InterFACE

TOTAL scam!!! Do not do any business with this company! They send their employees bounced checks and refuse to pay them for their work. The models pay top dollar only to be utterly screwed out of their money. I’m not sure where all the money is going but it is not only shady but totally illegal!

So rude!
My family and I were at the mall last weekend when we were approached by a representative from the company who commented about how cute my son is. While I know a lot of us suffer from delusions of grandeur when it comes to our kids looks, my son does have a unique look. He is biracial (African-​American/​South Asian) and has really lovely curly hair. In any case, they took my information down and I scheduled an appointment that was supposed to be tomorrow.
First red flag – I got a phone call on Tuesday from a number I did not know and there was no voice mail. I called back and it was a rep from their office. She cited to me an appointment day that was different than what I had agreed to at the mall. I didn’t think too much of it, so I told her we could come in on the weekend, not a weekday, like she had proposed. She said she would call back on Thursday to confirm.
Second red flag – I got a call back to confirm the appointment on Thursday. Dumb on my part, but I realized I had never asked them to tell me the name of the company and no one gave me a business card at the mall so I could look at the company website. I had to ask the associate over the phone several times what the name of the company was. She said it really quickly and finally I asked her to spell it for me – which she did partially. We set an appointment time for this Saturday and she gave me the address for the office.
Third red flag (the huge one) – After getting off the phone with the rep from the company, I decided to do some research. I don’t know why I didn’t do it earlier (busy week), but I wanted to know what to expect prior to this «appointment.» Holy moly! Every comment about this place was talking about what a scam it was. There were a few comments sprinkled around stating that clients didn’t understand the process, or misunderstood, or some such other nonsense – clearly written by people who work for this place to defend it’s reputation. That shouldn’t be necessary if you’re running a legitimate business. I immediately decided I would not take my kid here.
Finally, what has compelled me to write this review – had I not just had the experience I did – was the fact that yet a different rep called me just now to confirm for Saturday. I politely explained that we would not be coming in. He immediately jumps on the fact that I live by the office and wants to know why we can’t come – by the way, he referred to my son as a she (did they not read their intake form?). I correct him about that and I explain that other things have come up (no use bringing up to this guy that his company is a scam – he’s clearly had that kool-​aid). He says to me, very condescendingly, «That’s okay, we’ll disqualify him from this opportunity.» Maybe not a major deal, but sometimes it’s not what you say, but how you say it. As if to try (he was unsuccessful here) that my kid will not be successful in life without this opportunity. As I was forming a rebuttal to this rude comment – he hangs up on me!
I am so glad I never wasted the gas to drive to this place, that I never wasted the time to wait in an office, that I never wasted my precious time with my son listening to people try to pry my hard earned money away to sell me a bridge in Brooklyn.
The guy didn’t even offer to reschedule, so I’m convinced they are just churning people in and out. The next time I see them at the mall, I will let them know what I think of their «business» in person. I’m surprised people haven’t protested or petitioned mall management to kick these people out – they waste valuable kiosk space that could be used for a pretzel place.

Interface is absolutely a scam business. We signed a contract February 2014 for $ 675. After reading all the complaints online we decided to cancel within the 3 days by certified mail as required of said contract. The contract states that a refund check would be sent within 30 days. We have contacted interface numerous times about our refund to no avail claiming «significant clerical & accounting errors». We have also filed with the BBB April of 2014. An interface employee named Joseph Arena responded to the claim again saying «several accounting & clerical errors» have delayed our refund but a refund would be expedited. As of July 7 2014 no refund has been made. Calls to Interface client services now go unanswered with wait times resetting once reaching the next call in line going back to over 10 calls ahead.
Do not do contract with this business. Internet searches of the company & owner Roman Vintfeld show a long history of fraud. I wish I had done my research prior to meeting with Interface. If you need more proof view this article from ABC News 7 WJLA from Washington DC. The report came out just one week after we contracted with Interface.

Do not go here ever! They charge outrageous rates for headshots, and they use very high-​pressure sales tactics that cater toward the peripheral routes of persuasion. I almost got sucked into that (yes, they are excellent salesmen), but I cancelled everything the very next day (I sent a certified mail/​return receipt request letter). However, my one mistake was putting down a deposit to «save me spot.» I still haven’t gotten my money back (despite their 3-​Day cancellation policy). They even tried to call me multiple times after I cancelled just to try to convince me to give them more money.
In a way, stumbling into this kind of artist exploitation as a young adult is a brutal but necessary lesson for me. I’m only getting my start in the entertainment world, and I’ll meet a lot more people like the ones at InterFACE as my work gets more popular. This experience will teach me to be very very careful in the future. Also, I will contact the Better Business Bureau and the MD Attorney General’s office if I don’t get my money back soon.
Update: I’ve sent all the documents to my credit card company to prove that I should not be charged if Interface decides to not return my deposit. I’ll let you all know how it goes.
Update (7÷29÷14): The money they charged for a deposit finally got returned to my account after two months and a credit dispute.

I wish I could give this company negative stars. This company is a joke. We’ve been trying to get our money refunded since January. It’s now April. We sent everything back THE NEXT DAY, per contract and we are forced to call this place every other week. Every time we’re told any number of stories, with the ending being «we’ll process it right away» or «it’s in process, wait 7 – 10 days». Incompetent at best, crooks at worst. You’re transferred to someone different every time with a different «reason». Nobody will call you back even if the assure you they will handle it personally. We’ve had to call 8 times so far with nothing to show for it. DO NOT DEAL WITH THESE PEOPLE, they just want to take your money.
We are looking into small claims court, better business bureau complaints and other legal means to get our due refund.

Not quite sure whether all is on the up-​and-​up here, but they definitely have some high pressure sales tactics for their package deals that are supposed to provide you with materials for media people to use when selecting talent for their productions. The prices are high but the promises are grand.
My wife got the modeling bug as a child, and has occasionally pursued modeling as an adult, and the sales person blatantly exploited it.
I can’t tell you if they do what they promise, because after signing a contract, she decided not to follow through with it. The contract is very stringent. In my wife’s situation, the salesperson scheduled a photo shoot in two days, even thought the contract gives you three days to cancel and get a full refund. She signed the contract on a Friday afternoon, and called first thing Saturday morning to cancel her Sunday appointment. We then followed through with all the requirements of the cancellation clause of the contract. I’ll update this with an further details as they occur.
Another interesting thing about this experience is that I went to the Gaithersburg Post Office to send the cancelation notice via Registered Mail, Return Receipt Requested, as per the contract, and when the clerk saw the address, she said «Again? I’ve had several of these today!»
Maybe they’re legit, and maybe not, but they must have been busy this past weekend signing up several people that subsequently though better of it.
Epilogue: In addition to sending in our cancellation notice, we also disputed the charge on our credit card. InterFACE agreed and cancelled the charge against our account.
AKA: InterFACE 5 LLC
AKA:
BTW, google «interface talent». The first several hits will be negative reviews from

etc. with a sprinkling of similar sites farther down the list. But you will find several sites singing their praises (

etc.) Further investigation reveals, however, that they are all owned and operated by Interface Talent. Independent positive reviews are rare.