![\"Bellizzi](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/4e001d04db7270e31a912ee6c4958390250989ba66ed67663ec7493d608b558d.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nIn the end, they received an A4 print and two digital photos for $100 more than the prize, which they had already paid as a holding fee.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not an art piece, it\u2019s just a print on cardboard, no frame,\u201d Berthold said of the photo that eventually arrived in the mail.<\/p>\n
Others have paid much more, and blame pushy sale tactics after the photos have been taken.<\/p>\n
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Bellizzi says it offers premium quality prints. <\/p>\n
One woman who spoke to this masthead signed up to pay $2728 for three unframed photos with her dog.<\/p>\n
She said the sales consultant organised a package for them that was much more than the prize\u2019s value, before eventually telling them the price.<\/p>\n
They said they loved the photos and asked whether they could have time to think about the cost, but were told it was their only chance to decide.<\/p>\n
The woman said Bellizzi\u2019s sales consultant was pushy when they said the package was out of their budget, saying: \u201cEven with the payment plan you can\u2019t afford it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eventually, they relented and gave their details, which were used to set up a loan contract with an external provider called Humm.<\/p>\n
After the phone call ended she said she felt stupid, and that the company had pressured her to proceed with the sale.<\/p>\n
The next morning, she and her partner tried to cancel the loan, but Bellizzi said the contract they had signed had no cool-off period and did not allow refunds.<\/p>\n
The woman has paid about $600 of the loan and is one of 19 people in New South Wales and Queensland to complain to offices of fair trading about the company.<\/p>\n
By the time the images arrived, she said she didn\u2019t even want them.<\/p>\n
Bellizzi managing director Yury Samokhvalov said he was shocked to hear of people complaining about his business\u2019s sales tactics.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom day one, we\u2019ve been very transparent about our pricing \u2014 it\u2019s clearly displayed on our website, so there are no surprises,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He added prices are \u201cprovided directly to each client before their appointment\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne thing no one can say is that they weren\u2019t informed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Samokhvalov said photos are never deleted. However, this masthead has seen emails where the company says the Zoom meeting is the only opportunity to see the images, encouraging \u201call decision makers\u201d to be on the call.<\/p>\n
A video sent to people who enter Bellizzi\u2019s competitions tells the story of a woman who got portraits of their dog just before it suddenly passed away.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will be forever grateful for those portraits,\u201d the voiceover says.<\/p>\n
Multiple competition winners said similar stories were mentioned to them by Bellizzi employees.<\/p>\n
A woman who won a photoshoot with her dog said she considers the studio\u2019s tactics as emotional blackmail.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would be a real shame for this dog to die and for you not to have any photos of him,\u201d she said the salesperson said, after she had told a story about her old pet who had passed away.<\/p>\n
Samokhvalov said staff was not encouraged to mention deceased pets, and the \u201cteam genuinely connects with clients over [a] shared love of pets\u201d.<\/p>\n
Other winners have told this masthead they have been pressured to buy photos. One woman said the sales consultant questioned whether she could make financial decisions when she said she\u2019d have to run the purchase \u2013 several thousands of dollars \u2013 past her husband.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t you want your daughter to know you love her?\u201d she said the salesperson asked on the Zoom call.<\/p>\n
An email sent by Bellizzi says the call is necessary \u201cbecause this is a visual decision that needs to be considered with one\u2019s own eyes\u201d.<\/p>\n
In a statement, NSW Fair Trading said 10 people complained about Bellizzi since February 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cNSW Fair Trading has engaged directly with the business to reinforce its obligations under the Australian Consumer Law and other relevant legislation, including an expectation that the business comply in future,\u201d a spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
Samokhvalov said his business had been reviewed by Fair Trading and was fully compliant.<\/p>\n
Consumer advocate Jo Ucukalo from Handle My Complaint said cooling-off periods apply when a business directly approaches you, but the lines are blurred when it comes to online competitions.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/d3e461f979d9e592127409053e89a5cf762a29761f8e40577fea5ff69134be1b.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
A competition offered by Bellizzi Studios on facebook.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat cooling-off period is really clear when you\u2019re sitting at home and someone knocks on your door, but when you start engaging with them online your entitlement as a consumer to a cooling-off period gets very, very murky,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo if they use a honeypot like a giveaway that you can enter, you\u2019ve now engaged with them in the first instance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Samokhvalov said the company has a \u201c100 per cent satisfaction guarantee\u201d and always aims to work with the customer where possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe understand that sometimes buyer\u2019s remorse can happen, but we\u2019re always transparent about our pricing and the value we deliver,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n