A scary framing story for Halloween....I just wish it wasn't true. I contacted Whitney to frame a vintage poster from the 1920's that was my husbands. My husband passed away vey suddenly 2109 from brain cancer. He had saved for a couple of years to buy this poster, which was hand painted, and he never got to see it framed. The sentimental value of this poster was huge for me - on top of how expensive it was. Whitney said it would cost $2,655.18 to frame it - so yes, her services were very expensive, and I expected that her professionalism would match the price tag....it did not.
All was fine in the beginning. I told Whiney that because it was so large, whoever framed it would need to also hang it or have someone hang it while they supervised . Whitney agreed and did a home visit to my place with her husband. They decided it was something a contractor should hang and said they would make arrangements. There were some delays in some shades getting installed at my house and I called Whitney and asked her if we should hang the poster or wait - the windows have 99 percent UV protection on them. She said it is best to wait. So when the shades get installed, I called her again. She said she would get something lined up with the contractor. After 5 weeks of not being given a date to hang the poster, Whitney then says well we had a date and because of the shade issue, she no longer feels an obligation to see her commitment to have it hung through.....you are going to notice a pattern in this story of things like this. I'm frustrated but just go about trying to find someone to hang it. From here everything goes sideways. The poster gets delivered to me (I hire someone who has a van to bring it to my house). When it arrives none of corners of the frame match up - and one corner is so badly askew that I can see the raw white wood that is under the painted part of the frame. I call Whitney and leave a message. When she calls back, she tries telling me that the comers not matching up is ok in her book, and her voice is shaking. I tell her I have talked with my previous framing person in another state, and he has said this is simply not true. She then bursts into tears and says, "I'm sorry you don't like my work", and quickly gets off the phone. I'm shocked by the response - it's so unprofessional. The next day I send a message asking for a calmer conversation to discuss solutions. Her husband calls me and he comes and gets the poster. Our conversation at my home is fine and calm. I get an email from Whiney saying when it is completed again, she would like me to come to the shop and approve the work and that she will pay to have the poster delivered. When I go to the shop the I bring a friend, and the framing is much better. But Whitey is aggressive and combative and I have no idea why, and then states she now won't deliver the poster because it is their busy season. My friend and I leave and I tell her I will send her an email - she is waving around a piece of paper she wants me to sign. I decline - she keeps shoving it towards me. We leave - and I'm so grateful to have a witness to this craziness. After some back and forth over email with me telling her I can't spend any more money on her broken promises, she finally agrees to deliver the poster, and says she will make the arrangements. And then the unthinkable happens....on October 30th, in the middle of a rain storm, unknown to me, she hires a man with a open bed pick up truck to bring my poster to me - yes, she and her husband loaded my husbands poster in a tarp in a rain storm in the back of a pick up truck where it was rained on for about an hour. Moisture got under the framing and the whole poster is now rippled. Her poor judgement and inability to control her emotions ruined my husband's dearly loved artwork. I have talked to two different framers who are appalled, I'm heartbroken. So use them at your own peril....what comes next for me in getting this remedied won't be pleasant, and will cost them quite a bit to make right, and given Whitney's unpredictable temperament, will most likely involve lawyers. read more