Barbizon Reviews

This past December/January, I came across an ad on Craigslist (yes, they advertise on Craigslist) for Instructor positions for the Memphis area. So, I applied because I wanted to pick up a second job and it would have been great to do what I enjoyed. I went through the whole application process and got the call back for "interviews" (didn't matter that I had been teaching and modeling for them before, I had to interview again). They would be holding the "interviews" and "training" at a hotel near the airport. Now, for anyone who is not familiar with the hotel areas around Memphis International, I work as a cop and wouldn't even run the risk of going to these hotels ARMED! Not to mention, classes began at 8AM, ran until 6PM and you had to bring a lunch because you wouldn't be allowed to leave!?

I spoke to the staff members that were flying in from FL to conduct the interviews, training and once a month classes and explain to them that the area they had chosen was not safe at all, only to be given an answer of it was convenient for them from the airport. I told her I would be carrying a concealed weapon on me if I had to come there. The kicker is that when I was teaching so many years ago, the rate of pay was $20 per hour. When I asked what the rate of pay was now (thinking it may have gone up), I was told $12 per hour and it may be a little more depending on experience and interview but not to exceed $15 per hour. So, I'm thinking at this point, hell no! I'm driving almost an hour one way from my home to one of the seediest parts of Memphis to work 10 hours a day without being allowed to leave for $12 an hour?

Needless to say, I emailed them back and told them I would pass. I had also talked with them about getting back into modeling and I was told for over 5 months that they would be sending the modeling packet out to me to fill out and that never came either. Shame that my parents spent that kind of money on modeling classes and I devoted the time I did to the company only to be brushed off like that. If it's one thing I learned during my 15 years of modeling, if they are asking for money up front, RUN AWAY!!! QUICKLY!!!!

I turned to my sister and she said, "Sure!" I went along with it and filled out the form that asked for my name, age, address, phone number, etc. My sister filled out a form, as well. Most of the time, I never win ANYTHING, so I expected absolutely NOTHING to come out of this. I mean, come on, what are the chances I, out of all the other people that signed up, win anything? On Thursday October 11th which was ironically about a month after I had visited the mall and given my phone number to strangers, my mom got a call from someone who claimed to work for the Barbizon Modeling Company. Okay, so I should probably stop and explain here that I am an aspiring singer/songwriter, I post covers on YouTube and I play some gigs in my area. I didn't know who my mom was talking to at first, so I assumed it was someone calling in interest for my music or someone asking if I'd like to play a show.

When my mom hung up, she informed me that someone called wanting me to come to Sundance Square in Downtown Ft. Worth on October 19th for an interview for a possible part time modeling job with Barbizon. I was instantly excited. To be honest, I had never heard of Barbizon before this call, but hey! I thought, "Maybe this could be a step in the right direction in this business." So Saturday the 19th rolled around and I was actually nervous. There I was, walking up to this building with my mom and dad, hoping I'd have a shot at this. We arrived at 1:00, 15 minutes before we were supposed to be there. As we neared the ballrooms that they had instructed us to go to things just weren't adding up. I tried to push my worries out of the way and stay positive, but honestly, the whole time there was just.. I don't know.. something cheesy and fishy. I guess I could've told my parents something was wrong and that we should leave, but when you really want to be in this business and be successful, you kind of go with everything even if you see red flags.

I was extremely surprised to find a ballroom filled with 200 or more chairs, and a large projector screen. Ummm I thought this was an APPOINTMENT? The lady who called my mom originally insisted that this was NOT an open call, but honestly... what do you call 200 total hopeful models in one room, some of them having no modeling experience at all? Are you kidding me? So I sat down with my parents and around 1:20, they began playing a video that told about all the Barbizon "success stories" okay. I admit I WAS impressed at the time. So was every other fooled kid in that room that ranged from the ages of 8-17. After the 10 minute long success story video, a lady finally came out and told her background in modeling.

I noticed that not ONCE in her whole story had she mentioned how she had gotten to work with the company Barbizon, not as a model, but as a company worker. This was extremely odd. By 2:25 or so, they had all the girls collect bags that explained where the "training classes" would be held, etc. After a bunch more useless information, they finally said it was time for the so called "interviews". This part of the auditions were very informal. So let me explain. There are 10 different people that had called all the girls present including me informing us about the modeling auditions in the first place. The lady that called my name started with a 'D'. She was holding the interviews in ballroom B, so there was a runner that came into the main ballroom calling names of the girls up next to interview where we were forced to wait until it was our turn for our interview.

We literally waited from 2:45-4:10 [almost an hour and a half] until finally, FINALLY they called my name. By this time, the main ballroom where the long presentation had been held was nearly empty as my name had been one of the last to be called. By the door where I was supposed to go in for my interview, there was ANOTHER wait. The lady who was supposed to interview me was busy with another girl and her parents, and had another girl and her parents up before me. It was exactly 4:40, three hours and a half after we arrived, when we finally got to be interviewed. The lady seemed nice enough at the time. She commented that I was 'a doll' and 'if it were up to me I'd accept you right now'. I actually was very happy about this and was extremely eager to see if I was going to be accepted. She also mentioned that she loved Taylor Swift like me, so I was buttered up by then. However, my parents were not feeling this.

The lady showed my mom and dad the prices for Barbizon's so called training classes that they make you take in order to take on jobs that they promise you will have. They require you have 6 MONTHS (yes, months. Not 6 weeks or 6 days) of training. And guess how much this is?! $2,000 No WAY! At the time, I kind of ignored my parents' faces of disbelief and just kind of went with the flow. The lady said she would call me at 5:30PM the next day to say if I got in or not. By this time, the next group of 75-100 girls were in the main ballroom and the Barbizon "company" was repeating the process of the presentation for the third time that day with the third, and final group of the day (I was group #2).

