Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:20/10/2022

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Signed a contract with Miks Media to provide us with a full day wedding photography package and paid $2100.00. They stated that their photography style was photojournalist with a mix of traditional. The pictures that they returned to us are for the most part, extremely armature in nature and do not represent what is shown in their portfolio or what they stated was their wedding photography style. There is zero photos of the processional. There was no direction or guidance while shooting our formals. They told us to walk around and continued to take photos. They have provided us with multiple shots where the bridal parties heads are cut off. There are multiple photos were no one is ready as we are getting into position. There is 20 photo's of my wedding band and my husbands wedding ring but no photos of my ring set or my engagement ring. They provided us a photo of an empty dessert table. They made quite a few of the photos black and white but they are overdeveloped/processed and my eyes and ***eup look pitch black. We asked them to provide us with edits of the photos with the heads in place and they ignored that. We asked for re-edits of the black and white photos back to color and that was ignored. They told us that the processional was not something we said was a must capture, so they didn't. We have two guests who told us that ***** told *** to get different lenses for the camera during the ceremony and he did not. We expected all equipment to be readily accessible. We asked to see the raw edits to see if there was anything we could salvage and they said no. They then changed their mind and said they would provide them if we signed a release stating we would not try and recoup any other losses. I am not comfortable signing anything without seeing the raw edits first. The photos are poorly timed and not candid photography. There is approx 30 photos out of 596 I can utilize. They also cc'd my maid of honor in emails, who is not a party to the contract.

  Business Response

  Date: 26/10/2022

  1. Our photography style is our own.  We can specify what is it based on (photojournalistic/traditional) and saying it isn’t what we said it is, shows ignorance towards photographic arts.  The pictures that are on the website are our own, and we never had anyone question our style or the way the pictures were delivered. The discussion on which pictures the client loved, were from a photographs of her maid of honour wedding, which we have shot.  Also other examples were provided prior to signing of the contract.  Client did not voice any objections.
  
  

  2. To say our photos are amateurish in nature without specifying what is professional and what is amateur is not based on educated opinion. 
  
  

  3. The formals were guided and the wedding party was told by both photographers where to stand or sit or pose.  Yes we were taking photos while they were walking from one location to another, because during our initial consultation the client have indicated they like that style.  To say we just told them to walk around so we can take photo is not true, and it is not what happened.  
  
  

  4. Multiple shots with bridal party heads cut off.  There are a few, where the bridal party is not the focus of the image, and the wedding party is completely out of focus.  The focus of those images is the couple.  There is one picture where the bridal party heads were cut off, but that image was sent to the client in error.  
  
  

  5. Wedding rings, engagement rings and wedding bands.  Upon our request for wedding rings to photograph only wedding bands were provided.  We had no prior knowledge of any other rings the bride wanted photographed. 
  
  

  6. Empty desert table was also given to the client in error.
  
  

  7. Yes we have turned a few images black and white to reflect our style and vision, and we also had few colour photographs of similar scene if the client didn’t like black and white.  Everything was in balance.  Bride’s make up was already dark purple lipstick and dark make up around the eyes.  In the distance even if the photo is in colour the make up looked dark, if not almost black.
  
  

  8. The photo of cut off heads was included in error, and it was shot like that not cropped, so that is why there was nothing that could have been done with it.  There were numerous photos from the same scene that were fine.
  
  

  9. The whole ceremony was very disorganized.  No one knew where the bride was coming from.  There were 2 entrances, and when asking the staff or the wedding party, no one knew.  It was dark, (which we have discussed this on our walk through the day before) and we tried our best to capture everything, the ceremony the document signing.  In the middle one of the lenses have malfunctioned causing problems with the camera.  We do not leave expensive photographic equipment in the car.  All lenses and cameras were in our possession.  Saying that a guest heard us talking about lenses in the car and decided not to get them is somebody’s fantasy.  To say that we didn’t do something because we didn’t deemed it is important or necessary is just not true.  During our wedding photographers experience we always knew or could guess what is going to happen.  We are always ready to take pictures of the unexpected.  The whole wedding party were waiting for the bride for good 20 minutes, before she came to the ceremony. The processional happened very fast after document signing and due to the dark conditions we weren’t able to capture everything.  The darkness of the room was addressed during our walkthrough the day before.  Client did not make any comments. At all times during the ceremony one photographer was positioned at the front and the other at the back of the room.
  
