Anyone use Simply Cinematic??

[mickeyshellbelle]

Hello,
How long did it take to receive your video?

If you look at my old posts you can see that I wrote a similar question on Jan 5 of 2012!! Yes over a year ago. Not only was I married in May of 2011, I cannot ever get someone to contact me back in a timely manner. I've gone months without a contact back, all the while being polite and giving them time to contact me. I am now not being nice anymore and would like to share my incredibly awful experience.

 

[LostMyGlassSlipper]

Hi there!
I've been a longtime lurker, but really felt compelled to respond to your post so I just created an account today because I can totally relate to what you must be feeling. I also used Simply Cinematic for my wedding back in October 2011 and my experience wasn't that great either. I didn't post or say anything back then because I thought that I was the only one who had anything short of a positive experience with them due to all the wonderful reviews that I had read before. I did receive my discs with the trailer/short film/raw documentary footage at the end of May 2012, but that was after tons of emails asking them about the progress of my video. They even made me pay for the express shipping label because I told them that I needed the discs in time for an at-home reception that we were having (even though they had informed me that my discs should be ready by the end of April)

The whole experience turned out to be somewhat of a nightmare because of all the stress and frustration that was involved. After I received my discs and reviewed everything, I noticed that there was a HUGE part of my wedding that was missing. They didn't have any footage of our choreographed dance with the wedding party and that was what we were most looking forward to having on video as everybody practiced and work so hard for the dance. They also didn't have footage of the parents entering and the mothers lighting the candles at the beginning of the cermony. When I asked them about it, they just basically told me that the sd card that contained those parts of the video got "corrupted" and there's nothing they can do about it. Needless to say, I was extremely upset/crushed/heartbroken because we really had to budget ourselves to fit this expense into our wedding, but ended up with such a bad experience. Memories that we were hoping to have captured on video are missing and can never be experienced again in that way. I felt like they just kept making excuses about being so busy and didn't have the time to care about my wedding video.

I can go on and on, but I think I've gotten my point across. I'm so sorry to hear that you are still living this insane nightmare. I hope you get your videos soon and they turn out to be worth the wait at least.

 

[DarkPhant0m]

Hey there! This may be a bit long, but I think I need to get this out too....
And I want to preface this post by adding that BEFORE we signed the contract with them, things were great! Emails went back and forth within hours, not days and they were very responsive... Ok, on with the post

I used Simply Cinematic quite recently, December to be exact. And I just wanted to share my experience as well. I do not have my video or trailer yet, so I can't exactly say if that is a good thing or a bad thing? When I first contacted them, one of the questions I asked before we contracted was how long is the turn-around time to get our video back? We are having a celebration party here in May, so I wanted to make sure we would get it back in time. I was quoted 2-3 months after the wedding, so we're still on track as far as that. BUT, as far as professionalism and all around business practices go, I was/am not too thrilled, I will admit. They take FOREVER to email you back; when we had our phone consultation, they were a bit unprofessional, nothing like any of the other vendors we used; they were also 20 minutes late getting to my hotel room the day of the wedding. Granted, they did stay a bit past their scheduled time to make up for it, but it didn't sit too well with me that we had to wait on them... They had called when they were supposed to be there and said they couldn't find my room (?????). 15 minutes later they showed up. I will admit that I am TERRIFIED that I'm either not going to get my video, or something is going to be wrong with it. When I first researched them, I didn't see any negative reviews, and they seemed to do great work. We made room in the budget for a videographer, only because my parents were the only ones who were able to make it to the wedding. We wanted to capture the day for everyone else who wasn't able to go. I was scared to leave one of the most important days of my life to be documented on film and by camera to complete and total strangers! I had faith in my photographer, and he did an amazing job and I couldn't be happier!!! I just never felt that way about SC. After the wedding was over and things had settled down, I realized I never heard back from them about the music selection. I emailed them about mid-January asking how the video was coming along and let them know that I would be getting my pictures soon, and I would pass them along for the disc covers. I got this response a few days later:

"I'm glad to hear from you, and hope all is well for you and the family! Things have been busier than the usual for us, and we are very excited about how this year is going so far =)

As part of new year resolution we have decided to make a few changes and start a fresh Wedding Cinematography brand and let the Simply Cinematic name go, we are a little sad, but It will be for the best! We are looking forward to launch it in the next few weeks, and your wedding video will be in process in a week and will be part of our new portfolio =) I know the final product will be beautiful and can't wait to share it with you and Mike."

Needless to say, I was left doing this and now I don't know what to think. I started to research the company a little more, and realized that the same 8 5-star reviews seem to be everywhere. It really makes me wonder the integrity of this company and if those reviews are even really legit. I get my pictures from my photographer this week, so I will be contacting them to send those along and to get another update on our videos. I guess, worst case, they are under contract with us to provide a product, but I hope it never comes to the point that we need to take further action. I will let you guys know what I hear back (IF I hear back ) and what comes of this. You might want to make room for me in the boat though, just in case.

