Allyson's Profile | Giggster.com

Amanda S.

5 months ago

70s/80s Stunner:Hanging Fireplace, Soaring Beams

This booking took a wild turn that I absolutely didn't see coming! We have rented our location for shoots before through other agencies and have been told we are super easy to work work and accommodating. Never had any issues. Apparently, with this booking, we were TOO easy going, and I now count it as a lesson learned as well as our first bad experience with a production team. The booking happened very quickly- thanks in part to my fast responses and allowing the team to come into the home on a day when I could not be there. Allyson assured me that they would not need a rep and that they were self sufficient....and here is where I went wildly wrong, I trusted her. I will never allow another shoot without myself or a rep present. Allyson was AWESOME- literally zero red flags- all the way up to shoot day. She was responsive and friendly. The location is a cabin in the forest, 2 hours out of LA. With the rushed timeline they needed and with Allyson's assurance, I allowed the shoot to take place. Allyson texted me as they were leaving, assuring me that everything was as it should be and as we had agreed (propane heat off, locked, etc.) We were unable to go back to the cabin for 2 weeks- but when we did, our hearts sunk. The house was left askew. Tables moved out of place and on the other side of the room, nightstands crammed against the wall with other random items from around the home- lots of that sort of thing. It was obvious they had not taken photos ahead of time and compared them with the final state of the home, before leaving- which is standard protocol. The giant rug in the living room was totally trashed (I will have to buy a new one). The propane heat was left on, an issue we specifically spoke on, and that incurred a hefty, hundreds of dollar cost. However, the worst part was that I had specifically instructed Allyson to NOT turn on the in-wall electric heaters in the house- they are a fire hazard, cost a ton of money, and are old. When we walked into the home, it was toasty warm because the (off-limits) heaters had been not only used, but LEFT ON! I am a rational person and believed Allyson just made a few mistakes, so I wrote her an email laying out the issues, screenshotting our convo regarding the ask to not turn on the electric heaters and to turn the propane heater off before leaving. I also included photos of the stained carpet (still had chunks of dirt and rocks sitting on top of it, not to mention the deep, oil-like stains within the rug that I cannot get out), items left all over the place, and the wall heater "on" and thermostats up. No response. I texted her. No response. I messaged her through Giggster. No response. Texted again. No response. Allyson ghosted me. To be honest, I'm super disappointed because naively, I thought we had established a solid decorum. I didn't peg her for someone to ignore her responsibilities and thought, "Hey, we can figure something out here." But no. The shoot was for Edikted, a multi-million dollar company with a store in The Grove, and a massive online presence. I get that corporate greed doesn't hold the little guy in high regard, but I expected Allyson to do better based on the foundation of communication we had established. She did not. I've held off writing this review, holding out hope that she would be in touch and there would be a reason for her silence, but no. Giggster won't do a thing to help either, since I didn't have a rep there (Allyson told me directly there was no need- how foolish I feel to have believed her!) and didn't file a complaint fast enough. Basically, I lose by not being a bulldog and by offering too much grace and trust to Allyson and her team. Allyson knew that my hands would be tied, relied on the trust we had established and honestly, I feel exploited by the entire situation. I trusted my home to her and she absolutely abused that good faith. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend Allyson. I actually really liked her, which I think added to the insult of being ghosted and her not owning up to her crew's mistakes. (I didn't even ask for a specific number in retribution, but instead just asked it we could please work something out) it would have been a couple grand to make me whole- to replace the carpet, pay for house cleaning, and the propane and electric bill- FORTUNATELY the electric heaters held up and didn't start a forest fire!) but instead, the income I made from this gig, will go towards the bill Allyson and her team incurred. I'd still love to work things out but know I'm holding onto false hope at this point...that's how much she made me believe in and trust her. Ugh, chalk this one up to an expensive lesson learned.

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Stacey B.

5 months ago

Spanish Historical Estate+Pool/Tennis

Amazing crew! Everyone was super polite and respectful of our home. They left it clean and Allyson was very nice to our daughter. Super smooth shoot highly recommend this team.

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