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Beth Engel Photography-MKE

lfinley87lfinley87 member
First Anniversary First Comment
in Wisconsin
hello-

I am wondering if anyone has used or will use Beth Engel. I met her at the State Fair bridal show and in person on another occassion. I am thinking of booking her but wanted to get any feedback if possible.

Thank you!
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Re: Beth Engel Photography-MKE

  • wilfert14wilfert14 member
    First Comment Combo Breaker First Anniversary
    I am not using her, because my sister-in-law did 2 years ago and said she was a bit disappointed.  It is her one vendor she would not recommend.

    That was 2 years ago though.  I too saw her at the State Fair show and thought her work looked nice.

    We are going with LotusFly based on recommendations.  We received our engagement pictures back and they wer GREAT.
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  • Christineclm2Christineclm2
    First Comment
    One of my bridesmaids used her and was also very disappointed as she didn't get the quaility of photography she paid for. She is also not good at responding to emails or phone calls. If your photographer doesn't show concern before your wedding you definitely will not be getting it the day of. 

    Some others to consider would be The Artists Group, Ideal Impressions, Mia S Photo, Dennis Felber Photography & Spottswood Photography. All are very stylish and seem to capture the moments. 
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  • Charlotte&StephenCharlotte&Stephen
    First Comment

    I didn't meet with Beth but we are using Heather Cook Elliott and Loved your eng. photos!!  My planner (Tailoed Engagements) said she is one of her favorite photographers in Milwaukee so I really trusted that and it has been amazing woking with her so far!

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  • visualfxvisualfx member
    First Comment First Anniversary
    We met Beth and her husband Mike at a Wedding Show. It was nice to talk to the person who would be shooting our event. We have been making payments monthly now and are to be married soon. With most of our bill paid for, and the price we paid, we expect some communication. There is absolutely NO communication. She does not return phone calls. Does not answer either number we have for her. Does not respond to emails. We call on a daily basis now. Our next step is to contact the news media that does stories on companies that aren't doing the right thing and a lawyer. I would suggest staying away from this company.
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  • kayriley2kayriley2 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited April 2014
    Hey visualfx....I stopped in my tracks reading this review because it is exactly my situation too! We booked her two January's ago after meeting her at state fair bridal show...loved her, met at her studio, signed up for a payment plan (nice to treat it like another monthly bill, right?) and then in March we contact her on regards to some questions we had, and her now EX husband tells me that they are divorced and no longer in business together....we are out almost 3,000 and our wedding is in 17 days...have you had any resolve? What further actions did you take? We are not sure if we should be trying to find another photographer in fear she doesn't come, or if she does she may not do a great job. We are also so nervous about the money! Please shine some light on this for us! :(

    Thanks!
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  • lfinley87lfinley87 member
    First Anniversary First Comment

    Incase any ladies are using Beth Engel, good luck! After a very nasty phone call where she basically called me bridezilla because I was trying to get a reach of her and ended up making me ball-I highly doubt she is going to show up to any of her shoots. I am sure she is hoping everyone cancels since she has been MIA and she will be able to keep all the money we have given her. She is currently go through a nasty divorce, so I highly doubt someone bitter can take beautiful pictures of your day.

     

    I am using Vital Image as my videographer, and hands down has been the best vendor to work with. Rich will literally respond within the house you email. If you are in desperate need of a photographer, I would reach out to them. It is very obvious working with him (as he did my boudoir) that he truly cares about you and wants to produce the best photos. Sorry if you got scammed by Beth, join the club....

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  • visualfxvisualfx member
    First Comment First Anniversary
    kayriley: Sorry I didn't see any responses to my post. She did show up to our Wedding, however after recalling the day with my wife, we don't believe she got half the pictures we wanted. Let me be clear that we are by no means high maintenance. But when you have a THREE hour meeting about what you want pictures of, the majority of it should be covered. The day of our Wedding, she showed up to my wifes hotel room and plugged her equipment in to charge! Way to NOT be ready!! My wife said that there were hardly any pictures taken.  She hands out password "tickets" at your event with the password and it says right on there, "You will be able to see your pictures online in Approximately 16 days". Today is day 27 and there are only 30 pictures up. And that is because I have called her phone numbers nonstop and nagged through email. The next step will be contacting Fox 6 and going the legal route. There is absolutely NO conversation with this woman, which is extremely unprofessional. Especially for the ridiculous amount of money we paid. I also see she has a strike against her with the BBB. I had looked when we first booked her and there was nothing as of that time. I STRONGLY urge people to find an alternate photographer. Unless you like being stressed 24/7, then by all means.
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  • lfinley87lfinley87 member
    First Anniversary First Comment

    I would like to go legal or inform someone. No paying customer should be treated the way Beth treated us and its ridiculous we have to stalk her to get some type of communication. Sorry visualfx that happened to you, Also I wrote the BBB report.

