To start deleting these wedding pics?

[JonSnowsWhore]

This is soooo outing but I don't know any other way of putting it.

5 weeks ago, I did the photography for an old friends wedding. I don't have a photography business but I did photography in college as an adult so she knows I do it cheaply to help out people I know. Before this wedding I hadn't seen her for a couple of years btw & wouldn't have been close enough to be invited to the wedding which is fine.

The wedding ended up being brought forward to when I'd still be pregnant, so I asked another photography keen friend of mine if she'd come & help me out as I knew I'd struggle doing a whole day at 7 months pregnant. Said we'd split the money between us & she said great as she'd love the experience.

So we get there at 10.30am, do the getting ready photos, horse & carriage photos, go to venue & do ceremony, group & couple photos, get a break for the food, then back again for the speeches, some of the party, cutting cake & first dance, eventually leave about 8.30pm. Bride said she'd pay me by bank transfer the next day & as I know her, I was fine with that.

Sent her my bank details the next day, got an excuse that their online banking was playing up, they'd go to a branch on the Monday to pay it. Monday morning I see on Facebook that they're setting off to their honeymoon in the uk. Don't hear anything. Midweek another message, there's no English banks so they'll do it as soon as they come back from honeymoon. I'm a bit pissed off now as it's not just me going without, I'm meant to give my other friend half. Since then it's been an excuse about their car breaking down, this money issue that money issue, can she pay me half & then the other half at the end of the month (now) so I say if that's all she can do then we'll have to do that, as I felt bad that my other friend hadn't been paid yet. She never paid the half, & never replied to my message. Now it's the end of the month, 5 weeks since the wedding & we still haven't had any money.

So, WIBU to start deleting her bloody wedding photos, what should I say to her as I'm getting bloody pissed off now, at first I didn't want to demand money as she was a 'friend' & didn't want to make things awkward, but can clearly see now that she doesn't give a shit about making things awkward!

We have a reply already 😂 that has exceeded even my expectations

Ooooh what was the reply OP?

Quick spill before I go out. DH just getting ready so have about half an hour whilst he gets his socks on

Please let us know what excuse they've come up with and whether it's from her or her husband who may have no idea how rude she is yet

Hopefully they pay you!

Did the reply say 'I'll pay you right away'? Or is it more 'xcuses.

Well she's obviously come up with an excuse as to why she hasn't paid/replied to try & make me feel bad. Basically one of her kids getting hurt so I can 'understand how her heads been all over the place'

Had she not been swanning around on Facebook messenger but ignoring me, and still on Facebook liking other people's posts etc, then she might have had more of a case for not getting back to me, but there's no excuse for not sending a quick message to be polite when I messaged her on Sunday.

Not to mention the fact that when she asked in the middle of April, I agreed to her paying half & then half at the end of the month which she also ignored!

Anyway she was going to pay today she swears!

I sent a message back saying I was sorry to hear about what happened etc but she needs to understand how awkward it's been for me, not being able to pay the other photographer, & seeing as she didn't send a quick message to me to sort it out, as far as I could assume, she wasn't interested in paying, so I had to resort to saying her photos would be deleted to get her attention. & that I'm also going in early to have this baby (only a week early, but still) so I really didn't have much time to get the photos sorted.

I've tried to be fairly polite as obviously we still need paying, but still forceful enough to get my point across because I can't have her thinking she can walk all over people like that

If she does not pay, take her to the small claims courts, she will continue to be full of excuses.

So is she going to pay?

I still wouldn't hold your breath op.

Send a quick follow up message now simply with your bank account details and a reminder of the outstanding balance she has to pay.

Don't feed her bollocks excuses, just get your money.

I hate pee taking "friends" like this, I've had a few over the years, so I'm 😡 for you.

If it were me, I would edit one key photo & make it a stunner, put a huge water mark of your business logo right across the middle of it, so it can be admired, but not printed off. Then post it openly for all to see on her Facebook wall with a note
"Hope you love the photo, I'm proud that we have managed to get some lovely ones & I'm looking forward to delivering the full edited set when we've received the overdue payment" hope you had a lovely honeymoon & look forward to hearing from you real soon.

Good luck x

So still not paid. .
Mm.
She won't I bet. .

Even if she pays, I'd put as little effort into editing her photos as she has put into beng decent towards you!

Keep things public as much as you can. Reply to the message under the wall messsage instead of messenger etc. esp. if you are worried mutual friends would round on you. Keep it out in the open so she can't make up stories. You gave her plenty of chances to respond privately which she chose to ignore.

Using the 'my child is sick' is the oldest in the book!

Ffs she's now saying my other friend was never going to take any money, as she told her that when they were talking at the wedding! So she thinks me saying it's embarrassing that I've had to keep telling the other photographer we hadn't been paid is bullshit. She's still going on about the problems with her child etc, oh & apparently the videographer hasn't been paid either. As he doesn't accept payment until the video is finished & they're happy with it. That's got to be bollocks they wouldn't travel all over the south of the country without taking some payment for just turning up,

Anyway I don't care who else has been paid & who hasn't, I HAVENT been paid when I was promised so I've got every right to be pissed off.

DH just getting ready so have about half an hour whilst he gets his socks on

And another 45 minutes while he has a pre-going-out poo, *Luck8

Lucky not *Luck8

Buggerit!

"Whilst I understand you're having a hard time at the moment Bride, if the outstanding balance hasn't been paid in full by the end of the week, I will have no choice but to escalate this to the small claims court"

Or Judge Rinder

I'd have replied 'Sorry to hear x was injured, but that doesn't explain why you haven't paid well before now'

I'm proud that we have managed to get some lovely ones & I'm looking forward to delivering the full edited set

Stuff that!

I think that posting a heavily watermarked one is a great idea, but OP - I FORBID YOU TO EDIT THE PHOTOS!!!!!

a) She doesn't deserve it
b) She hasn't left you enough time.

You didn't contract to edit etc (may have been implied, but you charged next to nowt so you can argue not) so just bung her the disc!

She's an entitled cowbag.

I've just RTFT, don't stand for this BS she's giving you. Good luck with the baby too.

tell her you are taking her to small claims court if she has no intentions of paying you. Remind her of the agreed price and give her till end of day to pay. It's easy to go to small claims. She doesnt doesn't need to know you don't have her address 😉

Yeah, if you didn't contract to edit, and you didn't show her any examples then just throw them through auto tone and stick them on a disk. You are under no obligation to spend weeks editing them.

Oh she's messaging my other friend directly now, she said 'it'll be easier for her to do 2 transactions rather than pay me so I can pay her'
I really fucking hope she's not trying to say I'd keep the money & not pay my friend! I can't, I just can't deal with all the fuckery surrounding this 😂😂

Don't get drawn into 'who is right' discussions. She promised payment for a service and she should pay. End of.