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Wow, so sorry that happened to you! Who did you end up booking?
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I'm sorry this bride feels the need to slam our reputation without properly disclosing all the truth and facts. The reason behind the cacellation was a very personal matter and actually involves two situations, one being a medical issue. Secondly we actually gave them notice a month prior, as we did with several other clients so they would have time to find replacement. We also offerred to help them locate another photographer. Third, the 120 days was within that time frame and all of our other clients understood the reasoning as well as, the repayment would be sooner but that is a legal time frame. This bride unfortunately has chosen to express her views on a board, which is her right, without calmly discussing the issue with us or reflecting the sitaution truthfully. We have many clients who are and have been extremely happy with us. Unfortunately one client who feels the need to bash a photographer's reputation can overshadow the many who rave. And as far as our contract goes, it is a standard contract, written by an attorney that is no different than every other photographer offering services.
Goodness, Weddinggal, what a nightmare! Thanks for the tip. My fiance is from Jacksonville and we're getting married there next April. Interesting the photographer jumped on here to save face. I find it hard to belive 120 days is a legal time frame, not when you're so close to your wedding. Poor thing, I bet it only added to your stresses. We're still a year away and I'm stressed out! That photographer should really give back your money right away, that's just not right. Good thing you posted here.
Oh, and i see she's from Florida? Wow, I'll keep that shop off our list.
Great website, Wedding Bee!
To the photographer my cousin has been in the same situation as the bride and I totally understand her. I think as a photographer they should give people back there money regardless of the emergency. That's just the right thing to do in my point of veiw. Having to wait so long to get the money puts the bride in a bad situation. I dont think the bride is slamming your reputation she is just saying her side of the story as you are saying yours. But being a bride I would be upset to and perhaps do the same. I have a business and to make a buisness successful you need to give the best customer service regardless of the sistuation. That will make your life easier and less stressful.
I hope you guys can fix this matter. Lucky me I have a great photog and dont have to deal with this...(:
Please understand she also withheld the information that she won a contest and the only money paid was for airfare which we do intend to refund, since she chose to go with non-refundable tickets very shortly. We were advised the timeline for legal reasons. But she did not pay anything for our services or for any album or prints. I just feel we have been misjudged and as stated before she won a contest. We are sorry we are unable to make the commitment due to personal reasons but she has slandered our reputation.
i see both sides of this situation. While it was unfortunate and am sure very stressful to the bride to have to replace such an important vendor for the wedding (one could argue the most important vendor) we also have to understand that photographers are people too, and have emergencies and life's unexpected mishaps. I feel the photographer did the right thing and appeared to have even helped find a replacement (even if the bride did not go with one of the referred)
While 120 days is a lengthy time for a refund, its still being returned and appears that the photographer kept up with her word.
i think its important that both sides are able to air out their thoughts on the matter so future clients can make their own decisions. But for me, this event would not deter me from choosing this photographer. (if it happened many times, thats another story)
While I think this is a particularly sticky situation, what does it matter that the original poster won a contest? Just because "she did not pay anything" for your services or prints does not mean you didn't have a contract with this person to provide a service on their wedding day. Furthermore I'm going to assume that as a photographer it was your CHOICE to be involved in the contest and to provide your services for the winner.
While 160 days may be the legal time frame I will also agree that that on a purely practical level four months is a pretty long time to wait for someone to give you back your money after canceling on you. Thankfully it seems like the original poster will get her money back, but if I were her, I would be annoyed as well.
I was in a similar situation when my venue announced that it would be closing a week before the wedding. Unfortunate events like these do happen, but it is unacceptable that your firm waited 120 days to refund her money. By canceling a month before the event, you are causing the bride a great deal of stress and anxiety since she has to scramble to replace a very important vendor at a time when there are last minute details to attend to, and I would have expected a photographer to immediately refund any money lost. It doesn't matter that there was a contest involved here - your firm caused someone a great deal of anxiety and stress, and should have wanted to refund their money immediately to try to mitigate the damages you caused.
