Where Are My Wedding Pictures!!!
I need your advice on this What Would You Do question.
I got married July 14, 2007, almost two years ago, Praise the Lord. I hired a photography based on two things. Number one, he grew up with my brother-in-law and was his friend and my brother-in-law was going to use him for his own daughter’s wedding. (that wedding didn’t happen but still my brother-in-law had planned to use him) The second reason was because he is a Christian and I wanted to support him and sow into his ministry by hiring him. The cost was $1500.00. Let me spell that out, fifteen hundred dollars! That is fifteen one hundred dollar bills! Whew! So I had to pay half up front – $750.00 – and the other half was due when he was done.
I really wanted him to be at my wedding rehearsal taking pictures. For $1500.00 surely that wasn’t too much to ask right? In the hustle and bustle, I didn’t realize until after the rehearsal (we had so much fun at my rehearsal!) that he didn’t show. I started to panic because he told me he would be there. Ok, but since he wasn’t there I knew he would come through on everything else. On my wedding day he was to be with me from 8:00am until the end of the reception. Wedding morning I went back into panic mode when I didn’t hear from him. Finally he called and said he was there. But…I never laid eyes on him until he arrived at the church at 12 noon. I am the bride!!! WHAT IN THE WORLD!!! He missed all the things I did that morning. IE – Smiling. Getting my hair done. Smiling. Getting my nails and toes done. Smiling. Gathering up all my stuff in preparation to leave for the church. Smiling. Floating on air with butterflies in my belly. Oh well… it was 12 noon, he was there. Only lost 4 hours of pictures of the beginning of my big day…
He did take several pictures but he didn’t do the video recording. My brother-in-law ran the video camera although I had requested that from my photographer. He wanted to charge me some astronomical amount on top of the fifteen one hundred dollar bills I was already paying him! Uh…no! It was his suggestion for my brother-in-law to be the videographer. (I say this with utter glee) At one point during my receiving line I noticed my brother-in-law singing a duet with my cousin, which meant, there was no video camera rolling! I needed someone to bring me a program to see if there had been a misprint because I knew I hadn’t hired my brother-in-law to sing, as I really thought his job was VIDEOGRAPHER! But in efforts to stay graceful I smiled and continued my job, hugging folk that honored me with their presence at my wedding! 
)
Shortly after noticing my brother-in-law singing with no video camera in his hand, again, I nonchalantly looked around and to my chagrin, I see the most appalling thing; my PAID photographer was on the drums accompanying my brother-in-law singing his duet! WHAT IN THE WORLD!!! This meant no video camera and no regular camera! Let’s stop here and review the situation: I had already dropped $750.00, he didn’t show up at my wedding rehearsal, he missed the first four hours of my big day and now, instead of snapping me with all my well wishers hugging me and my groom, he was playing the drums for my non-video recording brother-in-law!!! Pray church! I feel a pew about to come out of place!
I am still not to the crux of my What Would You Do question.
Today it is May 18th, exactly 57 days before my two years anniversary and (drum roll please….) I have received not nary a one photo from my: brother-in-law friend, saved and loves the Lord, late arriving, drum playing photographer! Not one! Yes, you heard me right; I have not gotten my July 14, 2007 wedding pictures. Holla!
Here’s what I’ve done. I have tried to be nice phone call after phone call, voice message after voice message and email after email. 9 times out of 10, on those voice messages, just to reiterate, I leave my cell number, my husband’s cell number, my work number, my husband’s work number and our home number! The times he did answer, at the end of the conversation filled with promises, as if looking business-y he would ask for our phone numbers for the umpteenth time, I guess to impress me. Didn’t work! Bad business is bad business and so unimpressive!
Eventually, he stopped answering my phone calls. Then in early March I called from my co-worker’s cell in efforts to throw him off with the strange area code and phone number. He answered! He actually admitted to doing this to two other couples, but he finally got theirs done. Mine was the only one he hadn’t completed and I was the one that had been waiting the longest. In that conversation he promised to have my pictures to me by March 31st. He rattled off my address, as if to reconfirm, although he has had my new address for months!
March 31 came and went and about mid-April he called and said he had made real good progress. Ok, seriously, that is not what I want to hear! And what is real good progress? My 2 ½ year old grandson might have been able to figure this out and make real good progress 21 months after the fact!
So now I am thru!!!! Three weeks ago I called him from my phone, of course he didn’t answer. I left a message saying I just wanted my money back. Forget the pictures, I have enough non-professional, but good pictures that family and friends took. I just want my money immediately or I would have no choice but to prosecute! Yes I did! And I hung up feeling nearly vindicated! I knew things would start moving now! Lol. I have heard nothing. Absolutely nothing!
Call me lazy but I really don’t want to do the whole small claims court thing. I just want what is due me! Really what I want is all my pictures and all my money back. Here’s the thing, if I do have to end up taking him to small claims court, I WILL also ask for monies for my pains and sufferings! (I know a “s” doesn’t belong on the end of those words, but 21 months = PAINS and SUFFERINGS!)
