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08/27/2008 08:51:15 PM · #1 |
| Bump for more perspective... |
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08/27/2008 02:15:18 PM · #2 |
| Send them a bottle of champagne thanking them for their helpful understanding... |
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08/27/2008 01:56:58 PM · #3 |
Message edited by author 2008-08-27 14:03:17. |
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08/27/2008 01:40:31 PM · #4 |
| eyesup, I have been following this, though I havent posted anything. I think youve handled this incredibly well. This could have happened to the best of us, so dont be to hard on yourself. But your last question, what else can you offer to help make this right- well, I think you are asking the wrong people. Why dont you ask the bride and groom. See what they think is reasonable, and what they want. They sound reasonable, I am sure that you guys could agree on SOMETHING. |
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08/27/2008 01:35:58 PM · #5 |
Originally posted by Eyesup:
OK Ladies and gents:
Just got off the phone with the Data recovery place; they tried their magic and have apearantly failed to get anything off my card, they have told me that they have a specialist coming in from the UK and that they will try again with his help when he comes... but i need start thinking about what I'm going to do for these people to try nd make it better so:
a) I will refund them about $250 (they only paid $1200)
b) I have already offered them a free 16x20 Canvass of their choice
c) I will offer to come and and do a reshoot if they can get people together
d) I will pay for the tux rental for said shoot
What else whould you do? I'm not sure what else to do... and I'm still feeling very sick about the whole thing, I've been hoping and praying that the Data recovery place would give me good news.... |
wow, I think you are doing a great thing. It sounded like the bride understood and as you know, she's all that matters. I think despite your loss everything will work out and they will know that you truly did want to give them the best and weren't trying to screw with them like so many do...and sorry to hear about your card, my wife had a SD break and of course it was loaded with images. |
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08/27/2008 01:17:51 PM · #6 |
OK Ladies and gents:
Just got off the phone with the Data recovery place; they tried their magic and have apearantly failed to get anything off my card, they have told me that they have a specialist coming in from the UK and that they will try again with his help when he comes... but i need start thinking about what I'm going to do for these people to try nd make it better so:
a) I will refund them about $250 (they only paid $1200)
b) I have already offered them a free 16x20 Canvass of their choice
c) I will offer to come and and do a reshoot if they can get people together
d) I will pay for the tux rental for said shoot
What else whould you do? I'm not sure what else to do... and I'm still feeling very sick about the whole thing, I've been hoping and praying that the Data recovery place would give me good news.... |
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08/08/2008 05:01:23 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by biteme:
any news here? hope everything is gonna work out allright for you Michael! |
Memory Card is in transit to the new Data Recovery company (they are on the other side of the country), it will hopefully be delievered on tuesday, it will take them 24 hours to give a diagnostic on it... so right now it's just hoping and praying, we'll talk to the B&G again in a few days to give them an update. |
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08/08/2008 04:51:48 PM · #8 |
any news here? hope everything is gonna work out allright for you Michael!
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08/07/2008 10:33:45 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by Eyesup:
another place says $900, get the card to them, they say they can't do it because someone else touched it...!!! call the first place back, and they say actually we had our cheif engineer review the case and he say's we likely CAN'T do it |
Originally posted by Eyesup:
Goes into the reader.. light comes on, but nobodies home... I'm told that 2 of the 4 chips inside are trashed |
its a conspiracy! the first company who was going to overcharge you was pissed when you decide to bring the business to a cheaper one, and so before they return the card to you the first time, they "made sure" that the cheaper company wont be able to restore your data! this explains why when you returned to the first company, even they couldn't restore it anymore.