 

[jan120]

I am so disappointed to read of your experiences...please let us know..we booked them for our October 2013 wedding...I liked their work and saw my photographer recommended them on their website. They were also more expensive than others but I felt it was money well spent. I am so nervous now..with 1/2 of their deposit made I can not just walk away and get someone else. If you have any advice on what I can do to keep them on top of things I would appreciate your thoughts...so sorry for you...

 

[DarkPhant0m]

Good Morning everyone! I just wanted to post a small update on our situation. I still haven't received my pictures from my photographer yet, so I haven't had the need to email SC. But, on Saturday morning I woke up to find an email from them and they had sent me the link to our video trailer! I was pleasently surprised and it actually turned out good! They do have a new company name and are going to be getting the website up and running soon, supposedly. Now, there was still no talk really of our full movie since I haven't gotten my pictures yet. So that still remains up in the air.

I know this doesn't really help you MickeyShellBelle, knowing you still haven't gotten your videos. Have you researched at all what your options are, legally? I feel so bad for you because 2 years without a finished product is just unbearable. I have no idea as to why they won't contact you either, but you deserve at least an honest explanation as to why they haven't delivered on their contract with you, even if it's not what you want to hear.

I wish I could offer some more insight into the method behind their madness. I definetly don't want to make excuses for them, because if they were having internal problems within the company (hence the split/name change/etc.) that should never have been passed onto a client in any way. And for it to last almost 2 years? Unacceptable. I have no clue if SC was a group of people and some of them have split off and made this new company and the others will keep SC going? I'm not sure who you have been in contact with, Jan120, and if you don't want to say on here, I understand. But have they said anything to you about a new company or anything?

Even though we've gotten our trailer, it's still not the finished product, so I'm not sure how to feel about it yet. I still think back to the wedding day and that I had to wait on them, the delayed response in emails, the lack of professionalism on the phone. If we do get a full movie back, with all the footage there, and no issues, I don't know if that will outweigh everything else. Jan120, I hope that whatever issues they have been having are working themselves out and they get their act together by October. You girls can always PM me if you need to compare notes!

Sorry the small update turned into a novel... it's a trend with me, lol! I'll continue to keep you posted on anything new.

 

[Cmdbuddy]

This is a shame because they produce such beautiful work, and they are certainly not cheap.

I would give them one more heads up and say that you're going to report them to the Better Business Bureau and start writing reviews online on weddingwire, google, etc. if you guys can't come to some sort of agreement on when the video should be completed.

 

[jan120]

Hello..I am happy you liked your trailer and hope from this point there are no further issues. Again...very disappointed that anyone is having issues with them...I had not heard anything about their company going through a name change/company change...the only person I had correspondence with is Phuong..since the signing of the contract and deposit I have not had a need to correspond with them.....would any of you recommend I contact them and ask them about any changes to their company and if this change will impact their services? Of course I know they would say no but maybe they should know their reputation and some recent reviews is compromised....I am trying not to worry about this and hope this improves for all...keep us posted if your issues get resolved and Darkphantom let us know when you get your film...Good Luck everyone...

 

[DarkPhant0m]

I will keep you all posted for when I get my full video. There was a hold up with my pictures, so that has pushed things back a bit. And I never dealt with Phuong, although they may have been cc'd on a few emails in the very beginning. I only ever dealt with Claudia, and it was her and Eddie who did the filming on the wedding day. Maybe they are the ones who have started the new company, and the other people are keeping the old company going? It's only speculation on my part, and I really hope that whatever is going on behind the scenes of these company's gets worked out and things start going better and smoother for everyone.

 

[pkdang]

My friend had Simply Cinematic as her videographer. I was one of her bridesmaids in her wedding and have heard her horrible experiences from her.

She was married in Oct. 2010 and didn't get her wedding video until over A YEAR later. And even when she got it, they spelled her name wrong on the DVD! At that point she didn't care, she was just happy she finally got something.

Supposedly at that time, there were management issues within the company with the owner leaving abruptly and someone had to pick up the mess he left behind. This was a few years ago, but it seems like they haven't gotten their act together yet.

 

[mickeyshellbelle]

Sorry its been awhile since I started this post. I want to thank everyone for your help and willingness to post your experience so I don't feel so alone.
Unfortunately, we still do not have our video and my last email correpsondence was at the end of February. I have reached out since then but no response.
Sadly, my nan passed away who was unable to make it to my wedding due to health and now did not have an opporuntity to see my video. That should not have been the case considering we are at 23 months post wedding. My sadness and frustration grows and even more so now that I believe I will have to go the legal route which I did not want. If anyone can pm a phone number to whoever's in charge maybe that would help since email does not seem to be getting me anywhere. Thanks again everyone and I will keep you posted.

 

[bradleyjess]

I'm so sorry to hear your grandma passed away without seeing your wedding video. I would definitely look into getting a lawyer. I hope you get it sorted out and get your money back.

 

[laurenmo]

This is totally unacceptable...at this point you have no other option than to get an attorney...and you should be compensated for your attorney fees by them. They have a new name now it is Riant Films...from what I have read on the disneybrides facebook page brides have received their video's and the new company seems to be trying to repair this. Good Luck...and very sorry for the loss of your grandmother...