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 Expert
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Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | Hi all! I have a legal question!
i just found from a few other brides that the photographer we hired for our weddings is not sending them their photos of their wedding! I signed a contract with her. Some of these girls have been waiting 4+ months for their pictures and the photographer has stopped responding to them all together now! None of the girls I've been in contact with have taken legal action but we are all about to.
I still have 2 weeks until her deadline to get me my pictures, but I want to be ready and know what I can do. She has already been giving me excuse after excuse for why they will be delayed.
I have pictures of the contract. What can I do? Is it worth it to take legal action? Can they make her hand over the pictures?! I don't want money,
I JUST WANT MY WEDDING PHOTOS!! :-(
Edited by lexyy12 2015-11-16 6:37 PM
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  "Mom"
| Tricky issue! Contracts for values under 5K end up in small claims and are hard to prove. What state do you live in? |
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 Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | And if she gets mad she may ruin your photos.. Good Luck!! |
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 Don't Wanna Make This Awkward
Posts: 3106
Location: Texas | Bibliafarm - 2015-11-16 8:59 PM And if she gets mad she may ruin your photos.. Good Luck!!
That's what I would be worried about.. If she ruins/deletes the pics best case scenario is the court makes her refund the money.. Which i'm sure is not worth losing photos that you can never have retaken.. |
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Expert
Posts: 2276
Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | outrundaizy - 2015-11-16 11:20 PM Bibliafarm - 2015-11-16 8:59 PM And if she gets mad she may ruin your photos.. Good Luck!! That's what I would be worried about.. If she ruins/deletes the pics best case scenario is the court makes her refund the money.. Which i'm sure is not worth losing photos that you can never have retaken..
I'm only going to take action if she does not send me the photos. Which I guess over the last few months, she hasn't been doing! She's being super suspicious, took the ability to review her page off and you cannot write on the wall of her page. She is still answering me but cannot give me any kind of time frame that they will be here. Just keeps saying they aren't ready yet and she is waiting for the USB she ordered to come in(which she said she ordered 5 weeks ago) |
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 "Hottie"
Posts: 1373
Location: Okemah,OK | If you live close, I'd be giving her a date (within a week or two) & tell her that I'd be there to pick up what she has..... Even if it's only the master copy. Then you can get them printed elsewhere and go after her for any money owed. |
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Expert
Posts: 2276
Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | whiplashranch - 2015-11-17 12:03 AM If you live close, I'd be giving her a date (within a week or two) & tell her that I'd be there to pick up what she has..... Even if it's only the master copy. Then you can get them printed elsewhere and go after her for any money owed.
I'm in Ohio, she moved to Florida in May and flew back here for the wedding. Seems like a lot of trouble to not send us the pictures :( I didn't even order actual pictures from her. All she has to do is put them on the USB and mail to me. |
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Don't Wanna Make This Awkward
Posts: 3106
Location: Texas | lexyy12 - 2015-11-16 11:16 PM
whiplashranch - 2015-11-17 12:03 AM If you live close, I'd be giving her a date (within a week or two) & tell her that I'd be there to pick up what she has..... Even if it's only the master copy. Then you can get them printed elsewhere and go after her for any money owed.
I'm in Ohio, she moved to Florida in May and flew back here for the wedding. Seems like a lot of trouble to not send us the pictures :( I didn't even order actual pictures from her. All she has to do is put them on the USB and mail to me.
Maybe send her an email asking if there is an alternative way to get you the pictures, maybe email or drop box? And say something like, "I think it would be best if we could settle this before the date listed on the contract to avoid any issues" I think that sounds firm, but not to the point yet where she would think of sabotaging your photo's..
I hate to say this, but I would start thinking you may never get those pictures.. Of course anything could happen, but so far this sounds like every other scam.. Just confusing on why she would show up and take the pictures and not hand them over?
I'm sorry you're having to deal with this, especially with somehting so special |
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Expert
Posts: 2276
Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | outrundaizy - 2015-11-17 12:32 AM
lexyy12 - 2015-11-16 11:16 PM
whiplashranch - 2015-11-17 12:03 AM If you live close, I'd be giving her a date (within a week or two) & tell her that I'd be there to pick up what she has..... Even if it's only the master copy. Then you can get them printed elsewhere and go after her for any money owed.
I'm in Ohio, she moved to Florida in May and flew back here for the wedding. Seems like a lot of trouble to not send us the pictures :( I didn't even order actual pictures from her. All she has to do is put them on the USB and mail to me.
Maybe send her an email asking if there is an alternative way to get you the pictures, maybe email or drop box? And say something like, "I think it would be best if we could settle this before the date listed on the contract to avoid any issues" I think that sounds firm, but not to the point yet where she would think of sabotaging your photo's..
