Dare to send back your child’s school photo?
The photography companies that take the school pictures have come up with the greatest marketing ploy ever to make you buy those photos. They send home the entire package, including plastic-coated key-ring photos, without you even ordering them.
No mother worth her salt is going to tell her child that he or she must return their own photo to school!
Or would she?
I told Walsh this morning that his spring photo wasn’t fantastic. I told him his hair needed to be cut and it was all in his eyes.
I didn’t say this to him, but he also has in the photo one big-boy front tooth next to a baby front tooth that looks a little crazy. His smile was forced and fake. Plus he was wearing a Halloween shirt in February.
I recognize that all of this is my own fault, except for the tooth and smile parts, because I didn’t pay attention to the spring photo date, but that doesn’t mean I have to pay $42 for five pages of bad photos. (I have plenty of beautiful photos of my son that we take at home.)
He put on fake tears at the breakfast table and told me I hurt his feelings.
I bought one page of the photos for $12 and sent the rest back.
If you don’t send them back in time you owe the full price for all five sheets of photos even though you didn’t ask for them.
Do you buy the school photo in the Fall and in the Spring? (They shoot twice a year now! Your order the Fall ones but the spring ones they just send on home.)
Do you think the photo companies are trying to guilt parents into buying or force them to pay for not returning in time?
Did you ever not buy your child’s school photos? Did you feel bad not buying them? Were their feelings hurt?
Do you find that the school photos are in general not very good? I get much better results with my kids when I take them in some place. I think they take more shots until they get a good one. With the school photos I think they take one or two and that’s it – kind of like the DMV.
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175 comments Add your comment
JJ
March 30th, 2010
12:24 pm
How sad. You tell your kids they look awful in their pictures and you don’t buy them……can you image what that does to their little self images??????
I NEVER told my child her pictures weren’t good enough. Even if I thought it, I would never say it to her. Every school picture went into a frame on the fireplace mantle, and stayed there until the following year’s picture was put up.
I think this is very sad. What kind of message are you sending to your kids?
Lissy
March 30th, 2010
12:25 pm
go to sears, they usually have a package for 7.99 or 9.99. it’s one pose but it’s a lot cheaper than the school pics and i believe you get more. i’ve purchased the fall pics at the lowest price and just scanned the pic in and made copies. can’t tell which one is the “real” thing
Lissy
March 30th, 2010
12:29 pm
@jj seriously, not all pics are good and letting your child know is not a bad thing. tell them the truth just in a tactful way. you’re probably like a parent of one of the awful ppl on american idol that think they can sing b/c their parents told them so.
Oh Yeah
March 30th, 2010
12:36 pm
SCAM ARTISTS! That’s what these so called “photographers” are. They need to be expelled to Pluto! I used to buy these pictures but then when I saw them coming twice a year and then the price jacked sky high I put a brake on that nonsense! Even my daughter’s HS graduation was a scam. We took one of the samples and went to a regular photo studio and their picture and price was much better that the SCAMMERS that prowl the schools! Don’t be duped by these clowns and also beware because some of them are relatives of teachers so that’s why some teachers push the photo sales! PAHHHHHHH!
HB
March 30th, 2010
12:53 pm
As a photographer myself, I’m very picky about photo quality (missing teeth and mussed hair wouldn’t bother me, but boring studio shots and cheesy backdrops do), so I’d probably just make a point of never buying the school pictures, but find a really good local photographer to do a family shoot each year. As someone said earlier, these days, the school pictures are usually taken by an hourly wage employee of a big school photo company with limited experience and training in photography. That doesn’t mean the photos won’t be decent, but you’d likely do just as well at Sears or Walmart for less money — very similar set-up. And please don’t scan and print your own after purchasing. The photographer or company holds the copyright and you are stealing their work by doing so.
Meme
March 30th, 2010
1:33 pm
@Oh Yeah I don’t know anyone related to the photographers. I don’t like when they come because it disrupts the whole school day.
Meme
March 30th, 2010
1:35 pm
I get my pictures free but the kids of teacher and other employees do not.
cld
March 30th, 2010
2:03 pm
@ A: I went to The Picture People last summer. They actually printed a handful of enlargements and collages, framing some, to show me how they would look. Probably 5-6 prints of 8×10 and larger. Most of the photos were shown digitally, but they did print some for the upsell factor.
irisheyes
March 30th, 2010
2:09 pm
I got ripped off with our pictures in the fall. I ordered the smallest package, simply because I wanted the class picture. Come to find out, they aren’t taking the class picture until the spring!!! Then, when I get the picture in the spring, it just has the teacher and principal’s names, not the names of the kids. I was so irritated!! I never feel guilty about not buying the spring pictures. I just tell my kids that I can get their pictures for a lot cheaper at Target, and I can pick the exact poses I like. They’re old enough to understand the value of money.
mom2yana
March 30th, 2010
2:30 pm
We never buy the school pictures any more. They are absolutly HORRIBLE every time. I also don’t want all the crap that they sell in each package. I don’t want 20 zillion “wallets”. ALL I WANT IS 1 or 2 8×10’s and I will not pay $60.00 to get 1 8×10 and a bunch of pictures we will just throw away. Anything smaller than a 5×7 is just a waste of MY money.
doode
March 30th, 2010
2:45 pm
Great article! I cracked up about the Halloween shirt in Feb. Kids are too funny.
