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x-post...legal action against photographer?? please help!

JoesFutureWife Posted:

x-post...legal action against photographer?? please help!

Girls this is going to be a long one but please get thru it and PLEASE HELP ME!!
Background...booked our photographer/videographer in May 2008 after interviewing 11 others. Felt very comfortable after speaking with the owner who was the photographer. Booked with him as our day of photographer. About a week before the wedding, DH and i dropped off everything for the video (songs on cd, pics for baby montage, etc). Only thing we didnt drop off were honeymoon pics for obvious reasons. At that point we were going over everything for the day of our wedding and they said 'and Jim (name has been changed) will see you at 12:30' so i reply no we didnt book with Jim we booked Harold (once again wrong name). They told us that they had to switch the photographer because Harold had a previous engagement. I was livid but they pacified me and told me Jim is fantastic, etc. Day of comes...Jim arrives on time takes pics of me and girls. The pics for the most part are terrible. He took one of me and each bm, fg, etc outside and every pic we are squinty. He then says he has to leave (its now 115) to take pics of the groom, i say ummm okay. he leaves. HE never took pics of dh...our other photographer was there taking pics of him. So where was he for an hour??? Any how. I had one pic of my mom and me and one pic of my parents and me...both horrible...neither in my album. I was supposed to get my proofs 12 weeks later....girls as u know it was almost 2 months after that!!!! Plus no pics of DH dancing with his mother....they sent them to us finally weeks later. I end up making my own thank you cards because the card they designed was a joke. They tell me i will get something in exchange for doing my own cards. Fast forward to today...i go in to do album layouts.
Photographer never took pic of my invite...i am told to go home and do this and send it in if i want it in my album. I ask if they can add flower petals to a pic (coming out of church flowers are in the air all on one side) i am told to do it and send it in...that that would be extra graphic editing...ummm on one pic??? I was also told my video would be done today...i get there and he says no way you gave us your honeymoon pics in january (totally forgot that is my fault) but now it will be at least another 9 months til i get my video cause they did nothing without those honeymoon pics. The day of the wedding they gave out cards on the tables to view the pics online. They had the wrong bride and grooms names on it....found out 3 months later when the pics were finally posted....i went to see our pics and it was another couple---their wedding was gorgeous may i add. So today he gives us the correct cards and tells us our pics are no longer online but if we would like them to be back online, we can pay $10 per month to have them posted. So let me get this straight...u guys screw up and we have to pay to have them posted plus to mail the cards out to guests????? He missed more than half of our must take list. Oh and even though we paid overtime because our day was long, at the beginning of the dessert hour the photographers asked to leave. I of course said no but still. And the kicker today...i ask what they are doing for us being we made our own thank you cards and we never had our engagement shoot done (photographer would only do them on thurs and neither dh nor i could get off on a thursday) and he says 'oh those were both complimentary....they have no monetary value.' Keep in mind we paid over $9,000 for our photo/video....not sure if it matters but i we should have had much better service. Please help...any advice?!??!?!?!?
mlcvln129 Posted:

Re: x-post...legal action against photographer?? please help!

$9,000????? They better be waiting on me hand and foot if they're charging me that much.

Did you read their reviews on BBB yet???
HamptonsBride Posted:

Re: x-post...legal action against photographer?? please help!

Wow that really stinks! i used a great photographer & videographer and paid no where near that combined...and my photos are still up on the photographer's website over 1.5 yrs later...

i would go thru your contract & see what it says they will deliver as far as the photos being on-line & for how long...because they obviously didn't fulfill that part of the contract...or you would think they could spot the $10 a month as part of doing good business.

As far as the shots lost...i'd give them the invite & tell them to shoot it themselves since they are incompetennt & that is a 'standard' shot taken at most bride's houses...and as far as editing ONE photo...that should be done as well if they want to keep their customer happy...i am a Graphic Artist...and let me tell you to edit ONE photo isn't the end of the world..it requires a bit of time...but holy crap...if i messed up someone's wedding this bad I'd be throwing in free stuff all over. Good luck!
TommysWife08 Posted:

Re: x-post...legal action against photographer?? please help!

i replied on NW board!!

Its2Snappy Posted:

Re: x-post...legal action against photographer?? please help!

I would read over your contract with them and consider hiring a lawyer.

shell1879 Posted:

Re: x-post...legal action against photographer?? please help!


Posted by Its2Snappy

I would read over your contract with them and consider hiring a lawyer.



i 2nd that also if you have photos saved that that they took that lead you to book them i would keep them handy as somewhat as a false advirtising. idk it sounded good in my head but i would def get a lawyer involved!
mlcvln129 Posted:

Re: x-post...legal action against photographer?? please help!


Posted by shell1879

i 2nd that also if you have photos saved that that they took that lead you to book them i would keep them handy as somewhat as a false advirtising. idk it sounded good in my head but i would def get a lawyer involved!



No, what you're saying makes sense. . .if they have pictures online that led you to book them, you should save the URL or the samples to show the drastic difference in quality. Also, if it says your photographer's name on the contract and you were given a different one, that's a problem.
20mrsc10 Posted:

Re: x-post...legal action against photographer?? please help!

if you don't mind me asking-what photographer was this? i just started looking, and im terrified of something like this happening!

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