My (incomplete) experience with Ztage
Just to share my (incomplete) journey of searching for a company for a pre wedding photoshoot in Korea.
I started my research a year ago and had consultations with louvre bridal, I-do, Eungi and Ztage. I also shortlisted k wedding but didn't manage to visit it as I signed with Ztage on my first consultation!
Firstly, the coordinator Eileen was very friendly and sincere. She'll tell you genuinely where you should save money and where you shouldn't. She also patiently answered all our queries at her fingertips! (Our consultation was 2.5h long!) They're also open to customizing packages in the sense that you can choose not to have A and go for B instead. She also tries her best to get the best value (in terms of price) for the package you choose. The whole session felt like I'm talking to a friend and not a salesperson- in the end we signed with Ztage because of their sincerity and offers- IMO they have the most valuable packages if you're looking to get indoor photoshoot, outdoor photoshoot and also video etc. (They have promotions more often than other companies too). I'll update my experience with them along the way! (But my shoot will only be done late 2016)
Oh they're also the only company along with louvre that will have an official shop space soon in paya lebar. According to Eileen, they'll also have Korean gowns on display.
As for my experience with other companies: (they're all my personal opinions and experiences)
1) Eungi: They were pretty good I must say. Sincere husband and wife (elaine) from HK. Just that it was the first company I went to and wasn't ready to sign. Their promotions also aren't as often as ztage, so it's difficult to plan when to book. I'm also not sure if they have any official office in Korea. Ztage does and it'll make any disputes (touch wood!) easier to resolve.
2) louvre: they were really popular- a bit too popular for comfort. We got an appointment and were made to stand even when we arrived on time. 15mins later they were still overbooked and brought us up to another company to borrow their space for consultation. The person that attended to us gave very generic overviews and prices, kept telling us to "rethink why we want to go Korea in the first place" (can't I just like the place for no reason?) and to come back when we have a more concrete plan (because we told her in 2014 we wanted to go in 2016). She seemed very insincere. I couldn't even get prices out of her for the packages. She told me nothing I didn't know. I was pretty upset I wasted my time. What an disillusionment.
I-do: (okay I just realized 3 of 4 consultants names start with E! Eileen Elaine and Emily hahah. I didn't bother remembering louvre's consultant's name) Emily the consultant was very friendly too! Their prices are comparable to Eungi. However, she also gave me very generic responses. I believe she's a Korean. And because of that, we had some communication issues. Her English is superb, don't get me wrong. It's just that with singlish and sometimes we speak a bit too fast, she won't be able to catch it. And sometimes it's hard to simplify your sentence without using Chinese and singlish- this one Eileen from ztage handles very well since she's a local (or looks/sounds like one). I understand they have promotions every March and August (different combinations of packages and extra $200 off)
In essence, i went with ztage because I felt their packages were the most valuable and I have confidence in them after talking to them.