FCM
March 30th, 2010
2:45 pm
HB you bring up an excellent point “The photographer or company holds the copyright and you are stealing their work by doing so.” I think that is SO WRONG. The subject matter is mine. I should hold the copyright to the work I paid for a service. Then I can print 0 or 1 billion.
Mary
March 30th, 2010
2:49 pm
Two comments:
1. Since when do you have to buy what the company has sent you FOR FREE, without an order? It’s a major guilt trip that too many parents fall prey to. They sent them without an order, they’re yours.
2. Why are you people not taking the train to the airport? I’m pretty sure you’re not all single, so you could have someone drop you at the station. If you are single, get a taxi. It saves a lot of wear and tear on you if you don’t have to worry about parking. Don’t have public transportation in your county? Drive away, but stop whining.
lmno
March 30th, 2010
2:49 pm
My kid has never said anything about it. He just pulls the envelope out of his back pack, puts it on the table and runs to the backyard to play.
A discussion with him about the pics is not something that has ever come up.
I usually buy the most basic package.
We are really picture people anyway. I wish I could say that we have scrapbooks and stuff, but honestly, sometimes we go months without any pictures taken and even when we do take pics, they are just on some memory card somewhere.
I mean, you work all week, you run around like a chicken with your head cut off just to get all the things done you have to get done, you stretch every dollar and minute to get what you can, who has time for picture?
@Mary
March 30th, 2010
2:50 pm
They don’t take the train because they think its scary. You have to dig deep on this blog to find anyone living within 15 miles of 285.
doode
March 30th, 2010
2:51 pm
Jeff- you should have tried a little harder to close Jane! You are divorced, shoulda gone fir it!
Ele Mom
March 30th, 2010
2:51 pm
My child’s school has a photographer that requires the $45 upfront before the pictures are taken, “blind sale”. This is probably the only way parents will order the pictures! Two 5X7s and 4 wallets. NO, this is NOT a typo, two 5X7s and 4 wallets. When the pictures finally arrive, I am NOT pleased with my child’s pictures and the other students’ pictures, which are included in the yearbook. The pictures are awful. They’re always taken outdoors when the weather is not so great. Sometimes the pictures are taken after P.E. or lunch. I’m not sure why the school uses this photographer year after year. Other parents, faculty, and staff have complained the pictures are awful. Maybe the photographer’s related to someone at the school. The poses are awful. It’s my understanding there are 2 poses taken and the photographer chooses which pose to print and deliver. Parents have no choice whatsoever. AWFUL!! You’re forced to purchase at the time the pictures are taken before seeing the proofs. In fact, there are NO proofs. Extra pictures may be purchased “after” the first delivery at an even higher price. No, we are not allowed to order extras during the initial (first) order phase. We have 2 package choices, two 5X7s and 8 wallets OR one 8X10 and 8 wallets, each package is $45. I don’t know of anyone that has ordered extras after receiving their initial package. Sears, Wal-mart, or Wolf Camera are much cheaper and better quality. Plus, you get more choices of the poses. AND you will be able to see proofs immediately after taking the pictures. Some places, they give you the proofs on a CD or DVD to take home. That way you can order what you WANT, not what the photographer wants!! Some places put the proofs online so not only you can place an order, but family members can order as well. I forgot to mention the class pictures are ordered before the school year ends. Yes, they’re expensive too!! And no proofs. Another blind sale. In my opinion, this is not good customer service.
Greg Heller
March 30th, 2010
2:51 pm
Twice a year is absurd – obviously the school system is getting a kickback. You can bet they aren’t disrupting the school day for the Photo companies benefit without something in return. Refuse to have your child’s photo taken and spend the money with a professional. You’ll be much happier!
Gman
March 30th, 2010
2:55 pm
Buyer Beware….Standards ladies and gentlement. Why are you playing to the PTA/PTO and the photographer. If the photo is not good do not spent your money. As a single father I teach my sons, yes I teach my sons, that you get what you pay for.
