Transcontinental Talent, Options Talent, Wilhemina Misleading trade practices and false promises Houston Texas

This company preys on hopeful teenagers and uses their hyped-up youthful enthusiasm against parents who are trying to build and reinforce their children's sense of self-worth. In March 2002 my twin daughters were snagged at a local mall and invited to an open call. Their Dad took them to the presentation and reported back that all was legitimate, with many local jobs possible. There was no mention of a fee for the service. In April 2002 we had our "Interview Call" to learn if the girls had been "accepted". After a very lengthy discussion (30 to 45 Minutes) they informed me of the $595 fee (each) plus $19.95 per month. As an unemployed Mom I balked at the fee so they reduced it to $795. This was a high pressure very coercive process. How do you tell your 15 year olds that they are not model material and that this was way too expensive? I was assured that there would be many local opportunities and the normal rate structure. The girls saw this as a way to help bring badly needed money into the house. They were told that twins are frequently in demand. We were told that our travel to jobs would be paid for, however the only notifications we ever got were for open calls on cruise ships or in resorts in Mexico and other exotic locations. This appears to be more of a scam to feed parts of the travel industry than a program to connect models with photographers. Nothing local has ever, in the year now that we've done this, materialized. I was told that if I was not satisfied with the program after a year I would get two years free. Instead a charge of $59.85 showed up on my credit card statement, which I will deny. This group has morphed three times in the year that I have had dealings with it. It went from Options Talent to Transcontinental Talent, and now it has turned into Wilhemina something or other. This is a red flag that something shady is going on. This group of predators need to be exposed for what they are. I read that the Florida Attorney General's office is investigating this group, how can we get something rolling in Texas? Julia Houston, Texas
U.S.A. Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Trans Continental Talent AKA Options Talent