Venture Photography Studios Avis 

⭐ 1 star — Misleading sales process and extremely poor customer service

We had an extremely disappointing experience with Venture Photography South Woodford following our newborn photoshoot.

At the end of the shoot, we were given a brochure stating that prices started at £995. This was well outside our budget, so we emailed that same evening to say we would not attend the viewing. We did this specifically because we didn’t want to waste Venture’s time editing and preparing photographs that we knew we couldn’t afford.

Despite this, we received two phone calls the following day encouraging us to come in.

We explained very clearly that we were reluctant to attend and that our budget was £200–£250. During these calls, we were offered 6 photographs for £200 (5 + 1 free) or 7 photographs for £250 (6 + 1 free). This was the only reason we agreed to attend.

Once we arrived, however, the experience changed considerably.

When I said I preferred the £200 option, the salesperson’s demeanour changed and he became visibly cross. He tutted, shook his head and spoke to us in what we found to be an extremely belittling and condescending manner. He questioned why we wouldn’t spend another £50, referring to it as “the price of a meal.”

He then disputed the price/package that had been discussed over the phone. The notes from the previous calls were brought up, but they did not contain the pricing/package information we had been offered.

What they did contain was a note describing our previous phone calls as “exhausting.”

This was genuinely shocking to see.

This was not a situation where we had arrived and tried to haggle. We had already cancelled the viewing because Venture’s advertised prices were outside our budget. Venture then contacted us twice and persuaded us to attend after offering a specific package that fitted the budget we had clearly stated.

If the £200/£250 offers were not valid, why were they made to us and why were we persuaded to attend on that basis?

And if our calls were considered “exhausting”, why were we contacted twice after we had already politely declined the viewing?

We have never experienced this kind of treatment from a business before. The combination of repeatedly encouraging us to attend, subsequently disputing the offer we had been given, and then speaking to us in a visibly angry and belittling manner was extremely disappointing.

For a business positioning itself as a premium photography service, we expected a much higher standard of customer care.

Unfortunately, we were also disappointed with the final photographs. They looked very heavily airbrushed/over-processed to us, and we did not feel that the finished images justified the price. In our opinion, there are photographers offering more natural-looking newborn photography for a fraction of the cost.

Our issue isn’t simply that Venture is expensive. We knew the prices were high and had already tried to cancel. We attended because Venture repeatedly contacted us and offered us a package within our stated budget.

The entire experience left us feeling pressured, belittled and extremely disappointed.

If you’re considering Venture, I would strongly recommend getting any verbal offer confirmed in writing before attending the viewing and being very cautious about feeling pressured into attending after you’ve already decided the pricing is outside your budget.

For us, this was an experience we would not repeat or recommend.

I highly recommend Venture in South Woodford: not only are the pictures truly exceptional, the team makes it a wonderful experience end-to-end. Our photographer Emma was very thoughtful and creative in bringing our family dynamics and closeness to life and the after care team have shown so much patience and care in selecting the right images and format for our wall space. This is a great investment in forever lasting family memories that are also a great piece of wall art. Highest recommendations for Venture in South Woodford :-).

Great, fun experience. Steph managed the photographing well and we got natural happy images. And the sales pitch didn’t feel pressured either, giving us time to peruse the images.

Amazing service with very friendly staff who support us even before and during the photoshoot.

Starting from the photoshoot, the viewing session, the staff that took our photoshoot session was so lovely, i forgot her name. the staff Evleyn that attend to us during the viewing session was also lovely, and she explained every detail of the package for us. It was a lovely and beautiful experience.

An enjoyable process all round that has resulted in beautiful photos of my newborn, my husband, and my mother that will stay with us forever!
Thank you to all of the team!!

Venture studios were great from start to finish, Matt in milton keynes made us feel very comfortable. And cant speak highly enough Emma at south woodford for the newborn shoot, she made the process very comfortable and easy all whilst entertaining the baby. Thank you very much!

Very enjoyable experience. Amazing photos taken by Emily , listened well to our requests on styles and preferences during photoshoot. Then we had a very relaxed time viewing the photos a few weeks later with Ellie who helped us choose the perfect package and photos for our home. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Amazing service with very friendly staff who support you even before the photoshoot starts!
Our dog photoshoot with Kayleigh went amazing and despite our two energetic dogs definitely making it a challenge she was able to get some amazing shots of them and us, which we then went through in detail with Meg during our viewing appointment where she was able to help us with great deals and making sure the photos were just perfect for us!

