Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Getty Images's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

close

Find a Location

Getty Images has 9 locations, listed below.

*This company may be headquartered in or have additional locations in another country. Please click on the country abbreviation in the search box below to change to a different country location.

BBB accredited

Near

Country

USUnited States

Please enter a valid location.

Filter

• 

  Getty Images

  605 5th Ave S Ste 400 Seattle, WA 98104-3887

• 

  Getty Images

  6000 N Forest Park Dr Peoria, IL 61614-3556

• 

  Getty Images

  701 5th Ave Ste 4200 Seattle, WA 98104-7047

• 

  Getty Images

  5232 E Pima St Ste 200-C Tucson, AZ 85712-3659

• 

  Getty Images

  195 Broadway Fl 10 New York, NY 10007-3140

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/23/2025

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I unsubscribed from their monthly service following a free trial subscription and was still charged the monthly fee for service post-cancellation. I have reached out to customer service multiple times and no one is willing or able to speak with me further on the matter.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/01/2025

  We appreciate Mr. Tubb's patience as his case was under review.  Mr. Tubb's subscription has been cancelled and he has been refunded the once month he was charged. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/01/2025

   
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 23508921, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  Brett Tubbs

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/22/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I signed up for the iStock photo free month trial (May 22) that switched to the yearly subscription paid monthly (starting June 22) after that was over. I downloaded three images during the free trial and then planned on cancelling before the yearly subscription started as I really had no use beyond the little bit I checked out the site. Then due to a family emergency, (death in the family), I missed the cancellation email as I had my hands full with far more important matters. I caught the charge for the monthly subscription on the day it happened and reached out to the iStock chat. I explained the situation to the person I was talking with and received little empathy and practically no help. The best he said they could do was cancel my subscription starting today but I would still be charged $90 for the one month, despite not downloading a single thing, and the subscription literally being active for 12 hours. Why would a company have a system set up that makes it "impossible" to reimburse its clientele? And if you're going to force me to pay for the month, I should be able to at least access I-stock for the next month as opposed to just having a 90$ penalty for missing my cancellation by twelve hours because of an emergency. I could understand no reimbursement if I had downloaded 15 images since the subscription started, then tried to cancel, but I downloaded nothing in the 12 hours since it charged me and saying reimbursement can't be done because of a restricting "system" that was put in place by I-stock itself seems like an excuse to s**** over anyone who's found themselves in a situation out of their hands, similar to mine, or anyone who is the forgetful type. Not something I want or have time to be dealing with right now. Very disappointed.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/01/2025

  We appreciate Mr. Lind's patience as his case was under review.   Mr. Lind's subscription has been cancelled as requested and he has been refunded the once month he was charged. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/02/2025

   
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 23503421, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  Brad Lind

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/19/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Dear Getty Images/iStock and BBB,I am writing to request a refund for a subscription charge of $14.90 USD on June 19, 2025 that occurred right after my free trial expired.I fully understand that I agreed to the subscription terms, and I did use some content during the free trial. However, I did not download or use any content after the trial ended and I was not aware that the subscription would renew into an annual ************* soon as I saw the charge, I immediately contacted iStock support and asked to cancel and request a refund. My subscription was canceled, but I was told that the payment is ***************** a consumer, I feel this situation could be handled more flexibly. I respectfully ask that you consider issuing a one-time refund for this transaction, as I acted in good faith, used nothing beyond the free trial, and canceled right away.Thank you for your time and consideration.Sincerely,********************************** Email: ****[email address]Location: *******

  Business Response

  Date: 06/30/2025

  On  May 19th, 2025, Mr. ****** actively opted for a free trial subscription and downloaded 5 images  during the trial period.   Its important to note that customers can cancel their free trial subscription using the self-service feature or by contacting **************** prior to the conversion to a paid subscription.  Mr. ****** contacted **************** on June 19th to request cancellation of his subscription. Mr. ****** subscription was cancelled as requested and according to our cancellation policy found at  ********************************************************************************************;      