The next day, I did lots of research about Barbizon. I swear... 99.99% of the reviews online are nearly identical to my story. Almost every story in here involves someone approaching their daughter at a mall and asking them to audition to be a model. The only difference is that my name and number was taken by two people who claimed to be giving away a $500 shopping spree. I am in disbelief this company has the nerve to trick little girls with big dreams from their parents' money. When the lady called to tell me if I got in or not, we didn't pick up. She called all three of the phone numbers we had provided. Barbizon does NOT care what you look like. They do NOT care what experience you receive. They do NOT care about your education as they claim to. They care about.. yes, you guessed it, MONEY!

After you pay for $2,000 for their trashy 'training' with unnamed teachers, I guarantee you will never get a modeling job. Ever. It'd be more useful if you just threw all 2,000 out your car or ripped it into a million tiny pieces. So this is what I think: MAYBE the $500 shopping spree was legit. Maybe I was entering to win that. But my best guess is that Hulen Mall sold all the names and numbers of the people that filled out those forms at the mall to Barbizon. Now that I think about it, I do not currently have a cell phone, so while signing up for the $500 shopping spree, I put my mom's number in the PHONE NUMBER column which was the number the 'agent' called on. As for my sister, she put her own number in the column and just recently mentioned to me the same number that called my mom that was the Barbizon Agent called her number, too. She just didn't pick up.

So a word of advice to aspiring models: DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT consider Barbizon. DO NOT waste a perfect Saturday afternoon sitting in a ballroom for 4 HOURS listening to a bunch of lies. They do NOT care about how you look. They do NOT mean it when they say you've got the "it factor" or something along the lines. Honestly.. this company is sickening. They just pick random girls from wherever they can get their hands on... I can NOT stress this enough... Please DO ME A FAVOR. DO YOURSELF A FAVOR. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY, TIME, AND ENERGY ON THESE LIARS! PLEASE. Thanks for reading this. I know it's long. I just had to express my opinion.

We attended this past Saturday, and let me firmly assure you, the person we interviewed with, blatantly threw her sales pitch AT my daughter. But the following comment/question was aimed at me: "I see the father's name is written here, is he present? I said, "No, we are separated." She quickly asked, "But are you able to make decisions without his presence?" RED FLAG #2!

When my daughter was asked to do a cold read, she was told she did excellent. Let me also assure you, that just because she is my daughter I will not sit here and lie. She did AWFUL! Yet this person said she did excellent. No honesty behind that comment. She peppered the word "tuition" throughout the interview, RED FLAG# 3. Even said the tuition was, and I quote, "A walk in the park". "Ridiculous how affordable it is". "You'll make this back in JUST 1 commercial she lands". $2,395.00!!!! But $495.00 must be collected right then and there to ensure my daughter's spot.

My daughter's eyes were glowing with possible dreams of stardom. The woman saw right through her and wanted to seal the deal. She said, "Look at your daughter, she just shines when she speaks of how much she wants this. Invest in your daughter's future."

This is when I had ENOUGH! I asked if we could please have a moment in private. She said, yes and escorted my daughter outside her office. I won't go into much details of how much I expressed, but let me be clear, that I made sure to tell her I was on to her and did not appreciate her utilizing words of persuasion on a young, naive 11-year old. I am SO happy I said what I needed to say to her in person. Witnessing her reaction almost compensated the 4 hours I wasted there, when I originally was told it would be an hour.

PROTECT YOUR BEAUTIFUL OFFSPRING from THESE SHARKS.

Everything she was telling me frightened me into believing word for word. She stated being in the Dallas area the next week and wanted to interview my daughter. This was after she had inquired to what features my daughter possessed. I was told it would only take 15 minutes for an interview and so my daughter and I went to the hotel on the date we were told. We sat through an almost 3 hour long meeting in the ballroom full of other parents and daughters. Afterwards we had our "interview" which was informal and ridiculous but the lady stated my daughter was chosen to join "New Faces" and my daughter was pointed out several times during the "meeting" by the lady doing the whole process - referred to as "Lucky Penny Red" and I felt it was legitimate even though there were red flags.

The next day the lady called me and needed payment for classes ASAP or another young lady would have this opportunity and my daughter would lose this chance of a lifetime! According to this lady, she was only accepting just a few other girls that she had "interviewed". We paid in full by scanning items via computer and using a credit card. My daughter started the classes. We incurred more costs as it was stated after the first class that all girls must be in dress code - they must wear panty hose, dresses and high heels which are closed toe/closed heels. I am sure none of the girls in this class had these items at their homes and would have to go out and buy them as I had to do for my daughter.

The second class, my daughter was told to share her makeup with the girls who had forgotten to bring their own makeup in. My daughter had to throw out her lip gloss and wash her makeup brushes upon arrival home. Also she was made to undress in front of these other girls and redress as they were working out physically that day. My daughter is 14 years old and it made her uncomfortable as she had no clue as to who these other girls were or as to who the instructors were - I was told it is like changing in school during gym. In gym, at school, my daughter knows her peers and the gym teachers are not in the room also watching the girls change clothes! I also know that our school district does back ground checks on all of their employees.