Rex Mom
March 30th, 2010
2:57 pm
My daughter took pictures this morning in school. I don’t buy the packages because of the expense, they are not all that great and they want you to pay for them before you see them. I take advantage of the Wal-Mart Portrait Packages.
Gus
March 30th, 2010
2:57 pm
I was steaming one year when my kids brough the pics home and his hair was flying everywhere and he looked sweaty. I had already paid for the pics.
I called the studio and they told me it was up to the parents to volunteer to stand by and comb the kids hair, straighten their shirts, etc.
The cost of the school pictures is too high, I just send them back now and just straight out tell my kids they are too expensive.
Actually, Mary and friend...
March 30th, 2010
2:57 pm
…taking MARTA from anywhere IS scary. And it takes a long time to drie to the station, wait on the train and then take the 1 hour trip to the airport. And, if your plane is late at night on the return, it is even more scary on that 1 hour ride back to a very unsafe MARTA parking lot.
Prop U
March 30th, 2010
2:58 pm
Rarely bought them—overpriced, average quality. In the of digital photos, these prices should have come way down, but instead, the companies raised the prices—bad business decision making, leading to losing money. Some never learn.
Ele Mom
March 30th, 2010
3:01 pm
The schools are definitely getting something back. One school, I inquired about the free gift (photo canvas bag) that we were supposed to receive and the photographer responded the school made arrangements to receive ____ (I forgot her exact words), but it was something along the lines of the monetary terms equivalent to the cost of the canvas bag went to the school instead of the gift going to the parents (families). The package prices were outrageous. Pre-printed packages, about $110, sent home in return for a check, or send the pictures back. We sent back. Where my child had a missing tooth, the pictures looked as though he had rotten teeth. The pictures we took at Sears during the same month were much better and cheaper!!
Grumpy Parent
March 30th, 2010
3:02 pm
Excuse me.. but I was always told that if I received something I did not order, that is was considered a gift. Would love to see the waiver/permission slip I signed in regards to the photos being taken and they way they would be marketed to me.
jw
March 30th, 2010
3:03 pm
The companies will learn very soon, like they did in my district, that parents won’t pay the money and won’t send the pictures back either. What prevents you from taking them home and scanning them? We had the problem with photos leaving and never returning – so now they do it this way:
Everyone gets a picture made at the the fall setting – yearbook pictures and you can order a package to be delivered later – money up front. In the spring, it’s money up front before you can have a photo made – pretty simple – the photo folks got tired of losing money!
BigBlueTiger
March 30th, 2010
3:04 pm
Being a photog I know these companies are playing a numbers game. The prints cost them pennies on the dollar so if only a fraction are returned with payment it’s a profitable day.
Brian
March 30th, 2010
3:06 pm
Seeing as everything is digital, it costs so little to produce them. It would cost the photographer more in postage to get them back. Buy the cheapest thing, but keep all the pics.
Church Man
March 30th, 2010
3:07 pm
Churches are doing this now, too – under the ruse that it is for the “church directory”. The picture for the directory is free, then they ask you to buy sets of the photos for yourself. I am a single man whose parents are deceased and have no need for yearly updated professional photos of myself so I decline and get strange looks every time.
Diane
March 30th, 2010
3:11 pm
Yes I do send them back. If the photos turn out really nice, I might buy one sheet (1 – 8×10) for $12, but other than that, they go back. Twice a school year this happens. We are able to go to Walmart and take pics with me there to ensure their clothes & hair are neat and get many more pics w/better backgrounds AND EVERY year the prices go up. Imagine doing that for 3 kids!
I don’t hurt the kids feelings, but I do tell them we’ll go to WalMart and that I want to be there and they can choose the pose they like out of all taken. It works out well.
Mad Dawg
March 30th, 2010
3:13 pm
There is one questions that I do have. If the photos were sent to you without you requesting them, not only are you not obligated to buy, you’re not even obligated to return them, and you can’t be legally sued for the cost.
This happened to me with my youngest son a few years ago. I never even knew he got the pictures and I received a bill from the photo company. I called, got told I old money for something I did not order, refused to pay,got a threatening letter from the school about how my child owed this money and so did I, called the school back, and stood my ground. The school had to back down and never heard from either again about it.
You cannot be held legally or financially liable for goods that you did not order that gets sent to your house; even if the school is a partner to it. If more people did this, schools would stop the practice.
xyz
March 30th, 2010
3:14 pm
The law is if a company sends you something in the mail and you didn’t order it you don’t have to pay for it or pay the postage to mail it back to them. My mom said that this is an old practice from 60 years ago. The law was changed to prevent people from wasting money on shipping back things they didn’t order.
rita
March 30th, 2010
3:16 pm
My kids school have now made it so that the child’s final report card can’t be released in the Spring or that they can’t register for school in the Fall until the pics are paid for or returned. Is this legal? I don’t know, but it works. Pic packages at our school are now $60 at the top or $12/page. It gets costly with more than 1 child & true, they don’t always look so great since I don’t expect my kids to make sure their clothes are straight or hair isn’t standing up. Kids are kids and will never come home looking the way they went out the door in the morning.
