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Archive 2010 · Model Mayhem Deleted My Portfolio !!

JayDavis
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p.1 #1 · Model Mayhem Deleted My Portfolio !!

Okay, here is the situation.

I am sure many of you remember Lauren, the tall, blonde model that I have photographed a couple of times, who works at the "owl-themed" restaurant, don't you? If not, I can post a couple of photos of her.

Well I was "trying" to help her out and get her started on ModelMayhem, so I built her a portfolio and posted some of the photos that I had taken of her from our two previous shoots. Lauren is "very difficult" to get a hold of from time to time. She doesn't respond to e-mails, text messages, or even Facebook messages, that often. I understand that. She is quite busy these days with school and her job at the "owl-themed" restaurant and going on promotional tours with them, since she is in the 2010 calendar for them.

So yesterday, Wednesday, March 3rd, I go into my ModelMayhem portfolio and all of it has been deleted. Every stinking photo I've got in my portfolio, which was a VIP membership, so I had 100 photos on the site.

The "only" way you can talk to anyone on the site if you have problems is through a moderator so therefore, I contacted a moderator. I got a one-sentence reply back, when I asked why my portfolio was deleted. They said they don't allow managers on the site. That was the only response I got. I replied back to them that I am not a manager, nor have I ever claimed to be a manager, I am just a photographer who was "trying" to help out a friend, that was my only intention. There was no evil or malice in my actions.

I have since tried, unsuccessfully, to get my portfolio reinstated, yet I cannot get any replies from another moderator on the site. I apologized to them, said I did not realize what I had done was a violation of their policies nor did I intentionally try and do something wrong. They have not responded, whatsoever.

My biggest gripe about the whole thing is that, in my point of view, they acted extremely hasty in their decision to pull my entire portfolio without even giving me a chance to defend myself, or tell them why I did what I did.

Doesn't it seem rather hasty for them to be judge and jury without given me even a chance to discuss the issue at hand before they pulled my portfolio?

Just wondering what others think of this, since I know many of you are ModelMayhem members also. I really don't want to start all over on the site.

Mar 04, 2010 at 11:14 AM

j.curtis
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p.1 #2 · Model Mayhem Deleted My Portfolio !!

You were acting as her manager. If she was not doing it herself then someone else was managing it for her.

You broke the rules.

Whats the problem?

Mar 04, 2010 at 11:43 AM

Chris Langer
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p.1 #3 · Model Mayhem Deleted My Portfolio !!

Did you use your computer or her computer? They probably tracked your IP address and saw you making her profile, hence the manager position. If you used her computer, how did they know is beyond me.

Chris

Mar 04, 2010 at 11:56 AM

Burk Young
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p.1 #4 · Model Mayhem Deleted My Portfolio !!

Model Mayhem... title says it all.

Models, mayhem... mods working for free... happens. Sucks and maybe best intentions but its the internet...

Does seem bad they did it to a paying member... I would try some more...

Edited on Mar 04, 2010 at 12:05 PM · View previous versions

Mar 04, 2010 at 12:04 PM

JayDavis
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p.1 #5 · Model Mayhem Deleted My Portfolio !!

I was not acting as her manager. I was just trying to be helpful and get her started, that is all.

I used my computer.

I do not want to be her manager or any other model's manager for that matter. Just feel that they over reacted before I was even given a chance to explain what happened.

I just want to get my portfolio reinstated.

Mar 04, 2010 at 12:04 PM

brucemuir
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p.1 #6 · Model Mayhem Deleted My Portfolio !!

Did your entire 100 image port feature the "owl themed"... "model"?

Mar 04, 2010 at 12:04 PM

cmillc22
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p.1 #7 · Model Mayhem Deleted My Portfolio !!

The problem was, that they should of sent an email warning of the violation and to stop. If Jay was a repeat offender then that is something different. We need to obey the rules but not everyone knows all the rules. MM had the right to remove the portfolio but i feel they have bad bed side manners.

Mar 04, 2010 at 12:08 PM

L33t
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p.1 #8 · Model Mayhem Deleted My Portfolio !!

