Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Bad Business, Wedding Couples Beware!


Jim DeRosa, from Event Galleria, now with Entertainment Concepts Music and Event Services, was contracted to photograph my wife and my wedding and prepare a wedding album for us. Yesterday was our two year wedding anniversary and we still have no wedding album. I have contacted him on multiple occasions and he has either promised me things he has not delivered on or just ignored my calls and neglected to call/email me back. My wife and I have paid for our album in full. He has lied to my wife and me on several occasions. All we want is the photographs and memories from our wedding. Jim has stolen those from us.

To give you a warning of who Jim is, he has changed locations at least three times that I know of. He has operated under multiple business names. He has an F Rating for the Better business bureau with 31 complaints http://www.bbb.org/new-jersey/business-reviews/photography-and-video-services/event-galleria-in-florham-park-nj-90010011 He has been put on shame on you http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/Shame_Shame_Shame_Event_Galleria
We need to collectively stand up to this person and ensure he doesn't continue to conduct business in this manner. I have reached out to a few class action lawyers who can help us all and the many others out there that are in the same situation.

The last conversation I had with one of Jim's Subcontractors, Noel, I was told there are up to 50+ Albums that still have yet to be created. Jim is currently being sued by Noel's company, Noel Marie Photography, and no Albums are going to be made in the near future. The sad thing is Photography is only one aspect of Jim's business.

Jim is a bad wedding photographer coordinator and an even worse business man. If you are a person that has done business with Jim DeRosa and are in a similar situation to me we now have help. If you want to move forward and stand up to Jim De Rosa please e-mail your contact info below with a detailed outline of your situation and we will work with an Attorney at no charge to fight to get our money, photos/albums, videos/dvd's and memories back. I have also emailed a few newspapers about our situation. I hope to create awareness about what a thief Jim DeRosa is so no one has the same experiences that we did.
Jim DeRosa
40 Baldwin Road
Parsippany, NJ 07054
866-847-3984 Office
973-801-6720 Office #2
973-515-4534 Cell
or
8 Raquel Ct.
East Hanover, NJ 07936
Internet Reviews for Event Galleria:
To try and find a resolution to your issue with Jim DeRosa my attorney stated to do the following:
File a complaint with the better business bureau. https://odr.bbb.org/odrweb/public/getstarted.aspx?siteID=89
File a Complaint with the Office of Consumer Complaints (Division of Consumer Affairs) http://www.state.nj.us/lps/ca/ocp/ocpform2.htm
Take Jim DeRosa to Small Claims Court to get your money back. You can have another wedding photographer finish your Album, Video or whatever he has not completed. Get a proposal from another wedding vendor to finish what Jim has not completed and bring a copy of all of your paperwork, contract, mails ect. with you to court. http://www.judiciary.state.nj.us/civil/civ-02.htm (There have been so many people that have taken Jim DeRosa to Small Claims Court so your case should be easy to win.)
My recommendation is the Following: [My goal is to have enough past customers of event galleria comment on these pages so when someone searches for his company on any search engine (google) our blog or reviews will come up next to his website.]
Please post a comment on my blog site below about Jim DeRosa in regard to your experience. http://jimderosaentertainmentconcepts.blogspot.com/2009/07/bad-business.html
Please post a comment on Jim DeRosa's Rip Off Report Page about your experience.
Go to the theknot.com and post your experience with Jim DeRosa on the Blog Page http://talk.theknot.com/boards/main_frame.aspx?page=ShowForum.aspx?ForumID=90 TheKnot.com is the largest forum for weddings.
This is the best way to make people aware of Jim's bad business practices. If each one of you can do half of these things than Jim DeRosa won't be able to take advantage of future wedding couples. This guy looked me right in the eye and lied to my face on several locations. He took my money and never delivered my wedding photos. My wife still cries that we don't have our wedding album. I need your help to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else.

58 comments:

  1. My wife & I are in the same situation with Event Galleria & Jim DeRosa. We got married in May 2008 & have not received our albums. We were recently in contact with Jim & he states that he is now working with a new album company, but because of his pasted lies, you can't believe anything he says. We have forwarded this blog information to others with similar stories. Feel free to contact me at blkjck74@aol.com - Brian

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  2. My husband and I are also in the same situation. We got married in August 2008 and still have not recieved our albums, we did design it with Noel from Bella Photography but from what you say above, I'm not counting on geting our albums anytime soon/ever. I really appreciate all the work you've put into getting this site up and e-mails up about Jim DeRosa and his BAD BUSINESS. He guaranteed us that we would have our albums and just completely lied to us. I have gone ahead and filed a complaint with the BBB following your e-mail. Please also feel free to contact me lacez22@yahoo.com - Lacy

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  3. We got married in January 2007!!!!!! We still have NOTHING!!! Jim won't give us anything! We cannot reach the man. This is so sad. We can never relive that day again, adn we have nothing to remember it by.What a shame. Laurenn33@aol.com -Lauren

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  4. Question - what county did you file your small claims request in, Morris or Essex?