Then I was told the girls had to do this in order to prepare for the "real" world of modeling!! The next month, all girls were told to stand up if they were 5'8 or taller. Three girls stood up, one being my daughter, who is 5'9.5. Then the other girls were told run way was for the tall girls only and if you were still sitting, you could forget about "high fashion" modeling. The next day, some girls did not show up and they never returned. Also girls started inquiring about the jobs they were promised after graduation and everyone was told that not all girls would receive "placement" after graduation. More girls dropped out.

The third month my daughter had to miss as she went to the hospital with a stomach ache which turned out to be appendicitis, her appendix had to be removed but before they were able to do so, her appendix erupted which made her very ill. I was told the following 4TH month that at least that was a legitimate reason for missing!! There were several girls caught stealing things from the hotel's gift shop but they were not dismissed from the program as they had been told if they return the items they would be forgiven and receive a second chance!! I believe in second chances but this was Barbizon - dress code enforced - lady like behaviors - top notch???

My daughter had make-up sessions scheduled for what she had missed but it was re-scheduled after the 4TH month. She was nervous about being pre-paired and I spoke with her instructor who informed me that on Sunday, the girl's were doing their first "Red Carpet" show. My daughter needed a long gown type dress preferably white or black but other colors would be okay, do not go out and spend a lot of money but bring the dress in on Sat. for approval to wear on Sunday. My daughter took her dress and it was approved. She was excited for the show on Sunday but not excited about changing again in front of everyone which by this time there were only around 9 girls left out of a much bigger number that started.

When I picked her up, she was in tears!! Once she was able to speak, she told me how her instructor stated she would need to remove her shrug jacket as it was too casual!! My daughter stated she did not want to remove it and that she did not have on a strapless bra and needed the jacket. Then her instructor literally removed the jacket from my daughter's body! She raised her voice at my daughter many times during the "Red Carpet" show telling her to look up and smile at the cameras!! My daughter was humiliated, frustrated, sad and angry. Barbizon misrepresented themselves to us as being a model agency who does not "charge" any money and who "places" their girls with the best jobs in modeling. Barbizon is not a model agency.

In our case, Barbizon did not even teach my daughter confidence but instead humiliated her and made her feel insecure and "very little". I contacted corporate and was spoken to very rudely and I was accused of "yelling" at the woman whom I was speaking with. She stated no refund for the remaining sessions would be given and that she would work things out with my daughter's instructor. She completely ignored the fact that I was telling her, my daughter would not be returning to any further sessions after being humiliated in front of everyone present in her class as well as other classes present to watch the show. I have written a formal complaint with the Federal Trades Commission after reading so many complaints about this company and their false representation. You can too: www.ftc.gov.

I know that if everyone who has been "fooled" by Barbizon would take the time to tell their story to the FTC, Barbizon would be paying many people back their hard earned money and possibly even be made to stop their business. People are taking the time to help others online by telling their horror stories but we all need to actually put a stop to this company’s "unfair" and "deceitful" trade practices. I hope you all will join me in truly helping other consumers and hard workers not become victims to Barbizon's misrepresentations and preying on our children's dreams. Thank You.

Well duh, of course, they called wanting us to sign papers the same day and pay right then and there. When I told her me and my husband was still talking over it, all she said was I better hurry or they will call the next girl in line. My daughter was crushed and thinks her daddy and I don't think she is pretty enough to fork over $2,000 to support her modeling, and all the crap they fed her. They prey on our kids and would not recommend them!!!

The Bad: Once we PAID to get in, the classes were held in old run-down offices. There were no high-tech gear or real props to work with when they studied acting or modeling. There is only one teacher for 14 kids. After graduation, we were told that we would get info in the mail about trying out for the Showcase. We waited very long and they finally called. The office in charge of that were completely disorganized. They had the wrong address, and I ended up having to call the rep that admitted my son to crack a whip on them and get them to send me the info for the Showcase via email since they were not capable of getting it in the mail.

Once I got info, the Showcase would be a week later, which we couldn't make because of prior commitments, so we missed out on auditioning for potential new shows for the fall. We had to wait 2 months for the next tryout which, if you passed the showcase tryout, it would be 6 months later for pilot auditions only. That totally messed us up. As for the Disney show taping, they signed 30 people up to go, but when we got to the studio, there was only room for 20. The rep in charge ended up taking her family inside and left 10 people stranded outside in the rain to wait for any extra seats to become available via the studio and not Barbizon. She didn't even care. My wife and son got in only because there were 2 tickets left and the group in front of them were 4 and they didn't want to split up. I complained and Barbizon promised me tickets for the next opportunity, but I have yet to hear back from them, now going on 6 months after that ordeal.

The Ugly: As for the Showcase, we finally got to one and they did some head shots that were straight forward and nowhere near what they should be like compared to industry standards. The company in charge of the Showcase made us wait for over an hour before talking to us and selling how great of an opportunity this is and how we need to do this. The woman talked for an hour, showing off what they do with a huge ego and name dropping, as if this was the greatest thing in the world.

That's when I got suspicious. They showed a video, which was horribly produced, of what the Showcase was like. They said they would put on a red carpet night out, a black tie dinner, we would be at a hotel for 4 days with seminars and classes before the auditions on the last day. Why, you ask, do they do this? Because if you make the Showcase, YOU HAVE TO PAY $6,000 to them to cover the cost for your child to attend the 4 days in the hotel. And on top of that, you have to accompany your child and you have to PAY $2,000! $8,000 to stay at a hotel with a bunch of parties that a 10-year-old doesn't need and share a room with 2 strangers. Why not just let my kid audition and see what happens? I'll pay a few bucks for that!