Did you state in "Profile" you're manager, trying to help or other... SKIP IT...

Just upload photos... no mor no less ...

Mar 04, 2010 at 12:15 PM

JayDavis
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p.1 #9 · Model Mayhem Deleted My Portfolio !!

No, my portfolio did not have 100 images of the owl themed model.

Thank you cmillc22, that is my point. They should have at least sent a warning of the violation and told me to stop.
I would have completely shut down her portfolio if I had know I had violated any TOS.

Hopefully I can get this resolved and get my portfolio reinstated. What a pain !!

Mar 04, 2010 at 12:16 PM

Chris Langer
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p.1 #10 · Model Mayhem Deleted My Portfolio !!

If you used your computer they probably saw conflicting IP's and investigated. When they saw you shot images of her and now she had a MM. They thought you were a manager. I do agree they should have gave you a warning and said the reason why. Good luck with this!

Chris

Mar 04, 2010 at 12:46 PM

alkaline
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p.1 #11 · Model Mayhem Deleted My Portfolio !!

that sucks. if i recall correctly, i remember seeing your port on there and it was very impressive! one of the best i've seen. i voluntarily left MM as i found it to be pretty dumb but seeing as you enjoyed it, it's a shame that they deleted you so quickly and without warning. hope you get it figured out.

owl themed restaura... oh.. i figured it out as i was typing, lol.

Mar 04, 2010 at 12:58 PM

benj
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p.1 #12 · Model Mayhem Deleted My Portfolio !!

The way I see it, you didn't break some international law that is going to land you in jail. They are a business and they depend on paying customers to survive. If they burn enough people, then they will simple put themselves out of business. Instead of groveling and trying to get back in their good favor, I'd just stick it to them and go to one of their competitors who will treat you better. By crawling back to them on hands and knees, you are accepting what they did as acceptable, and helping to sustain their bad behavior.

Try some of these:

Models.com
fashionmodeldirectory.com
http://retrokitten.com/
http://modelplace.com/

I'm sure you can find even more if you look. And when you leave them, ask them to prorate your payment and give you back what you didn't use...then tell them that they lost you as a paying customer because their business practices weren't very understanding or professional or considerate. Like someone said earlier...I think that they have the right to do anything they want, and they can do anything they want to...it's their company...but they don't have the power to make you stay there and continue to pay.

Benj

Mar 04, 2010 at 01:10 PM

JayDavis
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p.1 #13 · Model Mayhem Deleted My Portfolio !!

Benj,

Good points. I have been unsuccessful, so far, at getting a moderator to even acknowledge me today, Thursday, March 4th.

I am a paying customer and I do like the way their site operates. MUCH better than OneModelPlace. At least with ModelMayhem, you know when I model has read your message to them, and my rate of replies and working with the models I have contacted is very high, compared to OMP. I'm on a couple of others, but I do think MM has the most models out there, that I would want to work with.

If I don't get any resolution, I will ask for them to give me my payment back.

You'd think they would at least give me another chance, especially when I didn't even realize I was breaking a rule.

Mar 04, 2010 at 04:40 PM

NotoriousPTG
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p.1 #14 · Model Mayhem Deleted My Portfolio !!

What do you really need to make a new account

Another E-mail address?

Mar 04, 2010 at 05:08 PM

JayDavis
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p.1 #15 · Model Mayhem Deleted My Portfolio !!

Yes, BUT, I don't want to do that.

I want my previous portfolio restored.

They removed all of my stuff without even contacting me. Just don't get their "knee-jerk" reaction.

Mar 04, 2010 at 05:27 PM

what2be
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p.1 #16 · Model Mayhem Deleted My Portfolio !!

I dont get what all these posts on here are about with the IP's being different.

It's not unreasonable at all to think that a model that uses that type of outlet for modeling work (ie, model mayhem, which is not exactly the premier modeling agency site on the net) would use their computer at home to modify or create their portfolio, and then log onto another computer (say work, friends house, coffee shop, airport ISP, etc) and modify their portfolio.