Hi Brides, I appreciate your thoughts on this. If you were in my situation you would understand. As for Shannon, it doesn't surprise me that she's spinning the situation like she has. I don't want to get into an arguing match here because its not worth it. I have a wedding to plan and need to concentrate on good things. The posting was meant to let future clients know of the situation and her contract policies. To clarify somethings she she hasn't....Shannon Steeves said she gave us a month notice after I claimed it was three weeks. Her email to us canceling her services (email mind you, not even the courtesy of a phone call) is dated: Thu, Mar 26, 2009 at 7:23 AM. Our wedding is April 18th. That's 23 days. Three weeks and 2 days. Not even in February is that short to be called a month. The sad thing is, we wouldn't even be making this an issue had she refunded our money right away. To get a new photographer now mostly everyone is booked and since we have no money for that we had to down grade on our package because of someone else mistake. Yes we won a contest, which, according to the contract we're entitled to a $5000 package of photography - one could argue she ought to pay for us to get our $5000 photography package even if she's not the one giving it to us. She's the one that canceled and it was her own contest, not a third-party contest. And worst of all, we agreed to stay with her even though she was going to coming in to town few hours before. We definitely got the short end of the stick on this one. And now two weeks after the fact we haven't seen a dime. That said, the photographer has a right to attempt to salvage her reputation because what she did was wrong. I feel for the other brides that are dealing with her cancellations as well. She has yet to actually prove her story of a personal matter. I'm not sure we'd buy it anyhow because she has not even apologize for what she did her whole charater changed after we told her we wanted our money. I think this situation would of been better for us had she given us our money and called us to make things work. We had to call her to say we would be willing to work around her emergency and when we did that she started to make up more excuses. So I think since the begining she had no intentions of shooting our wedding. Brides, all I recommend all of you is be careful, read your contracts, if you win something make sure everything is in place and talk to your vendors first to get a vibe from them. We sure learned our lesson the hard way..But I am a firm believer things happen for a reason.
Wow. I think it's interesting how this photographer isn't secure enough to know that if this were false and they have such good reviews to back them up it wouldn't matter. Yes, emergencies come up, but to not return the money already given is just wrong. If the bride had chosen herself to not go with the photographer then that's understandable, wait the designated timeframe in the contract because she cancelled. But I think it was poor customer service in part of the photographer to not provide the couple their money back immediately, contest won or not, because what if there wasn't enough money to secure another photographer. If she had won the contest then she would be out even more money because she would have to go through a photographer with no such deal already set in place.
Also, how did this photographer find out about this bride just happening to post on here? Were they looking for the bad review because they were nervous? The photographer is listed as only ever posted four times. Just a thought.
First of all I discovered this through another photographer warning me of the slanderous comments. I do not go looking for negative reviews. I defend our reputation because we have worked hard for our clients and to have one bride attempt to attack us this way and DEMAND full disclosure of personal issues and then state it as "lame" is HIGHLY offensive to me and my family. It is not a money issue with this bride because I would and will happily be refunding her money it is the manner in her disrespect to myself and my family. It is the fact that she did not calmly contact me to discuss this timeline but only demanded immediate repayment rather than realizing we are trying to accomadate several clients with a stressful situation for everyone. It is the fact that she is attempting to slander my business rather than calmly discussing this with us in private. I did not call her because she and her fiancee are both extremely busy and so far all communication has been through email.
At this point I feel very attacked by strangers who are making judgements about my professionalism and my business and have yet to know anything of me or my ethics towards my clients. She has a right to her opinion but she has no right to slander me during an very personal and private situation just because I didn't disclose all details to her. And again if she had been calm and not demanded I might have been more inclined to listen to her requests rather than putting other clients care and requests first.
I'm done defending because apparently I'll still be judged.