My son auditioned and, of course, they accepted him. They called us back for a "consultation" the next day while asking us to bring a deposit for the 4-day bash. I arrived the next day because I wanted to at least get the head shots and, of course, they were running an hour behind. I took the head shots and left. No way I was paying them money after my son had only done 4 months of intro to acting and modeling. A complete scam!

After talking for about 20 minutes with this "very personable" woman, she told me that she would personally like to interview my daughter and would be making a special trip to Arkansas just for her and a "few" others that were selected out of hundreds of referrals. Okay now I was just as excited as my daughter and couldn't wait for May 4, 2013. We got to the hotel and there were literally hundreds of girls there, all ages, sizes, races; you name it, they were there.

We sat in this large room where everyone was "force fed" the presentation that got the girls' eyes wide and overjoyed with the thought that they would be in the same place as the stars they were watching on the screen. My daughter was thrilled, until....

The speaker of the day stepped in the room, and pitched this speech, that would make the most unattractive person in the world feel as if they were capable of being the next big thing, if they join Barbizon, for classes to teach them how to be "model like" and went on to explain the dictionary definition of the word "model"... See, apparently we had it all wrong, our definition of what a model in fact is, but Barbizon explained it for us.

Now she talked about the cost, and how we as parents should want to invest in our children. Really?! Is she kidding me, the mom that lifted the vehicle off her child has nothing on me and what I would do for my children? I looked in my daughter's face and tears were rolling down her cheeks. I begged her to tell me what was wrong and she asked me to go in the restroom with her when she proceeded to tell me, "It's okay mom. We can't afford it; we can leave." My heart sank to see my baby girl want something so bad, that these vicious wolves have sold to her mentally. What girl doesn't want to be a star with their name in shining lights?

We left. We still got a call a couple of days after and once I explained my concerns and expressed I could not afford it as a single mom, it did not stop there. I was then offered a once in a lifetime "scholarship" offer. This would require that I still pay the $495 down payment, payment only 5 payments of $117, because my daughter has so much potential. How do they know? The more I declined, the harder she tried. Sorry honey, no commission from my hard-earned money.

It is a bad thing when companies prey on children and their dreams. Parents, protect them from the hype. My daughter's name will be in shining lights one day. We just won't have to pay for it to get there!

Of course, I got in along with everyone else who came, not to be rude but some of the people in that room were downright unattractive. I'm not saying I'm beautiful but I do have the look. Anyway, I was so brainwashed that I cashed my bonds to pay for it as my mom, a single parent, couldn't afford it. The lady gave me a special deal because she felt so bad for me and slashed off several hundred dollars. She put me on a payment plan which also was very screwy. Anyway I took the classes and wasn't impressed. However, my mistake was that I kept going.

You can go to, I believe, 2 or 3 and if it's not for you, supposedly you can get your money back. I was under the impression that if I wasn't thrilled with the program, I could get my money back at any time. I didn't learn anything. As a guy, I don't wear makeup. They really are about women, makeup and hair which I don't care about. I know how to wash my face. Oh my God! They actually teach that, which I think is absurd. Anyway I called Laura, the scout from Arizona several times and each time she sweet talked me into staying. She was so persuasive and would talk over me so I couldn't get a word in edgewise.

Come graduation, I decided this wasn't for me and called to ask for my money back. Laura went from being this sweet as pie to a cold mean person. She first screamed at my mother until she started to cry and then handed the phone to me. I didn't want to talk. It started out with the nice voice and then she started screaming at me. She told me that I was a terrible person that I was ungrateful as Barbizon did get me one job, a charity runway show before I signed the contract so whatever. She then told me that there was no way I could get my money back and that I, in fact, still owed several hundred dollars. I told her I didn't want to pay and then she threatened to take me to small claims if I didn't.

I was scared! I mean I'm a teenager and I don't have a lot of money. I couldn't go to court. The next day, I called the director of Barbizon in my city and was crying. I'm a guy and this woman made me cry; I was so upset. I felt like I had wasted all my money and felt trapped. She told me that Laura even called and told them to throw my contract away as I was a bad person. But the director kept me on because she liked me. I'm not mad at her. She is a very nice person but Laura was the worst person I have ever dealt with. So I got a money order as I didn't want them to have my account info and asked for a Paid in full. I got a certificate saying that I had completed 60 hours of female modeling training!

I asked for another certificate where they simply whited out female and wrote male. I was with them for an entire year and got 0 jobs. I went to one casting for some agency. The two agents were overweight and looked like they rolled out of bed. They were also over an hour late which I found incredibly unprofessional. They took a photo and promised to have a decision in a week. I never heard from them again. I asked the director several times and she said that she hadn't heard anything. Then she said they were still conferring 3 months after the casting. Finally, I asked to be let out of the contract. The director told me that I was never under contract as Laura had thrown it away when we had the conversation on the phone.

I am extremely angry and disappointed in them and in myself for getting brainwashed and sucked in. Barbizon is a horrible place!

Well, things picked up for me when the classroom was split up and my teacher was the pretty one. I felt like she really knew what she was talking about and even though it was way more than 10 of us in the class, she still answered all of our questions and went over the subjects; that is, until the school's manager keep coming in the class rushing her, rushing us. This went on for pretty much the whole weekend. The other girls I'm sitting with couldn't believe it. He just kept coming in and he was trying to be funny. I may only be 17 but my mom and I take this very seriously. It kind of sucks though because I did like my teacher, but I can't see myself spending the next six months with the manager interrupting.

