Business Profile

Stock Photos

Getty Images

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

Find BBB Accredited Businesses in Stock Photos.

Complaints

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

Customer Complaints Summary

290 total complaints in the last 3 years.
91 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

If you've experienced an issue

Submit a Complaint

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:11/11/2024
Type:Sales and Advertising 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 a one month trial for Istock by Getty Images. They confuse the communications by not giving you a full month to cancel; rather, they charge you on the last day. Again, the communication was intentionally misleading. I downloaded 10 photos, as was allowed in the trial period on the final day. However, I had already been charged and given access to download more photos, which I'm not interested in. In addition, they make it difficult to actually cancel the account and only allow you to only cancel your auto-renew, which is confusing and leaves room for them to erroneously charge you again. I am looking for a full refund of $70 and for my account to be canceled.
Business Response
Date: 11/25/2024
Our records indicate Ms. ******* contacted our **************** team to resolve this issue on. Her subscription was cancelled as requested and she was refunded the one month she was charged.
Customer Answer
Date: 11/25/2024

Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. However, I do not show that my money has yet been refunded.

Sincerely,

****** *******
Initial Complaint
Date:11/09/2024
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.
I signed up for a free trial on October 6th and downloaded one photo. I tried to cancel in the free trial period but couldn't figure out how to do it, so I decided to ******* phone broke and I had to get a new one, completely forgetting to sign back in to my email account. I was notified on Nov. 6th that I was charged $74.90 and I was signed up for a yearly subscription. I tried to call and cancel but they're closed on the weekends. There was no spot to cancel on the site. I ended up finding the chat bot and requested a cancellation.I figured that I may not be refunded my money, but that I would still be able to keep my downloads included in my plan. I had 9 left from the free trial and 10 for the month of November, coming up to 19 more downloads. They cancelled my subscription, but instead of letting me use what I had left for the month, they took away all of my downloads and said they kept my money as an administrative fee.I downloaded one photo and was charged $75!!!!! Please don't sign up with this company. They need to be sued and shut down!!!
Business Response
Date: 11/20/2024
Ms. ****** actively opted for a Free Trial subscription and downloaded an image during the trial period. After the free trial period concluded on November 6th, we billed her credit card for the first month of the annual subscription. 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. A reminder email was also sent to Ms. ****** two days prior to their free trial ending. Ms. ****** contacted our **************** team on November 9th after being billed and her subscription was cancelled as requested. Because ********* actively downloaded an image during the free trial period, she does not qualify for a refund according to our cancellation policy found at **************************************************************************************;
Customer Answer
Date: 11/21/2024

Complaint: 22534807

I am rejecting this response because:
I was not asking for a refund. I recognize that I downloaded only one image on the first day of the free trial period, forgot to cancel the subscription until two days after trial ended, and was charged almost $75. What I don't understand is after I cancelled the subscription, you did not give me the remainder of the 10 downloads that I had for the month, or the 9 from the trial period that was unused. So this company believes that it is fair to take all of the downloads away that you paid for, even though there were ***** days left? Many businesses will allow you cancel and use the rest of your benefits, which would have been 19 downloads.
Your business practices scheming techniques. If you cancelled your free monthly subscription early, you lose the rest of the downloads you had instead of letting them be available until the month is over. If you go over a day then you'll be charged almost $75, even if you downloaded only one photo. THEN, if you decide to cancel early, because you accept that your trial ended, and try to cancel right away to avoid being charged again, you LOSE ALL OF YOUR DOWNLOADS!!
If you think that $75 for one photo is fair, I hope that you'll admit this to consumers because I don't believe that most will agree with that logic.
Consumers, I hope that you pay good attention to how they treat their customers. Please let people know to research this company so they won't be fooled into their techniques. Please go with another company that won't scheme and scam you.
Sincerely,
******** ******
Business Response
Date: 12/09/2024
Ms. ****** actively signed up for a Free Trial subscription, which included 10 downloads available for use during the trial. She used one of her downloads while on the free trial. Customers are not billed for individual downloads or required to pay for them in advance. Instead, they are billed for an annual subscription in monthly installments after the trial period ends. In accordance with our cancellation policy, we allowed Ms. ****** to cancel her annual subscription before the end of the term. While she could have continued using her subscription for the duration of the term, once a customer elects to cancel, access to downloads is discontinued. Its important to reiterate that downloads are not prepaid. This was an annual subscription billed monthly.
Customer Answer
Date: 12/09/2024