To my question: what should I do? Continue to wait? Call the Better Business Bureau? Make my brother-in-law put a fire under him? Call the courts and see what my options are? I don’t know. You tell me, what should I do? What would you do? Help me! Holla back!
OMG!!!! Put a fork n me, cuz I’m done with this ol’ bootleg photographer, he was probably stuffin his face while he should’ve been taking pix. Kathy, I would take this crooked dude to Judge Mathis and let him put him on front skreet…yeah I said skreet. No, but foreal this is some mess you would hear watching one of those judge shows. How bout this, show up at his house, or his job and cause such a scene that he would want to give you the money straight outta his pockets. I would demand it back plus interest. Since he didn’t show up at the rehearsal and was ONLY 4 hours late. Or follow him and be dressed in all black, and scare the crap outta him. He wouldn’t get enuf of me, not until I had all my money. I would be like the Bill Collector calling ALL times of day and night.
Honey, I would make this a MEMORY for him. Never to forget and to teach him a lesson…..STOP PLAYIN SMOKIE…PLAYIN WITH MY MONEY IS LIKE PLAYIN WITH MY EMOTIONS.
Good Luck
Carissa
Oh my! What a horrible, horrible photographer. First of I would file a formal complaint with consumer affairs, better business bureau and any other organization that can assist. These companies will try to contact Mr. photographer man, and request an explanation or try to give a solution that would be fitting for you. Which I believe you should receive a full refund. Being that you haven’t already gotten the photos I wouldn’t bank on your getting them, it’s probably a wrap on those, sorry to say. He sounds crooked as they come, and you should tell everyone about his trifling way of doing business. You probably should go ahead and take this dude to court, seek all your money than some for emotional distress (lol) Convince the judge you just have been a emotional wreck by not receiving your pics
He was dead wrong for messing up your special day. I think I would have already rolled up to his place of business and taken a police with me. So when I jumped on him the police could be there to witness. I know that’s not Christian like but sometimes you know you have to get straight ghetto or go straight Madea on folk for them to understand you really mean business. Being nice hasn’t gotten your money or pics so it’s time to roll up the sleeves and play hard ball. By playing hardball I mean press charges if needed, whatever! Let him know you mean business and that you will NOT stand for anymore excuses or mess you want MONEY NOW!
I wish you well, but don’t let this go another year, get him!
Stacey
@Carissa Foster – I know! But he lives in IL or TN or somewhere! I live in GA and can’t be a physical menace to him! I thought my being a phone menace would work but it hasn’t! Ain’t this some mess?!
@Stacey – I’m rolling the sleeves up now!
@Carissa Foster – Carissa, why was he on the drums!!!
Great, keep them rolled up until justice is served.
Stacey
Kathy,
What in the World!!?? What kind of Circus did he come from?! Let me just get this off my chest right now, who told you he was saved? Saved from gettting a Black Eye because you can’t catch up with him is more like it!
Girl, I am so upset about this foolishness I want to get my Homies from New Orleans and find him myself(my first reaction). This is the garbage that stops me dead in my tracks and I become cautious when I am doing business with “SAVED FOLK.” I do my very best not to judge everyone based off of the last person and I am glad that I don’t because everyone deserves a chance.
So what do you do you say?! If you have use all means to resolve the issue with him, by calling, emailing, Leaving a message on his home or work number, getting your brother in law to speak with him and sending him a formal letter of your intent and you have contacted his Pastor or Bishop…….That’s right I said it, call his Watchman on the Wall if he is Saved as you say.
Once you have done all of this and still nothing, get a lawyer to do a Letter for you 1st and have them send it to him Officially, placed in his Hands (Served by a Sheriff to his Job or Home). (Put the cost of the lawyer in with what he owes you.)
When he gets this he will contact you and you should not have to go to court. He will call you and you can have him deal with your lawyer.
Honestly from my heart right now, spiritually, this is what I would do, there is no sense in my saying anything else or gettting spiritually deep on the matter because it would be a Lie on my part! (This is where I am everybody with some situations)
$700.00 plus is alot of money for memories that you have not captured! What did you pay for the drum roll he did at the Wedding?
You will win, because he has violated the Goods and Services Act (that is what I call it)….Even if you don’t have a contract, a verbal agreement will still stand in court.
I pray that you will not have to go to Court Kathy, Honestly I do. I hope that he comes to himself before Court is an option…..
Also find out if you can write this off as a Bad Loan or Agreement, my Tax Agent offered this to me once when a Family member made bad on a Loan that was not repaid to me.
@Yolanda Marion – Good advice but you got it wrong, it was not $700.00, it was $750.00!!!
Always sign a contract with both parties signatures stating all terms of the business transaction first before you even start. Most people who aren’t about the right will shy away from contracts. This will let you know if they are serious or not. If they don’t deliver on their end then you have something on paper to take to court. Always have a plan B, C and D.
I did sign! He just hasn’t delivered!
Because he is a believer, let your brother in law or this photographer brother’s pastor light the fire first with the understanding that you (after proper notifcation) will have to take it to the law after that. Then you will have satisfied the scripture. 1Co 6:1 ¶ Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?
