When I hired Mae Small Photography, I paid the $1000 required deposit and an extra $425 via PayPal for her travel costs, though travel wasn't specified in her contract. Unfortunately, I decided to call off the wedding. When I canceled, I asked for my $425 back that I had sent via PayPal to buy her plane ticket. Per her contract, any extra fees paid (aside from the deposit) can be returned to the client. When I had approached her about this, she informed me that she didn't have the fees. Which is totally okay! I get it! But I told her we could work something out or do payment plans. She failed to acknowledge this or talk about resolutions to sort this out. So I waited a few days to ask when I could expect the refund or at least some timeframe. All other vendors I had hired had sent me back their extra fees so she was the last to do so. In her response to me, she hurled personal insults and stated that I was harassing her. The conversation was far from professional, but I stayed calm. At the end of the day, she's not traveling for my wedding; therefore that travel fee should be returned. A photographer not following their own contact is problematic to me. After almost a week of trying to sort this out, she finally told me that she would PayPal my money back so I waited until the next day-no payment. I sent her a text and found out that my messages were no longer going through (they went to green) so I sent messaged her via her social media because I saw she was active. She texted me the next day to tell me that she was working a wedding. I responded and asked her if we could talk about my refund-assuming she would have the fees since she has income coming in. No response. I decided to escalate things so I filed a PayPal claim to get my money back since she was not going to willingly refund me. This review is in no way to bash. But as a business owner, you must take responsibility. You cannot keep extra money when your contract doesn't state that-this is stealing. Whether or not I get my money back, I just want to let others know to not overpay any vendor because in the event your wedding is cancelled, you may never see those funds again. I'm not saying don't hire her-just don't overpay ANY vendor too early in advance. She does beautiful work and she truly is talented. But the way she handles issues is a little worrisome. If she isn't willing to follow her own rules, perhaps she should update her contract. I hope she displays more professional behavior in the future with her next clients. There is always a chance to do better. read more