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The photographer's comments on this board make it pretty clear that she lacks professionalism and discretion. It sounds like she doesn't need any help scaring off potential clients, but I appreciate your warning. I, too, am particularly offended that she would use the fact that you won a contest as an excuse, Is she implying that any of us who win contests somehow do not deserve the same level of service and value??
Thanks you brides for your understanding my situation. These last couples of weeks have been so stressful for my fiance and I because of this situation but we are trying to make the best of things. Hopefully we get our money soon, that's all we wanted since the start. Shannon can say I say rude and that I demand our money but she an I know the truth that we ask her nicely, but that didn't work.
Thanks again for understanding our situation.
I'm not sure what the best way is to handle this, but I think that the reason that she is demanding her money back is to find another photographer and would need the money to put down a new deposit. Surely you would understand that. Also, do you not have a second shooter that could cover this wedding since it was won in a contest?
I'm siding with the photographer on this one!
WeddingBee's policies are very clear about what should and shouldn't be posted regarding vendor reviews. I know weddinggal is a newbee, but so am I. I actually read the rules before posting! Perhaps you should all revisit these guidelines.
Here's the short version:
Maybe weddinggal should have followed those. Frankly I think everyone should flag her post as not following the Community Guidelines.
On the vendor's side, the girl won a contest. Why is this relevant? Because she never put down a deposit. She paid for plane tickets. That means the vendor didn't have money on hand, she has to come up with it. And I don't think 120 days is too much if she has to refund a lot of other couples. Further, I don't think the vendor should have to disclose what went wrong! What if she's getting a kidney transplant? What if her husband is? Is it suddenly ok now? She doesn't need to spill her personal business and medical information to strangers. That's not their business. What is their business is a refund. She gave her what notice she could. If the issues all just came up I don't think that's unreasonable. I think you are all unfairly judging a vendor who did what was required of her. And if the vendor needs to use some sort of insurance policy to pay back all those brides, it will take the insurance company 120 days. Sheesh! Like you guys never had something go wrong in your lives!!
PS-Shannon Steeves: The word you're looking for isn't "slander" it is "libel" and you can contact a lawyer.
We tend to be very pro-bride on this board because NONE of us would ever want to be stuck in this situation (and it sucks, WeddingGal, I'm really sorry you have to go through this and especially because photographers are just so crazy expensive), but I think that we do need to cut the vendor a little bit of slack in that the OP's original post was a little misleading. While yes, the vendor should definitely have tried to get her her money back as soon as possible, health reasons hardly sounds like a "lame excuse".
I have to agree, but also say that we as readers can't rightfully make an opinion or assist in bashing this photographer without the full story.
I'm a firm believer that people often don't give others the benefit of the doubt: notice the original poster doubted the vendor had a "real" personal problem or that she wanted to provide the services for her contest from the beginning. It's hard to go through things right before the wedding -- especially this! but I feel like before we all join in and give the photographer the scarlett letter, we would have to read the emails or have been there when they had their conversations because this is only maybe 40% of the story.
I'm sure we've all been perceived to be things that we're not on many occassions and it's not fun. Always remember we never know what's really going on in someone's life or mind. Give people the benefit of the doubt. Hopefully the photographer will help the bride since her wedding is so soon.. I hope she finds a great photographer for her wedding because every bride deserves the best.
I say we let the post go because obviously NONE OF US know the entire story but the parties involved, and even that is not sounding to be the case because the photographer has something personal that she has chosen to keep personal. Likely for a damn good reason. Most vendors don't just cop out to be crappy, they know it can negatively affect their business.
Wouldn't you feel awfully bad if the vendor's "personal reason" was that she has cancer and has a month to live or just had a miscarriage or something? I think we should all be more sensitive to the fact that we simply do not know the truth.
Very "he said, she said"
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I say this post needs to be put to rest. It will not go anywhere, especially if accusations are just being thrown at the other to try and prove your point-no one can ever fully believe either of you. Both have valid points and personally, I think it needs to be resolved in person, not over a Weddingbee post board.
