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Emerald City Model & Talent - Threatening Email
So, I wrote a review on Yelp detailing my negative experience with this agency in Edmonds, Washington. I outlined exactly what happened with no misrepresentation. I used actual quotes. http://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid … krKmLypnGg In return, I received a threatening email. - - I don't know what to think of this. Is this normal? Should I be worried? I don't think they have a case against me because there was only accurate information posted, but I'm no legal expert. I'm sort of in shock as to how unprofessional this whole "agency" seems to be. Jan 13 16 10:01 pm Link Providing the review that you posted on Yelp is true and accurate, I'd post a follow up Yelp review showing exactly what you just showed us. Jan 13 16 10:08 pm Link SayCheeZ! wrote: It is completely true and accurate and they know it, too. I already have edited it with a follow up. I just feel like if they're low enough to resort to threats, they wouldn't be beyond trying to ruin my reputation over absolutely nothing or sue me on false charges. I wouldn't have posted it if it wasn't completely true. As I stated in my review, I had a friend with me (that I bring for safety when I go in for interviews) who can back this up. Jan 13 16 10:15 pm Link Seems to me if everyone who posted a bad review on Yelp got sued, Yelp wouldn't be around very long. They had almost half a billion dollars in revenue in 2014. Jan 13 16 10:16 pm Link I'd like to respond with an email back telling them to shred the records they have of my address and whatnot (I had to fill out an form with my personal information before the interview) and to not contact me again or else it will be construed as harassment. That sound like a good plan? Jan 13 16 10:19 pm Link I just did a quick search on reviews about the place, both on Yelp and other websites and what you've stated seems to be consistent what's been said over the past few years by a MAJORITY of people that have had to deal with 'em, so it would be extremely difficult for them to prove their case against you. Places like Emerald City Talent (where they try to sell you products and services) are known as "Portfolio Mills". In many jurisdictions it's illegal for the agency to attempt to sell photos or services to the talent they represent. It was (maybe still is?) also against SAG-AFTRA rules. This is to insure that the agency makes money by doing what they're supposed to do.... get jobs for the talent (or models). The caveat is that the agency usually won't pay for the model/talent photos, zed cards, or anything else that's typically required In jurisdictions where agencies are prohibited by law from charging for photos, they're usually allowed to recommend a photographer (which usually give them a kickback). Jan 13 16 10:29 pm Link lesliew wrote: Not a good idea as they are under no obligation to do so. You may request them to do it but from the way it looks your request won't go very far. construed as harassment. That sound like a good plan? I don't see any reason to respond at all. Jan 13 16 10:35 pm Link SayCheeZ! wrote: 1. I know I was an idiot for giving up my information. I just feel uncomfortable with them knowing where I live. My mom is concerned that I might be physically stalked or assaulted. Jan 13 16 10:40 pm Link Did I read that right? She says she is going to sue you for writing a bad review but then says shes going to write a bad review about you? Head desk... Jan 13 16 10:56 pm Link FWIW if it were me, I'd just write off the whole incident as a lesson learned. People who are going to do you harm, of any sort, just go ahead and do it. People who threaten generally have no steam left with which to do anything and these folks appear to fall into that category. As far as your pictures getting you work, (and I'd rank this as an observation, not a critique) based on your MM portfolio, you have a unique and I think a quite marketable look and personality, and the pictures here display that to good advantage. My guess is that this "agency" would get you no work at all in any case, but rather, would lock you into an exclusive contract whereby you would pay them for any work you get from your own initiative. I think you dodged a bullet. All IMHO as always, of course. Jan 14 16 07:07 am Link As other posters have said, I doubt anything will come of this. Something you do need to be aware of, you are responsible for the reviews you write and post publicly. People seem to forget that. If you write a negative review, you always stand the possibility of being sued for defamation, libel or other torts, such as intention interference with prospective economic advantage. In this case, Yelp would have no liability since they are protected by statute from that which is posted by others. In the case of libel, the truth is always a defense. Likewise, you are often protected if it is an opinion you are expressing. Having said that, you still need to be careful. When you render a negative review, particularly one such as yours, the agency might have had a reasonable reason for their actions. The law is never black and white. It is always shades of grey. While it does rarely happen, people do get sued. My advice is to always be careful as to what you say and the words you say, when you post something that is negative on the web. I am not criticizing you as wrong in either your judgment or your words. I do want people to remember that this country does have the 1st amendment, but it is not an absolute protection against being sued. Having given the obligatory comments I just made, I am always skeptical of agencies that try to sell you photos. In some states, but not all, it is illegal. Had I written the review, I would have just said: "I approached Emerald Talent about representation and was told that, in order to get signed, I would first have to allow them to take headshots for a fee. I was both uncomfortable and concerned about that and declined. In my opinion, that is a deceptive and unprofessional practice." In any event, I am not an attorney. I also understand your frustration. Jan 14 16 08:36 am Link Lesliew, just an FYI: the "scam" that "agency" was trying is common. We have a few "agencies" that pull that around here. Jan 14 16 09:18 am Link That place seems