I feel like I should throw party or write something special or something, but I can't think of anything clever in memorium of this special occasion. Ideas, anyone?
Well, I'll just go with the original plan... Story time! Gather 'round pretty ladies!
The story is called, "How My Photographer Became the Priority Mail Nazi*."
(* I am genetically German so I feel completely comfortable usng this term. Although, my family was gone before that ever happened, but still. You know. I'm German!)
Isn't that a nice title? LOL
Every single one of you who has actually booked with me should know this story from our consultation in person, or from our long distance consultation email and/or phone call. But, some of you haven't heard it, or aren't a bridal client, or are just another photographer whom I feel the need to tell a scary bedtime story to!
When I first started out, I booked alot of people in the first meeting (I booked like 100% of the people I met with for something like the first 2 years...) and never had to deal with that whole mail thing. Then I started getting clients who lived further away- too far to meet with, or clients with lives as busy as mine, or far busier and who did not have time to meet, or of course those gals who just always felt comfortable right from the start and didn't bother with meetings.
This was the begining of the MAIL NIGHTMARE.
Somehow, over a period of year and a half or so, I had a total of 15-ish payments/contracts, etc., stolen or lost. There were a whole series of checks which were sent, and never made it here, and were never returned to the client. They just POOF! disappeared. I have a locked mailbox, so that just made it all the more odd. Clients were forced to deal with stop check charges, or even worse... checks cashed by theives. Each time it happened, it was an absolute nightmare, not only for them (how awful!) but for me as well. I felt horribly guilty, and visited my local post office and the local mail hub repeatedly to find out what was happening, and to complain. I also had long conversations with my mailman/lady each time I was expecting something, and hyperventilating from the moment the client dropped it in the mail. (I've still never recovered from that anxiety. I often say I am just like Charlie Brown, sitting under the mailbox, waiting for a Valentine from the Little Red Haired girl. Except, I'm, you know, hyperventilating.)
Because of that whole fiasco, I became very firm that you guys can't send me anything important through the regular mail. Use a currier or Priority Mail or something, please!
Enter ye next issue... My complex is gated and the UPS/DHL/Fed-Ex drivers won't get out of their trucks, walk through the pedestrian gate, and deliver the packages. They just write "gate closed/locked" every day and then return it to sender. I even went so far as to stand out in front of my complex on the phone with Fed-Ex customer service trying to hook up with the delivery guy. Yeah, didn't work. This also means, BTW that I can't buy anything cool online and have it shipped to myself. :(
So, the major currier companies got banned and got put on my... naughty list. (I would use the appropriate curse word there, but I don't want to end up on your OWN naughty lists!)
Next we moved to Priority Mail. But because of all the drama, alot of people put delivery conirmation, tracking, signature delivery, etc. on their correspondence with me. But guess who was never home to meet the postman? That's right, ME. Between law school, errands, consultations, shooting and working off-site, I was never home to sign for anything during Post Office hours. If I wasn't around to sign for it, it got shipped back to the sender.
So here we are. Priority Mail, and nothing else, and no extra tracking/delivery confirmation/signature delivery allowed. Priority Mail envelopes can still be somewhat tracked by the post office by tracing which hubs they traveled through. One of my December brides, Christine and I got to prove this point when her envelope didn't show up after a week of waiting. With PM, if you're in the same area, it gets delivered the next day. If you live somewhere else, it comes in 3-5 days, max. She whipped out the receipt, and we tracked it to Lousiana, where it was apparently shipped for some reason. Who knows why that happened, but it came back and was delivered to me. Late, but it made it safe and sound. That's the only problem I've had since I started doing the plain, PM thing.
Throughout this whole period my little courtesy invoice emails were created, and began being automatically emailed to you guys at an appropriate time before you payment is due. I started having some issues with some people disregarding the directions and the scary mail issues continuing. Over time, I have added more details to explain and answer the general questions I commonly get, as well as putting some parts into larger sizes and making it bold. It is absolutely no reflection on your ability to pay, nor am I trying to be mean or anything, but I just have to make sure nothing bad is going to happen while your stuff is in the hands of the Post Office, or another currier company. Each of those bad experiences I have had with clients has been AWFUL. I don't want anyone to experience that. I probably don't actually need to send reminders at all, as you should have your due dates marked, but I know things get crazy when you are under stress and planning all of these ( fun, yet sometimes frustrating!) events, so I do. And I want you to be safe, so I'm firm. Maybe simply telling you all this story will elimate the need for me to be the Priority Mail Nazi! Here's to hopin'! :)
One last thing, also a reminder. I charge an extra fee for PayPal because they charge me 4.5% to receive money. It is just deducted off whatever you send. Since I do PP as a courtesy so you can use a credit card, I ask you guys to help pick up that fee. You should all know that too, but just in case! I have a two month sprint of weddings almost every weekend so I'm just doing some general reminders. :)
Kristen & Dave got married today in the non-denominational chapel at(in?) the Presido in San Francisco. Here's an untouched negative from the day- this was Kristen's idea and request! It's a living totem pole!!
