Offering any sort of guarantee to clients?

9 years 4 months ago #416363 by Glen Mosley
Well there's a first, I was asked if I guarantee my work.  To me this is a little ambiguous and sounds more like comfort food for the brain.  Sure, I guarantee I'll do my very best.  I guarantee I'll do what I'm paid to do.  However I just don't see how as photographers we can guarantee much of any thing else. 

If a client isn't happy with the photos, depending on the circumstances of their displeasure, I'll re-shoot or tweak something in post.  But if a client comes back to me a couple years later and doesn't like the images any more.  Then that's a big SOL.  


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9 years 4 months ago #416382 by ubookoo
I would guarantee that my wedding couple would love their engagement photos or I would reshoot. However, since a wedding is "live" I did not offer a guarantee they would love every shot.

However, having said that, I noticed that brides would even like their "iffy" images after a couple of years had gone by.


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9 years 4 months ago #416464 by Sawyer
:agree:  memories are memories

Canon 5D Mark II | Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM | Canon 35L | Sigma 85 1.4 | Helios 44M-6 58mm(M42) | Zeiss 50mm 1.4 (C/Y) | Canon 135L | (2) 430EX II
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9 years 4 months ago #416473 by garyrhook

Glen Mosley wrote: Well there's a first, I was asked if I guarantee my work.


What kind of work?

Portraits? Re-shoots are always possible (just one) after the problem is clarified. Weddings? As stated above, what are you going to do for a live event? It is what it is. Catalog work? You should be working with the art director to clarify up front what is required by the client; the only thing necessary is approval or reshoots if you don't meet expectations. Etc.

I'm guessing you mean portraits. If the client understands your style and wants to hire you, there ought to be little that can go awry once you take control and start directing the engagement.

How's that for a non-answer? :evil:


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9 years 4 months ago #416484 by effron
Be really careful with a "guarantee", tacit or written. (I know its not like a "no guarantee one hundred grand education"), but there are many that would scalp you for ten bucks. Avoid people asking for these things, find other business!....:angry:

Why so serious?
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9 years 4 months ago #416593 by Eliffman

effron wrote: Be really careful with a "guarantee", tacit or written. (I know its not like a "no guarantee one hundred grand education"), but there are many that would scalp you for ten bucks. Avoid people asking for these things, find other business!....:angry:



VERY GOOD POST!  I couldn't agree more. 


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9 years 4 months ago #416608 by Glen Mosley
Hey thanks guys.  Another post I'm glad I got the extra clarified by others.  Gary - Portraits and occasional weddings. 


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9 years 4 months ago #417050 by Kenya See
There are few guarantees in this world, and photography certainly isn't one of them.   


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9 years 4 months ago #417078 by MYoung
If you want a guarantee, go to FedEx :rofl:


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9 years 4 months ago #417090 by Don Fischer
Just for the sake of argument, what if you got your money up front and say your equipment failed during the shoot? How about every thing went well but for some reason the card failed and the photo's were screwed up? Do you give back the money or tell them all they can have is a re-shoot? Someone goes out of their way to make the time for it and it just doesn't work out because of your equipment failure to bad? They have to do it all over again? I suppose that if your thinking, you have backup equipment with you, I always carry back up camera, lens and flash, even spare card, you have nothing to worry about? 

I had a roll of 35mm I took and a big range fire several years ago. Took it to a local lab and the photo's were screwed up royal. Already had paid for them and they found out he'd let hiss 10 year old daughter develop and print them, dust spots all over and just awful photo's to begin with. Another roll to another local developer came back just fine. I wanted my money back but couldn't get it. He said he'd just wash the film again and they would be fine. He didn't and they weren't fine. He lost me as a customer after that and I made sure everyone that asked about him heard about it. I would think there would be some kind of guarantee if for nothing else equipment failure. That might not be your fault but it's not the customer's either.


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