to have lots of bad reviews on Yelp. OP...your first clue...Emerald City. Paging Auntie Em' Jan 14 16 09:26 am Link They need to learn some writing skills and grammar! Perhaps in the time they wait they can learn to use the spell check feature on the MM text editor! Jan 14 16 01:23 pm Link So,to fight a true(well to you) review from you....they are threatening to write a purposely untrue review about you. do what saycheez said...double down and post that comeback by them on yelp. Jan 14 16 02:55 pm Link Not going to get into a "he said - she said" argument. But assuming that everything you said is 100% accurate (not saying you are lying or they are, just not taking sides), the saying is, "The truth is a valid legal defense.". The fact that you are not alone in your experience (taking the word of another poster who said that they had looked up the agency) plays to your favor. Jan 14 16 04:42 pm Link DOUGLASFOTOS wrote: Emerald City is a common nickname for Seattle. Jan 14 16 04:57 pm Link The whole purpose of yelp is to write reviews of business. How about that Lion shooting dentist ........he Must have lost some business due to the thousands of bad reviews he got after. And those were unfair reviews...Bad reviews are the cost of doing business no matter if one thinks they are fair. Jan 14 16 08:08 pm Link Using "legal threats" to protect business interests is fairly common. It doesn't mean the threats are valid, or will be acted upon.. An example is in the last couple of paragraphs here (mercury contamination monitor maker) http://www.kansascity.com/latest-news/a … 22320.html http://investmentwatchblog.com/american … l-offices/ high speed power drills used above VS. other official exposure / cleanup recommendations http://www.epa.gov/cfl/cleaning-broken-cfl http://www.maine.gov/dep/homeowner/cflbreakcleanup.html https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdch … 3840_7.pdf Jan 15 16 12:09 pm Link SayCheeZ! wrote: Oh...that's different...never mind Jan 15 16 12:13 pm Link The threats they sent you are almost certainly a bluff, BUT at this point I would not post anything more, or have any contact with them whatsoever. Keep a record of anything they send you in the future but do not respond unless you are actually served legal papers. Anything posted on the Internet can last forever so while I would not remove the initial review, I would edit your post to delete their reply and threat to you, as that "could" incite the bear towards further action, unless you have enough funds in reserve to hire an attorney. I don't know if there is a way to contact other Yelp members who have posted negative reviews to see if they were similarly threatened and what ever came of it but it would be interesting to know. Email is cheap so if by making those threats they get even a fraction of the bad reviews removed it is worth it to them. The fact that there are lots of other negative reviews still posted indicates they are unlikely to spend money to follow through and sue. Jan 15 16 09:56 pm Link I seriously wouldn't worry much about it. As long as your review is truthful (and given the general word of mouth about this place, I don't doubt you for a second) you have nothing to worry about. Jan 30 16 09:00 pm Link If I were you, I would tell them to see you in court. In fact, I would even post their threaten email on Yelp. I had a similar experience once, and there was an attorney called me. I told him exactly what i said above. "I'll see you in court". 2 decades later, I still have not received any court paper. Jan 30 16 09:10 pm Link Poor a glass of wine and have a good laugh over the idiocy of the person who wrote this to you. Should you be worried - ah no. Jan 30 16 10:17 pm Link Tony From Syracuse wrote: Bad reviews were the least of his worries. He had to close his practice and leave town due to multiple death threats. Jan 31 16 12:13 am Link As others have said, as long as your review is accurate you have nothing to worry about. I highly doubt they would truly bother to sue you. Hiring a lawyer to put such a suit through is a waste of money as the chances of them winning is unlikely--it's a Yelp review, the purpose of it is to give both good OR bad reviews based on a customer's experience. If an honest bad review makes the establishment lose business, that is kind of the point. They're only threatening you because some people would be scared off by the mention of a lawsuit but assuming you are not lying jn your review, it doesn't matter if they do lose business due to your review, you haven't done anything illegal. Jan 31 16 04:10 am Link As far as being concerned about them posting a negative review about you, I agree with a previous poster who said you have little to worry about. You have a unique look. When that's the look someone wants, or is inspired by, you're well on your way. I believe that most people take a single negative review with a big grain of salt. They also consider the source. But a pattern of negative reviews and/or well respected sources, is a different matter. I wouldn't communicate further with them in any form. Nor would I respond in any form to any (non-legal) communication that you rec'v. Don't "feed" them. If you rec'v a legal letter, have a local legal expert advise you and have them handle the response. That would usually be the end of it, should it get that far. Jan 31 16 03:51 pm Link That place is garbage. And you're not going to get in any trouble. Shrug it off and continue on your way. There are other agencies in town although I don't know how strict some of them are on height requirements (some are very strict about it). A reputable agency, if they want you to build your book more in line with their aesthetic, will give you a list of photographers to choose from and contact to set up a shoot. Good luck Jan 31 16 08:29 pm Link Something I learned a while back in law school. There are two types of defamation. Libal which involves knowingly writing a falsehood and Slander which is spoke lies that you know are lies. In each of these types of defamtions the TRUTH is a 100% defense. The agency is just trying to scare and intimidate you. To buy it for one minute and don't take down your review from yelp. Feb 01 16 02:25 pm Link Considering the other negative reviews they have on Yelp, their "threats" can't be that good. Feb 01 16 05:06 pm Link |