Reflections of Time Photography

Review: I contacted Reflections of Time Photography [redacted] for wedding pictures. We agreed upon a package that included engagement pictures for $950. I was told to send a $200 deposit which I sent immediately. Our engagement session was 5-14-14 & that day she told me we owed $75, which I was never told about and is not in the contract which she had me sign that day. At the time, I let it go and actually gave her the full remainder of $750 on 5-14-14. The contract stated I was not obligated to give her the full remainder of $750 until 90 days prior to the wedding which would've been 6-20-14, but I decided to be proactive and kind and pay her early on 5-14-14. The contract states if customer is to cancel no refund, but we paid her over a month before the 90 days deadline, when the contract would've come into play. [redacted] told us our engagement pictures would be ready in 2 weeks. After 3 weeks and a day on June 5, 2014 and no word from her, I contacted her & she told me they were done, but she never called us and we had to travel a half hour to her to get the CD.Upon seeing our engagement pictures, we were disappointed. She wasted numerous pictures of us from behind just walking, 2 pictures we looked photo-shopped into, she had us positioned badly and I asked her if she would take out my foot tattoo if it showed up, she said yes, and this was not done. They weren't professional or like she edited them at all. We didn't even develop them. My fiance called her 6-5-14 and terminated her services for wedding and asked for our money back. I followed-up with her about my money, [redacted] said she would send it. I was expecting $675 and was letting her keep $200 deposit & $75. She only sent me $337.50 half of the $675. I didn't even have to pay her until 6-20-14 & she wouldn't have had the money yet to keep. I paid her 5-14-14 to be nice & cancelled 6-5-14 all before 90 days when her contract would come into play. She is in breach of her own contract & has no right to keep money that wasn't due yet.Desired Settlement: $413.00 ($337.50 she still owes me and the $75 she never told me about for engagement pictures & is not listed in her contract). She also had my wedding date listed on the contract as 9-27-14 and my wedding is 9-20-14 so I don't even know if she was available on the correct day.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID 10115235, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

In regards to [redacted] response, I am sorry she was having difficulty and in the hospital, but that has nothing to do with her work. She sent me ONE picture that yes the background looked pretty & my fiancé looked okay, but once receiving ALL of the photos they were not professional. We never even could print them out. She did not remove my foot tattoo or edit them at all.

The fact she had other work online or did work for my fiancé's fellow co-workers, has also nothing to do with the work she did for us, which was not what we were looking for. If she wanted to get into that, we did later hear from another couple she took pictures for, she did bad with positioning people. I told her many times, I see her contract says money is due 90 days prior to wedding & then no refund if cancelling by clients. But that was ONLY supposed to come into affect 90 days prior to the wedding according to contract. We paid & cancelled well before 90 days to BE KIND. She had plenty of time to book something else. I paid her EARLY to be kind, as Ive said many times. The money was not due until June. If I didn't pay her until June 20, 2014 when it was actually due, she wouldn't have had this money yet to basically steal from us. Of course, me, my fiancé and mother would be extremely upset someone would do this and call her upset. No one swore at her or yelled. How could you feel good taking money from people that wasn't even due yet & they paid you early to be nice. We cannot at this point even afford another photographer & its our wedding day. She has 9-27-14 as my wedding date on the contract copy I have. That right there makes her contract void, because my wedding date is 9-20-14. I don't even know if she was open on the correct date to be there.

Regards,

Business

Response:

Reflections Of Time Photography the business provided the following response:

Date that proposal was made: 7/25/2014 Value of proposed resolution (USD): Description of proposed resolution: Client has already received money that clearly did not have to be returned acording to the signed contract. This was given to them in good faith. As I have turned down at least one other wedding for the date of Sept 20, 2014, I have lost additional business. If anyone else was unhappy with my work, it was not brought to my attention. Regardless, other options were offered to [redacted] to help correct this issue. There will be no additional refund at this point.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID 10115235, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

I do not understand how [redacted] continuously refers to her contract. Her contract had the wrong wedding date on it, which makes it void right there. Her contract states money is due 90 DAYS PRIOR TO WEDDING THEN IT IS non-refundable ONLY after the due date of 6-20-14. We paid her on 5-14-14 in good faith which was early, the money was not due yet and we cancelled 6-5-14. How can you keep money from someone that was not technically even due yet. We paid on 5-14-14, this money was not due until 6-20-14. I paid her earlier than the day it was actually due, and how in good faith as she states, could you keep it. She had more than enough time also to book another event. With her also being ill as she stated, she would not have been able to re-do our engagement pictures in a timely manner as she offered & if we are not satisfied with her work, we did not wish to waste anymore of her time or ours. At this point, we just would like our $337.50 back to get another photographer or we will continue this matter legally. There is no question this is completely wrong. If, like I said, had waited to pay her the full remainder on 6-20-14 she wouldn't have even had it yet to keep. So by being nice and paying her ahead of the actual due date, she has taken advantage & took it.

Regards,