John Robert Powers Of Santa Clara Total rip-off, deceptive,manipulative,liars,misleading,money grubbing *%#@)*^%$$ Santa Clara California

My grandaughter was approached by several people at Valley Fair Mall in Santa Clara, California. She was asked to do a photo shoot and reading for a talent agency. My Grandaughter has wanted to be a runway fashion model for several years and we thought this would be a great opportunity. She was eight years old.

My daughter and I took her to the location specified. After the reading and photos we were told we had to wait until the following day for a phone call to see if she was "the winner" of the "audition." We waited for several hours past the the designated call-back time and when the call finally came we were told we had to wait another two hours for the final result. The "competiton" was down to two finalists, my grandaughter and another girl.

Approximately three hours later we got the phone call that my grandaughter had "won". We were then told that we had to go to the Convention Center in Santa Clara to talk to several different people for what was to come next. When we arrived and began talking to these people they kept saying they wanted my grandaughter to do work on speaking commercials and acting for movies, etc. She and both of us specifically told them she did not want to do acting, she was only interested in doing run way modeling. Obviously they agreed because they asked my daughter for thousands of dollars to get my grandaughter enrolled in their "school".

We were told that their school would have agents from various entities come to see these kids. This would better their chances of getting seen by "BIG PEOPLE" and possibly jump start their career. We proceeded and enrolled her in a several classes. At no time did anyone come from a modeling agency. They only came for acting.

Then came the "opportunity" for her be able to participate in an audition for a chance to go to Las Vegas for what is called IPOP. She made it through with flying colors. My daughter was then told she had to come up with $10,000 to secure her place at IPOP---in FOUR DAYS!

We, several weeks later, had to go to meetings for all participants who were selected for IPOP. At the very first meeting we were told by a person named Holly that all models had to do a photo shoot with very specific wardrobes. The photographer was supposed to be this world renowed photographer who had done photo shoots for Vogue and many other fashion magazines. We were told that each model had to have seven to eight different outfits in each category for this photo shoot (a total of four categories in all) Holly described these outfits in detail. We were told the models had to have "formal dresses", NOT First Communion or Quinciera dresses or the like. Really tough to find these dresses for an eight year old.

With only about three weeks before the photo shoot my daughter had these dresses custom made by a local designer. We're talking hundreds and hundreds if not thousands of dollars for these dresses. This did not include the shoes or anything else. Then just THREE days before the photo shoot, due to a change in management at the Santa Clara location, (which by-the-way happened several times while my grandaughter was enrolled there, each with their own agenda and rules)we were told that the formals were no longer going to be used! What the heck were we supposed to do with eight custom made formal dresses for an eight year old? They could not be returned! To say nothing of the seven pairs of shoes dyed to match the dresses.

We then proceeded to the photo shoot with all the outfits we were told we HAD TO HAVE, eight in each of the four categories. The photographer used a total of three outfits and told us that the person who said we needed all these outfits was sadly mistaken. Again we're talking hundreds and hundreds of dollars invested.

We were told we would be contacted regarding the pictures so we could choose, with their help, what she would need for her portfolio, Zed cards, and head shots. When we arrived to view the pictures the person we were dealing with said we needed literally hundreds of these photos---head shots, Zed cards etc. By-the-way these photos were very poor quality, very fuzzy and out of focus. Many, many people complained about the poor quality and nothing was done. In acutality we did not need a portfolio or head shots, BUT we were harassed to buy them anyway. We ended up cancelling part of the order for what we actually needed(this meant we were due a refund for the uneeded pictures).

Again hundreds and hundreds of dollars, all of which had to be paid up front along with every thing else. We were to receive these photos weeks before we left for Las Vegas. The day we were to leave for Vegas we still did not have the photos! Then an employee, by the name of Benay, who was the managing supervisor for Santa Clara IPOP told us she would bring them with her to Vegas. It took us two days to retrieve them from Benay. Benay was also supposed to bring my daughter a refund check for the cancelled order of photos. We asked numerous times for this check while in Las Vegas and after we got home, but to no avail. It ended up taking nearly SIX MONTHS to get this check with the threat of legal action!

I don't want anyone to think this is a sour grapes thing because my grandaughter did not do well, because she did. She won Top Ten Swimsuit Model and was ask to sign with Trilogy Entertainment to do a movie. As I previously stated she did not want to act, only model. Everyone at John Robert Powers Santa Clara knew this from day one. What they failed to tell anyone, which I believe was in fear of not getting my daughters money, there are no high fashion runway models that are eight years old.

My daughter spent nearly $25,000 in less than a year for John Robert Powers to do absolutely nothing. My grandaughter could have done as much for herself as they did. While they do not actually promise you anything they are very deceptive in what they tell you. There is little if any communication with their employees, students, instructors and parents. They fill your head full of all kinds of BS and make the kids believe the world is at their feet. It is an incredible amount of money for little product. Fortunately my grandaughter is very grounded and secure with herself. BUT $25,000 is an awful lot of money to get nothing in return!

Another thing that really angered me was while we were in Las Vegas the CEO of IPOP, and I'm sorry I don't remember his name, gave one girl from Russia a $10,000 scholarship out of his own pocket because he felt sorry for her. She had a sad story of being abandoned by her parents and was brought to the United States. Yes her story was sad, but mind you, there were 3,800 kids of all ages in Vegas for IPOP. This man did this on an open stage in front of all the other kids. He has no idea what the circumstances were for any of these other kids, what their sad story was. While I aplaud him for giving this girl this money I felt it was in very poor taste to do it in front of everyone else. It should have been done in private, not in front of 3,800 kids and their parents! It was like he was patting himself on the back and tooting his own horn. Very distasteful and disrespectful of everyone there. No class!

I just want everyone else to know that John Robert Powers is a major rip off. All they want is your money. Guaranteed, if my daughter did not have the money they asked for, my grandaughter would not have been such a big winner to them. CLASSLESS MONEY GRUBBERS. Don't get sucked in, all they want is money.

Anonymous
San Jose,, California
U.S.A.