They lie to my mom. They tell her, “This whole experience is totally free!” Then, they start talking about how “Oh, it'll only cost just about $3,000.00!” Well, I have always wanted to be an actress, director, etc. So when they stopped me in the mall that day, oh, I don't know, about a year ago and never called, emailed, ya know, that sort of stuff, I was crushed. Then, they finally do, and I'm all happy. Then, that all happens, and I read a lot of reviews, and I am, again, crushed. I hope that was just an experience for me, because it feels really bad and no one should have to feel that about themselves. I would not recommend going to this school to girls who have strong feelings, because this was not fun.

My daughter looked at me and said, "Dad - I know you love me and this is dumb. This isn't worth $2000. Let's go home." Wiser words have never been spoken. What upset me is how underhanded the presentation was and only a fool would believe that the $2000 wasn't a cover charge to get you in the Alice In Wonderland. It's easier for me to hand my baby 2 grand.

A month went by and I called asking for my refund and they told me I wasn't getting one. I explained that in reality I did send a letter on the 3rd business day since 11/11 was a holiday. The director Jamie thought about it and called me back saying they were going to count the acceptance day as one day so I was late. I explained that the 8th was not to be counted and then she said the 11th counts. Again, I told her it was a holiday and I did send an email on the 11th and the post offices were closed. Jamie told me I should've called and had the post office open to mail a letter. She said she could roll the funds over to another audition that costs $850 and I said no way. This is such a disgrace and they should be ashamed of themselves.

Although I am not against any school teaching modeling, I am against the deceptive practice and methods they use to get you there on the pretenses that you have been selected to work as a model. They then spring it on you that they can't send you out without you having first done classes. If they are selling classes, they should simply say so and not sell the poor girls and their parents a story that their daughter could be the next big thing, but only if they first attend classes.

Jenny was excited to see my daughter and told us that she would definitely be accepted, until I told her that we could not afford nor did we have the budget to shell out $2395 for modeling classes. Her whole demeanor then changed and she couldn’t get us out there fast enough. If you are being contacted by Barbizon Modeling and asked to come to a casting call because you have been selected as a model, don't go: it’s a scam. Only go if you are specifically looking for modeling classes.

Never pay an agent or manager beforehand! They work for you and receive 10% (agent) and 15-20% (manager) of that particular job. Until you get really established, you really don't need a manager anyway. Please stop falling for these places that have ** teachers and that try to way overcharge! And how is it even legal for high schools to allow people to come into them and solicit personal names, addresses and phone numbers? How is that legal and safe for our students? Aren't there any laws protecting our students from predatory salespeople? Just a thought!

Then I called and spoke to Josie and was told class did not start because they didn't have enough girls. That made me so angry. I called Sarah to confirm this and she denied that. Then I called on the first weekend in October, the receptionist is clueless. I asked if the pre-teen classes would start that date and she said yes. I drove to their location and there was no class yet. It was some October event going on and they just sent me on my merry way. Still no call of when classes would start. Then the unexpected happen. I am relocating from Charlotte to Massachusetts.

I called Sarah right away to find out now that classes had not started and my contract has been breached I wanted a refund. Sarah was unprofessional. she was not understanding me. I spoke to her numerous times. Sarah was trying to give me the run around. She kept telling me to start my daughter until I leave. According to her, I don't want you to loose your $395.00. It's been 3 months almost and no return call. But Sarah wanted my $200.00 payments until I left. I asked Sarah, "If you are not giving me a refund, then I would like $395.00 worth of classes for my daughter." And she responded that only covers materials for class. So I responded, "Well, give me my materials." And she said that she couldn't do that.

I was furious. I called corporate in Tampa, all they did was transfer my daughters information to Windsor, CT, nearest location to my new address. But guess what? Another scam, they want $850.00 more for my daughter to attend their school. I was told to contact Charlotte ** for refund. I have left over 7 messages, spoke with Cindy **, she heard me out and still waiting for a return call for almost 3 weeks ago. Mrs. ** said to me, "Oh, I have someone in your same situation." I thought, I finally found someone in that office with some sense or a better understanding than Sarah.

Thank God I didn't hold my breath. Parents please be careful with greedy Barbizon.

First of all, no! Barbizon is not a scam! Yes it is expensive and yes, your daughter (ages 8-18) can and will get real modeling/acting jobs. But first, the parents have to attend the information session. This is after an admissions director contacts you or your daughter. An ad gets the leads by your daughter! They can be: a) filled out at a mall kiosk, b) a Barbizon representative visits your daughter's school offering a scholarship where they fill out yellow forms (Yes, Barbizon actually gives out scholarships. This is true, but they also use the yellow forms to solicit you to coming to the information sessions. Unorthodox!) c) at a movie theater or d) at a bowling alley.

So, when an ad calls to invite you to an info session and you and your daughter did not fill out anything at all, usually the ad is using a yellow lead your daughter filled out at school. Your daughter won't remember because she signed up for a scholarship, not modeling and acting. After arriving at the information session, you will see a video then a manager will begin speaking about how great the company is. It really is a great company, if you want your daughter to build confidence. You will then be directed to interview with the director, so they can evaluate your potential for placement with the company.

So your daughter has her interview form in her hand with her picture stapled to the back of it. The director will evaluate her for modeling and acting divisions. You are handed a Barbizon bag with all of the paperwork inside and the director will present you with the pricing sheet. Plan 1 is $1,970, to be paid in full or split payment of $985 and $985; the director makes $250 commission. Plan 2 is a deposit of $495 then 5 monthly payments of $333 or 6 payments of $277.50; the director makes $200 commission. The director will always push for plan 1.

