Our wedding photographer ignores our calls and won't give us out photos... I don't know what to do...?

Question

My husband and I got married this past February, and we hired a photographer, who had great references and was supposed to be very reputable. We paid in advance, and now over 5 months later, we still do not have our photos. We were supposed to have them within 6 weeks of the wedding, and I have been calling and e-mailing daily for the past three months, and I am getting nowhere. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can get my photos from her, or any advice at all?

*** By the way, if you live in Vermont, DO NOT use Jackie Corbiere, Expressions by Jackie***

Answer 1

If she doesn't respond, sue her in small claims court for performance or your money back.

Answer 2

Small claims court would be your best bet right now.

Answer 3

Does she have a store?  Have you reported to the BBB?  What about the local chamber of commerce.

Answer 4

first I would go to her place of business. If that doesn't help go the local tv station and they should have something set up about businesses like this. If that doesn't work and you had a signed contract then take them to small claims court. Also don't forget to call the BBB.

Answer 5

This happened to us. While most photographers are very serious about their "art" most of them are TERRIBLE businessmen/women. The customer service element seems to be lacking as well as a certain level of organization.

The only thing you can do is get increasingly more dirty with your phone messages.  And by dirty, I do NOT mean kinky...LOL.  I mean start off stern....then give an ultimatum.  Tell them you are going to start posting a lot of messages on theknot.com and tell them that your attorney advised you to try one more time before he gets involved.

What a pain, I really feel for you.

Answer 6

Report her to the Better Business Bureau and take her to small claims court.  Bring your written contract and copies of all checks you wrote her, or your receipts if you didn't write checks.

Answer 7

i would get on a government site and figure who to call ..she obviously runs her own business and had a contract with you and what she is doing is illegal. You have given her the job, the money and signed the contract so she is legally bound to follow that. Contact a lawyer as well for some advice ..a lot of them will give you free advice over the phone!! do people not realize that it's one of the most important days of your entire life!! that's so disrespectful of her!

Answer 8

GO TO YOUR LOCAL TV STATION WEB SITE. THEY USUALLY HAVE A CONSUMER ADVOCATE THAT WILL HELP YOU SETTLE THIS. GOOD LUCK

Answer 9

Start by going to the Better Business Bureau, they will try to solve the issue.  If not take them to court.

Sorry this happened to you, that is aweful!!

Answer 10

and inversely, she now has a libel lawsuit against you, for putting her name and business here.

I would STRONGLY encourage you to delete this and rewrite it, NOT putting her name or business in the question.

Fast!

Answer 11

Sue him in small claims court for the statutory maximum (usually around $2000), that will get him to cough up the photos.  You can also call the better business bureau on him and report him professionally.

Answer 12

Are you sure this person is still in business and didn't just pick up and leave with your money?  Do you have a signed contract with this person/company that explicitly says when the pictures will be delivered?  If so, you could threaten to sue this person for breach of contract.  If I were you, I'd go on all those wedding sites "The Knot, Wedding Channel, etc...and bash this guy's reputation for not delivery on his services.  The best way to get even is to hurt his business' reputation.

Answer 13

sue him

Answer 14

Did you sign a contract with this photographer?  If not and you just sort of set up this "on a handshake" then you may be getting screwed royally by what is a unreliable photographer.  You can contact the Better Business Bureau and your State's Attorney if you would like to pursue this further.

Answer 15

Is there a better business bureau over there? Leave this idiot a message and tell her that if you don't hear back from her by the end of tomorrow, you will call and complain to better business bureau and have her business license revoked.

Answer 16

I would file a complaint with the District Court for Breach of Contract....and I am hoping you had to sign a contract in regard to what she was supposed to do and perform (including getting your pic's back in a reasonable time frame).

I would request the photo's as well as monetary damages - contact a local atty. for futher information.

Answer 17

You hire a lawyer and sue......

Answer 18

Sue.  Small claims court (not sure how much she charged you)

Also, if you've been being friendly- that time is over.  Tell her you will be taking her to court and that you will make it VERY public about what she did to you...  That's really horrible.  She probably really screwed up the pics and wants to slink away in a dark hole.

