Does Sandals owe me anything for deleting my wedding photos?

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By Christopher Elliott

This is one of the strangest cases I’ve come across in my two decades of fielding consumer complaints. It involves a honeymooning couple’s missing wedding photos, me, and another me.

Rachel Patrick’s destination wedding at Sandals La Toc Golf Resort & Spa in St. Lucia was flawless, except for one little item: her wedding photos, which were taken by a hotel photographer, were missing in action.

She explains,

After a week passed, I called and spoke to the photo shop manager. She looked up my photos and told me they were still in the system and she would get them right out to us.

Approximately another week went by, and after still not receiving them I called again and was told the same thing: they were in the system and would be mailed to us shortly, and not to worry.

This happened a couple more times (I believe I called to ask about the photos 4 times total), and after 3 weeks the manager called to tell me they had not gotten them in time and they were permanently lost.

Patrick was heartbroken. It’s not as if you can re-do the wedding photos. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.

She negotiated directly with the general manager, who offered the couple a three-night credit at any Sandals property within the next year. With a little prodding, he extended the credit to 15 months, but said he could go no further. (Here’s how to fix your own consumer problem.)

That wasn’t enough for Patrick, who thought the credit should be valid for two years and that Sandals should also offer an $800 airfare credit to offset the cost of transportation.

Sodexo North America is part of a global, Fortune 500 company with a presence in 80 countries. Sodexo is a leading provider of integrated food, facilities management and other services that enhance organizational performance, contribute to local communities and improve quality of life for millions of customers in corporate, education, healthcare, senior living, sports and leisure, government and other environments daily. Learn more at Sodexoinsights.com.

So Patrick began posting her story to travel sites, which is where my editor at Frommers.com saw it. My editor suggested I get in touch with the photo-less bride to see if I could help. (Here’s another story where Sandals refused to issue a refund after his wife’s passing.)

And here’s where things turned a little odd. When I emailed Patrick to see if I could do anything — and this was long before I was privy to the details I just described — her response was curious. (Related: Sandals will not let me cancel my trip. Can I give it away?)

“I believe that you were the person who contacted us on behalf of Sandals to try and compensate us for having lost the photos,” Patrick said.

Huh? I work for Sandals? In what parallel universe?

But then I reviewed her correspondence with Sandals, and it turns out there is another Christopher Elliott. He’s the hotel manager of Sandals La Toc Golf Resort & Spa.

I should say that once I had all the relevant facts, I thought Sandals’ offer was pretty decent. But since my editor had asked, and since Patrick had started taking her case public, I thought it would be prudent to check with Sandals. Sometimes, a small concession on the part of one of the parties can lead to a resolution.

So I emailed the other Christopher Elliott.

I’m your doppelgänger in the States, the consumer advocate. One of my readers asked me about a case you had been working on with her regarding her wedding photos (see correspondence, below).

I’m told that she won’t be able to take advantage of your offer, and I was wondering if she was out of luck.

To which he replied:

Thanks for your email. We are not able to extend the voucher past three months.

So that’s where things stand now. Did Sandals do enough for the Patricks? In their view, no. In my view, things could have turned out much worse. I’ve seen similar cases get dismissed outright, although you can’t really get away with deleting a guest’s wedding photos in a place like St. Lucia, which is filled with honeymooners. (I know; I was there last year.)

If nothing else, theirs is a cautionary tale about wedding photos taken by a hotel. Make sure you get the disk before you fly home. (Here’s how to fix your own consumer problems.)

Update (noon): Sandals corporate responds:

We are aware of the issue surrounding the lost wedding photos and wanted to let you know that we are extending the offer already given to Rachel and her husband to three nights comp available to use within a year of the voucher, a renewal of vows ceremony and 20 complimentary pictures for them to remember the experience.

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Christopher Elliott

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers consumers to solve their problems and helps those who can't. He's the author of numerous books on consumer advocacy and writes three nationally syndicated columns. He also publishes the Elliott Report, a news site for consumers, and Elliott Confidential, a critically acclaimed newsletter about customer service. If you have a consumer problem you can't solve, contact him directly through his advocacy website. You can also follow him on X, Facebook, and LinkedIn, or sign up for his daily newsletter. He is based in Panamá City.

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