Composite Prices
 

I'm part of a new colony of Delta Chi, and we're about to get our first composite made. I've heard Greek Yearbook and Vantine are both good, but we're thinking about using somebody local. Can anybody tell me what a decent price for a group of about 25 is?

The chapter I advise (and am an alumnus of) is the same size you are. We normally spend $400-$600 on a composite depending on the company.

My "old man advice" (as they call it): Avoid signing a mulit-year contract with one company if at all possible.

My chapter used a local photographer last year and of course all local photographers operate differently. But, from my experience, I would never use a local photographer again.

I had to call him every week before he would ever call me back. Each sister had to pay a $15 dollar sitting fee. After the final shoot, it took him six weeks to get the final composite up on his website. Then, even if the sisters participated, they had to pay $30 some to get an 8x10 copy of the composite. And, he just matted the composite--he didn't frame it. So, we also had to pay someone to frame it.

It came out nice.....but it was a lot of work.

We're using Greek Yearbook this year (actually, having the pics taken today) and thus far, I have been very pleased with the company.

There are a lot of companies that do that. i wouldn't be concerned so much with price. they all are probably around the same. i would have them tell you about the process and how they show you proofs. etc.

We had about the same size group as yall and we charged 25 dollars a person. We used a local company too.

My school has a very undersized Greek system, and the only local companies I could find didn't have any experience with Greek organizations, only with corporate associations and things like that.

Right now I'm looking at Greek Yearbook, Digital Pix and Composites, and Vantine Imaging. Anybody have anything to say (good or bad) about any of those?

WHATEVER, WHATEVER, WHATEVER you do, do NOT use Fraternal Composite Service. As a chapter, we have used them for several years (back-to-back two year contracts...we didn't mean to renew the second time but our President signed the contract anyway...who knows, whatever, not the point...) and have been dissatisfied since the second year. Every year they insist upon payment before they will schedule the picture date, then send us a bill after the shoot asking for the "remaining balance." When we tell them the account was paid in full and demonstrate as much through credit card statements, they apologize for the error. Then, the composite never arrives. We call back (and mind, you this happens like clockwork EVERY YEAR) and after a few week's worth of phone tag, they insist that payment was never received. We have to AGAIN demonstrate proof of payment and remind them that we already had this pleasant conversation. Usually, by the time the composite gets here, it's almost time to take the next one, which really sucks because it perpetually looks like we're missing a year of composite pictures during both semesters of Recruitment.

In addition to the fact that their billing "system" is greatly in need of a remodel, the photographer they send is always the creepiest, sketchiest guy you could possible imagine and he routinely acts like he's in the running for a spot on "To Catch a Predator". Not to mention not a single one of their photographers has ever been on time, and one year the guy flat out didn't show at all. 40 girls were sitting in the common room waiting, hair and makeup done, and we sat there for the full time slot waiting on this guy and he never came. We tried calling but the office was closed? and the next day we learned that the photographer's van had gotten a flat tire on his way to our shoot, but I guess he didn't feel that compelled to call us or anything...

Finally, one year, once we had finally wrestled the composite out of their hands, it arrived completely unable to be hung. The printing had turned out horribly, overly grayed, with our platinum blonde sister looking like she had black hair, so you can imagine what it did for the rest of us... We insisted that they reprint it, which in Fraternal Composite fashion, took another 6 months. Awesome.

Anyway, the bottom line is, Fraternal sucks and should be avoided at all costs. I would rather swallow glass than work with these people again!

Composite for Colony
 

Our group got a free composite from fraternal composite service. We had to pay $550 for it but they are refunding it towards next year's composite. We had a group of 30.