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/18/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I signed up for what was presented as a free trial with iStock. At no point was it clearly communicated that this trial would convert into an automatic subscription plan charging $70/month for 12 months. There was no prominent notice that I would be enrolled in a long-term installment plan.I was charged $70 on June 18, 2025, which appears to be payment 2 of 12 under this subscription. I did not knowingly agree to this structure. This setup feels deceptive, as it enrolls users into a costly, long-term billing commitment without proper transparency or consent.?Resolution Requested:- Immediate cancellation of the remaining 10 installment payments - Written confirmation that no further charges will occur

  Business Response

  Date: 06/30/2025

  Mr.  ****** subscription was cancelled as requested when he contacted our **************** team on June 18th.  There will be no additional charges.  Its important to note that customers can cancel their free trial subscription using the self-service feature or by contacting **************** prior to the conversion to a paid subscription.  Our offer is transparent and straightforward; there's nothing hidden or misleading about it. At iStock, we clearly outline that new customers can enjoy 10 free downloadable ********************** as part of a trial connected to an annual subscription. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/18/2025

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On January 17, 2025, I signed up for what I believed was a free trial with a monthly subscription to iStock. I was under the impression that I could cancel at any time without penalty.However, I later learned that the monthly plan was actually tied to a year-long commitment, something I did not realize during sign-up. This was not clearly communicated during the enrollment process.When I contacted iStock customer support on June 17, 2025, to cancel, I was told I would need to pay a $70 administrative cancellation fee to end the subscription early.I understand that the terms and conditions may outline this, but I feel that the presentation of the subscription during sign-up was misleading. I would not have agreed to a year-long contract if it had been made clear that a penalty would apply for early cancellation.With that said, I am kindly requesting immediate cancellation of my subscription. And a waiver of the $70 administrative cancellation fee, as I was genuinely unaware of the annual commitment.Thank you for your time and assistance.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/30/2025

  Ms. Chiu's subscription has been cancelled as requested and there will be no additional charges.  We appreciate Ms. Chiu's business and her patience as we resolved this case. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/01/2025

   
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 23484250, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  Winnie Chiu

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/16/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This is in regards to iStock a part of Getty Images, re: Order # **********. I signed up for a free trial in January. I only used the service once and did not use it again. However, they kept on charging me a $70/month subscription fee February June 2025. Because of the aftermath of my multiple family members displacement after the ***** Fires I did not notice the recurrent charges. But it will be abundantly clear to iStock/Getty Images that I did not continue to use their services. These free trial/automatic subscription renewal charges are clearly a scam that takes advantage of overwhelmed consumers.I found it impossible to cancel and request a refund on their web portal using their purported Account Overview cancellation or Chat. I finally called them today and iStock would only agree to cancel my subscription and refused to refund the charges. I also enacted a Merchant Block with **************** which has been processing the charges. I hope that the Better Business Bureau can help me in this individual case, but also crack down on these free trial scams.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/28/2025

  On January 15th, 2025, Ms. Tajima actively opted for a free trial
  subscription and downloaded an image  during the trial period.   It’s
  important to note that customers can cancel their free trial subscription
  using the self-service feature or by contacting Customer Service prior to the
  conversion to a paid subscription.     Ms. Tajima contacted Customer Service on June 16th
  to request cancellation of her subscription 5 months after initiating the free
  trial.  Ms. Tajima subscription was cancelled as requested
  and according to our cancellation policy found at   https://www.istockphoto.com/legal/license-agreement.   Because
  of Ms. Tajima’s minimal
  use we are refunding the most recent month she was charged as a courtesy.    

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/28/2025

   
  
  Complaint: 23477303
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because: "Free Trials" entrap consumers who are overburdened by products and subscriptions, and as a result of this dispute, I have seen warnings from this agency the BBB and others. Getty Images states that I signed up for a free trial and I did, in fact, download one image during the trial period. I then lost track of the continuing fees because of my escalating responsibilities as a result of my immediate family's losses due to the Eaton fire. I also did not make any further downloads other than that one during the trial period. I imagine consumers like me are a part of Getty Image's business plan -- to take advantage of overburdened customers who also may, as in my case, face unexpected crisis -- and collect their unmerited fees. I belong to a number of professional associations whose members are heavy users of archival footage/image vendors, including AMPAS, ATAS, IDA and others, and I will make sure to alert my colleagues of this risk of doing business with this vendor.
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  Renee Tajima