To me it sounds like the Photographer is doing everything she can to accommodate the multiple couples that she has had to cancel on. The amount of notice she gave them is irrelevant, because she told them as soon as she could. As far as the money goes, didn't the photographer explain that the money that the bride was speaking of was spent on non-refundable airline tickets to fly the photographer there, so that is likely why there is a delay in giving the bride back her money, as it will take a little longer to come up with the money. While it sucks, I think we need to be a little more understanding of the photographer's side of the story. While she is running a business, she is still a normal person who has life outside of work.
The ONLY thing I find wrong with what the photographer said was when she basically said the bride didn't deserve as much customer service because she won a contest.
I'll refrain from commenting on this particular situation, but in general, I think that if a vendor needs to cancel at the last minute, it should be the responsibility of that vendor to find an equal or better replacement and cover any additional costs. Things do come up, and sometimes a person cannot fulfill his or her commitment. In this situation, I would imagine that instead of giving names of other photographers, the vendor could have found an excellent photographer friend that was available, and arranged to reimburse the photographer friend instead of making the bride scramble to find a new photographer and come up with the money? Just a thought.
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Wow, this posting got popular. But it's he said-she said. Sounds like they both have their points. I noticed in my contract, though and I'm wondering if there was a clause in theirs - my photographer requires me to reimburse them for loss of business if I cancel and I only have 10 days to repay!! Any more than that for the couple to wait should be considered unlawful. The photographer has said it would take UP TO 120 days, has she/he considered just paying the couple now to get it over with? Flights and hotel can't be that much, what, $1500? Pennies for a business owner, but worth its weight in gold for this couple obviously struggling with an already over-budgetted event. Oh and in regards to getting a lawyer - give me a break. Get some thicker skin; it's business. Besides, what the couple could win in pain and suffering alone (if the judge has ever planned a wedding) would be huge. Granted, I haven't been there myself but man, I'd flip if this happened. And I agree with Ms Scrabble - contest or no contest, this couple should be dealt with with respect. I don't blame the bride for getting upset.
Out of curiousity, any update on this? I've noticed the photographer's now got some bad press on certain wedding websites. Did the bride and groom ever get their money back?
Here's the update: 130+ days after Shannon cancelled on us and she STILL has not refunded our money.
She has cancelled her home, business and cell phone numbers.
She has removed her website.
We have no way to contact her. Her husband Ford was being kind for a little while, claiming they sent us a check, which conveniently did not arrive.
Do you believe the bride and groom now? I'm the groom, by the way. Stay away from these "photographers" - they are nothing more than scam artists with their so-called "destination wedding expertise."
Nice that Shannon was willing to rebutt before but has remained silent since. She know's she's been caught. And when we take her to court, she'll see it more clearly.
All we wanted was our money back to put this behind us. I could go on and on and talk about how her incredibly bad attitude toward us has been, but I'll stop here.
Brides & Grooms, stay positive, and good luck!
I cant believe this..She must of ruined your weddding....Steeves Photography also tried to rip of some other people according to another website.
Why don't you file a claim with the better business bureau? If you put the pyaments on a credit card, you could possibly file through them, too,.
Just an FYI
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Hi Future Brides,
If you are looking for a photographer I want to warn to stay away from Shannon Steeves Photography and her husband Ford.
Three weeks before the wedding she cancel on us with a lame excuse and to top that off she would not give us our money until 120 days later. She is not professional, trustworthy, and has no ethics. I thought she would be great at the beganing but it turned out she was our worst nightmare. Thankfully she cancelled on us in time to find someone and not the day of the wedding. We believe things happen for a reason and we got to see her true colors and now we have choosen to go with a better photographer who is not going to rip us off and lie t there clients.
Again ladies, I tell you this because I dont want to put you through the stress she has put us through. Also read her contract carefullly because she has some trick clauses there, SO be careful. Don't let her work fool you because it fooled us.