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Wow. That's frustrating. But it could have been one of those unforseeable, unavoidable things. At least she is willing to compensate you for your trouble. Look around, but I wouldn't cut her loose just yet. But that's just me. You know what your gut is telling you to do. :)
Aw, sorry to hear that happened! I'd agree with august15bride - it might have just been one of those unavoidable emergencies. I'd say feel it out - if everything's going well and you feel comfortable with her, then you might want to keep her. But if you're gut is giving you an uneasy feeling, it wouldn't hurt to explore your other options as well. Good luck!
I understand your gut, but I don't know that I would try to get out of the contract quite yet. It sounds like it might have been an unforseeable, unavoidable type of thing. Maybe look around a little bit. Is there anyway you could maybe talk to some of her previous clients and ask them how she did?
if she is really the photographer you want, then i would suggest sticking. Rearrange the shoot, take the offered compensation for sure, and maybe just meet another time just to reconfirm for both parties that the arrangement is still a go.
our contract has a clause for such unforeseeable circumstances, but really, nobody can predict such things...
Oh that is so frustrating! :( I wouldn't cut her loose just yet...although you'd think she would have tried to call you instead of just sending an email...what if you hadn't checked your mail? Has she been at all unreliable before this? I'd go with my gut, you don't want to be stuck with someone that won't deliver what you need on your wedding day. However, from my personal experience with attempting to find a photog, I know its a daunting task and you get your heart set on who you pick! I would give her the benefit of the doubt this once, and keep her on a short leash from now on, so to say!
I wish I could talk to her previous customers, but she doesn't have a blog. And I can't find any reviews on her. She's only been doing weddings for a couple years and started as a 2nd photographer. It did take her a couple weeks to deposit my check which worried me. I emailed her twice, once she said she was sick and would deposit it the next day. And the other time she told me she had been meaning to, but hadn't had the chance. I am concerned if something does come up on my wedding day. That would be a disaster!
Tough call. Our photographer was very clear up front that in the unlikely event of illness or accident, she had a network of photographers at the ready just in case. Does your photographer have a similar setup? If not, look elsewhere.
It is also a bit concerning that she didn't call you, but relied on an email only. Did she have your phone number? If she did and opted not to call (or misplaced it and had to rely on email), that's a huge red flag. If I were you, I'd start investigating other options.
See if you can meet with her before you re-schedule to try and get a better feel for her. May help your gut with a decision.
Well don't cut her loose. Some of us are really better with emails then phone calls.
While she probably knew about her husband's job interview, but not so much about not being able to find a sitter for her child(ren).
Call and get a reschedule along with that compensation deal.
Photographers are usually very relaxed about e-photo sessions since they can really be done at any time, meaning you can pick and choose which days have better weather, etc. BUT since you took off work and got your makeup done and only got an email, I would defnitely call her and explain in a nice way how inconvenienced you were and that next time you need more notice. I would even try to get more out of her, like the e-photo session for free. If she is not willing to do any of these things, I would tell her that you want your deposit back. Right now is a VERY difficult time for photographers since people are cutting way back on these services. I doubt you will have a hard time finding someone else and I bet she knows that.
I always take stuff like this as someone doesn't take their business seriously. You're still paying her, right? She could have let you konw, right? I mean, a sitter? How'd she not have taht set up? At least she's compensating you. Do you love her work that much?
Will she have a sitter on your wedding day? What if her husband is out of town on business?
Just some questions to ponder...make sure she has a good policy for your wedding. We had to re-schedule my bridal portrait twice b/c of rain =(
If you can't tell, my photographer made me very leery of stuff in general.
I'm pretty sure you can find another talented photographer who isn't booked on your wedding day. I noticed you're from California, there are plenty of awesome photographers around there.
I would try to reschedule the e-session and then see how it goes from there.
Sorry to hear about that! Try to reschedule for another session asap and see how that goes. Things do happen, but if it doesn't pan out again then start looking around for another photographer you like. 5 months is still enough time to find good talent out there. Best of luck!
