Complaint Review: Studio Blue Photography - Saint Paul Minnesota

We were told several times that we would have our wedding photos within 12 weeks.  13 weeks went by and were never notified by a phone call or email from our photographer to let us know that he would need more time.  Then we found out that he would need 16 weeks to complete our photos.   16 weeks went by and we didn't receive a phone call or email from our photographer letting us know that he would need an extra couple of days to complete our photos.  I don't think it is unreasonable in the slightest to be upset that someone we already payed couldn't pick up the phone before the deadlines had  been reached to let us know what was going on.

I truly believe that this situation could have been handles better on both ends.   The conversation I had with Studio Blue Photography on the phone didn't go well, I was upset and emotional.  I felt like I was being talked over and belittled.  I felt like the person on the other end was being rude to me.  The person I spoke with felt the exact same way. Which is understandable because there are two sides to every story. We both took away what we did. I stick by my story and opinions, just as I expect that Studio Blue will Stick by theirs. 

I have said many times that the photographer did an exceptional job at our wedding. I have recommended him to friends and family to use at their events.  the photographers at Studio Blue are uniquely creative and fun to work with.  This is why we hired them.  I am glad that the company has made plans to reduce the number of events they take in the next busy season so that they can stay true to their said turn around times.  If this would have happened for us there would have been no issue.  Instead of taking matters into my own hands and telling potential clients to beware I would be writing rave reviews for this company, telling potential clients what a satisfied customer I am.

The bottom line is that over 16 weeks after our event the issue has been resolved by both parties and we should be receiving our photos any day now. If you want a photographer to capture your special day with a refreshingly artistic point of view then by all means hire them!  I sincerely don't think that our conflict with Studio Blue  is a reoccuring problem with this company.  If you look at other reviews, people have been very pleased with them. As were we until post wedding. I can only recount my story and opinions of what happened to my husband and I.

*For future couples who love our work but are nervous by this review, know that at Studio Blue, we want all of our couples to remain raving fans of us.  In the rare moment when a couple is unsatisfied with their experience, we do whatever we can do help fix the problem.  In this instance, we tried to find a way to compensate our couple, but hit roadblocks.  Every other couple who was affected by our temporary change in turn-times was happy with our generous compensation.

In addition, the photogs on our team have now agreed to limit themselves to only 30 couples each per year.  This means that we'll be able to provide unbelievable service to each bride and groom-to-be, and will never have another issue like this again.  We're also rolling out a new post-production format that will allow us to achieve unmatched turn-around times (it's gonna be crazy fast!).  For more accurate reviews of Studio Blue, be sure to check out the following link:

http://www.pictage.com/photographers/listing.do?n=studio-blue-photography&studio=BN016

What's true about this complaint is that we experienced a very busy Fall season and, in turn, experienced a delay in our turn-times.  After taking on a large number of couples in 2009, we were experiencing a backlog in our post-production.  There were a handful of couples who were affected, to whom we sent an email, letting them know that our turn-times were running about 4 weeks off.

Unfortunately, we were on a business trip out-of-state when this bride wrote us with how upset she was for having to wait the extra time.  We didn't have access to email, and set up an automatic out-of-office reply that let everyone know when we'd be back and able to respond to emails.  The day we got back, she called me, saying that she was upset we hadn't responded.  I shared with her that we were out of town, and hadn't read her email yet.  I also told her that while I couldn't speed up our post-production times any quicker, I'd be happy to compensate them for the wait.

She was extremely upset on the phone, and turned down any offers of compensation.  I told her that if she was calling just to vent and she didn't want us to compensate them as a means of repairing the situation, I understood her frustration, but couldn't do much more than listen, as we couldn't finish their photos any earlier.  Our hands were tied with a tight production schedule, as there were other couples whose weddings were before theirs that we needed to complete.  She was upset by that, and kept reiterating that she wanted her photos by the 12-week mark.  I was very professional on the phone (another team member was in the room with me and could verify that), and kept reiterating that post-production was essential to our service and it would be 16 weeks, as I wasn't comfortable turning over unfinished work...we do a lot of creative editing to make our couples' photos look stunning.

If compensation didn't help, and we couldn't get their pictures turned any earlier, I didn't know where else the conversation could go.  I told her that, and she proceeded by attacking me (the opposite of what her post says).  She became extremely rude and disrespectful, and that's when I told her that I wasn't going to stay on the phone just to be attacked.  There's professional courtesy and care that you show to someone who is upset, and, yes, we were in the wrong for the delay in deadline, but when a person begins to belittle you, that's where I draw the line.  Her reviews on other websites are written to insult me personally, not professionally, so it's clear that I'm not twisting my account of our conversation.  I never told her that other people weren't bummed about the delay; I did tell her that I've never had somebody talk to me the way she was, and that I wouldn't continue the conversation if she didn't want to work together.

In the end, we finished their photos a day past the 16-week mark, and will be uploading them tomorrow.  After talking with the groom, they've decided to accept a generous offer from us, and put in writing that they are removing all bad reviews that she posted.

Since posting this report the owner of Studio Blue Photography has contacted us in an effort to resolve this matter.  Our ultimate goal was to receive our photographs, and this has been accomplished.  We are very happy with the final product.