Speaking of cancelling, what do you think about this?

ben dover's Avatar
I wasn’t going to mention this but after seeing jacks post on cancelling I thought I’d chime in with a recent experience. Please feel free to comment on how you’d feel or handle this situation..now to the story.

Some here know me as a photographer and I’ve done quite a few photos for some of the ladies that post here. I had a provider that posts here wish to have some more professional photos done. We emailed back and forth a couple times, she seemed excited, had new outfits to try etc etc. I reserved the studio, made the arrangements for a makeup artist (she requested). The date and time were set and agreed on.

The morning of the shoot I was at the studio a half hour before the scheduled time to set up lights etc. The makeup artist came in from Bloomfield for the shoot was there just after me.
I got a text 20 minutes before the shoot was supposed to start saying she had JUST got up and had a family problem, couldn’t make it and would be out of touch for days. However she had been posting here on eccie 2 hours before that and also logged into her e.com site and continued to post throughout the day.

Now I am out a C note for the studio and another 50 for the makeup artist. She hasn’t responded to any emails since. Now I’m sure I wont be doing photos for her nor will I ever want to see her as a client.
Now what do you think would happen if I booked the ONLY session with her, she got a 150 dollar room just for that session and I bailed??? BD
BD - I would also be very unhappy, if you had done that, I believe you would be blacklisted. If you outed the SP here, the white knights would come out of the woodwork to make excuses for her. If it was me, I would be very generous providing this valuable info via pm. Take care!
ben dover's Avatar
I agree competly... BD
Boogyman's Avatar
I would get a retainer for at least the expenses incurred beforehand but that doesn't help you now. At the very least, she owes you an apology if not a special if you both can get past the fact you were stood up.
brutusbluto's Avatar
When it comes to laying out in pocket cash, maybe it is more prudent to get a down payment before hand to cover that making it less chance of her bailing on you, at least that way you are not out that money if she bails. Of course she would want assurances but isn't that what a contract is for?
elghund's Avatar
When it comes to laying out in pocket cash, maybe it is more prudent to get a down payment before hand to cover that making it less chance of her bailing on you, at least that way you are not out that money if she bails. Of course she would want assurances but isn't that what a contract is for? Originally Posted by jymie

I agree.

Business is business. ALWAYS get money on the table for any business deal.

I learned long ago....there are no friends when it comes to money...

elg.....
I think it's terrible. You should be compensated.
Perhaps you should "out" the provider..perhaps this may be the
"boost" she needs to get her act together regardless how many
white knights there are...Im sure your not the only gent this type
of thing has happened too...Sometimes you'll find your not alone...
and ya never know..they may "white knight" for you instead!!:-D
elghund's Avatar
Perhaps you should "out" the provider..perhaps this may be the
"boost" she needs to get her act together regardless how many
white knights there are...Im sure your not the only gent this type
of thing has happened too...Sometimes you'll find your not alone...
and ya never know..they may "white knight" for you instead!!:-D Originally Posted by anita germane

...I thought a White Knight was a guy...would a Lady be, well.....maybe a "Sparkling Princess"? Or, maybe a "Beautiful Maiden"? Or a "Ravishing Ranee"??? Or....

....I better stop before I embarrass myself.....

hopeless sometimes....

elg......
Aww elg..your too funny..Love your sense of humor!nita:-D
BD, you have a trusting heart. I know you very well and your the sweetest gent with a kind soul. I'm sorry that this 'lady' (biting my tongue) took advantage of your generosity and trust. To me, it shows a lack of class, lack of consideration, lack of respect for your time and especially, the hard earned cash that you put up. God knows, if it was the other way around, you'd be posted on the DNS list.

Regardless of the 'excuse' she tried to feed you....(we've all heard them) there should be a heartfelt apology sent your way even if she doesn't offer anything else. WTF??

Yes, sometimes the real world creates havoc with our schedules but if that's the case here, then she wouldn't be ignoring you now.

At least now you know...if you continue offering your services, get the retainer up front!

I'm sure the gents will PM you for the info...
Someone needs to get their act together!

Hugs for you...
Doove's Avatar
  • Doove
  • 08-25-2010, 02:46 PM
I got a text 20 minutes before the shoot was supposed to start saying she had JUST got up and had a family problem, couldn’t make it and would be out of touch for days. However she had been posting here on eccie 2 hours before that and also logged into her e.com site and continued to post throughout the day. Originally Posted by ben dover
Given that this is a pretty small community, particularly where provider participation is involved, with this wording it would seem that the blame for your unfortunate circumstance can be placed at the feet of one of only 4 girls, maybe 5. Which means it's somewhat unfair to the other 3 or 4 who didn't have anything to do with it. This is one reason i'm not a big fan of pointing out something negative like this if you're not willing to name names - particularly in an odd situation such as this one which might say something about the girl, but not so much about how she carries out her business as a provider. Which to me makes it a personal issue between you and her.

I understand the urge to post what happened to you, and i also understand the need to post the details you did to make the point of just how egregious you know it to be. I just wish it wasn't really necessary is all. I hope she follows up and makes good.
I wasn’t going to mention this but ... Originally Posted by ben dover
I'd say the same thing in either situation. The person who made the date owes the person who spent the money reimbursement for their out of pocket costs.

This is based on the assumption that it was clear to the provider that she knew what the costs would be and that her commitment meant you were going to spend that money on her behalf with the expectation that you would be paid back.
Doove's Avatar
  • Doove
  • 08-25-2010, 05:30 PM
This is based on the assumption that it was clear to the provider that she knew what the costs would be and that her commitment meant you were going to spend that money on her behalf with the expectation that you would be paid back. Originally Posted by NormalBob
Bob makes a good point. After reading it, i went back and re-read the original post to try to get a feel for whether this was the case. Not that it means much, but i failed to get that sense.

If the girl was expecting an informal get together and BD wanted to do her a favor by turning it into something a bit more elaborate, that would certainly alter most opinions, i would imagine.

I don't get the sense that any of the local girls who are on e.com and who post consistently would pull something like that, but i also fail to get the sense that BD would BS about something and point fingers unfairly. So
ben dover's Avatar
I had made everything clear what was expected. I have done 50 plus model shoots over the last 2 years so i'm not new at this. I was really going to let it go but after not hearing anything from the lady for a week I just wanted to vent.

Thanks Hanna for your kind words and Anita I decided not to name names, i'm sure most have narrowed it down on their own. Thanks to all that commented.

I'm still willing to do photos for any lady that wants some done. I will adjust how I go about it though. I just want to do good photos. Some of these ladies have pics so bad, dark, grainy it could be me in the photo! I do my own editing but I wont photoshop anything that changes the appearance of the lady. I also do my own printing.


All that being said i'm done with this post.....enjoy your day..BD