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/10/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I was mislead into an annual subscription. The cost of the subscription was misleading. I was under the impression that I was paying $70 annually. But I have been charged $70 monthly since April 2024. I just noticed that I was paying this monthly and when I went to cancel my subscription I was told that was not an option. I am not looking for a refund. I am simply looking to stop payments from continuing and I will be discontinuing my use of the service.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/19/2025

  We appreciate Mr. Hepp's patience as we have reviewed his case.  His subscription has been cancelled as requested and there will be no additional charges. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/10/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On March 26, 2025, I began an iStockphoto free trial, which then led to paid monthly service. I was billed $74.13 on April 26, 2025, and another $74.13 on May 26, 2025, totaling $148.26 for two months of post-trial service.On June 8, 2025, immediately after my second payment, I tried to cancel my subscription. It was impossible to cancel directly via the iStock website; no "click-to-cancel" option was available. This forced me to email customer service to initiate *************** response, iStockphoto claimed my subscription was a "one-year term" and demanded a $70.00 "administrative charge" for early cancellation. They threatened to continue billing me monthly for the full year if I did not pay this fee.I dispute this $70.00 fee as unfair and predatory. It was not clearly or conspicuously disclosed during the sign-up process when I entered the "free trial" that purportedly committed me to an annual term with such a penalty. The difficult online cancellation process, followed by this undisclosed fee demand, contradicts fair business practices and the spirit of FTC "click-to-cancel" guidelines.iStockphoto has refused to waive this fee, insisting it's the "solution" to end the subscription early. I am not seeking a refund for the $148.26 I have already paid for the two months of service. My objective is solely the immediate cancellation of my subscription without the imposition of this additional, unjustified $70.00 administrative fee. I am willing to pay for used service, but not an unfair penalty for canceling.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/19/2025

  We appreciate Ms. Scherrer's patience while we reviewed this case.  Her subscription has been cancelled and there will be no additional charges to her credit card. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/25/2025

   
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 23448746, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  Rachel Scherrer

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/06/2025

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I signed up for an iStock free trial that was promoted as risk-free and cancelable anytime during the trial. At no point during sign-up especially using Apple Pay was it clearly disclosed that this was a 12-month contract or that Id be forced to pay a large early cancellation fee just to stop future charges.The checkout page even stated, Cancel anytime during your trial, risk-free. Ive attached a screenshot of this. I believed I was signing up for a standard monthly plan with the option to cancel if I didnt want to continue nowhere was it made clear that Id be locked into a full year or have to pay a fee to exit.Once I realized iStock had charged me $70/month multiple times, I reached out to cancel. I contacted support in early May and again on May 23, clearly stating I wanted to cancel and that I did not accept the $70 cancellation fee. They ignored my final message and charged me again in June anyway.Ive only used 2 downloads total, and Ive now been charged over $200. Im not asking for every dollar back Im asking for a refund of the two charges made after I asked to cancel, and to be released from the contract with no further charges or penalties.When I started researching this further, I discovered that many other users have experienced the same misleading sign-up. There are multiple public complaints online from people who were also unaware of the cancellation trap, especially those who signed up through ***** or ****** where the full terms were not visible.This is a predatory billing model, and iStock is knowingly letting users think theyre signing up for a monthly plan while locking them into a year-long contract with hidden exit fees.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/27/2025

  We can confirm Ms. Muro's subscription has been cancelled as requested and the two charges she received since initially requesting cancellation in May are being refunded.  We appreciate Ms. Muro's patience as her case was reviewed. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/04/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On January 30th I bought a one month subscription to iStock Photo. However, they have been billing me monthly for an annual subscription without my knowledge or approval and have said I cannot cancel. I would like to cancel immediately.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/14/2025

  Ms. ********* purchased an annual subscription on January 30th, 2025.   She agreed to the terms and conditions of the subscription.  However, we understand that circumstances change, and customers may need to make decisions that were not anticipated at the beginning of their subscription purchase. Per a conversation with our **************** team, Ms. ********** subscription will be cancelled effective June 29th and there will be no additional charges to her account.