ORLANDO, Fla. — Families who had professional photos taken at the Picture People's eight Florida locations might never see their photos or receive refunds for prepaid packages after the company suddenly closed all of its locations nationwide last week.
The managers of the now-closed Orlando location on Conroy Road told Channel 9 Monday they had to move out of their building so quickly that they didn't have time to call customers who scheduled appointments for the following day.
Picture People photographers captured some of their customer's most important milestones.
"They're trusting us with their memories, and now some of that is gone because they can't even get them," former assistant manager Susan Padilla said.
Outstanding orders are now in jeopardy.
"There was no notice for us," former studio manager Jenny Rivera said. "There was no notice for the customers (who) had these appointments, (who) already had pre-purchased packages with us."
Rivera, Padilla and Xaiver Preston, who managed the Orlando studio, were instructed Thursday afternoon to immediately cease operations.
"We were having customers come in with their graduation gowns, and we just had to send them home," Rivera said.
The managers were also told their health insurance would be canceled Thursday and they wouldn't be paid for unused vacation time.
"To now be told you don't have a job anymore and you have to go back out there and find another job is heartbreaking," Padilla said.
The former managers don't know if they'll receive their last paycheck, if customers will receive the photos they've already had taken or if they'll be refunded for packages they've already purchased.
"We spent years of dedication and loyalty to this company that, at the end, didn't do the same for us," Rivera said.
The former managers said they would have preferred to have had at least two weeks' advance notice.
They said business had been as steady as ever and that they had been especially busy because of graduations.
Cox Media Group
