Not-Quite-Photo-Scam
Back in the days of when I competed for cheerleading there was always a photographer at the competitions. At every single one you had to have your team picture taken not once, but twice--so that you'd end up paying for more pictures than you needed in the end. So you did your serious pose and your "silly pose," filled out the information card so they could mail you some proofs to choose from later and went on your merry way.
The only problem was that Encore Photo never mailed proofs. They mailed the real pictures and a bill. As if we were as gullible to think that we had just messed up on the form and accidently marked down an order. And then they must've thought we'd be stupid enough to accept our "mistake" and proceed to mail them a check for $54 so we could keep our 2 photos--which were taken in horrible lighting and never received some rather necessary cropping.
So being a bunch of procrastinators we never got around to mailing Encore their money. After a while they started sending notices that the money was overdue. Of course, they always gave you the option of simply mailing the photos back.
Then one day a little guilt won over my mom and she decided to mail some back. She rolled them up, put them in their little mailing tube and marched on down to the post office. Here's where she ran into another minor detail: the post office almost didn't let us mail it because somehow Encore had worked things out so that no one was paying for the postage. Thus, potentially ripping off the U.S. Postal Service thousands of dollars if not more. How convenient. But the man said he would do it just this once because they would eventually get caught.
So my mom got back home and called up Encore to see just what she should do with the rest of these pictures we never asked for. My mom asked, "Do some people just keep the pictures and never pay?" To which the woman at Encore replied, "Well, we always count on some people doing that."
And that ended that. We kept the pictures. They average at about $25 each which puts our photo total at $175. Fat chance Encore will see that anytime soon. Furthermore, just WHAT do they do with the photos that people do send back? It's not like anyone ever is going to ask for a picture of the LVSA Force All-Star cheerleaders doing their silly pose at the COA Northeast Open cheerleading compeptition on March 17 of 2003.
Also, does anyone remember a little company called DaVor? The company that USED to do our school photos? Well last winter I was mailed a notice that they seemed to have lost my check for my winter cheerleading pictures. They also told me in the notice that I should just mail them another 18 dollar check and they would then send me my pictures. (As if I was really going to pay for their mistake.) Well, the strange thing about that was that when we called the bank they verified that the check was cashed. So instead of money, we sent them a copy of the signed check. Needless to say a few weeks later I got my pictures; no questions asked.
The only problem was that Encore Photo never mailed proofs. They mailed the real pictures and a bill. As if we were as gullible to think that we had just messed up on the form and accidently marked down an order. And then they must've thought we'd be stupid enough to accept our "mistake" and proceed to mail them a check for $54 so we could keep our 2 photos--which were taken in horrible lighting and never received some rather necessary cropping.
So being a bunch of procrastinators we never got around to mailing Encore their money. After a while they started sending notices that the money was overdue. Of course, they always gave you the option of simply mailing the photos back.
Then one day a little guilt won over my mom and she decided to mail some back. She rolled them up, put them in their little mailing tube and marched on down to the post office. Here's where she ran into another minor detail: the post office almost didn't let us mail it because somehow Encore had worked things out so that no one was paying for the postage. Thus, potentially ripping off the U.S. Postal Service thousands of dollars if not more. How convenient. But the man said he would do it just this once because they would eventually get caught.
So my mom got back home and called up Encore to see just what she should do with the rest of these pictures we never asked for. My mom asked, "Do some people just keep the pictures and never pay?" To which the woman at Encore replied, "Well, we always count on some people doing that."
And that ended that. We kept the pictures. They average at about $25 each which puts our photo total at $175. Fat chance Encore will see that anytime soon. Furthermore, just WHAT do they do with the photos that people do send back? It's not like anyone ever is going to ask for a picture of the LVSA Force All-Star cheerleaders doing their silly pose at the COA Northeast Open cheerleading compeptition on March 17 of 2003.
Also, does anyone remember a little company called DaVor? The company that USED to do our school photos? Well last winter I was mailed a notice that they seemed to have lost my check for my winter cheerleading pictures. They also told me in the notice that I should just mail them another 18 dollar check and they would then send me my pictures. (As if I was really going to pay for their mistake.) Well, the strange thing about that was that when we called the bank they verified that the check was cashed. So instead of money, we sent them a copy of the signed check. Needless to say a few weeks later I got my pictures; no questions asked.