Lisa Sandler Photography BEWARE! RIPPED OFF!  Marina Del Rey California

I am a photographer and run my own business as an individual with no other employers. Last year I ran a Living Social deal for photography services. It ran from July 4th through October 3rd, 2013. This was my second deal with Living Social, as they specifically asked me to come back and the deal ad ran with the headline "back by popular demand" (https://www.livingsocial.com/deals/758612-one-hour-portrait-session-for-up-to-five)

In this deal I sold 58 customers, of which 53 clients redeemed their vouchers and completed portrait sessions with me from July 2013 - February 2014. The others I never heard from.

The woman who complained in this report was difficult from the beginning. She emailed me for a portrait session for her family and asked for services that were not included in the deal (extra changes of clothing and extra locations) and wanted me to do a session the upcoming weekend. I told her I wasn't available on the dates she asked for and that those extra things were not part of the deal and referred her to the link above, where it is stated. She was grumpy about that and then demanded a certain location and time and also told me she was a model and she knew what she wanted. So I decided to just let her make all the plans as she was obviously difficult and demanding. I did advise her that the location she chose (a park in Manhattan Beach) may be crowded and that I had photographed there before and it was not my ideal location, but that I would meet her there and do as she asked. I gave her advice on clothing and some other things as is my standard for all clients. In fact I have a template of information I always forward to my clients with a list of advice as well as terms and conditions of the deal and my business in general.

She said she wanted to meet by a certain gazebo. I asked her to tell me exactly where as there were several gazebos in the 18 acre park that streched for several blocks and included a lake, playgroud and theatre seating. She said she would get back to me and when I didn't hear back from her, I emailed her again to have her confirm the meeting location. She said she couldn't figure out how to do it, even after I sent her a google map screenshot of the park, so she asked to meet on the sidewalk. I asked for her phone # and gave her mine and said (as I tell all my clients) I will text you as I will get there early and find the best locations. As usual I got there early and walked around. I even took a photo with my phone of a certain location I thought was good for the session. I have this as proof that I was there with the time/date stamp. The sidewalk in question is very long and as I said, takes up several blocks along the 18 acre park. I texted her 35 minutes before our session time and told her to walk down to the amphitheather (about 15-20 feet from the sidewalk). I did not hear from her and texted again, 2 more times with no response. I called once as well and left a message, also tried emailing her, and during that time I walked back and forth to the sidewalk and back to the ampitheatre. I never saw a family of 5 on the sidewalk at any time. 35 minutes after our scheduled time I finally left. She finally got back to me 45 minutes after the session, screaming at me with CAPS letters in text and in email. WHERE WERE YOU, WE WAITED 45 MINUTES? etc then accused me of purposefully not showing up, that I never wanted to do the session, etc. Told me she was going to rip me all over the internet. And she did. Here, and on my Facebook fan page. On my facebook page, she said I was rude to her on the phone. Well, at that time I had never even SPOKEN to her on the phone. All communication was via email except for the texts I sent at the time of our session. I called her after getting back to my office, to talk about possibly rescheduling (even though I had told her since I thought she didn't show up that she would forfeit the deal) and she called me a "f****** liar" and hung up on me.

Please note this deal was for $75 and I got less than half of that as my part of the payment from Living Social. It makes no sense for me to NOT show up as part of doing this deal is the hope that clients order more photos and prints. And, if I didn't show up, she'd get refunded anyway. So her story makes no sense. I think she forgot to bring her phone (if she showed up at all since I didn't see a family of 5 on the sidewalk in the 35 minutes I waited for her) and then decided to blame it on me. I tried to explain to her via phone, email and text that I was there, even showed her the photo I took with the time and date stamp. She contiuned to "scream" at me in various forms of communciation and insisted I lied and scammed her. If there's a way to get info out of my car's gps, that would also prove I was there as I used it to get there.

I ALWAYS communicate with my clients via text (sometimes phone) when I arrive at a location and only once had an issue where another client forgot her phone and I couldn't get in touch; at that time that client realized this and we rescheduled, knowing that it was not my fault. 

Sure, I don't get along with or please every client, but most people have great things to say about me. I forwarded all my communication with this woman to Living Social and the response I got back was, well, you have great feedback from all the other people who did your deals, so I'm sorry you had to deal with a client like this.

I have emails and texts, photos and screenshots to prove all this. This is my first time dealing with something like this so I hope I am handling this as I need to.

thank you, Lisa Sandler www.LisaSandlerPhotography.com

Well, Lisa's reply was a bunch of lies...just like saying she was in the park 20 feet away in an empty park and didn't see us! So, if you believe her make believe story then I have some swamp land in Florida to sell to you!  Her unprofessional behavior has been exposed and she is doing anything to deflect the blame, so it's now up to consumers to take the chance on working with her or using someone reputable.  Maybe after she has been exposed she will not treat other customers with rudness and rip them off....we can only hope.

Alls I have to say is if you take the chance...tread with caution!