An enjoyable process all round that has resulted in beautiful photos for our dogs that will stay with us forever!
Thank you to Kayleigh, Meg and the rest of the team!!

Emma, our photographer, was fantastic. Professional, patient and very accommodating. It was a pleasure working with her.

I received a voucher for our photo shoot when I bought my car from Wessex garage , little did I know it would end up being a rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish, Rhi made the whole experience fun and relaxing for everyone and gave confidence to us all when taking part in various poses.
Rhi was so focused and ready to work with our requests, we all had a great time.
I would like to thank everyone who helped make this experience possible, tissues were definitely needed when we came to view the finished product, be prepared for plenty of emotions, we left with hearts full and smiles so wide.
Thank you so much Rhi and team .

Won a free family photo shoot worth 245 and a free picture. Didn't bother to tell me until the end of the photo shoot prices with a single picture costing 95 there cheapest package deal 495 for a couple of pictures. I think its very misleading and should state the prices before the photo shoot. They do it at the end to guilt trip people into paying the extortion prices after they have seen the pictures. Im a single mum of a toddler and currently don't work and currently tied down to paying for there 795 (deal) with 25 off because I paid a holding fee and the free print I dont get because they woudnt of been able to set it up for me to pay 65 monthly over 12 months. Which is a way of them getting there money faster. Discussing 🤢

The photographer Iminee was really friendly, super professional and put so much effort into capturing every photo to perfection. We came away with some beautiful family and baby photographs. All the staff were amazing, very friendly and welcoming. Would highly recommend. Thank you.

I had an amazing experience at Venture Fulham. Niamh is fantastic, her artistic talent is incredible. She had inspiring ideas and made the experience such fun. Her work is very creative. I had the showing withJoseph who was so patient and helpful. His ideas and suggestions were insightful.
I highly recommend them, the service was professional yet fun and relaxed.

Ventures Maidstone. Ben was our photographer and he did a brilliant job from start to finish. Had great help from Kimberly too and overall, I'm very happy with the service.

What a great experience! The team here are super attentive and patient especially with children! Dan and Everlyn were great, couldn’t recommend enough!

absolutely fantastic service and care and pictures are fantastic 🤩

ELEANOR made our experience GREAT!
It was my 60th birthday so I arranged a photoshoot for 16 of us! A proper family photo!
It was great fun but obviously you don’t know until you actually see the photos which we did yesterday!
The viewing was amazing and the photos were fantastic! So amazing I cried!
A great experience - thank you!

Venture Birmingham was golden! Our photographer was Steph and she was lovely, kind and patient on the day, making us feel comfortable and worked brilliantly with baby. She is so talented taking the most beautiful newborn photos. The viewing experience is wonderful and makes it all feel special. I had my two other children who has autism and other issues under assessment for adhd and they were so brilliant with them making us feel welcomed. All the staff were kind and attentive. Drinks were offered (and were very nice) and toilets accessible. I would definitely recommend.

This studio is so much more than just a photography studio. Every visit has been a wonderful experience from start to finish.

Emily and Ellie are absolutely amazing. They are fantastic with children and have a natural way of making everyone feel comfortable and relaxed. The photos never feel forced, and they capture most beautiful, genuine moments.

A special thanks to Zoe, who had been so kind, accommodating, and helpful throughout.She always goes above and beyond to make everything easy and stress free.
Photos were beyond what I had hoped for, beautifully natural and full of genuine moments. The experience was so enjoyable that i returned to another photoshoot, and once again , everything exceeded my expectations ❤️

Thank you to our photographer Emma who made the whole experience relaxing and very enjoyable. She captured our babies beauty in every photo. Would highly recommend this studio for newborn photoshoots.

Tim made our digital photo viewing seamless. We were intrigued to see how they turned out. VIewing our photos in a video montage felt really special. The images surpassed our expectations, Tim helped us narrow down our favourites and choose the package right for us. Thanks venture we really enjoyed our experience and are looking forward to seeing our photos framded in our home .