I hate to say this, but I would start thinking you may never get those pictures.. Of course anything could happen, but so far this sounds like every other scam.. Just confusing on why she would show up and take the pictures and not hand them over?
I'm sorry you're having to deal with this, especially with somehting so special
Thanks! I think I will send her an email tomorrow. It's just so hurtful to do this to someone! I can never have those pictures redone! I did so much research and checked reviews and everything before deciding on her. I never saw a bad review and everyone I talked to has really liked her. I guess recently she started doing all of this :( |
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Tried and True
Posts: 21185
Location: Where I am happiest | Sounds like Theft By Deception to me. Which btw is a felony. |
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
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Location: Kansas | have you already paid her for the photos? |
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 Party Girl
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Location: Buffalo, Wyoming | Did you pay her to fly out? If so it sounds like she got a free trip back home and may not have actually taken any pictures...
I hope for your sake she did, that is a day you can never get back! |
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Expert
Posts: 2276
Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | hoofs_in_motion - 2015-11-17 8:56 AM have you already paid her for the photos?
I paid a deposit when I booked her and then paid the remaining balance at the wedding. |
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Expert
Posts: 2276
Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | UTAHCANCHASER - 2015-11-17 9:36 AM
Did you pay her to fly out? If so it sounds like she got a free trip back home and may not have actually taken any pictures...
I hope for your sake she did, that is a day you can never get back!
No! I did not pay her to fly out here! I got a "sneak peak" on fb of my photos and I love the ones I've seen! But that is only 12 pictures! So I know she did take at least some! |
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Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | lexyy12 - 2015-11-17 9:42 AM hoofs_in_motion - 2015-11-17 8:56 AM have you already paid her for the photos? I paid a deposit when I booked her and then paid the remaining balance at the wedding.
I think I would not have paid balance until you picked up photos |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1118
Location: The South | This same thing happened to me! I'm in AR so surely not the same person, but I'm so sorry you're having to go through this. Mine was the same way, my friend used her and had nothing bad to say and her prices were fair so I signed up. Then after our wedding one of my friends said "I saw your photographer on the news for not giving people their pictures they paid for". ??
I finally got her to just give me the cd of our pictures, I don't think she edited them but at least I have something. We paid for a coffee table book that we'll never get, but oh well. I think it was around $500. Last I heard she opened a new business under a different name. Karma will get these people one day!
I hope you get your pictures!  |
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 I Don't Brag
Posts: 6960
| I may entirely wrong but it sounds like she may have lost them, like something happened to her computer. I hope not, for your sake. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | lexyy12 - 2015-11-17 8:43 AM UTAHCANCHASER - 2015-11-17 9:36 AM Did you pay her to fly out? If so it sounds like she got a free trip back home and may not have actually taken any pictures...
I hope for your sake she did, that is a day you can never get back! No! I did not pay her to fly out here! I got a "sneak peak" on fb of my photos and I love the ones I've seen! But that is only 12 pictures! So I know she did take at least some!
Tell her you saw your pictures on FB and you want those that you saw. At lest get what you can from her. What a bummer you got took from her, shame on this person. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 274
| Where was the contract signed? That is a big issue...as where ever it was singed is where you can file suit, or you may file suit in her county. You can not just file suit in your county because of its convenience to you. You may, however if she retains counsel they will motion for a dismissal for wrongful venue. If she does not retain counsel, and she is not a legal savvy person you may get away with filing in the wrong venue.
As for legal advice on the situation, if it is over $500 I would file a small claim. If it is under $500 I would let it go, it is not worth fighting.
If you do in fact file a small claim, you may not get your pictures, but only the money you are out of.....
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Expert
Posts: 2276
Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | LindsayJordan84 - 2015-11-17 10:26 AM This same thing happened to me! I'm in AR so surely not the same person, but I'm so sorry you're having to go through this. Mine was the same way, my friend used her and had nothing bad to say and her prices were fair so I signed up. Then after our wedding one of my friends said "I saw your photographer on the news for not giving people their pictures they paid for". ?? I finally got her to just give me the cd of our pictures, I don't think she edited them but at least I have something. We paid for a coffee table book that we'll never get, but oh well. I think it was around $500. Last I heard she opened a new business under a different name. Karma will get these people one day! I hope you get your pictures!
At least you got your pictures!! I'm hoping I get mine....but it isn't looking good as the last 2 brides she booked and shot their wedding before mine still hasn't received their pictures. :( I had two friends get married after me, the weekend after and 2 weekends after and they both already have all of their pictures. Agh, this is so frustrating!! I'm trying to avoid saying anything to her that would make her destroy or purposely not give them to me. All the photographers around here require a deposit and the remaining balance due the week before the wedding. I only paid the day of because she flew in the day before the wedding |
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