Ditching Photographer After Leaving Deposit

starbely · July 2009

Hello ladies! I'm looking for some advice. We booked a photographer we thought was a good value for the money for our June 2010 wedding. They have horrible communication skills (many an unanswered email) and still haven't given us references as promised. It's stressing me out. We are thinking to cut our loses and book someone else while there is still time because we're concerned they're going to drop the ball. I'm pretty sure we'll lose the $700 non-ref deposit we paid.Have any of you been through this? I'd appreciate any advice you can give. I thought about trying to get our E-Pics taken with them in the fall, and if we have a problem, maybe take them to small claims court since they would have rendered some services. (I kind of think at this point we haven't given them a chance and we'd definitely get nothing...) I've also been documenting all my attempts at communicating with them. Thanks again!

MrsKocal · July 2009

Did you sign a contract? Sometimes deposits are refundable, if you cancel with enough time for them to be able to rebook your date - but a contract will tell you what their policy is.

starbely · July 2009

Yup. (Which they called a "Booking Form.") It was very basic and didn't even have a place for them to sign (but I made him sign and date it anyway). It had just a few terms on it (mainly the breakdown of when fees are due), but for the deposit it just says it's non-refundable.

*city bride* · July 2009

Better to lose $700 than more money and memories. I'm sure there are a few of us married brides that wishes we listened to our gut. Don't make that mistake!

eggplantgirl · July 2009

Trust your gut. Eat the deposit (although ask if they'll refund it if they re-book). In my experience, photographers with bad communication skills wind up being a pain in the a-- to work with. I had a couple of red flags before booking mine (very slow to respond to emails; only responding after 2 or 3 follow ups), and post-wedding they have been horrible to deal with. My last email got a response 2 and 2 1/2 months later, and customer service is nonexistent. You're paying a lot for this vendor's services and you don't want to feel like they don't care about your business once they have your money. Find another vendor!

rose23986 · July 2009

You can use my photographer. I bet if you explained what happened and how you lost your deposit for the first photographer, he'd work out a good deal for you. Especially if you paid in cash.http://timelesseventphotography.com/

slbriz34 · July 2009

I'm going to play devil's advocate here. You are booked for a 2010 wedding. While you want to have lots of materials covered now, this is currently peak wedding season. The photographer is probably busy doing other weddings and trying to satisfy the needs of his clients who services are due now. That may suck but that's the reality sometimes. Try making an appointment for a visit rather than just sending an email. If you still don't feel him, then lose the deposit. But I've heard this from a lot of other folks and you can't expect someone to give you their full attention for an event almost a year away when he's currently engaged in other work. Just another side of the issue. And a judge might be inclined to agree with this logic, since the time for his services haven't really come about yet. Not everyone is good with the emails; again, try a face-to-face or even some phone calls and see how that works. Good luck.

Jamilynn627 · July 2009

I would call them and discuss this. Say you're not feeling very confident in their services since many emails have gone unanswered and you have not yet received the references as promised. You may be out of luck since the references would only do you good before you pay them the $700 nonrefundable deposit.

starbely · July 2009

I haven't actually been asking them about anything except the references (which were promised when we booked in May and now it's July). I just called him 2 weeks ago and he said he'd email them to me. I've sent him reminder emails because he still hasn't sent them. I keep making the excuse that it's wedding season and they're busy, but I have little if no faith in them at this point. We very much regret not getting the references first (but I've heard from someone else on the board that they didn't sign yet and still haven't gotten refs either). Thanks to everyone who has responded so far! Jamilynn627- I think that will be my next step. Eggplantgirl- that's exactly what I'm worried is going to happen (gut feeling).

starbely · July 2009

We are feeling robbed right about now. We paid our deposit via PayPal and a different name was listed after the transaction went through (I'm assuming their DBA). I just looked up that name on NY's Dept of State site and it says they just filed in Feb. 2009! This guy told us they were around for 5 years, plus we got their "5th Anniversary Special". This must also be why he can't supply references. Any advice on how we can try to get our deposit back based on his misrepresentations? Thanks again in advance!

Jamilynn627 · July 2009

I don't have any good advice, but that sucks! I'm sorry you have to deal with this. Hopefully our legal-minded knotties can give you some non-official, non-legal advice... :-)

emmcat · July 2009

If the photogs were claiming that they were around for 5 years and they weren't that is false advertising which they could be in LEGAL trouble for. I would use that angle because you have grounds with that.

starbely · August 2009

Hi Myshl22, I also found them at a show in Manhattan, was impressed with their albums (though I think all but one were NOT shot in NY) and prices. The lack of reviews has been a sore spot for me. Actually another knottie found a negative review from Australia/NZ I believe is posted on the other message. Unfortunately, they have not provided me with references as promised and have ignored many a follow-up email. They do seem to be better with the phone, but they still haven't followed through. My advice would be to not sign with them unless they provide you with references from NY clients first (mistake on our part). I also discovered something I wasn't pleased with, which is that they only just incorporated in NY in Feb. 2009. I was told they were in NY for 5 years. We were going to wait for CherCher's engagement shoot, but my fiance and I just don't have faith in them and don't want to risk it.

starbely · August 2009

We're still working on/figuring out that part, LOL. I would hope they give us part or all of the deposit back and would attempt to recover something. Hopefully they do the right thing!

wingmlo · October 2009

Hey Starbely, How did you make out with finding another photog? Did you find someone else comparable to Dreamlife? I hope your search for a new photog went well. I'm curious b/c I'm trying to find someone for my wedding now that I heard so many shady stories about dreamlife.Thanks!

starbely · October 2009

Hi Wingmlo, we did. We decided to go with someone who has a photojournalistic/fashion style also, but doesn't offer as large of a package as Dreamlife did. Of course he costs more and we were trying to save money, but we feel comfortable now. The only thing we aren't getting are parent albums, but we can make those ourselves with the images. We're getting an engagement shoot, unlimited hours and he will reshoot outdoor shots if it rains the day of. He has an office in Manhattan and Westchester (we are getting married in Westchester and he is very familiar with the area/church/reception hall). More importantly he's reputable and people know him. I'll give you his name if you'd like.Luckily I was able to get our deposit back from Dreamlife. I understand they are trying to make it in the NY market, but they should have represented themselves differently. I just didn't trust them after I found things out weren't what they told us. It seems like they are responding to the negative feedback by being more communicative, etc., but they should have made a better impression right off the bat. There have been posts about them not being from here and that they aren't used to demanding NYers, but NY is full of foreigners- that isn't an excuse in my book. Being good business people is common sense and you should want to please your customers, not make them wary. Again, it seems like they are changing the way they deal with customers and I wish them luck.

kemseyelle · November 2009

Hi Starbely, I found your post before I went to dreamlife, I love their works but those negative reviews online did raise some doubts. But after we meet their manager I totally relieved. Their albums are beautiful and very unique, I cannot find other designs and albums with that good quality anywhere else. And they explained your issue with me too, yes I think they have been here for not very long time, but their work and effort showed their proficiency and dedication to be a great studio. With the great value package, I would recommend my friends to hire them. And yes they mentioned that they have returned your refund, that is very professional and resoponsible reaction to me. - K

LaurelMcGovern · March 2010

I'm sorry but I'm a lawyer and there's no excuse for poor communication skills in a service business. I work 20 hour days, and if i acted that way, I'd be fired. I'd tell them you're unhappy with their level of cust service and ask for your money back.

Get someone else who will treat you properly.

Ditching Photographer After Leaving Deposit

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