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  • hlvonbhlvonb member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Answer First Comment
    edited June 2014
    lfinley87 said:
    hello-

    I am wondering if anyone has used or will use Beth Engel. I met her at the State Fair bridal show and in person on another occassion. I am thinking of booking her but wanted to get any feedback if possible.

    Thank you!
    @lfinley87

    I haven't used her. I talked to her and she seemed fishy. edited: Removed the florist comment. Got conversations mixed.
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  • tigger75tigger75 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its Name Dropper First Comment
    My future sister in law used her for their wedding last May (thats May of 2013!) and while the photos we beautiful my SIL has not received the photo album she ordered nor has she received the cd of photos! We were talking about this just the other day how her wedding was almost 1 1/2 years ago and she has not received anything! And she spent ALOT of money using this photographer! According to my SIL, Beth keeps telling her that her album is coming from Italy and that it should be here in 2 weeks. Then those 2 weeks turn into another 2 weeks blah blah blah I'm sure you get the point. I suggested finally seeking some legal advice because this waiting is ridiculous!! 

    Long story short...Don't use this photographer!!! It will be a complete waste of your money!!

    Visit The Knot!   Visit The Knot! Visit The Knot! Visit The Knot! Wedding Countdown Ticker
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  • nicolehaj103nicolehaj103 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    In the same boat.  My wedding was October 5, 2012! Still waiting...

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  • nicolehaj103nicolehaj103 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    Can you update me on your SIL's situation?  My wedding was 10-5-2012 and I get the same responses from her!  Still waiting on my album and the cd of pictures.  She is starting up a new photography business in Waco, TX.

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  • nicolehaj103nicolehaj103 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    Have you gotten anything yet?
    visualfx said:
    kayriley: Sorry I didn't see any responses to my post. She did show up to our Wedding, however after recalling the day with my wife, we don't believe she got half the pictures we wanted. Let me be clear that we are by no means high maintenance. But when you have a THREE hour meeting about what you want pictures of, the majority of it should be covered. The day of our Wedding, she showed up to my wifes hotel room and plugged her equipment in to charge! Way to NOT be ready!! My wife said that there were hardly any pictures taken.  She hands out password "tickets" at your event with the password and it says right on there, "You will be able to see your pictures online in Approximately 16 days". Today is day 27 and there are only 30 pictures up. And that is because I have called her phone numbers nonstop and nagged through email. The next step will be contacting Fox 6 and going the legal route. There is absolutely NO conversation with this woman, which is extremely unprofessional. Especially for the ridiculous amount of money we paid. I also see she has a strike against her with the BBB. I had looked when we first booked her and there was nothing as of that time. I STRONGLY urge people to find an alternate photographer. Unless you like being stressed 24/7, then by all means.

    Report Reply
  • nicolehaj103nicolehaj103 member
    First Anniversary First Comment


    tigger75 said:
    My future sister in law used her for their wedding last May (thats May of 2013!) and while the photos we beautiful my SIL has not received the photo album she ordered nor has she received the cd of photos! We were talking about this just the other day how her wedding was almost 1 1/2 years ago and she has not received anything! And she spent ALOT of money using this photographer! According to my SIL, Beth keeps telling her that her album is coming from Italy and that it should be here in 2 weeks. Then those 2 weeks turn into another 2 weeks blah blah blah I'm sure you get the point. I suggested finally seeking some legal advice because this waiting is ridiculous!! 

    Long story short...Don't use this photographer!!! It will be a complete waste of your money!!
    Can you update me on your SIL's situation?  My wedding was 10-5-2012 and I get the same responses from her!  Still waiting on my album and the cd of pictures.  She is starting up a new photography business in Waco, TX.
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  • kmwmkekmwmke member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    I'm so sorry to hear so many people have been taken advantage of on their special days. I just posted this to another thread, hopefully it can help any of you. 

    While I TOTALLY cannot empathize and do not think this will at all cover the emotional price of missing photos, I think you should file the suit and in the requested amount you should file for the high res edited photos, a refund, AND monetary damage. I believe the limit is 10k or less. I'd file for the full 10k. It's really easy and I think it would also help recover your photos for one reason, if you file and win you can also file a docket and/or garnish wages. In the most basic sense, a docket basically says if she tries to sell her major property (car, house) that she cannot until she satisfies the judgement against her.

    I'm not sure of the statue of limitations, however, I would hurry and check it out. I filed a small claims suit against my old roommate once. So, I know that iIf you want to file you will file where your contract was signed and you will pay a fee (around $100). The chance of you winning against her is pretty high if she is now in TX because if she doesn't show up, you automatically win. If you win, she is automatically required to pay the court fees as well. They are on the accused if the accused is found responsible.

    If you do win, you'll be setting a precedence for other couples. My guess is that nobody has ever done this and that is why she continues to take advantage of other couples. 

    I'm really sorry.

    WI Small Claims Handbook
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