Hmm, that's a tough call. I would sit down with her and seriously talk about "what ifs" for the wedding day, to try to weasel out whether or not she'd bail on you.
You might want to start shopping around just in case, but I wouldn't drop her yet. It sounded to me like an unforeseeable, though unfortunate, circumstance, and at least she's offering to compensate you.
i would say give her one more chance, but that is it. hopefully this was just an unfortunate event and it won't happen again. if she is at all flakey in future i would cut her loose.
If it's your wedding, you hold the power. Obviously it could be difficult for her to find a "sitter," but in the end, she agreed upon an appointment, has already taken a deposit that more than covers the value of the engagement shoot, and she backed out on you without a proper phone call or method of communication.
It seems like it's an extremely unprofessional method of communicating her problem - and I wouldn't blame you for wanting to switch, if you do.
That being said, your budget is healthy enough to attract a number of photographers, so I wouldn't be too concerned with that. If you do decide to change, read your contract and make sure you can get your deposit back first! Otherwise it may be better to try to work things out.
If you feel uncomfortable however, it's not worth risking the one day you want the services you pay for to be done professionally.
I was very comfortable when I met with her. And I think that's what sold me and also what I was getting for the amount of money I was spending. She was a make-up and hair stylist before and just stated photographing weddings a couple years ago. She said she has worked with really high end photographers and she has learned a lot from them. Her website wasn't working for a while (pictures did not load) and she just recently fixed it. Plus she doesn't have a blog than I can follow. I've been looking at her new weddings on the website and the pictures just seem mediocre. The contract states I can cancel at any time, but in order to be refunded any deposit made, she has to book another wedding on my date. How do I even know if she does?
Definitely sounds like a really difficult situation that you are in. If her recent work looks mediocre, how did her previous work look like when you first contacted her?
If you like her work I think I would stick with her... I would tell her all the time and effort you put into getting ready that day and maybe ask for something more than a larger photo.
I know if I screw up like this I feel so bad I usually give the them files on DVD for their trouble. Things happen but I really go out of my way to apologize and make up for it. Nothing beats a happy customer.
One thing is for sure, if you don't like her recent work, get away.
No sense paying for something you don't like/want.
Maybe since she missed your date you can get her to refund you your deposit. If I was her I would be sure to do that if you wanted out. She dropped the ball.
I agree, she is the one who missed your session and then cancelled by EMAIL...what if you hadn't checked it?! I would tell her that you want out and you want your deposit back and explain your reason...
Her husband was out of town on an interview? Ish e expecting to get this job? Does that mean they will be moving? Sounds shady to me.
Please let us know what happens! I hope you can just withdraw from this and get your deposit back. :/
I can understand that things come up and sometimes a re-schedule is in order - but she's showing a wide variety of flakiness...and cancelling the day of via email??? She's shown enough question marks that I might be concerned, especially if you are not too thrilled with her latest work....getting out of it most likely means losing the deposit, so at a minimum I would share your concerns with her. At a minimum I would hope she then pays a little more attention to you...sometimes sharing things like those kind of concerns can go a long way!
Oh I didn't know you were unhappy with her skill as a photographer. I must have missed that part. If that is the case dump her or try to.
Well I was just more sold on what I was getting in my package and how comfortable I felt during our meeting. I have decided to cancel with her and have found another photographer who I actually went to high school with. She has a blog and great reviews on ProjectWedding.com. Now i just have to express my unhappiness and dissapointment with the other photographer and somehow try to get my deposit back.
If you keep it professional, and read your contract fully, I'm sure you will find a way. I hate to shoot other photographers in the back with this, but many of us are not that great abount sealing our contracts for situations like this and it can lead to people getting out of them.