Message edited by author 2008-08-07 22:35:18. |
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08/07/2008 06:05:33 PM · #10 |
Originally posted by Eyesup:
Originally posted by Simms:
Originally posted by Eyesup:
Originally posted by Simms:
Its times like this I love my 1D, the fact I can stick an 8gb SD card in the second slot and everything that gets written as RAW to my CF cards also gets written as JPG to my SD card, so a single 8gb SD card can easily hold the entire wedding in JPG format whilst still using my CF for those all important RAWs, granted, JPGs aint as good as the RAWs, but a JPG is far better than no file at all.. another very good reason to invest in pro equipment if you are doing a pro job. |
And here I thought that the D300 was pretty damned good. there are many 'Pro' cameras that don't do that...
that said trust me, when I can afford to move into the D3 or D3x, you can bet I will
Not to mention hindsight is 20/20 isn't it |
Agree 100%, damn I used to shoot weddings on my 5D - one thing I do make sure is that I dont go for the largest CF cards, I tend to keep 4gb as my limit - eggs, basket. you know the rest. |
which is exactly what saved me this time... generally every time I do a section of wedding (ie, formals, ceremony, etc) I switch cards... had I not I could have lost everything |
On the other hand the card would still have been in your camera. I love the dual card slots in the D3, that is for sure the way to go if you have the cash(sighs wistfully).
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08/07/2008 06:00:34 PM · #11 |
Originally posted by Simms:
Originally posted by Eyesup:
Originally posted by Simms:
Its times like this I love my 1D, the fact I can stick an 8gb SD card in the second slot and everything that gets written as RAW to my CF cards also gets written as JPG to my SD card, so a single 8gb SD card can easily hold the entire wedding in JPG format whilst still using my CF for those all important RAWs, granted, JPGs aint as good as the RAWs, but a JPG is far better than no file at all.. another very good reason to invest in pro equipment if you are doing a pro job. |
And here I thought that the D300 was pretty damned good. there are many 'Pro' cameras that don't do that...
that said trust me, when I can afford to move into the D3 or D3x, you can bet I will
Not to mention hindsight is 20/20 isn't it |
Agree 100%, damn I used to shoot weddings on my 5D - one thing I do make sure is that I dont go for the largest CF cards, I tend to keep 4gb as my limit - eggs, basket. you know the rest. |
which is exactly what saved me this time... generally every time I do a section of wedding (ie, formals, ceremony, etc) I switch cards... had I not I could have lost everything |
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08/07/2008 05:57:38 PM · #12 |
Originally posted by Eyesup:
Originally posted by Simms:
Its times like this I love my 1D, the fact I can stick an 8gb SD card in the second slot and everything that gets written as RAW to my CF cards also gets written as JPG to my SD card, so a single 8gb SD card can easily hold the entire wedding in JPG format whilst still using my CF for those all important RAWs, granted, JPGs aint as good as the RAWs, but a JPG is far better than no file at all.. another very good reason to invest in pro equipment if you are doing a pro job. |
And here I thought that the D300 was pretty damned good. there are many 'Pro' cameras that don't do that...
that said trust me, when I can afford to move into the D3 or D3x, you can bet I will
Not to mention hindsight is 20/20 isn't it |
Agree 100%, damn I used to shoot weddings on my 5D - one thing I do make sure is that I dont go for the largest CF cards, I tend to keep 4gb as my limit - eggs, basket. you know the rest. |
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08/07/2008 05:43:02 PM · #13 |
If it was me, I would dig up some similar photos from another wedding and photoshop this bride & groom's faces over the old ones. ...But then I would also have put Godzilla in the background and that would likely blow my whole coverup.