To ban a account based on multiple IP's is dumb. There must be some other reason or someone reported it for some reason.

he should have got a warning, or at least a email stating what was going to occur to give him a chance to give his side of the story.

That site is a joke really. Iv'e looked through it, and have come to the conclusion that some of those portfolios are fronts for porn and/or prostitution. oddly enough, it appears thats okay but having 2 IP addresses will get you kicked off there, manager or not. WTF?

I agree with the OP that he got screwed.

Mar 04, 2010 at 11:55 PM

tiznaki
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p.1 #17 · Model Mayhem Deleted My Portfolio !!

It has not been asked so I guess I'll ask the obvious question in my mind: Did she want you to start a MM account for her? You are not clear on that point, you only say that you were trying to help her out. It seems with her being so busy the last thing she'd want would be people on a site she doesn't frequent asking her to do something she has no time for.

On a side note, having dealt with MM moderators myself, they act swiftly and try to resolve things according to the TOS you should read when you sign up. Like it or not it really sound like you were acting as a manager. Let's see you were setting up her account, loading her photos and you were maybe gonna answer/screen her messages, her being so busy and all. Sounds like things a manager would do.

On another side note the moderators on FM are under the same stresses of trying to resolve all these problems as fast as possible. When I first started to sell my gear on FM buy sell I bumped a post before I was allowed to by answering a question several people had by posting a response instead of messaging everyone individually. Rather than let me know the moderator deleted my ad and when I asked, politely why, he responded with a long rant about how that was not allowed and that I should have read all the rules to BS before even asking why my post was deleted. Was his response a little out of line? Yes. Did I understand it? Yes. Moderators have a highly repetitive job, I use that term loosely as they rarely get paid. It was my first dumb time bumping the thread but it may have been his 1000th time handling the same problem. Man this was a long reply. I'm sleepy.....

Mar 05, 2010 at 03:45 AM

JayDavis
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p.1 #18 · Model Mayhem Deleted My Portfolio !!

tiznaki,

You ask some good questions and I'll answer them. Yes, she wanted me to start an MM account for her. I was under the impression at the time, that she really wanted to pursue this. Obviously, I was wrong. I was not trying to screen her messages or act as her manager. I only set up the account to get it going for her and then I was going to give her all the information about it and let her run with it. I finally decided, as a courtesy to all the photographers who were trying to contact her and sending her tags, that she has more or less dropped the ball on this situation and I was no longer going to be involved with it.

If I had just said nothing and deleted the entire account, I would have never been banned.

It is now day 3 of this situation and I still have not had any resolution whatsoever. The mods on that site have given me the same answer each time. "We don't allow managers on the site" or "We don't allow people to set up accounts for other people". Fine and dandy. I did not realize I was breaking the TOS, nor was that my intention. I had no malice whatsoever with my actions. I was just "trying" to help a girl out and it has bit me in the a**.

How long should I give them before I finally just give up and start all over?

I still would just like to be reinstated, that is all I am asking.

And as for the poster who thinks MM is a front for prostitution and porn, I thoroughly disagree with you. I've found some good models on there for my portfolio and have overall been happy with the site, up and till now.

Mar 05, 2010 at 09:55 AM

tiznaki
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p.1 #19 · Model Mayhem Deleted My Portfolio !!

It seems pretty clear that they are refusing to re-instate you. If you really want to be on MM that bad I would start a new profile and hope they allow you to keep the new one active. Losing your past account may be a foregone conclusion at this point.

Jay I don't think you had any malice in doing what you did but you were "acting" as her manager and should have deleted her account when you saw she had no interest in it. It was probably fellow photographers, angry about the situation, who turned you in. Who should the Mods please, people following the TOS or one who was not?

Mar 05, 2010 at 10:12 AM

tiznaki
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p.1 #20 · Model Mayhem Deleted My Portfolio !!

I just re-read the TOS and it is pretty clear that they will terminate your account without notice if they believe you are acting as a manager. It also states that you should not try and set up a new account.

They will ban your IP if they must. Too harsh in my opinion for a first infraction of a paying "VIP" with no other blemishes on their record.

Mar 05, 2010 at 10:20 AM

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