My personal opinion though - is that if I didn't communicate professionally with a customer and they decided to move on to another, I would be mostly embarassed to keep any of the money, if I hadn't already invested it into their work. If she's purchased your albums and what not already, then I could see her point, but most people order after the wedding anyway, so I can't really see too much of an argument.
Theres really no fine print in the conract. It only states "cancellations must be in writing. Please note that any payments made will not be refunded unless I can rebook the same date"
That's a real cop out clause right there because it really takes away any chance for the client to be able to get a refund, or even at the least a partial refund. :/ Especially given that she dropped the ball first.
Maybe you should speak to your better business bereau?
A lot of this industry is word-of-mouth and online referrals. All brides would be a bit concerned about hiring someone who cancelled an engagement shoot because she didn't line up a sitter and informed the bride via email. I can understand an emergency taking priority over an engagment shoot - but this was no emergency and she did not exercise due diligence in ensuring that you were informed. I think you might want to contact her and see if she refunds your money due to her unprofessional behavior. If she refuses, then you can send her another email explaining that you are considering writing reviews about her online.
I would first contact her. Send her an e-mail and ask for your refund. If she refuses, don't hold the review over her head, because she'll likely just get mad and it won't increase the chance of her getting over herself and giving you your money back.
Instead, report her to the BBB if you so feel, and feel free to leave reviews about your experience online. At this point, it doesn't matter, and you're doing everyone else a service (and other photographers!) by helping clients weed out the bad flavors.
If we can remove competition because they are below standard, with either images or customer service, then we're more than happy to assist. Cut throat, but just how it works.
I really hope things work out for you, and I hope you don't blame photographers in general. This is one of those professions where people can buy a camera and pretend and get away with it for quite a while - but eventually the true professionals will shine through.
So I wrote a cancellation letter to the photographer and mailed it certified mail. I expressed my feelings and dissapointment with her and requested a refund of my deposit. I just received an email from her lashing out on me. She says since we have been communicating via email and did not have my phone number she thought it was ok to use email to inform me of the reschedule and doesn't think "using a phone to inform me would have changed the outcome". She also says "engagement shoots are not limited to specific dates and are easily rescheduled". Then she says she was patient when I changed my wedding date (which I never did) I only asked her if if she was available on a sooner date, but that was even before if booked with her. In the end, she points out that a refund can only be made if she books another client on my date. But is still only willing to offer me a larger engagement print. I don't know if I should even argue with her or just tell her that I would like to cancel my contract. She's basically talking down to me in the email saying I don't "appear to understand" the reason she needed to reschedule. But I clearly do. It looks like I will be contacting the BBB and writing reviews about her and her services.
Jeez! How could she not have your phone number? I would believe that contracts would have parts that ask for contact information.
Send a cancellation notice on the contract and contact BBB.
Engagement shoots certainly can be rescheduled due to inclement weather. But it is unprofessional of a photographer to reschedule a photo shoot because she did not obtain child care for her daughter. You could have easily incurred financial costs due to leaving work early, and scheduling hair and makeup appointments (you had less than 24 hours notice to cancel them, and some salons might have charged you for these services).
I would give her a couple of days to calm down, and then send a very calm email or letter stating that you were concerned because she did not give you sufficient notice before canceling an engagement shoot due to child care issues you were concerned enough to find another photographer and that you would like your deposit back.
I'd cancel. Compeltely unprofessional. She should have CALLED and told you about the situation.
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I booked my photgrapher and paid my deposit of $800. The total is $3,200 which is a huge expense for us. Our engagement shoot was scheduled for today. I took off work early for my make-up and hair appointments. I happened to check my email before I left for my appts and received an email from my photographer cancelling our shoot today. Her reason was her husband is out of town on a job interview and she couldn't find a sitter. She's willing to compensate me by providing me with a larger engagement print. I don't want to start things off on the wrong foot with her and my gut is telling me to try and get out of our contract. Our wedding in in 5 months and I'm afraid we won't be able to find another photographer available on our date within our budget. Any advice?