Stephanarias.com Reports & Reviews

Stephanarias.com Reports & Reviews (4)

Type of a scam Online Purchase

An Absolute Nightmare

I hired Stephan as my wedding photographer and got married on 12/3/22. He required me to pay in full before any services were provided, so I paid him about $4,000 with the expectation that he would fulfill his end of the contract, stating that 1) he would send me my photos within 8-12 weeks 2) he would create an online editorial of our wedding day, and 3) post on Instagram throughout our wedding day so that we could share our photos. NONE of these promises were fulfilled. Instead, he ghosted me for months. At that point, I had tried to get a hold of him countless times through text, email, phone, and DMs on Instagram and Facebook. He ignored all of it. I tried to communicate with him publicly by commenting on his photos on social media, but then he disabled his comments. I even reached out to his family members, desperately trying to get back my wedding photos that I paid for in full. I did not receive any wedding photos until I created a formal demand letter and mailed it to his house along with receipts of my payments, a log of all of my attempts to communicate with him, and a copy of the contract that we both agreed to. After receiving SOME of my photos 19 WEEKS after my wedding, I realized that I was still missing a large chunk of photos and requested them from him. Specifically, photos from our ceremony of us saying our vows, our first kiss at the end of the ceremony, our special cultural traditions, and all of the photos with my family and friends at our reception - photos you would expect from any other wedding photographer. For months, I have continued to try and get those special photos back, but I have not received a response from him since April. The last message I received from him stated that I would also be receiving a USB in the mail with all of my photos on it the following day and that if I did not receive it, he would personally deliver it to me. To this day, the tracking number he sent me has not made any moves since April. Clearly, it was a fake tracking number, and he flat-out lied.

I have filed with the BBB, but he claimed to be out of business. It is easy to tell through social media and his photography website that he's still doing business. I have done everything possible to avoid taking legal action because I wanted to believe that he had good intentions, but by seeing how many people he's done this to (and continues to do this to), it's clear that that is not the case. He doesn't take any accountability for scamming his clients and sends generic copy-paste apologies to everyone for his lagging. He has given me the same excuses as others, claiming mental health issues and other personal problems. Somehow, those issues keep him from fulfilling services to customers who have paid in full, but don't prevent him from taking on new customers and going on vacations.

I am appalled at the lengths this man has gone to rob people not only of their money but their precious, once-in-a-lifetime memories with their loved ones. I have been in touch with multiple other customers who have also been through all of this. His recent Yelp reviews are a testament to how poorly he handles his business and how he does not care for his customers but rather just the money they put in his pocket. I share my complaints in hopes that others will see how he treats his clients and can avoid wasting their money.

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Scammer's phone (909) 268-1084
Scammer's website StephanArias.com
Scammer's address 71 Oak Cliff Drive, Phillips Rnch, CA 91766, USA
Scammer's email [email protected]
Total money lost $5,000
Type of a scam Online Purchase

Stephan Arias Photography has breached his contract for many couples waiting for their wedding/holiday photographs. There are couples who have paid in full that have been waiting for over 6+ months for their photos. He is not responding to anyone’s attempt of communication. When/if he responds, he uses the same excuse — “personal struggles/mental health” to ALL his clients but dismisses the fact that he has breached all his contracts. He continues to take on more customers without providing the final product on time or at all, but is quick to collect payment. He claims to offer a discount if his services are paid in full prior to the event, but indeed did not offer that. He claimed to the ScamPulse.com that he is out of business, but thanks to social media, he was caught photographing another event.

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Scammer's phone (909) 268-1084
Scammer's website StephanArias.com
Scammer's address Phillips Rnch, CA 91766, USA
Scammer's email [email protected]
Total money lost $1,626
Type of a scam Online Purchase

Stephan Arias and I had a contract for him to take my wedding photos and he did not fulfill that contract. My wedding was on April 1, 2022 and I have not received any photos that were contractually bound in that contract. I have also spoken to other clients who have been scammed by him and we want legal action and assistance in helping to prevent this from happening to others. He requests me to pay in full via Venmo and yet, no services paid were rendered. He has avoided all means of contacting him. He has not returned any messages or calls for over 6 months. Please help.

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- Los Angeles, CA, USA

Scammer's phone (909) 268-1084
Scammer's website www.stephanarias.com
Scammer's address 71 Oak Cliff Drive, Phillips Rnch, CA 91766, USA
Scammer's email [email protected]
Country United States
Victim Location CA 90031, USA
Total money lost $336
Type of a scam Worthless Problem-solving Service

I found Stephan Arias Photography on Instagram and reached out to him through direct message. We agreed on a set date, Dec 18, 2022, and he took our photos. After our photo session, he told us that our pictures will be delivered before Christmas. When I did not receive my photos on Christmas Day, I reached out and he gave me access to our photo gallery and offered to edit one photo. Once he sent that edited photo over, he promised he will send the remaining photos in another week. I agreed to this as he mentioned that his kids were sick and needed some more time. That was my last time hearing from Stephan. After multiple attempts of reaching out (email, text, direct messages) and even asking for a refund, he still have sent any edited photos to us (all of the photos in the gallery has his water mark on it). In Mar, Stephan sent me an email citing health issues and promised to deliver photos that upcoming Friday. Till this day, I have not received anything. He also did the same thing to my friend, who took pictures the same day. He is a scammer and has done this to multiple people and families.

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