You are then asked if you want your daughter to be put through the selection process. This is just a sales pitch, Barbizon wants everyone to sign up. If you do put your daughter through, you will get a call the next day with the director saying something like "well, we saw 260 girls and we were only able to accept 56, but you made it!". There is no selection process. This is a sales job, but it doesn't mean it is a scam. If you want your daughter to attend Barbizon, it's totally up to you! Not Barbizon. They make it seem like it's a once in a lifetime opportunity, it's not. They fly all over the USA to have these big events. They usually visit the same state maybe 2 times a year. So if you and your daughter really want to do it and you have the money, go for it!

This is what you get: The Barbizon weekend (one weekend a month for 6 months), graduate, then become part of the placement division (really does not mean anything). They also (if requested after graduation) can receive their placement packet. When your daughter graduates Barbizon, she should request her packet. She can go on her auditions and get jobs, and when your daughter attends Barbizon, she can keep coming back (for free) until she is 65 years of age. Barbizon updates their classes every 2 years, according to industry standards.

When we arrived at the hotel room where the school was to be held, I was leery about leaving my daughter there alone. We were the first to arrive and the two young ladies that were the 'teachers" were not friendly at all. At the first class, we were informed that the classes would be every Sunday instead of two Sundays a month. This was in order to speed up the classes so graduation could be held on 30 Jan 11. This really made me angry because nothing was said about the changes prior to the first class. The next thing that made me angry was the "makeup" for my daughter was not individual kits. The makeup was doled out very sparingly by the teachers using Q-tips.

I called Josi at Barbizon and she, of course, denied the part about the makeup kit. And she really didn't have an explanation for the changes in days other than it was because of scheduling a time that was convenient with the so-called judges who would be at the graduation. So, we went along with that **. The "school" was very unprofessional. The hotel room was just that--a hotel conference room. It was bare to the bones and nothing indicated that the famous Barbizon Modeling was there.

The teacher that my daughter had, had been with Barbizon for three months as a new trainee. This was what Josi told me when I called to complain about how the teacher had been "corrected on things" by the supervisor during the first two sessions. After that, the supervisor was no longer at the sessions. This school was the most unprofessional thing I have ever seen.

After the graduation weekend--which was a real farce--each girl was given an open call to the U2 interview. This is where you go before the "judges" to see if you "qualify" for the big $3,800 cruise. The cruise will introduce the models and their families to "people or contacts in the business." Of course, my daughter qualified but we did not accept the cruise offer. And we have not heard another word from them since the 05 Feb 11.

I mailed the pictures and the required Barbizon form to Caren at Barbizon in Charlotte. I emailed her to let her know that we would accept the ICE representation from Barbizon. ICE is what Barbizon guarantees all its graduates; it's a so-called agency that represents its models and guarantees interviews. As of this date, we have not received any interviews or job offers as Barbizon promised. Barbizon wants only your money and when you decide that you do not want to invest any more of your money in their **, you do not hear anymore from them.

I am sure that had we paid to go on the upcoming cruise in October 2011, we probably would have had some contact from Barbizon. Also, we were told that Barbizon would provide a free photo shoot by a professional photographer, which we did, but the cost of the photos were over $240 (we received one complimentary photo on a disc).

Like I said, as long as you invest in Barbizon, you may get an opportunity to go on interviews and possibly get a job. We'll, my daughter will never know. Parents, please save your money. I know that kids (like my daughter) think that it is an opportunity of a lifetime. It all sounds so good. But please, beware. Do not throw your money away--at least, not with Barbizon of Charlotte, NC.

My daughter was so shy and withdrawn when she started Barbizon; I was worried if this was the right thing for her. Although I think she's beautiful, I didn't want her to get her hopes up of being a model and have them crushed if it didn't work out. I explained to her that this is a modeling and acting school and it was not for a modeling job...that's the key parents, be parents and be realistic with your children. She wanted to do it anyway and I support her interests so I let her. She graduated from her Barbizon program even more beautiful of a young lady than before. She was confident, outgoing and really seemed to shine. I am so proud of her.

The programs that Barbizon has in place are not just about becoming a model or actor but so much more. They teach confidence, etiquette, personal development and professional skills. If she never models a day in her life I will not feel my money was wasted. I am telling you parents, this is an A+ program. Just go into it with realistic expectations, not just for the fame. The people they have at Barbizon are wonderful and their program is truly valuable. I hope this will help you in making your decision. Don't just listen to the complaints, listen to the positive too.

Consequently, they dug in and took a total of $1,500.00 from my account unauthorized. Better Business Bureau of Charlotte were no help. You had to pay $50.00 to get further assistance, but I believed that Barbizon had them paid off to win. I lost all the money, my daughter felt duped as well. They offered classes elsewhere, but she is going to college in Charlotte. What a joke they are. Parents, be careful.

Shortly, after that we would get notices of going to New York to the big IMTA or something but did not have that kind of money to get her there and I was already very disappointed about putting up the money for what really wasn't worth $1600. She is now 17 and still nothing has come from the school, actually getting ready to look up local agencies. But my reason for putting my voice out there is I had heard there was a news view on a scam about this agency and I don't want other struggling families to put out lots of money for a big letdown for your child.

At the "graduation" ceremony, which is a "fashion show”, they don’t do anyone’s makeup, hair, and they all wear their own outfits. I’m pretty sure they don’t give out fashion tips either because some of the girls just looked like a hot mess. You don’t have to look like a model or have any talent to go here. I actually feel bad for my friend because she actually has potential (she’s skinny, pretty and tall) and here she is in this class with a bunch of random girls that could’ve been picked up from off the street for all we know. The "ceremony" was very pathetic; the "instructor" was much uncoordinated and didn’t know anyone’s name. (I wonder if she even has any kind of experience in the industry). Bottom line, if you are serious about wanting a career in acting or modeling, do not go to this school. It is a complete and total waste of money and I don’t even know how these people sleep at night.