  

  10. The contract states  that the photographers will be given sufficient warning of key events.  First dance and cake cutting was done with out warning.  We had to scramble to get into position.  Cake cutting was just that cut the cake and that was it.  Also with out warning.
  
  11. We do not give RAW images, and never did.  Picking of the best images is left to our discretion and it was communicated to the client.  We have picked 598 photographs and to say that only 30 can be used is disingenuous.  Apart from a couple that were sent by error in the package, there is 596 photographs that are a good representation of the entire day. However due to client complaints we offered viewing of all the images to which we did not receive a response, as well as we offered the client the RAW images, provided the client signs a release form.  Which client refused.
  
  12. Inclusion of the maid of honour was because she is our very good and old friend that we knew as a child.  She inquired what was happening and instead of providing her with hearsay, we forwarded the copy of the email client sent to us. We were trying to understand the situation, as we never encountered this before.
  
  13. In conclusion we feel we have fulfilled the contract and extended an effort to address client complaints.  Simply saying to make the picture brighter makes no sense photographically since there is a lot of factors involved in editing a photo.  This is not instagram where you can just apply a filter and call it done.  Every single photo was touched and edited to reflect our vision of the wedding.  Client was aware of our style at each stage of preparations before the wedding.  
  
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 26/10/2022

  
  
  ********** ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because: The photographer is not taking any responsibility for the poor quality of photos delivered. firstly, stating that the bridal party waited for 20 mins for the bride to come down the aisle is false. There is a video of the processional that I have a copy of, and that will prove that there was no confusion or delay in my arrival. There was two doors yes, but the only door that was open was the one we walked down. Stating that the cake cutting and first dance were unplanned and rushed. There was a timeline that was followed, they were aware that we were walking in and having our first dance at 6pm. The photographer also approached my husband and told him to have us cut the cake ahead of schedule and complete our cat toss as those were on our must capture list and they wanted it done prior so that they could leave. Which they did immediately after. (Which they failed to mention) I did not bring up any concerns with the cake cutting photos. *** and ***** where the ones to ask us to cut the cake at the time we did so they could fulfill their photos of it. I cannot understand how you can now say that you had no warning. We actually had no warning when you approached us and asked us to change the timeline to fit your needs of leaving. 

   

  Stating that the formals were posed, yes you told us where to walk to but you did not tell us which one of you to look at for the photos and did not provide variety in the shots. In the graveyard with my husband and myself, where we waited for you to arrive for 40 mins. (My sister in law was our driver and she was there, so can be a witness to support this) you just told us to walk around. The one photo I asked to have captured was not even captured nicely or professionally. 

   

  I have the 596 photos and many of them show that the lighting was sufficient. This is an attempt to excuse not catching the processional. The blatant lie about the delay will be proven wrong by my witnesses, the video, guests and staff of the hotel. There were FAR too many heads cut off and stating you sent them in error, is contradictory to what you said in our email communications back and worth. You stated you sent us enough photos to pick and choose from and that there was enough "'variety' that were similar.  I sent you a photo of the empty dessert table and you replied quite dismissively that all the photos of decor was for me to pick and choose of what I liked. I cannot frame any photo with heads cut off. Many of the photos are not the quality I would expect from a professional that I entered into a contract with. That is a fact. 

   

  My make up looked wonderful and was exactly what I wanted - in the color photos the maroon lipstick looks as it should. In the black and white photo's it looks distasteful. Your photographic eye should have chose to not make those black and white, as you so kindly put, my makeup looked black. If the *** requests them, I can send the entire file of 596 photos and they can have a first hand look at the package we received. 

   

  I asked you to revert those back to black and white and to send me ANY PROCESSIONAL photos you had. You said none turned out because of the lighting, which I have in writing. You have now backtracked and placed blame on a false pretense that the wedding was disorganized and that you did not know when the processional was coming ETC. Video does not lie. Having a malfunctioning lense is not acceptable, these things happen but you as a professional should have a back up. This was a once in a moment day for me.

  Lastly: Regardless of your relationship to the maid of honor, ******** ****, including her in private communication is not only disrespectful to my relationship with her, but very unprofessional. She is not a party to the contract and including her in the middle is in poor taste. She has been my best friend for 15 years, and I did not include her in our disagreement out of respect for her and your relationship with her.  I wish you would have the same respect for her, your clients and for your photography business. 