Complaint: 22534807

I am rejecting this response because:
You're company has deceiving practices.
Let me reiterate for anyone that hopefully reads these reviews so they choose another company that won't cheat you out of your hard earned money.
I downloaded ONE stock photo on my first day of my free trial. My phone broke and I forgot to cancel my subscription and was charged $75 for the first month of this annual subscription. You say that my subscription isn't prepaid, but you let me pay monthly for an annual subscription that had 10 downloads for the month, allowing them to roll over. If I didn't cancel my subscription until the end of the month, I would have had 19 more downloads. Because I cancelled 2 days after I was charged to avoid being charged again, you not only took my money, but my 19 remaining downloads.
Other customers and myself would call that a scam. I may have lost my money, but I hope that other people will read all of your awful complaints and at least go with a company that will allow you to use the rest of the full MONTH of the ANNUAL subscription they did not mean to sign up for. It's how your company makes their money. Your customer service is awful. Your policies cheat your customers and your jargon isn't fooling us. I'll be going with another company that does not charge me $75 for ONE stock photo.

Sincerely,

******** ******
Initial Complaint
Date:10/28/2024
Type:Sales and Advertising 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 made the mistake of signing up for their free trial subscription earlier this summer. When I noticed the second $73.85 monthly charge on September 26, I went on their website in an attempt to cancel the recurring charges. I found the account area where I could turn off the auto renew. The website did not make it clear that this only applied to the annual renewal and not the monthly charges so I was extremely displeased when I got charged $73.85 again on October 26th. Their website had no information on how to cancel the annual subscription. I ended up sending a message in their contact us feature to request a cancellation. They were prompt in processing that and sending an email confirmation. To my further displeasure, the credits that I had a month to spend when I was charged two days ago immediately expired. I would like a refund of the last month's charge. The only download I made was during the trial period.
Business Response
Date: 11/09/2024
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. A reminder email was also sent to Ms. ******************* days prior to their free trial ending. However, we understand mistakes can be made. Ms. ************ subscription has been cancelled as requested and we have processed a refund for the most recent charge, since she has not used her subscription since the trial period.
Customer Answer
Date: 11/11/2024

Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Sincerely,

********* **********
Initial Complaint
Date:10/23/2024
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 to get a monthly account with ************************** for ***** per month. I only needed one picture for a poster that I was preparing. I do not use or need further images. The site uses small almost imperceptible buttons to select between monthly and annual subscriptions. When I clicked on a link for $***** per month, I was sent to a page that defaulted to an ANNUAL subscription rather than a MONTHLY subscription. The slider to toggle between annual and monthly is in the smallest font on the page and difficult to see. (Non Scam would ask the purchaser to make a positive choice for which one rather than defaulting to more expensive one.) In fact the true monthly subscription is more expensive. I would have been willing to pay that higher ******* I am stuck with paying $319.00 for something that I will never use. iStock has refused to cancel my subscription. The only reference to the non-cancelable nature is buried in the * & A section of the website. No where does the site sayt that the $*****/Month deal was actually "$*****.Mont for 12 Months"The iStock website (part of Getty Images) uses classic scam techniques.While I would appreciate a cancellation of future payments, I also want to alert other potential users who might be scammed. Or to be a force to get iStock to redesign their website so it stops misleading potential users. Small print and hidden criterial may not be illegal, but it is unethical and amounts to scamming.
Business Response
Date: 11/06/2024
It appears Mr. ****** signed up for iStock annual subscription in error on September, 2nd, 2024. As he states, he only used a single download the day he enrolled. We understand mistakes can happen, and have cancelled Mr. ******** subscription. There will be no additional charges to Mr. ******** credit card.
Initial Complaint
Date:10/13/2024
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.
Hello, I signed up for a free trial not understanding that I was signing up for a yearly contract to be billed $70 every month. I missed the email reminding me of the trial period expiration. When I noticed my credit card had been billed, I contacted customer service trying to cancel and was informed that I signed up for a year-long contract of $70 every month. In order to cancel the contract it would cost me an additional $70. Any other subscription service where something similar has happened once I called I was able to cancel the service and have my fees refunded
Business Response
Date: 10/24/2024
On September 10th, 2024, Ms. ***** signed up for a Free Trial subscription and downloaded two images on the first day. After the trial converted to a paid subscription on October 10th, she downloaded eight additional images on the same day. Per our policy outlined at ******************************************************************************** , users who continue to download images after the trial ends may cancel their subscription by paying an administrative fee. However, since Ms. ******* downloads occurred on the day her subscription became paid and she did not exceed the 10-download limit permitted during the trial, we have canceled her account without any additional charges, including the administrative fee.Please note that she is not eligible for a refund for any charges already incurred.
Initial Complaint
Date:10/08/2024
Type:Product Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I signed up for a free trial with iStock. I then checked back later to update my payment information. They showed no payment information on file so I assumed I could not be charged. I was then charged 73$ and they would not issue a refund. There was also no warning that I was about to be charged and when I contacted them about this, they said that they got around this restriction by making the subscription a year-long subscription that bills monthly.
Business Response
Date: 10/21/2024
Ms. ****** actively opted for a Free Trial subscription on September 8th, 2024, and downloaded an image on the first day of the free trial. After the free trial period concluded we billed her credit card monthly for her annual subscription. 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. A reminder email was also sent to Ms. ****** two days prior to the free trial ending. Ms. ****** contacted our **************** team on October 8th and her subscription was cancelled. Because she downloaded an image during the trial period Ms. ****** does not qualify for a refund according to our policy found at ********************************************************************************.
Customer Answer
Date: 11/05/2024
Istock/Getty images did not provide me with a reminder email as they claimed. Additionally, this follows a pattern of unclear subscription practices for example my profile section of their website did not show that they had my card in file, but they charged it anyway.
Initial Complaint
Date:10/07/2024
Type:Sales and Advertising 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 November 5th 2023 my company signed up for a subscription with iStock Photo. I was unaware that I would be locked in for an entire year with no way to cancel. We were only using for a single project had no use for images and video on an on-going basis. After I realized they were charging my credit card every month for $105, I tried to cancel and was told they would not allow me to cancel. When the subscription was finally nearing the end of an entire year (last week) I received an email from iStock saying I had 126 downloads available and that in order to use them I would have to complete the downloads by October 6th. I just came back from traveling on October 6th and at 8pm PST I decided I would claim the product I had paid over a thousand dollars for. There was no mention in the email that I would have to complete the downloads by midnight October 6th in GMT. When I went into my account it said that the account was expired. I should mention that in the ** and in **********, where we are located, we have strict Federal and State Laws that govern auto-renewals for products and services. I believe this business may be in violation of those laws because people are being forced into subscriptions that they didn't know they were signing up for. I paid $106 dollars per month x 12 months for a product I didn't need and then wasn't able to access.
Business Response
Date: 10/16/2024
According to our records, Ms. ***** enrolled in an annual subscription on October 5th, 2023, opting for a plan that allowed 10 image downloads per month. She actively used her subscription, downloading 14 images in total, with her most recent download occurring in February 2024. Throughout her subscription period, all unused downloads remained available for use. Ms. ***** reached out to **************** on October 4th, 2024, and was informed that she could use her remaining downloads by October 6th. She followed up again at 8 PM PST on October 6th. While Ms. ***** had access to her subscription for the full 12-month period and made regular use of it, we acknowledge there may have been some confusion regarding the exact time her subscription would expire. As a goodwill gesture, we are refunding her most recent charge.
Initial Complaint
Date:10/05/2024
Type:Sales and Advertising 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 a free subscription, and despite cancelling as per the instructions, iStock is continuing to charge me. They refuse to provide a refund despite me having not downloaded any images during this paid subscription.
Business Response
Date: 10/16/2024
Ms. Bodnar actively opted for a Free Trial subscription on July
5th, 2024, and downloaded 4 images on the first day of the free trial.
  After the free trial period concluded
we billed her credit card monthly for her annual subscription. 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.    A reminder email was
also sent to Ms. Bodnar two
days prior to their free trial ending. Ms. Bodnar contacted our Customer
Service team on October 5th and her subscription was cancelled as
requested.   Because she downloaded images
during the trial period Ms. Bodnar does not qualify for a refund
according to our policy found at https://www.istockphoto.com/legal/license-agreement.   However,
as a courtesy to Ms. Bodnar, since she has not used her subscription since the
first day of the free trial, we are refunding the most recent charge.
Customer Answer
Date: 10/16/2024

Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 22384576, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Sincerely,