Alyssa said it was bad. They said they build confidence but she was extremely rude and hurtful. She told my daughter she needed more training and for $3,000 they would do that. She misrepresented the company and I told her so. I told her she lied to me on the phone. So please do not be scammed by these people. If Alyssa from Tampa, Fl Barbizon ever calls you, hang up. This place needs to be shut down. Stop allowing them to take people's money. It is not fair. They were mentally abusive to my daughter.

Come June, we were tired of waiting, so we asked for a refund. He took my card info again because we did a debit and they had their money right away but he said it could be up to legally 60 days for a refund. So we have waited for nothing. I called back and they no longer existed! My daughter meanwhile has told her friends & her relatives that she is a model, she is one day going to be on TV, that she can't wait because she has what it takes.

Now I, as a mother, have to tell my daughter it was a lie! This is insane! She was crushed, so we tried to drive to the building. No one was there! I get a hold of corp. office and they proceeded to tell me we are on some list of refund. It is now Nov. 2 and we are still waiting for an answer and they have nothing to say except for us to wait and I refuse to wait any longer! They did not have to wait for my money and I want it back. I want answers now! I have been kind and patient but I am done. Whatever I have to do to make sure this school never runs in Houston again and be successful and take little girls and their dreams from them, I will do. This is crazy and these are children they are hurting. How cruel and ignorant of Barbizon's and to think at one time I trusted them. They are a joke!

Lindsey got to a point where she could not attend some of her classes due to her condition and was told she could complete her assignments from home. She worked on a VERY thick model magic book for months on end and we even put a down payment in for her to go to L.A., CA. of approximately $3000.00. Her book was mailed to the address (Chase Commerce Bank Bld. 3829 Lorna Rd. Suite 320 Birmingham, AL 35244 ATTN: Ms. Wendy or Ms. Chira) that was provided to us on Sept. 18, 2008 with delivery confirmation (tracking # **) and on Thursday November 20th, 2008 after returning from Birmingham from Lindsey having surgery it was on our front porch with a label unclaimed. They didn't even bother to pick up her book that she had worked so very hard on for months and months.

When I spoke with them about why it had been sent back they said they didn't get mail there, yet that was the address we had been provided and when I have mail that does not get delivered to my personal home I DO get a slip informing me that there is something at the post office to pick up! Lindsey was crushed and discouraged and now does not feel accepted and has a fear of traveling to L.A. and would rather have the Money that was to go toward the trip to go toward college(she will have to take online classes due to seizures). I have made an attempt to obtain a refund because there has been no service rendered for this large amount of money and her schooling at the Modeling school had already been paid in full.

Barbizon, however, does not want to refund the monies in which we paid although they have been neglectful to the needs of my daughter. So, in essence it's free money to them. Consumer beware. I have learned a great lesson in trust ,but only had the well being of my child in mind, wanting to see her gain in self confidence. This company has schools across the United States and in my opinion prey on the hopes and dreams of our youth.

The training program was a waste of time. Although it would have been helpful to a geek who turns into a beauty queen, my sister and I had workshops for acting and whatnot that already taught us the tools we needed. Nevertheless we were blind and had fun making friends with the fellow students. Near the end of the training program we all (a class of about 20 of us) signed contracts together. I thought completely nothing of it, and neither did my sister or my mother. We thought this place was legit, even though my mom had already put out a few thousand for the program, for each of us.

I got my comp cards done at the agency, by the agency's photographer, and also the agency director. I didn't get work until I was 18, where I booked a photo shoot, a few modeling shows and in between all of the shows I was doing.. they booked me to recruit models. What I did was while a bunch of the models were in windows doing mannequin modeling, I was getting people to give me their information. After a while it seemed weird, and after a while the actual modeling jobs stopped coming for me, and all I was doing was recruiting. I would give the agency 45-50 names at a time, and after a while I started to think about it.

On my own and without Barbizon's knowledge I went to New York City to get professional coaching in Singing and Acting. These coaches are the key for me and I'm still working with them today. They told me to do lots and lots of research on this so called Agency. I googled Barbizon Scam, and hundreds of hits came up. I emailed a few women who hosted blogs about scams and the acting business, and they helped me a great deal. Almost all of the red flags had been done at Barbizon of Harrisburg:

The Open Call, the photographer running the agency, they wanted models to pay thousands for IMTA when in reality a showcase costs under $50, and most of the time, nothing at all. The recruiting in malls, and the fact that legit agencies don't charge you for training you. If a real agency wants you they will train you for free. There's so many more red flags that bothered me and my conscience got to me. So the next time I recruited, I faked the names on the leads, because I didn't know how many lives I had unintentionally corrupted, and I didn't want to do it again. Barbizon found out when they were all wrong numbers and my handwriting was similar on almost all of them.

Another thing that really REALLY concerned me was when we found out how strict the rules are for underage people in show business. And both of us signed that contract when we were underage. And there were no licenses, there were no work permits, no nothing to keep us protected or to prove that they were anything legit. I talked to my sister who got a call from One Source Talent, which in our research we found that IMTA, One Source Talent, Explore Talent and a few others are all in the same family and they just pass your information around. She also researched, she's 17 and still underage. We both decided to leave the agency, because we have contacts in New York and my cousin is a director in NYC. All this time we had the correct contacts, but settled for trusting frauds.

