One elderly couple is not terribly pleased with the expensive photobook they received from the cruise ship trip they took earlier this year.
Over the Spring Festival holiday in February, 76-year-old Zhu Ge and his 70-year-old wife signed up for a travel agency’s cruise ship package that was targeted at elderly couples. One of the supposed highlights of the package was that each couple would be be given time with a professional photographer who would take photos of them on the ship. When their turn came, Zhu and his wife of 45 years happily put on make-up and posed for some pictures.
The Guangzhou-based photo company offered couples the first 10 photos for free, but after that it would cost 120 yuan a photo — which seems a bit steep. However, Zhu and his wife looked over the photos and decided that they looked pretty good. Zhu’s wife complained that she looked a little fat, but the photographer said not to worry, they would touch up the photos in the studio to make the couple look perfect. Afterward, they happily ordered 29 photos, at a total cost 3,480 yuan.
Despite the fact that the company had promised to deliver a photobook to them within a month, the album didn’t arrive until three months later. But when Zhu and his wife looked inside, they wished it had never reached them. “I can’t wait to burn it,” Zhu said.
The photos have gone viral on Chinese social media with the vast majority of web users agreeing with the elderly couple’s appraisal. “I could have taken better photos with my phone,” writes one Weibo user.
The couple’s daughter told reporters that she hopes the photo company will refund her parents their money. Meanwhile, the company has yet to respond.


Still, we aren’t sure that these are actually the worst professional photos we’ve seen. Last year, one Chinese couple paid 11,500 yuan for a superbly ugly pre-wedding photoshoot in Japan.

[Images via NetEase]



Follow Shanghaiist on WeChat