Local moms take aim at Baby Miss America Pageant saying they paid for photos they never received

Sammie Savoie, director of the Baby Miss America Pageant, has pageants in cities all over the country and post videos of them on her YouTube Channel.

"I just thought it would be fun to do," said Kelly Winkworth.

These three mothers entered their daughters in a Baby Miss America pageant that held here in June of last year.

All three say they will not be doing that again.

"The fees were outrageous,' said Lawrencia Young.

The mothers say they paid an entry fee and more fees quickly followed.

"You had to buy a ticket to be in the room to see your own child on stage," Winkworth said.

"It was fees day of pageant for meal tickets and seating," Young said. "It was just too much."'

The mothers say no spectators can take pictures during the pageant.

"If another mother or someone saw you in the hallway with your phone your child would be disqualified," said Johnieca Fontenette.

"If you wanted any photo or anything that happened inside that pageant room, you had to buy the photo package from her," said Winkworth.

These mothers paid the extra one hundred dollars for photos and are still waiting for them 13 months later.

Other parents all over the country are making similar complaints to the Better Business Bureau.

That agency gives the pageant an F rating.

"Why are you going all over the country hosting these pageants and you're having problems each time and you don't stop," said Denisha Maxey with the Better Business Bureau. "You just go to another city collecting money and never resolving the issues you have."

Just before our story aired, the three moms we interviewed got their 100 dollars back.

In a prepared statement, Savoie says she held 21 pageants in 2018 with more than 89,000 photos.

She says she implemented a new policy last September and now phots are delivered in 30 days or less.

We got e-mails from at least 6 customers praising their pageant experience.