Bravo Studios Photography Alex Nasser Ripped Off Marketing Company - Will Be Investigated for Fraud Brighton, Michigan
In February 2009 this studio hired me to call every bride that registered at local bridal shows for Crystal Gardens, Barnstormers, and several with Perfect Wedding Guide - to promote this studio in exchange for a 10% sales commission. Several times last year the owner Alex Nasser reported not a single bride signed a contract with his and recently Alex refused to provide proof of year 2009 bookings.
I've since had to file a small claims case against this photography studio and post a Ripoff Report on the web to protect others from making the same mistake in trusting this studio. After speaking to several reputable photographers in Southeast Michigan, its clear this studio cannot be trusted. I would like to take this opportunity to express my concerns and warn brides looking for a wedding photographer not to hire this studio for your weddings or portraits - they are greedy, rude, unethical, and take pride in charging brides more than a reasonable fee to boost their profit margins.
My investigation of this studio has uncovered numerous disturbing findings and I'm quite certain others will come forward in a collaborative effort to protect future Michigan brides and I intend to use every legal resource within my rights to collect unpaid commission money from this studio that I calculated to be $3K - $5K
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Roy
Milford,Michigan,
USA
Threatened by civil suit if this Ripoff Report not removed
#2Consumer Comment
Thu, February 04, 2010
On January 22, 2010 I received a letter by email from a lawyer Matthew M. Bieber(relative of the studio owner Alex Nasser) demanding that I remove this Ripoff Report immediately and cease and desist any defamatory statements regarding Mr Nasser and Bravo Studios Photography. And that I remove any postings on the internet. Failure to do so will result in further legal actions against me including, but not limited to, a lawsuit for defamation, tortious interference with a business expectancy, extortion, and fraud.
To this date, Mr. Nasser has not given me any verification of bookings for year 2009 and no copies of contracts that were signed last year so my phone records could be linked to any phone numbers or names or emails. On January 26 I filed a complaint with the BBB of Detroit & Eastern Michigan - Complaint ID 8087765 but they do not handle complaints regarding collection on an account only (or nonpayment for services rendered) so they suggested I file a small claims at District Court.
To prepare my defense I spoke to a lawyer and found this at a legal website -
A submissible case of tortious interference requires the plantiff to adduce evidence of: (1) a valid business expectancy; (2) defendant's knowledge of the relationship; (3) a breach induced or casued by defendant's intentional interference; (4) absence of justification; and (5) damages. The plaintiff carries the burden of affirmatively showing lack of justification. If the defendant has a legitiate interest, economic or otherwise, in the expectancy the plaintiff seeks to protect, then the plaintiff must show that the defendant employed improper means in seeking to further only its own interests. Improper means are those that are independently wrongful, such as threats, violence, trespass, defamation, misrepresentation of fact, restraint of trade, or any other wrongfull act recognized by statute or common law. No liability arises for interfering with a business expectancy if the action complained of was an act that the defendant had a definite legal right to do without any qualification.
I have the sprint cell phone records of all numbers called between February 6 2009 and December 31 2009 and will bring those to court. The lawyer hired by Mr, Nasser at Bravo Studios Photography has my address to file the case in the proper venue because its supposed to be filed in the jurisdiction where the defendant lives. This entire situation is ridiculous and I never expected this studio to act in this way after all the hard work and many hours of calling leads each month to promote its services and packages in exchange for 10% sales commission which was promised by the contract Mr. Nasser signed in February 2009
So now I am waiting for the civil suit to be filed by Matt Bieber at court. Then I will be showing the case to a lawyer and if he or she thinks I have a strong defense, I may represent myself in this matter. I refuse to sit on my hands and allow this studio to get away with stealing my 100 hours of marketing calls and emails. All of this could've been avoided if Mr. Nasser was cooperative and disclosed the bookings for last year to prove that no brides I called signed a contract with his studio. Its too late to stop and walk away and I know other people out there will be protected from my actions and not fall prey to similar situations.