   

  You ignored every request I asked for and rebuked every concern I brought up. Shame on you. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ******** *****

  Business Response

  Date: 23/11/2022

  1. Saying that the pictures are of poor quality is just an opinion.  The pictures are in focus composed well and are edited with care.
  2. I apologize for the mistake with time frame of the bride walking to the ceremony. The wait time from the time the Groom to the time the Bride joined him was 10 min.  
  The fact that no one knew which doors the bride was coming stays. I was asking the staff at the venue and no one really knew. 
  3. We were not given the timeline for the reception.  In all the weddings I have been to the bride and groom never come in and do the first dance right away.  Thus we were a little surprised at this.
  4. We did not talk to the bride and / or groom during the reception, and thus we did not change the timeline of the reception of which we had no idea of.  
  5. We left the reception after the “bouquet” toss, as our job was complete and there was no reason to stay.  We have said good bye to the groom, since the bride was occupied. 
  6. The images at the cemetery were posed and candid as the client requested.  One photographer was closer to the couple the other was further away.
  7. To say that the client waited 40 min for us to arrive for the formals is simply untrue.  The last photo taken at the first location was at 2:23pm. The first photo at the second location
  is at 2:56pm.  There is a 11 minute drive between the locations.  So as you can see the client waited maybe 10 min, if that.  Also the client was notified of the delay before we left the first location and did not object to it at the time.
  8. Client stating that there are FAR too many photos with heads cut off, and I can count maybe 3, 1 which was sent in error, 2 others that focus on the couple and not everyone else in the bridal party.
  9. The empty decor table was sent in error, sure, but it wasn't a dismissive comment.  I mean if the client doesn't like the image it does not have to be printed or framed.  Not every photo needs to be framed, just because it's in the photo package.
  10. The client stated a few times that she did not like the black & white photos from the wedding.  Yet one of those black & white photos is prominently displayed as Facebook cover photo on the client’s account.  There are color versions of this photo in the package, yet the client chose the black & white.  I do have a screenshot of this.
  11. We have sent a processional photo that we have upon client request, regardless of our reluctance.  The processionals did not work at all.  If it was for a faulty lens or what ever causes, we did not have a lot of photos of this.
  12. We have worked very hard for the time we spent with the client, about 12h (times 2 photographers) taking photos and approximately 40h of editing, and honestly this is the first time we have ever had any one complain about our photography.  The client knew our previous wedding photos as they are on the website, and she had seen the photos from the wedding of her maid of honour.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 27/11/2022

  
  
  ********** ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because: To start: The photographers took 3 pictures
  of the event welcome board; it was displayed front and center and showcased the
  timeline of events. It was approx. 2ft by 3ft tall and was a focal feature. Listed
  was that the dance was immediately after we walked in, followed by dinner and
  cake and bouquet toss. To say they had no idea is an outright lie. This is
  another opportunity to buck responsibility. We also did not address concerns
  with the first dance other than they had misc things in the background – Can
  they not edit those objects out? The first dance photos displayed in their
  online portfolio are beautifully edited. What editing was done for our photos?.
  The picture on facebook is the one black and white photo that I liked, it is
  the entire group and is a wonderful candid. They stated there was also a color
  photo of this picture and that is incorrect, if they have a copy of that exact
  photo, it was another error on their part not sending it to us. The color photo
  I have of a similar photo in the same spot, one of our groomsmen is cut off and
  you can only see half of his body vertically. That is not the same photo. We
  also have no problem mentioning that the groom also has a black and white photo
  as his profile picture from the graveyard. It is the only pose they directed us
  to do and although it is very far away, it is a nice photo. Like we said, there
  are beautiful photos but few and far in between. To go onto the clients social
  media to try and prove the photography was acceptable or professional is absurd
  and reaching. As newlyweds, you would expect us to have wedding photos
  displayed. There is a handful of beautiful photos, we have never stated
  otherwise but there is so many photos that are throw aways. It appears that the
  photographers started editing and quit or allowed their quality to rapidly decline.  They have already demonstrated that they
  did not give attention to detail in organizing our gallery by presenting it
  with the missing or mistaken photos etc. As for this comment that they made in
  their last reply '' If it was for a faulty lens or what ever causes, we
  did not have a lot of photos of this' that they posted in response to a large
  and important part of the wedding is again, not taking any responsibility for
  missing this opportunity. It was also the event coordinator who ushered us from
  the bridal suite to the only open door. You can see her and the catering manager
  in the doorway – the only photos they got of the bride starting to walk down
  the aisle. So that proves that their claim that the staff was disorganized, and
  no one knew etc is false. It also supports the truth that there was only one
  door open. We can request a written statement from the event staff if the ***
  requests it. Yet again, we would have loved those two photos IF they would have
  edited out the staff at the door. This was just a job to them; these photos are
  ones we will look at for years. We will be redoing them with another
  photographer that has a more professional approach and product as this entire
  experience has left such a stain on our wedding day and has devolved into an
  unprofessional and emotionally upsetting situation.  They again, did nothing to accommodate our
  original concerns and requests. We asked for a handful of photos to be reverted
  from black and white - WHY was that denied? What does it hurt them? Their
  paying client is unhappy with the outcome and asked for specific re-edits. That
  should not be an issue. Missing a large part of the wedding should not happen
  (processional) being so uncooperative and unprofessional should not happen.
  
