modelmayhem.com Defrauded and Dumped Internet

I read the report of the photographer who died under suspicious circumstances after being booted and ripped off by ModelMayhem.com. I hope this man’s family finds a good lawyer to file a wrongful death case against this sleazy, abusive website.

I, too am a photographer and they did the same thing to me last year. Paid the money, posted lots of pictures and thought everything was going fine. Then I got the "you’re gone" email out of the blue, no refund. The effective response to my request for an explanation was "f**k off and die".

I only lost $100 in prepaid fees. The worst thing was that my chats with 3 models were cut off, leading to them to think they were flaked on for upcoming shoots (and also not getting paid).

Since I didn’t make the mistake of investing my life in the site, I just moved on.

ModelMayhem puts up a phony casual, lighthearted front. Behind that is a fascist dictatorship which you quickly encounter should you question them about anything. Their image standards are vague and shifting, but enforced with a Gestapo-like rigidity and zeal.

Any attempt at a dialog is met by a "moderator" telling you "What I say goes, and if you say one more thing I’ll shut you down." It’s not an empty threat.

They keep records of everything you put up and everything you say. They treat your postings like so many prior arrests. Should you protest, they treat that as the mortal sin of "arguing" with them - they might as well put up a banner reading "shut up, n****r".

A site based on photography and modeling should have a strong tradition of artistic freedom and innovation. It should encourage a free dialog with and between members. This site positively lacks that.

If you are a photographer, its best to just avoid ModelMayhem.com. And NEVER pay them money in advance.’