Javier & Valerie In Carna, Co. Galway.
Laura & Seamus in Menlo Church
David & Kathleen in Fahy Church, Westport, Co. Mayo.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
It's happened again ! ........... Be very careful !
For the sixth time in the last year I've got that telephone call again today. A girl in tears telling me she is getting married next week and she can't locate the photographer she booked almost a year ago.
Yes ..... the website is still up and the mobile phone number is there but it can't be reached. Yes ...... she paid a deposit at the booking but no contract was signed and given to her.
Yes ......... she knows where the photographer lives, she has called there but there is nobody at home and the place looks like it has been vacent for some time.
No .......... the address is not on the website. No ......... there is no landline number on the website.
Yes ......... she had viewed some work that was shown to her at the booking stage and she was happy enough at the time of booking. Yes ......... she booked the photographer because the price was cheap and it looked like a good deal. No ........ the photographer was not a member of the regulatory bodies (IPPA or MPA)................ "did this matter" she asked.
On checking up later I found that the photographer was not registered and the business was not registered either. She now has no photographer for her wedding and is desperate and panicing !
What can she do ?
The long and the short of all this is that the photographer has gone out of business or "done a runner" to some other location and is doing the same thing there and will not be back. She has been had and will unlikely get any of her deposit back. She knows this now and is just trying desperately to get another photographer to cover the wedding.
The only advice I could offer was to report this to her local Gardai but beyond this there is little she can do but write it off and move forward. The photographer is unlikely to have insurance or bonding of any kind and as no contact can be made it would be difficult to do anything about this mess that she finds herself in.
She will be really lucky to get anyone at this stage to cover her wedding as its a prime date and everyone worth their salt will be booked long ago. Its a sad situation and the worst of all is that it reflects on the industry and gives it a bad reputation. We all suffer as a result.
What can you do to prevent this happening to you ?
(1) Only book a registered, qualified and insured Photographer for your wedding.
(2) If you use the net then be sure that the site you are looking at has a business address, a
landline number and a business registration number.
(3) Make sure that the photographer is qualified ie. holds the distinction of LIPPA or LMPA
(4) Ensure that the photographer is insured as you can no longer take photographs at any OPW
scenic location (Parks, Castles, Woodlands, Old Abbeys, etc.) without your photographer
having the appropriate amount of Public Liability Insurance. (All members of the IPPA
must, as part of their membership, carry €6.5 million public liability cover).
(5) When you make a booking and pay a deposit ensure you get a signed contract. Remember
that unless a deposit is paid then no booking exists.
(6) Always use a business that has a reputation and history record.
(7) Remember ........ if the price is too good to be true then it probably is !
(8) A good idea is take all the prices you get and work somewhere in the average of this. The cheapest is never the best unless you dont mind poor quality, poor service, corners cut,
no after sales service, no backup, etc. etc.
Don't get caught out ................... it's now more common than you think ! !
This is not unique to the photographic industry ........... it's in every industry across the
board ...... EVERYWHERE !
So ....... be careful and then be extra careful !
Yes ..... the website is still up and the mobile phone number is there but it can't be reached. Yes ...... she paid a deposit at the booking but no contract was signed and given to her.
Yes ......... she knows where the photographer lives, she has called there but there is nobody at home and the place looks like it has been vacent for some time.
No .......... the address is not on the website. No ......... there is no landline number on the website.
Yes ......... she had viewed some work that was shown to her at the booking stage and she was happy enough at the time of booking. Yes ......... she booked the photographer because the price was cheap and it looked like a good deal. No ........ the photographer was not a member of the regulatory bodies (IPPA or MPA)................ "did this matter" she asked.
On checking up later I found that the photographer was not registered and the business was not registered either. She now has no photographer for her wedding and is desperate and panicing !
What can she do ?
The long and the short of all this is that the photographer has gone out of business or "done a runner" to some other location and is doing the same thing there and will not be back. She has been had and will unlikely get any of her deposit back. She knows this now and is just trying desperately to get another photographer to cover the wedding.
The only advice I could offer was to report this to her local Gardai but beyond this there is little she can do but write it off and move forward. The photographer is unlikely to have insurance or bonding of any kind and as no contact can be made it would be difficult to do anything about this mess that she finds herself in.
She will be really lucky to get anyone at this stage to cover her wedding as its a prime date and everyone worth their salt will be booked long ago. Its a sad situation and the worst of all is that it reflects on the industry and gives it a bad reputation. We all suffer as a result.
What can you do to prevent this happening to you ?
(1) Only book a registered, qualified and insured Photographer for your wedding.
(2) If you use the net then be sure that the site you are looking at has a business address, a
landline number and a business registration number.
(3) Make sure that the photographer is qualified ie. holds the distinction of LIPPA or LMPA
(4) Ensure that the photographer is insured as you can no longer take photographs at any OPW
scenic location (Parks, Castles, Woodlands, Old Abbeys, etc.) without your photographer
having the appropriate amount of Public Liability Insurance. (All members of the IPPA
must, as part of their membership, carry €6.5 million public liability cover).
(5) When you make a booking and pay a deposit ensure you get a signed contract. Remember
that unless a deposit is paid then no booking exists.
(6) Always use a business that has a reputation and history record.
(7) Remember ........ if the price is too good to be true then it probably is !
(8) A good idea is take all the prices you get and work somewhere in the average of this. The cheapest is never the best unless you dont mind poor quality, poor service, corners cut,
no after sales service, no backup, etc. etc.
Don't get caught out ................... it's now more common than you think ! !
This is not unique to the photographic industry ........... it's in every industry across the
board ...... EVERYWHERE !
So ....... be careful and then be extra careful !
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