actually hit his head on the floor, yes, she hit his head on the floor! He began screaming and I picked him up to console him. She just got up and walked away. I was in shock. She even said that he wasn't cooperating while he was crying...I WONDER WHY? Well, after less than 15 minutes in the studio we were seated at the computer. We sat for 20 minutes before any pictures were ready for us to view. Oh, let me mention, we were the ONLY customers in the studio. Well, the photographer pulls up the pictures and says my oldest didn't give us many choices but that my baby gave great shots. Well, I was feeling a little better about the entire experience until I saw the pictures. Horrible. I didn't understand what was happening. Every other time I had used this studio we got tons of time in the studio itself and we had tons of pictures to choose from. This was just getting worse and worse. All the girl kept doing was enhancing about 3 different pictures. I kept saying I wasn't interested in enhancements and that I wanted to see all the pictures we got, so then the manager comes over to help. Same story, she's showing me collages and enhancements. I kept saying that he wasn't smiling in any of the pictures, which he had been doing during the shoot and for long periods of time, and she just kept adding enhancements and trying to upsell me. Finally she got up and said well Eric will come help you in a few minutes. Well he had some sense and didn't push anything and said we can just try another day. Well, after leaving and steaming for a bit I called Sears and spoke to Emily who rescheduled me for today and promised to be our photographer. Meanwhile, Sears corporate called me and consoled me over the whole incident and of course gave us free portrait sheets. Fast forward to today. Emily takes our pictures...EXCELLENT...baby did just as well today as he did last weekend but this photographer caught the picture. Well, while waiting for my pictures to pull the manager shows up for work. I just bottled my anger and focused on my pictures. When it was time to pay the manager forced Emily to go start another shoot and that she was going to finish my order. Emily tried to stay close as she was aware of my dislike for this woman, the lady hit my son's head on the floor! The manager said 2 times "well it looks like your baby cooperated better today." After the second time I said he was cooperating fine last weekend. Well, I didn't want to make eye contact with this manager because I didn't know if I would be able to keep my cool. She actually bent over and practically laid her head on the counter to stare in my face to explain the pick up rules for the portraits. Of course she spoke with attitude and sarcasm. I told her I was fully aware of the policy since Emily and Eric have both explained it to me. She kept trying to be very sarcastic with her so called customer service and my mom just grabbed me and started pushing the stroller and said let's go. As I was walking down the hall the manager actually yelled "we look forward to scheduling your next appointment." HA! I won't be back until she is gone! I'm sorry, she did not need to intervene and she only did so to get back at me for complaining. This woman is rude, unprofessional and just disgusting. She talks over customers and employees. She has no business working with the public. If my son wasn't cooperating, I would understand bad pictures. I blame the photographer's inexperience for the first shoot. However, that girl should be getting more time and there should be a back up photographer. I was sold on coming back to Sears until the last 5 minutes of today's visit. Reading former employees statements in other complaints, I understand that there are time limits. BUT, until last weekend, I have never had a photographer worry about time. If they were getting awesome pictures, they just kept going. They understood how important these pictures were to my husband and myself. Maybe they set the bar too high. All I know is this, Sears has a lot of competition in this area now and I will be checking out those studios until this manager is GONE!

When we arrived at the studio, we were asked if we were interested in tradional or modern poses. I told her both but for the main pose we wanted it to be tradional. So she showed us to the studio and proceeded to put us in very unconfortable and unnatural poses. We told her that this was not working, that we would like to try more tradional poses and she ignored our request. After we were bullied through our Family Poses we wanted to get some of our two year old alone. Our daughter found a car prop that she was interested in and would not leave alone, my husband and I asked her to do a pose with it just to appease our daughter and she refused. She continued to do what she wanted and nothing that we requested. When we sat down to view our poses, she deleted 4 of the poses without consulting us first. The two poses of our family were terrible and you could tell that we were very uncomfortable. The pictures taken of our daughter were also terrible, she was not captured smiling in any of them, (however there were plenty of oppurtunities to catch her doing so). When I was ready to place my order I was told that if I used my coupon for $4.99 package I would be penalized if I wanted to get other poses. I could either buy the sheets seperatly for $7.99 or get the package (one pose) for $4.99 and each sheet of the other poses would be $20.00 each. That is not what the coupon stated but the associate did not seem to care. When I went to pick the pictures up they had taken upon themselves to print 5 extra sheets and try to SUCKER me into buying them. I asked them what they wre going to do with them and she said that they would be shredded. Needless to say I was not satisfied with this expeience and will not be returning to the studio.

Today (Monday 12-01-08) I visited the Sears Portrait Studio at Park Place Mall in Tucson, Az.
I arrived at 11:15 with my 2 grandchildren ages 2 and 4.
I did not have an appointment and asked if it was possible to get an appoiintment for today. The woman at the desk told me that although they had several appointments scheduled for the day, she could fit us in at 12:30. She then asked me to fill out an information sheet. So far, no problem.
I waited in the lobby with my grandchildren. 12:30 came and went and I was not called for my turn. Other people came in after 12:30 and were taken in before me, although I was told that I would be next on 2 separate occasions. At 1:30 I asked to speak to the manager and she then informed me that since I did not have an appointment, I would be taken care of when they had time. I told her that I had been given a 12:30 appointment and had already waited an hour past that. She told me there was nothing she could do for me.
I am appalled that I was told I would be fit into a time slot, only to wait for over 2 hours with two small children and then be told that because I was a "Walk-In" and did not have a pre-arranged appointment, they'd get to me when they could. Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep 2 small children entertained and in "Picture Perfect" form for over 2 hrs?

First of all...if they were booked and would not be able to fit me in they should have told me so, I would have been happy to make an appointment for another day.
Second...once I was told our photos would be taken at 12:30, I had an appointment.
Third...I was made to feel that as a "Walk-In" my business is really not as important as someone who pre-books.

I left this studio and walked straight down the mall to The Picture People. My intention was to make an appointment for another day. But guess what...they told me they could take us right then. So I spent my $200 picture budget with them and that is where I will take my business in the future.

In the past, I have had several very good experiences with this Sears Portrait Studio, but obviously customer service has taken a drastic downward turn.

This is a complaint against SEARS PORTRAIT STUDIO_ MONROEVILLE, PA. After a lot of planning a my family has been to the studio. The technician at the desk appeared too tired even to give us information on the various packages offered. When we asked her if an appointment was needed to get the picture taken she discouraged us from even coming in even when the next appointment was 45 min later. Unwillingly she accepted us. Then she was so bored that she barely made sure that all of us responded well to her when the photo was taken. She told us that she wanted to give us a white background no choice offered. She made my husband sit while I stood with the kids that was rather odd. Finally it was all over and not a cent worth of the $45.00 we spend at SEARS PORTRAIT STUDIO. I wish we had just used our digital camera instead.