Seriously, I think you did a terrific job of handling the situation and I am sure it will turn out ok for all parties. As far as lawsuits - although it is true that anyone can file a lawsuit for pretty much anything, you should be protected by your agreeement and it sounds like you were. In reality, people don't often win lawsuits against service providers for anything other than gross or wanton negligence and those cases are even rarely "won" in any sense of the word. |
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08/07/2008 05:36:50 PM · #14 |
Originally posted by Simms:
Its times like this I love my 1D, the fact I can stick an 8gb SD card in the second slot and everything that gets written as RAW to my CF cards also gets written as JPG to my SD card, so a single 8gb SD card can easily hold the entire wedding in JPG format whilst still using my CF for those all important RAWs, granted, JPGs aint as good as the RAWs, but a JPG is far better than no file at all.. another very good reason to invest in pro equipment if you are doing a pro job. |
And here I thought that the D300 was pretty damned good. there are many 'Pro' cameras that don't do that...
that said trust me, when I can afford to move into the D3 or D3x, you can bet I will
Not to mention hindsight is 20/20 isn't it |
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08/07/2008 05:28:22 PM · #15 |
| Its times like this I love my 1D, the fact I can stick an 8gb SD card in the second slot and everything that gets written as RAW to my CF cards also gets written as JPG to my SD card, so a single 8gb SD card can easily hold the entire wedding in JPG format whilst still using my CF for those all important RAWs, granted, JPGs aint as good as the RAWs, but a JPG is far better than no file at all.. another very good reason to invest in pro equipment if you are doing a pro job. |
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08/07/2008 05:13:31 PM · #16 |
Originally posted by JulietNN:
fair enough sweets, you know your client!!!
I know that right now every penny counts, and telling the bride what is going on was your best move.
Just remember your reputation and how much that costs to build up. Sometimes you have to suck it up and take the loss for your reputation.
i think you have done so well going above and beyond what you need to do to try and get the photos restored though, some would have given up on the first try.
you know me, your biggest supporter and biggest giver of advice (even when the advice sucks lol) |
I do and I really appreciate it. It's really nice to know that when it counts there's a person out there tha understands, shows empathy... and is willing to tell it how it is
Thanks!!! |
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08/07/2008 04:41:27 PM · #17 |
fair enough sweets, you know your client!!!
I know that right now every penny counts, and telling the bride what is going on was your best move.
Just remember your reputation and how much that costs to build up. Sometimes you have to suck it up and take the loss for your reputation.
i think you have done so well going above and beyond what you need to do to try and get the photos restored though, some would have given up on the first try.
you know me, your biggest supporter and biggest giver of advice (even when the advice sucks lol)
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08/07/2008 04:29:00 PM · #18 |
Update:
Eyesdown gave them and call and talked to the bride, she was very understanding, We've put the rest of their photos up (ceremony, a few of the family shots from the 2nd camera, and the shots of just them). When I know more about the card and what can or cannot be done, I will decide then what more I will offer them...
Juliet:
I totally understand going all out the make them happy (and I will), but at this point with the fate of the card still in the air I don't want to play all my cards just yet... they know the situation now, and if things degeneate from there I will continue to try my best to make them happy, including more refund if necessary,or more prints, or whatever. |
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08/07/2008 04:05:50 PM · #19 |
Originally posted by JulietNN:
its not enough man, you need to go the full hog on this one, even if it means you lose a lot of money. you really should offer them at least 1/2 discount on their wedding and a session with the parents and bride, maybe they will want to get dressed up again.
one client can put out a lot of words on your buisness
edited to add, i have read some of the other replys and here is my take on it. 250 is nothing compared to the price they are paying you. I would be pissed beyond all sorts if you had lost some main photos that i wanted and would definetly tell anyone and everyone whether they wa nted to hear about it or not it was screwed up.
A woman scorned is a very pissed off woman. NOT saying that they will be like that, but i can promise you some would be and you need to take that into consideration |
For the record $250 is about 1/3 of what they paid, and I think I will offer the the session with parents... though I'm not relishing the 6 hour drive back |
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08/07/2008 04:00:21 PM · #20 |
Originally posted by JulietNN:
its not enough man, you need to go the full hog on this one, even if it means you lose a lot of money. you really should offer them at least 1/2 discount on their wedding and a session with the parents and bride, maybe they will want to get dressed up again.