When I sent the agency director the letter, he retorted by saying how I was unprofessional and lied about the leads, but never addressed all of the concerns I had dealing with the agency. He then told me that I had until a set date to mail the Barbizon materials back to Lemoyne or they would have to take immediate action. So the materials are sent back. But I still don't know how Brittany and I are going to get our contracts voided.

They spoke to us about talents discovered through Barbizon or IMTA, the experiences they had modeling or acting for Barbizon, their experiences working at Barbizon, what they were able to buy with their earnings from modeling: cars, books, pay off loans, and the services they will provide to us. The speakers suggested we apply for modeling if we were already applying for acting in order to keep our options open. The representatives of Barbizon then told us if we weren't professionally trained in both then anyone hoping to be signed would have to take courses in that very same Hotel for one weekend a month for 4 months starting the following week, May 27th and ending August 6th.

All of the girls there auditioning including myself were told that we would receive equipment necessary to complete the course which were included in the price:brushes, combs, makeup, makeup brushes, blush, eyeliner, mirrors, a hand bag, face exfoliaters, and the barbizon guide book. The only tools/materials not included were tweezers and face and hand towels which we had to bring the first day of classes.

The representatives also told us that anyone who was qualified and lucky enough to pass the interview would be accepted by the agency or asked to take the course. Upon completion we would have a fashion show where we would receive our diplomas, meet with a talent scout from the Ford models agency, and be allowed to go out on auditions and be allowed to work and it would all be for the price of $1,995 with the option to attend any further courses free of charge. Anyone who paid cash or all the money at once received about a $200 dollar discount and we were later promised a $50 payment for referring other people who would pay to enroll into the course. later on I even went so far as to ask one of the teachers, Ms. Sabourn, how she got her job. She then told me she applied for a position answering phones or mail in one of the offices and they called her back weeks later offering her a job as a teacher with no certification, training, or experience.

When we arrived for the first day of classes, we as the students were broken up into three groups based on our ages: 12 and under, 13 to 15 and 16 to 19, and instead of receiving our own makeup cases, brushes, combs, makeup brushes, and etc., we only received a handful of each item we were promised instead of our own and we had to share them within our groups and take turns using the materials before or after another group.

I had an allergic reaction both times i used the makeup along with at least one of the other girls in my group as well. We were also told that we had to do a photo shoot with a photographer they picked on July 16, with only a day's notice in advance. We were also told that we would have to pay a fee of $250, $450, 0r$600 for the pictures and Barbizon would be keeping over half of our comp cards we purchased.

I haven't even graduated or received my diploma because Barbizon announced changing our graduation date to a time after they have received final payments. With all of the fees I was charged, all the money spent on transportation and commutes, the reactions my face had to the makeup (which was probably cheap and contaminated), and the broken promises, I have become convinced that Barbizon hasn't done anything but put a strain on me emotionally, mentally , and financially. I feel hopeless, depressed and cheated. I made friends at the Hilton we met at every month and I was befriended by the woman claiming to be my agent and the women posing at teachers. I never thought I would have been so betrayed by people I thought were suppose to help me.

Barbizon is now asking for the money and has turned the matter over to Remex, Inc for collection. Prior to their threatening notice, there was no previous communication from them. I have asked for a copy of the Barbizon contract in writing from Barbizon and to date have not received it. With this letter to them, I also sent a check of $25 to hopefully avoid the matter being turned over to a collection agency until the matter could be discussed.

Also, on the day I received the threatening notice, I called them and left a message for the billing person to call me. Phone calls have not been returned. They also have lots of excuses why my daughter didn't get work to pay her bill.

Since Barbizon has now handed the matter over to the collection agency, Remex,Inc. in Priceton, NJ, it's double trouble. Now we have to deal with another company who is even more frustrating to work with. When we received the collection notice from Remex,Inc, I called them and explained the agreement that was between my daughter and Barbizon and also that we had wanted a copy of the contract from Barbizon.

I was told by Remex that they would get this for me. This was over 2 months ago and, to date, nothing has been received from them either. I recently have called Remex to inquire about the status of things and was treated very rudely. I was told that they have no record of my previous request.. only that the Barbizon bill was 2 years old. They didn't want to hear anything that I had to say. The man at Remex didn't give me a chance to talk. He then started yelling at me, which made me yell back and then he hung up on me. I tried to call them back but they didn't answer (they must have caller id).

We know now that getting involved with Barbizon was a big mistake and a waste of money. They do not abide by their agreements and tend to have short memories on what was agreed upon. The personnel also tend to push the blame for things back on the consumer and assume no responsibilties for agreements made or even phone messages not delivered. Remex also does not hold themselves accountable for any committments or agreements they make either. They obviously don't record all the facts in their records. If they did, they would have a record of my phone call and my requests.

well after looking around for a while i relized that they just send these post cards to anyone and everyone. after the presentation i got a 2 minute interview with a scout who didnt care what i looked like or wanted as long as my mom had a major credit card and let me tell you, the conversation ended there. my mother said she wanted time to think about it and read over there material..they didnt want to hear it they said i would lose my spot if i didnt pay right now, then she handed us some crap about being selected if your selected..everyone with cash was selected. they dont care who you are or what you look like.

when my mom said she didnt have that much money on the spot to put out the told her to find someone to borrow it from, and that she must not really care about my future if she doesnt. well after going home and doing some research i found that barbizon has the lowest success rate with turning out working models and that they are only a school, they cannot get anyone jobs anywhere and they do very little to keep there promise of getting you any kind of exposure.

i feel really bad for the kids who believe in this scam and the parents who get suckered out of thousands of dollars for nothing.