My belief,then, is that if the believer refuses to honr his word, he is a lawless person. 1Ti 1:9 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient,
Small Claims Court is your recourse.
I have absolutely no idea what church he goes to or any of that information and until this morning, I didn’t even know where he lived. I just knew it was somewhere in IL. Thank God for the internet. My Uncle has asked for the information, and as smooth as he is, he will probably accomplish what I haven’t been able to. I am gonna see what he can do first. Believe it or not
) I don’t like confrontations, especially these kinds.
Well Kathy,
I hope that whoever you can get will help you. Hopefully your brother-in-law can either call him or find out who his pastor is. SOMTHING NEEDS TO BE DONE!!!!
Court…all the way. You dont even need to call him again. 2 yrs of calling is plenty… get a lawyer and do it! $750.00 plus the minutes off your 2 yrs of phone call is enough…wouldnt you say? Time for playin is up. this is rediculous!!!!!! And you need to tell everyone you know not to use him. In fact, you should go to the website and contact some of his coworkers and harass them too!
Now Kourtney…
Amen Bishop !!
The scripture says in business be men, now handle your business.
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That is on point Delores, I didn’t see that one!!
Let’s start with the brother-in-law….ummmmm….we better move on. This is a travesty! I know the right thing to do is what the good Bishop suggested BUT shoot. Come on, he needs to know that everything on the pig is pork and you are going to mess his world up. What you NEED to do is find the city where he lives and take out an add in the city newspaper. Letting everybody know what kind of business person he really is which is a P-poor one(I’ll tell you what the P stands for off line). Take out as big of an add as you can afford then include it in the lawsuit. This doesn’t make ANY sense. We all need to drive down there and just show out.
lol! yep! I never thought of that! I did call the Peoria Better Business Bureau today to start the process of filing a complaint. You know what’s funny, he has two websites, every time I go to: “contact us” on his sites and put in my info and try to leave a message, NEITHER OF THEM WILL TAKE IT! I don’t know what kind of business man I got hold of but I can tell the next fellow, you gotta be more careful!
“Brother Photographer” has had plenty of time to make good on these wedding pics…let’s do it!!! BBB, newspaper and any other medium to get YOUR point across now. What can I do to help!! Obviously he needs to be taught some lessons in business!!!
lol. Can you call him for me? He recognizes my phone number and won’t answer. Can you three-way us?
I call him about everyday. I did leave a nice inviting message today asking him to visit kleverkathy.com, scroll down to this story, read it and all the comments and please feel free to leave his own comments!
Kathy,
can I send a letter to the brotha?
Sure!!! I need ALL the help I can get!
He’s bless that I’m not able at the moment to find his whereabouts, however I’m working on it. This person is a fraud and when I do catch up with him or find him, he will not only just give the money back, he will suffer other consequences. He’s probably done this to other people, and whosoever think this was a man of the most “High” God, well they were wrong. He needs to be made an example of and if he’s a family man or not, he will paid the price. I would have blame it on my wife’s brother-in-law, however this photographer is a “suppose-to-be” grown man, so he’s responsible , irresponsible, etc.,for his own actions and actions that will be taken against him, court, judge,etc., etc. No one needs to be ripped off by a person that presented himself as trustworthy, honest and bad guy he is.
Unfortunately it sounds like this person is probably not really a professional photographer. All too many people claim to be professionals, but have nothing to back it up. Very few even have the proper licensing, which means filing claims with the BBB, etc. is fruitless because no such company exists. Also, if you don’t have anything in writing backing up your claim, you probably wont win anything in court, and even if you did, you would only get your money back- no pictures, no pain and suffering. And while $1500 seems like a lot of money to you, it’s not for most photographers. Typically that would cover three, maybe four hours of coverage and a few prints or maybe a small album. You’re probably going to have to consider this an experience to learn from and share with your friends getting married. Tell them – don’t take a “budget” photographer – get a member of the professional photographers of america (ppa.com)or go with a reputable one who has done business in your area for years and has tons of referrals, can show your their photographer’s AND business license and get everything in writing.
He is a professional. anointedphotography.com.
@Yolanda Marion – Where does the Bible say In business be men?
Good thing that you did it. I would have handled it different. He knew from the beginning the promises he made and for him not to honor his promises, well that didn’t set well with me. I’m very glad that you have handled this, and reason(s) why, I would have been to Illinois already and confronted this Mr. “Big Shot” photographer and he would have had paid me on the spot. I would have made sure the BBB knew who he was, his adddress, his dog’s address and he wouldn’t be photographing anyone no time soon. To me, I think he’s a con artist and I’m very proud of you and know that this will get accomplished. Also, you’re not lazy and you were not procastinating, you were trying to symphatize with him all this time, hoping he would do the right time. As far as your brother-in-law, you didn’t need him to light a fire behind the photographer, that why you have a husband, me, for. Well, as you said, “bad business is bad business” and he’s just a another poor excuses for a business man. I love you.