Unhappy Couple: Beware This Wedding Photographer Scam
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Picture this: your boyfriend just became your fiance, you're in the middle of so many plans you would be overwhelmed if it weren't for the loving support of your friends and family, and you come across a great company online.
The company, 5 Star Production, seems legit. They have an Instagram full of spectacular wedding photos, all of their reviews on a popular wedding planning site are 5-star, and they are extremely communicative.
Yet, after you put your $2,000 deposit down, the company stops responding entirely.
This is the exact horror scenario Ashley Mendez found herself in this year.
Now she is warning people about the company.
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Is Instagram Supporting These Scams?
The company's Instagram is filled with high-end wedding photography, but to a seasoned photographer, it is clear many of these photos are public domain stock photos.
When you continue to dig into the company's Instagram, there are a variety of reposts, such as this one from a royal wedding.
This is usually a dead giveaway that a photography company is not all they say it is. Why do you need to use someone else's photos? Shouldn't you want your own, original work to get the most views?
Plus, when you try to comment on any of the photos, you get the below message.
All comments have been turned off on the page to prevent disgruntled and ripped off brides and grooms from voicing their displeasure.
However, the comments were only recently turned off (possibly when the company began facing serious financial trouble), because each photo still has comments and looks active.
You wouldn't know unless you tried to comment on one of them yourself.
Mendez paid the company with her debit card, something the BBB and the police say you should never do ahead of a service.
Paying with a credit card will prevent you from being entirely ripped off when something like this happens.
As for Mendez, she's just happy she was able to find a new wedding photographer before the big day.
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Via WSVN-TV