  At
  first, we did not ask for a refund – We have attempted to meet in the middle
  and asked for re-edits and they denied us. Then when we asked for the raw edits
  and they wanted us to sign a release so that we cannot pursue anything further.
  Had they understood that this was a milestone moment for us and worked
  alongside us to come to an agreement on the editing, we would have never gone
  this far. But they refused, which we have the multiple emails back and forth of
  us trying to work to find a resolution. This is displayed in the emails, on
  file.
  
  If
  they edited for 40 hours, then that is a shame because these photos do not
  represent that much work. Since they continue to deny us re-edits and any
  assistance and continue to deny any responsibility for poor presentation, we
  have no choice but to continue with the *** complaints and further action if
  needed. We do not have a sufficient ‘Gallery’’ of professional quality photos.
  As a professional, it is expected that a client coming back with concerns
  should be addressed in a professional manner, not brushed off and shut down.
  This shows an inability to accept criticism in what is a creative endeavor and
  a disrespect to the business transaction and client.
  
  Out
  of respect for both ***** and *** and the ongoing situation, we have not posted
  any reviews or publicly addressed this issue.  They continue to disrespect our event both personally and as a
  client.  This could have been resolved
  amicably but they would not budge on anything. We would like to move on, and
  put this horrible experience behind us. We request that MiksMedia provide us
  with the raw edits; all photos in their original form and size and release all
  ownership of them so that we can have them re-edited by a different company. We
  would also like to request a partial refund of $1000. We can appreciate and
  understand that they spent the day with us from 8am until approx. 8pm, however
  the product received, and the portion of the day not captured needs to be considered.
  We paid for professional services. Not only did we also pay for their dinner
  plates which were $47 each, we felt obligated last minute to rent a second
  suite at the hotel because they told us our apartment where the groom wanted to
  get ready was not big enough and too dark and would affect the quality of our
  photos. So that was an additional $169.00 and we still received quite a few
  pictures that are too dark in that space as well. They also told us the
  ceremony space was too dark, so we turned on the lights. We accommodated them at
  every opportunity to ensure the photos were a success. Had they offered to
  correct our concerns from the start, this would not have escalated but that was
  their choice through their dismissive communication. The business relationship
  does not end when a client mentions concerns. A professional photographer would
  be open to hearing what those concerns are and working with the client.
  They
  have stated that no other client has complained about their editing or
  photography; Just because we am the first does not negate that there is lacking
  professionalism and compromise and that is not professional. Nor are we happy
  with the quality of the product or service received. Had they worked with us
  instead of against us, this would have turned out much differently for both
  parties. We would hate for someone else to end up in the situation we currently
  am, in the future. Their wedding portfolio portrays much more curated, clean,
  and styled images. What we received is not comparable to the portfolio they
  have online.
  
  It
  isn’t about the money – it is about the lack of professionalism and dismissive
  attitude towards the responsibility and trust we gave them by hiring them. If
  this request is rejected, we will move forward with filing a small claims suit
  and will be looking for the full refund and raw edits. It has caused us a large
  amount of emotional turmoil and distress and again, this was just a job for
  them. If they will not compromise and lay this to rest so we can go our
  separate ways then we will seek the full $2100 payment refunded and the raw
  edits for the additional time and effort put forth to rectify this situation.
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ******** *****