Kayla Bodnar
Initial Complaint
Date:10/05/2024
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.
Subject: Complaint Regarding Unfair Charge and Service Revocation for iStock by Getty Images Subscription To Whom It May Concern,I am writing to file a formal complaint against iStock by Getty Images regarding an unfair charge and service cancellation that occurred on September 27, 2024.On this date, I was charged $70 for the first month of an annual subscription that allowed for 10 image downloads per month. Due to financial constraints, I immediately reached out to customer service to request a refund and cancel my subscription. The customer service agent informed me that a refund was not possible, but they proceeded to cancel the *************** this point, having already been charged $70, I assumed I would still be able to use the 10 downloads I had paid for. However, I was informed that, because my subscription had been canceled, the 10 credits associated with that month were immediately forfeited. Nowhere in the **** or during the cancellation process was I informed that canceling the subscription would result in losing access to the credits. Had I been made aware of this, I would have used the credits before finalizing the cancellation.I am deeply displeased with the handling of this situation. I was charged $70 for a service I did not receive, and no prior notice or documentation made it clear that canceling would result in the immediate loss of credits. Additionally, I find it unacceptable that this issue occurred on the very first day of my subscription. As a paying customer, I expected to have access to the service for at least a month, but my access was revoked immediately, with no recourse to use the credits I had paid for.I request a full refund for the $70 charge, as I did not receive the service I was promised.Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your prompt response and resolution.Sincerely,********* *******
Business Response
Date: 10/16/2024
Ms. ******* actively opted for a Free Trial subscription and downloaded 2 images during the trial period. After the free trial period concluded on September 27th, we billed her credit card for the first month of the annual subscription. To clarify, Ms. ******* signed up for a free trial that converted to an annual subscription. She did not opt for a monthly subscription with pre-paid credits, nor did she choose our "pay as you go" credit pack option. Our policy clearly states that in this scenario cancellation will be immediate, and the current months charge will be retained. Our policy can be found at **************************************************************************************************************************;
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. A reminder email was also sent to Ms. ******* two days prior to their free trial ending. Ms. ******* contacted our **************** team on September 27th after being billed and her subscription was cancelled as requested.
Customer Answer
Date: 10/16/2024

Complaint: 22383539

I am rejecting this response because: No email was sent to me prior to the end of my free trial. The license provided does not state that access to content would be immediately revoked. It only says that cancelling incurs an administrative fee of $70 which is predatory.

Sincerely,

********* *******
Initial Complaint
Date:09/26/2024
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.
Getty images has an UNAUTHORIZED and illegally obtained photo of me up on their site for sale. I have sent countless e-mails to them requesting removal and they dont even have the decency to reply. Not only did I not consent, the photos rights are for SALE meaning anyone could obtain it for a ridiculous fee. Their website clearly states that removal is a simple process by e-mailing them. This HAS NOT been the case. Not a simple e-mail I've sent has been responded to. No one will help me with this and I assure you, i will not drop it. I will not forget and if they dont do the simple task of making this right then I will escalate this to the highest extent.
Business Response
Date: 10/10/2024
We apologize Ms. Escandar has not received a response to her request. We can confirm the image Ms. Escandar provided is currently under review and this case has been escalated appropriately. We appreciate her patience as this matter is being resolved.

BBB Business Profiles may not be reproduced for sales or promotional purposes.

BBB Business Profiles are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. BBB asks third parties who publish complaints, reviews and/or responses on this website to affirm that the information provided is accurate. However, BBB does not verify the accuracy of information provided by third parties, and does not guarantee the accuracy of any information in Business Profiles.

When considering complaint information, please take into account the company's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints.

BBB Business Profiles generally cover a three-year reporting period, except for customer reviews. Customer reviews posted prior to July 5, 2024, will no longer be published when they reach three years from their submission date. Customer reviews posted on/after July 5, 2024, will be published indefinitely unless otherwise voluntarily retracted by the user who submitted the content, or BBB no longer believes the review is authentic. BBB Business Profiles are subject to change at any time. If you choose to do business with this company, please let them know that you checked their record with BBB.

As a matter of policy, BBB does not endorse any product, service or business. Businesses are under no obligation to seek BBB accreditation, and some businesses are not accredited because they have not sought BBB accreditation. BBB charges a fee for BBB Accreditation. This fee supports BBB's efforts to fulfill its mission of advancing marketplace trust.

Cookies on BBB.org

Complaints

Customer Complaints Summary

If you've experienced an issue

Filter and sort by

Sort by

Complaint status

Complaint type

Complaint statuses

Business Response

Customer Answer

Complaint statuses

Business Response

Customer Answer

Business Response

Customer Answer

Complaint statuses

Business Response

Customer Answer

Complaint statuses

Business Response

Complaint statuses

Business Response

Complaint statuses

Business Response

Customer Answer

Complaint statuses

Business Response

Complaint statuses

Business Response

Customer Answer

Complaint statuses

Business Response

Customer Answer

Complaint statuses

Business Response

Getty Images is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.