Answer 19

Why don't you try to contact by email, the editor of Vermont Bride Magazine which she so proudly announces she is a member of.  I don't think a magazine would want the poor publicity.

http://www.vermontbridemagazine.com/

Email a copy to Jackie and see how fast she gets you your pictures.

Answer 20

Leave her a voicemail making it very clear that she has approximately one week to get all the pictures to you guys, because you are already seeking legal action against her with your lawyers, and that she will have to pay you guys at least 5,000 dollars if the pictures aren't sent in a week from the voicemail message.

Answer 21

Yes - start here:

http://www.atg.state.vt.us/display.php?s...

And also the Better Business Bureau.

Good luck!

Answer 22

I had the exact same problem with my photographer! She dodged me for six months, when all I wanted was some confirmation that my order was ok. I did eventually get my stuff, although it took several more months for her to turn over the negatives.

Does she have a studio somewhere? I’d suggest going there and trying to catch her in person, that’s what we finally did. One thing I considered doing was setting up a false e-mail address and contacting her under a fake name to arrange a meeting. Thankfully I didn’t get that far, but I think the key is to get her face-to-face so she can’t ignore you.

If that doesn’t work, contact your local Better Business Bureau and consider filing a small claims court suit against her.

Answer 23

1.  Do you have a contract with this photographer.  I mean a written one that clearly states the photos were due 6 weeks from the wedding and what type/how many photos were due.  If you don't then you are in a tough spot, especially if there is no deadline listed in the paperwork and are probably out of luck.

2.  In the meantime you need to send a CERTIFIED letter to her.  The kind that is stamped with the date by the post office and requires a signature to recieve.  Make sure you keep a copy of the letter and the reciept from when you mail it.  Clearly state in the letter your grievances, when you have contacted her, and set a reasonable deadline for her to deliver to photos or respond....say 2 weeks from the day you send it.  Make sure in the letter you aren't saying stuff like  "You dumb heifer give me my pics or else!" even though thats how you probably feel.

If after the deadline she still hasn't responded try twice more with a CERTIFIED LETTER to contact her.  Make sure you are saving all your emails to her and recording the voicemails if you can.

At that point you've made reasonable, proven effort to contact and you can report her to the BBB, contact the local DA, and file in small claims court.  Unfortunately, it seems you chose badly and you'll get your money back after a fight but in most states now there isn't liability for her to re-create the photos entirely.  Although, some judges will award you the money to go someplace like JCPenny in your wedding clothes and get portraits done...

Answer 24

That photographer sounds really familiar to me. I don't live in your area but I remember Jackie being mentioned on this board last winter & I'm pretty sure that there are other brides in the same situation as you. I tried to find more info online, but if I remember correctly, Corbiere is not her legal name so she is hard to trace. I would do some research and try to find those other brides. I'm sorry to tell you this but you might need to file a lawsuit against her to get your photos back.

Answer 25

You ned to call her and tell her that you are going to report her to the Better Business Beureau. Other then that, if she keeps it up from there you ened to find an attornye (perhaps you have a family meber or friend of the family? That can write a letter to her and state that she has been paid and needs to turn over the pictures. This sounds really fishy to me as to why she wouldn't. Also make sure you have a copy of your contract because if none of the above mentioned works you will need to take her to small claims court to try and get your pictures.

On a side note I am so sorry you are going through that! What a rotten photographer to be with holding your pictures of such an important day! I would be FUMING. I hope that it works out and you get your pictures, good luck! I would also report this on sites with vendors that a lot of brides use like www.theknot.com and such!

Answer 26

Did you sign a contract? If not, then its done and over and you cant sue. Talk to your lawyer about it

Answer 27

Send her an email explaining that you would like your pictures by a set date or you will have to seek legal options.  Also send a certified letter stating the same thing, that way, you can at least have the peace of mind of knowing that she actually received your message.  

If she does not reply, take the copies of emails and the certified letter to small claims and sue for your money back.  

What a HORRIBLE experience to have to go through for documentation of what should be the happiest day of your life :(   Good luck!!!!

Answer 28

Go to her house or office and demad the photos.

Take her to court over the photos and a refund on payment!

post this on lawguru.com for a legal answer!