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How to I respond to this!?7054

3SixtyNow private msg quote post Address this user
I scanned a property for an agent last week and he wanted stills from the tour. I told him they are not the best option but I did it anyway. I told him I give stills from the tour for free. Well, he wanted them edited. So, I told him there is a fee for edited stills. He then told me I delivered a half done product and acted like I was trying to fleece him for more money.

I felt bad for the misunderstanding and edited the photos the best I could (for free). I'm not the best at Lightroom, I'm still learning. Then I get this from him:

"I have been going thru the photos you took on Rio Oro, and I am not impressed by them. Many are out of focus, out of center of the frame, too far or too close, and none have been edited in any way for clarity, color, light level, etc. I am sure you can do better work. I spent the past 20 minutes editing them so that they are somewhat usable, but many of them appear to have been taken with a fish eye lens as the dimensions of common items like the fridge are vastly skewed. I would like to give you the opportunity to repair this mess, and do this job right. If you refuse, I will still pay you for the "work" you did, as I am a man of my word. You told me you were an accomplished photographer, so I hope you are good for your word also."

Here are a few before and after shots:












This is the first time anyone has complained about my work and I just don't know how to respond.
Any advice would be appreciated.
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jfrankcole private msg quote post Address this user
Have you told him to get bent? If he's a real estate agent he should be fairly used to that type of conversation tbh.

Honestly, the photos look pretty good to me. If the property were some kind of ultra high-end mansion on the water or a historical property where detail was key, I would see the issue. But if you're talking about a run of the mill ranch that looks like it could be anywhere in America, the Matterport photos should work.

I think what could be the issue at play here is either: this is a relatively new agent who thinks that everything has to be (or will ever be) perfect, they are delusional, or both.

In my market (Virginia Beach), if your house is listed longer than two weeks, you have done something wrong and it is probably not the pictures. Big time sellers market here.

Residential real estate agents tend to be hard to work with, and I can't blame them for not wanting to spend a ton on a 3D tour when they don't know for sure if the house will close. Imagine spending $500 (or whatever) for something that may or may not pay you back, and doing that several times a month. I know that doesn't seem crazy when the agent is making 3% commission, but by the time all the splits are taken out and the marketing is paid for and the fees and dues are accounted for and the gas in your car is tallied and all the rest, these 3D tours seem pretty expendable.

This particular agent seems unreasonable to me, I have seen waaay worse marketing photos and so has he if he has been doing this for any amount of time whatsoever. I see some that look like the "photographer" is running through the property with their Iphone out.

So yeah, I would politely disagree with his opinion, tell him you stand by your work and you want full payment for your services.
Post 2 IP   flag post
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DanSmigrod private msg quote post Address this user
@3SixtyNow

Wow! Great learning experience.

A happy customer tells three people. An unhappy customer tells 100.

An unhappy customer made happy, tells 50.

Make him happy (and what to do in the long run).

Here's how:

1. As a WGAN Forum Member, you get 50 photos edited for free from PhotoAndVideoEdits.com when you sign-up AND a bonus of 50 photos edited in your second full month. Have a Pro edit your images. (It's also a great way to scale your business and free-up your evenings.) If you would like to receive this free WGAN Forum offer, please Private Message me and I will email you the We Get Around PhotoAndVideoEdits.com Promo Code Request Form.)

2. Surprise and delight your Client with something extra. A vanity URL (www.321PattersonWay.info); MatterTags, Highlights Reel, Virtual Staging of one room, a Virtual Twilight, etc. (All things you can charge him on the next project that you do for him.)

3. Difficult Clients can become your best Client and best referring Client

4. If you do not want him as a Client, that's fine, but do the above so that the word of mouth is possitive

5. We have a Matterport Pro1 Camera. The images can look amazing if you outsource them to a Pro. These still images - www.321PattersonWay.info - from the Pro1 Camera were retouched by @JonJ with Photo Sparc.

6. Going forward, if asked for the 2D images from the 3D camera, let the client know, yes, that's $150 (or whatever the going rate is for your market) and then have the images professionally edited (for all the reasons that your challenging client said ... the couple of times that agents asked us for the photos - they were referred to us by Clients in other markets that got 2D images from the Matterport Camera - we did the additional work at no charge. (We already charge Ritz-Carlton pricing so the answer is always, yes and there is no additional charge.) That's not for everyone.

Hi All,

How do you suggest that @3SixtyNow proceed?

Best,

Dan
Post 3 IP   flag post
WGAN Forum
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WGAN-TV Podcast
Host
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DanSmigrod private msg quote post Address this user
@3SixtyNow

BTW, since you are a WGAN Standard Member, you get 35 photos edited for free each month for 12 months from PhotoAndVideoEdits.com

Please see the Welcome Onboard Letter for the We Get Around PhotoAndVideoEdits.com Promo Code Request Form.

Best,

Dan
Post 4 IP   flag post
jasondavidpage private msg quote post Address this user
I'm guessing there was a misunderstanding between what the agent thought he was getting and what he actually received. I don't know how many times I've had an agent call asking about virtual tours only for them to just mean a slideshow of still photos.

That being said, try to appease this client and then fire him. Anyone who comes back the way he has is not someone you want to work for and will ruin your day every time you work for him (plus not to mention taking up your time while you could be catering and providing amazing service to your other great clients.)

I don't know how established you are, but I'm at the point in my career that I would kindly tell the agent where to stick it. I'd email back and explain the difference between fisheye and rectilinear distortion in wide angle lenses. I'd remind that I was hired to create a 3D tour, not to produce still images and that placement of a 3D camera isn't going to be the same place I'd take still images from.

The agent obviously is used to bullying in order to get away with being cheap. That is the reason I have a price for still photos and a price for tours. They can be done independently or combined, but NEVER would I use the screen captures as my still images. Make it a policy. Stand your ground. You can be kind but you don't have to agree on your clients' terms.
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