My Lil' Rantlet
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Girls, take my word of advice! Pay attention if you are planning a trip to Guangzhou and intend to get some stunning ID photos there!
- My friends and I were so excited when we went to Guangzhou on vacation. With the idea of taking pictures in mind, we knew that we had to come back with something decent!
- We stumbled upon a photography studio named "Yushi Photography", in XiaoHongShu (one of China's popular versions of Instagram full of life tips). It received good reviews, so we booked it.
However, on the very day we were scheduled, an unexpected outbreak occurred in Haizhu District (a district in Guangzhou)! The studio was also quite near to the restricted zones.
To avoid compromising our health code (a must-have app for travel within China), we decided not to proceed, thus maintaining the green status while avoiding any potential inconvenience from yellow or red warnings.
️ Caution! Watch out for this! When we canceled our appointment, the company insisted on only refunding half of the deposit we paid in advance – this is beyond ridiculous! Although we carefully reviewed the booking information, none of the rules regarding cancellation and refunds were disclosed.
Warning signs for those who plan to travel: Always ask about all the refund policies prior to payment!We even added their customer service WeChat (China’s prevailing chatting app), but they did not disclose anything beforehand. Upon making a formal complaint by phone, they were unwilling to grant a full refund.
Gosh! This ruined our cheerful mood. Next time, we would never set foot in this place again. Please be cautious if you are looking to have some pictures taken in Guangzhou.
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Girl, I was in the same boat! They said they couldn't issue a refund because it was rescheduled. But then they told me their new Tianhe store opens on the 6th and asked if I wanted to switch to their Tiyu Xi branch instead. So I did.
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I'm in this exact situation now. What should I do? Just keep letting them postpone it and then go for the shoot?
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So, girl, did you manage to get a refund?
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I'm speechless. A sudden pandemic outbreak is NOT an excuse to only refund half the deposit. How can there still be such rip-off businesses? Everyone, keep your eyes peeled and be careful before you pay a deposit.
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Exactly!
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So, sis, how was the makeup and the photo shoot?
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Not great. It felt like a budget version of a well-known studio (like Tian Zhen Lan, for example). Plus, their photography skills just weren't up to par.
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I think the photos from their Haizhu branch turned out pretty bad. The Tianhe one seemed a bit better.
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Really? I've had my ID photos taken there twice, and they both turned out great!
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I've seen a lot of good reviews too. For those of you who've actually been, would you genuinely recommend it?
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But aren't deposits like that (定金 - dìngjīn, often a non-refundable commitment deposit) usually non-refundable? I thought it was only booking fees (订金 - dìngjīn, often a more flexible reservation deposit) that could be refunded, right?