one client can put out a lot of words on your buisness |
I agree, you couldn't deliver the full package, they shouldn't have to pay(unless you can recover a lot of the photos) I think the photo session should be a minimum if they can swing it. You want to have 2 reputations in the marketplace, 1 for taking and delivering great photos, and the other for being scrupulously honest and fair in your dealings with others and with customer service. If you didn't deliver the goods, they don't have to deliver the cash, they will a preciate that and will be willing to say so to others("yeah our pictures got lost, but they ate the bill and gave us free makeups and some other stuff so even if there is a problem they aren't going to stick you") Things happen its how you behave when they do that will define your business for the long term. Try talking to some other business men in your area with very successful businesses and most you will find have a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee or your money back(think LLBean).
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08/07/2008 03:53:13 PM · #21 |
its not enough man, you need to go the full hog on this one, even if it means you lose a lot of money. you really should offer them at least 1/2 discount on their wedding and a session with the parents and bride, maybe they will want to get dressed up again.
one client can put out a lot of words on your buisness
edited to add, i have read some of the other replys and here is my take on it. 250 is nothing compared to the price they are paying you. I would be pissed beyond all sorts if you had lost some main photos that i wanted and would definetly tell anyone and everyone whether they wa nted to hear about it or not it was screwed up.
A woman scorned is a very pissed off woman. NOT saying that they will be like that, but i can promise you some would be and you need to take that into consideration
Message edited by author 2008-08-07 15:56:10. |
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08/07/2008 03:20:31 PM · #22 |
Your proposal sounds very fair, and hopefully if you tell them the entire story the will understand.
Yes weddings and their pictures, are a very emotional thing. However, you certainly made more than a good faith effor to recover the pictures. You have offered a partial refund, and offered other considerations that were not required of you.
In life things happen. And though they will understandably be dissapointed, I would hope that they are also mature enough to come to understand.
Lesser photographers would not have made the trip back, and simply said the pictures were lost, and here's your partial refund. |
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08/07/2008 03:09:18 PM · #23 |
So I found one more place that will take the card knowing that it's already been looked at so this is what i'm doing for the moment
Eyesdown is calling them as we speak we will tell them the situation, let them know we are trying everything to recover the files, but if we can't get them all back we will refund up to $250 of their fee (that's the contractual stuff anyway) right now, just for the heartache of it all we will offer them a Canvas print of their choice.
If we find that we can't get the photo's back we'll offer them a bit more on top of the money back at that point (they already have free sitting fees for life)
how does that sound? fair? |
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08/07/2008 02:17:32 PM · #24 |
Originally posted by pineapple:
Well, what I learn from this situation is:
- write a unique number on all my CF cards with a marker pen
- have a small log book and enter event date time, then which card used for what set of images
- put cards in a safe wallet with the mini log book. Attach wallet to ones person.
- do not reuse CF cards for any other photos until the images are transfered to my workstation and then backed up too.
What do I owe you for the tuition? |
too complex so it can fail. Individual IDs are a good idea - if a card ever acts up you can identify which one.(flashes, PWs- all such things have ID numbers on them for that reason) I also put the date I first used the card on the card so oldest get replaced first.
If a card is in the wallet it can be used. Before every wedding I format all the cards I take with me. they are face up in the wallet. as I change cards the go face down in the wallet. I've never screwed that up, but should if ever occur I know any card with an image on it is from today's shoot. i also never need to erase/format a card at a shoot - so I can't format/erase one with today's pics on it. Fool proof.
Upon return to the studio all used cards are DL'd to the computer and then put in a bowl I have there. Once the files are backed up to DVD then the cards can leave the bowl and return to the card wallet for re-use.
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08/07/2008 02:16:31 PM · #25 |
Just for kicks, try this? Says it works on damaged cards, not just damaged files...
Help!
There are quite a few that mentioned damaged cards. Hope one of these works fo you.
More to try....
Message edited by author 2008-08-07 14:24:48. |
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