What would you do?

Just curious, what made you decide to go with this vendor in the first place?

What would you do?

Photography is the most important vendor in my opinion. I wouldn't want to lose the $800 either, but if you don't trust him or his quality don't stay with the vendor!
You don't want to regret your photos down the road.

What would you do?

I choose the vendor because I am on a limited budget and were the most reasonable I found.. Knowing what I know now I would rather pay $500 more to someone else to avoid this...

What would you do?

What happened that you no longer want to use this vendor?

What would you do?

I'd rather not blast it all over.. Many people use this vendor... For me it's just not right nor would I want to do anything to harm his reputation... Just want to move forward...

What would you do?

I think saying what is going on without saying the vendor name would not be blasting and would help people to give their unbiased opinion

What would you do?

Loose the money and follow your heart! Maybe you can find another photographer who has lower prices or different packages, and will let you add on after the wedding day.

Re: What would you do?

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Posted by MissToMrs

I'd rather not blast it all over.. Many people use this vendor... For me it's just not right nor would I want to do anything to harm his reputation... Just want to move forward...

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I think you already know what you need to do to. Make a budget cut somewhere else so that you can be happy with your choice. your pictures are a very BIG part of your wedding, they are the only thing you have after the day is over.

Re: What would you do?

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Posted by dawnbon26

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Posted by MissToMrs

I'd rather not blast it all over.. Many people use this vendor... For me it's just not right nor would I want to do anything to harm his reputation... Just want to move forward...

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I think you already know what you need to do to. Make a budget cut somewhere else so that you can be happy with your choice. your pictures are a very BIG part of your wedding, they are the only thing you have after the day is over.

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Exactly. My post from before got deleted but it seems as though you're really not willing to stay with him. See if your new vendor will give u a small discount in light of the issue.

What would you do?

Stinks. If you're not happy than you have to get a new vendor. If he is not willing to give you a full or partial refund and you do not want to eat the entire $800 I would perhaps threathen small claims. Read the contract over carefully, is it possible that he could be in breach? IMO it is not worth the stress to really pursue a claim for $800 but, it is quite time consuming and likely he will settle for at least a partial deposit to avoid any court appearances.

What would you do?

Go with your gut because your gut is rarely wrong.

That being said, look at what your contract says about deposits. If it stipulates a non-refundable deposit in the contract, you could be S0L. But, walking away might be a small price to pay for having peace of mind.

What would you do?

What if you use them only for a certain portion of photography. For example put the $800 towards an engagement shoot or trash the dress, then hire another photographer for the wedding day. That way you're not losing your deposit AND not unhappy with day of photos. I did this with the florist. They may not refund te deposit but most vendors will alter the contract and not demand the remainder of the money this far in advance

Re: What would you do?

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Posted by db276952

Stinks. If you're not happy than you have to get a new vendor. If he is not willing to give you a full or partial refund and you do not want to eat the entire $800 I would perhaps threathen small claims. Read the contract over carefully, is it possible that he could be in breach? IMO it is not worth the stress to really pursue a claim for $800 but, it is quite time consuming and likely he will settle for at least a partial deposit to avoid any court appearances.

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I agree. I would file in small claims anyway. It costs almost nothing and the vendor will have to prove they already used the deposit for something related to the event (despite what the contract says). With 22 months to go, the judge will side in your favor. You shouldn't allow this vendor to keep $800 for doing nothing.

Re: What would you do?

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Posted by RoandJoe

Photography is the most important vendor in my opinion. I wouldn't want to lose the $800 either, but if you don't trust him or his quality don't stay with the vendor!
You don't want to regret your photos down the road.

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Completely agree with this!!

I also think that this it is COMPLETE BS - you are well over a year out and he won't refund your deposit. Whoever it is has a substantial amount of time and could easily find another to book that date! In my opinion, if this person can't be understanding now, they will likely be a nightmare on your wedding and I just wouldn't want to deal with it - especially not with my pictures.

Best of luck!

What would you do?

Most of the vendor contracts will not hold up in small claims court, ESP if you have been tring to get out within the first 30 days of booking.

If he is being a douce now imagine how he will act on your wedding day!! No way I would not want that stress'. Tell him he give money back of your taking him to court.and blast him on any Internet board possible.

I have no patience for people who take advantage of brides. I mean how bad is your work that you have to basically trap people into using you. Any good business practice is to take care of the customer

What would you do?

thank you all for your support!!!

at this point, I may send a letter certified asking for my money back with my e-mails attached to it and ask for the money back via certified check within 30 days or else i'll put in a claim to small claims court..

again, I don't want to blast the vendor all over the internet, it's not worth harming his reputation and I just don't want to harm anyone or their business is anyway...i just want a fair business practice... thats it... and my deposit! :)


if i loose the money, i am willing to...FH on the other hand- not so much!! but hopefully it works out!

Re: What would you do?

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Posted by katielynn

I think unfortunately at this point... If you dont want to lose the money... keep the vendor. Unfortunately the Suffolk law that says the deposit is fully refundable up until 6 months prior is only applicable to the venue/RH. At least that's what I got from google. Vendors like DJs, photographers, videographers etc... Have contracts and its typically stated in the contract if the deposit is refundable. They have these contracts for a reason. Unless its not clearly stated in the contract regarding the deposit there is really no fighting it :(

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I voted to lose the $800.

BUT I just fought (and won--got my full deposit back!) a very similar fight (also with a photographer) and I was only 7 months out or so. With 22 months to go, it should be a no-brainer. The reason I quoted the above post is because I quoted this exact law to my photographer, knowing it was written for catering halls. When he tried to throw that in my face I simply informed him that I was aware of that, but felt fairly confident that if I went to Consumer Affairs, BBB or an attorney, they would see it my way and feel that the spirit of the law applies to photographers as well. REGARDLESS of what the contract says. He changed his tune REAL quick. A few hours later, I received a call back asking if I needed the money back in cash or if a check was okay.

However, not knowing your exact situation, specific photographer, circumstances, etc., I obviously can not promise you the same outcome. We had been ROYALLY screwed over and I had voicemails and e-mails to prove it...

Give it a shot, though. If it doesn't work, I would walk away. $800 is a good deal of money, but your wedding memories are worth a whole lot more than that. And if you're not comfortable with him now, I really don't expect it'll get better, especially if you call him out on these issues.

Good luck!