We take pictures once a year ourselves for our kids at K-mart or Wal-Mart for much less and better pics and backgrounds too & the kids are happy.
FacebookSux
March 30th, 2010
3:16 pm
Enter your comments here
Stacy
March 30th, 2010
3:18 pm
Yes, I send them back because it’s a ripoff. They cost too much and more every year with plain, boring backgrounds. Maybe is they had something unique for the kids the pics would be better.
The only one I want anyway is the class pic so my child can look back and remember his classmates. I’d rather have them taken myself.
Mad Dawg
March 30th, 2010
3:19 pm
No Rita, it’s not legal and that’s exactly the battle I had to fight with them. I won, they lost.
Tonya
March 30th, 2010
3:21 pm
Mad Dawg: You’re right! You don’t have to pay for anything you don’t order. I never send the form back choosing a pose or anything and my child can’t be held responsible either since they automatically include him due to the whole class picture taken with the teacher. Thanks for the reminder.
Speedygurl
March 30th, 2010
3:22 pm
My son is a junior in high school this year. I can say that I have only purchased 5 school picture packages in all of his years. The photos were not that great. JCPenney…of all places did a much better job. Don’t let them rip you off!
Dale
March 30th, 2010
3:22 pm
The schools get a kickback for sure.
AJ
March 30th, 2010
3:22 pm
I buy the yearbook! That way, his picture is in there and he has all of his memories for the price of $25, compared to $45 for just the photo package. Plus, my sister is a professional photgrapher, so I get my fall and spring photos done RIGHT!
dawggirl
March 30th, 2010
3:23 pm
Speaking as a teacher, I hate this way of doing the pictures! It requires that I keep up with who paid and who returned the pictures, and I end up having to hound the kids who haven’t returned theirs. It’s more work for me and I have enough, thank you. This year I decided that if the company was going to insist on giving the parents the entire package, then the company could take the loss when the parents didn’t send them back. I don’t work for the company and I’m not profitting as their collection agent.
George Johnson
March 30th, 2010
3:27 pm
If you receive something in the mail you didn’t order, you can keep it without paying for it. I would think if the photography company just sent the photo’s to you without your ordering them, the same rules applies.
Keep ‘em, don’t pay for ‘em. I think by the time they take a hit of a couple (hundred?) grand or more, they’d stop doing this underhanded tactic.
Courtney
March 30th, 2010
3:28 pm
Once again the schools get rich, the parents get bothered. And the teachers get stuck doing something other than education.
MiltonMan
March 30th, 2010
3:31 pm
Theresa, why did you state “No mother…” without any mention of the father? I am personally offended by this sexist statement. BTW: I have just sent my daughter’s pictures back to school for a remake.
I am a father who is gainfully employeed & am very active in my children’s life & education. Thank You
MiltonMan
March 30th, 2010
3:33 pm
dawggirl, the school should insist that the picture company do the leg work. It sounds like your school admin need to develop a backbone & not allow this treatment. If an outside company comes to my place of employment (and they do all the time) and they are not willing to conduct business my way, they receive nothing.
MiltonMan
March 30th, 2010
3:35 pm
For the majority of you whiners & complainers, please learn to say no.
smh
March 30th, 2010
3:37 pm
Not only do I send them back, if they are really horrible I have them re-taken. The prices are high, quality is less than stellar and I typically don’t like them. I do find that historically the spring pictures are better than the fall ones. I do not like pre-paying for fall pictures so I do not order them. I will wait for spring pics. If I like them, fine. If not, they go back and it is a non-issue.
tanyadewitt
March 30th, 2010
3:38 pm
TO: VaLady
Your post about your son’s shirt made me laugh out loud sitting here alone at my computer. How funny that your son wore a shirt for yearbook pictures with the words, “You know you’re ugly when…” That is just hilarious!
Hey, MiltonMan...
March 30th, 2010
3:39 pm
…get back to work…
Rod
March 30th, 2010
3:42 pm
Tell your child not to bring a thing home period. They aren’t the only companies doing this sort of thing. I had and I say had a magazine subscription to this publication who decided to send me a dvd. They then sent me a bill. I called them up and said I never received the dvd that I didn’t request and to cancel this bill and the subscription when it is up. This is nonsense billing people for something they didn’t even request!! I still have the dvd though. I could have sent it back but I had to take it to the post office. Again that wasn’t going to happen since I didn’t request it in the first place.