OTM (On Track Modeling) NC
Mr. Robert D. Ecksmith
President
On Track Modeling, Inc.
5500 Executive Center Dr. Ste. 126
Charlotte, NC 28212
Mr. Robert D. Ecksmith:
Your company had the dubious distinction of being the
subject of the first
complaint this website ever received.
After a subsequent
complaint, you
responded, saying: "I was just informed
we had two complaints on your site and I thought
I would check it out."
There are now many
more complaints; therefore, it stands to
reason you might like to check them out, too, especially
since your company is now one of the most controversial
modeling agencies in the United States, receiving
a significant and consistent pattern of complaints.
It is always interesting when a company has a perfect
or satisfactory rating at the BBB, but at this website,
or any other website, there are many complaints.
The Better Business Bureau record for OTM also has a
lot of complaints, 46 in the last three years at the
time of writing. As one reporter put it, "the sheer
presence of so much discontent might raise a wary consumer's
eyebrows. And customer dissatisfaction with OTM continues."
Curiously, the BBB allows a company with this many complaints
membership, even though one of their standards for membership
is there must not be a pattern of complaints. How many
more complaints at the BBB are needed before there is
a pattern and their rating becomes officially unsatisfactory?
Supposedly the BBB has not received a pattern of complaints
about OTM, while this website has.
They claimed: "The number and type of complaints
are not unusual for a company in this industry." However,
the BBB failed to substantiate this claim, offering no
data, no comparison, and no reference point.
Therefore it begs the question: Where are all the other
modeling agencies which have received 46 complaints at
the BBB in the last three years?
Despite BBB-Charlotte's failure to substantiate its
claims, another BBB office issued a warning:
- Traditional modeling agencies do not require any
advance monies from you... The following are warning
signs... Fees required for expensive photos... Agencies
that insist you use their photographer.
The final two points are both criticisms made against
your company by models who wrote to the site. In fact,
they are two of the patterns of complaints. Models said
the photos are expensive, and so did modeling agency
presidents (writing about pricing), and the models said
your company insists that they use your photographer.
According to a published news report in Metro Pulse, "OTM
receives money from its recommended photographer, raising
questions of motivation."
This is an obvious conflict of interest. How can anyone
trust the claims of your company which makes money from
upfront fees for photos when you tell aspiring models
they have been selected to have their pictures taken?
Why do you insist or strongly recommend your photographer,
when this is a red flag, and agencies, if they are going
to make recommendations, are supposed to recommend several
photographers?
Why do you insist or strongly recommend your photographer,
as supposedly being an expert, but consumers complained
they were not satisfied with the quality of your photographer's
work?
Why should aspiring models make payments to your company
for photos when experts say new models should not pay
modeling agencies for photos; instead, models should
deal directly with the photographer and printer?
The same Metro Pulse article already cited went on to
state you said 80 percent of those who sign contracts
with OTM are offered jobs.
This statistic is virtually meaningless. How much did
the models earn? Did 80% fail to earn more money through
modeling than they paid you and the photographer and
the printer? What percentage earned more than they paid
you?
The issue is significant because your company claims
to be a promotions specialist. Promotional "modeling" offers
models the lowest wages. The lower their wages, the less
chance the models have to break even, let alone make
more than they invested in photography and comp cards.
This leads to the obvious basic question, if OTM is
only able or only willing to get models almost exclusively
promotional jobs which pay the least, why do you get
them to pay for expensive photography and comp cards
before they work?
Models allege the promotion of your promotion agency
focused on fashion modeling. Does your company make it
clear to potential models attending your open calls you
are a promotions specialist, and the work you get OTM
models is limited to low-earning work?
And since you are limited in the type of jobs you get
models, i.e. promotional "modeling," why do
models report your company stresses the importance of
and need for getting a fashion photographer to take their
comp card pictures?
On a related subject, is it true, even after working
these extreme low-end jobs, as models have claimed, it
can take as long as a year before you pay them their
wages?
If it is true, why were they not paid within three months?
Can you name one reputable modeling agency which pays
its models as late as one year after they worked?
A recent report from an OTM model said you are now charging
models $20/month to have their comp card on your website.
Is this true?
If it is true, why are you charging models $20/month
when it does not cost $20/month to host a comp card on
a website? How much money are you making off OTM models
in upfront website fees?
Why are you trying to make money off models from advertising
when the industry standard of a reputable modeling agency
is it makes no money except by commissions on work models
get after they work?
Finally, how do you account for the complaints made
against your company that after the models have paid
you for photos, they are abandoned, they do not get work,
and their calls and emails are not returned?
Where do you think they are going to voice their dissent
if not on the internet?
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