    My husband and I were married September 07 and have nothing. I've been pursuing this through Noel Marie Photography, dealing with their lawyer, but the lawyer is horrible. 3 months ago he told me he was drafting letters to send to people with outstanding albums and nothing. And when I called 4 weeks ago he told me he would call me back and hasnt. I'm also 7 months pregnant so its been hard for me to stay on top of things. Like your wife, I cry over this. I'm also embarassed (crazy as that sounds) when people ask (2 years later) where my wedding album is. Or why I have not 1 wedding picture anywhere in my home. I plan on pursuing this in small claims, but beleive that something greater has to be done. HE cant keep ripping people off like this. I read on another website today that he is supposedly filing for bankruptcy. This scares me greatly, but I also dont know how valid it is.

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  5. Also, which business address did you use? Baldwin Ave in Parsippany, Florham Park, or the East Hanover address?

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  6. My name is Katie and I was also advantage of by Jim De Rosa at Event Galleria. When we met he seemed like an honest man, I made the mistake of paying in full so that I could get a discount. I thought I was saving myself money, I did not!



    A couple months after I paid I saw the shame on you exclusive. I hoped that me as in the past and gave him the benefit of the doubt. A month after that Jim called me to set up a meeting to possible handle my June 7th wedding, not realizing I already had a contract with him and that I had already paid in full.

    The final straw was an email I recieved telling me he was no longer running Bella photography and my contract would be handle by Marie Noel Phtotography.

    After many calls he promised to refund my $2,700 if I met with Noel. Noel would hand me the check if I was not interested with her services. After depositing the check, I found that he stopped payment on it. He then said he would give me back all but a 1000 deposit but that never came either. I have emails showing his promises and his check that he issued then stopped payment on.

    I was lucky enough to have enough time to find another photographer but I was out thousands of dollars!

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  7. Jennifer,

    What website did you see he was going out of business on? Email me directly to discuss the specifics of how to file in small claims court. Dave@alpinepainting.com

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  8. Our 2 year anniversary is in September. We have no wedding album and are out a few thousand dollars. Thank you for creating this forum so we can collectively go after what we paid for and put an end to this. Please keep me posted on any class action lawsuits as we are ready to go. I submitted a complaint with the BBB about a year ago and that went nowhere. I will continue to follow the advice you listed above and go through all avenues avaiable to make some progress. Feel free to email me at lauranickt@gmail.com.

    -Nick

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  9. Hi Dave,

    On here it says 8 Raquel Court, which is what I saw in the Merchant Circle post as well. But the ripoff report site has 10 Raquel Court. Where did 10 come from? I just want to make sure I have the right address.

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  10. Hi my name is Breanne, my husband and i were married July 21st 2006!!!! To date I have only gotten my proofs(the photographer Harrison NEVER took any pictures of my husband or groomsmen) and a wedding video (only edited the first 5-10 min). I still have NO album...and no rts to my proofs... Jim actually told me I should get the bridal party back together to take new pictures because Harrison did such a bad job! (yes two mths later i am going to put back on my wedding dress get my 14 people bridal party back together and redue my wedding????) He owes me a refund & a wedding album! I actually spoke with Noel's husband who was very nice...I have his cell if anyone wants it! He said him and Noel are suing for $40,000. My email is elisebre@yahoo.com I would love to help but Jim in Jail and get my money!!!

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  11. Dear Dave:
    My husband and I were married on July 14, 2007. We used Event Galleria for the following services: wedding video, DJ and photography. Jim Derosa was our DJ, we received our wedding video about 5 months after the wedding, my name was misspelled. I met with the photographer, Noel, in October 07, to finalize the details of the wedding album lay-out, as we did receive our proofs soon after our wedding. All monies owed by us were automatically deducted from our checking account within days after our wedding date. Since then I have reached out through: voice message, and emails on all contacts affiliated with Event Galleria (Jim Derosa and Noel). I was thrilled when Noel finally responded through these monthly album updates. Supposedly, our album was in the final stage when Noel, in March 2009 stopped sending updates. Once again, I began to reach out to Noel through the phone and email to inquire about the missing monthly updates. I have not communicated with Jim Derosa since we received our wedding video in January 2008. I was under the impression that Noel and her husband, Jim were responsible for our album, as they had assumed the role of making excuses of why the album was taking so long, and in charge of these monthly updates. I was unaware that Jim Derosa and Noel were no longer business associates. Finally, in June I reported Event Galleria to the Better Business Bureau, and when doing so I came across Noel's new company and her contact information. With this, I email Noel through her new company address and basically begged her to at least respond to me and point me in the right direction. My husband and I had our first child July 4, 2009, his name is Brody, we would like to be able to show him our wedding album when he is older, this is what I had explained in my email to Noel. A couple of weeks later I received a phone message from Jim, Noel's husband. Today, I finally spoke to him and he explained that he and Noel had made an agreement with Jim Derosa, a while back, to finish some albums, ours of course was NOT included, and of course their agreement had been broken due to non-payment on Jim Derosa's part. Jim did give me this blog information, which I am grateful for, but I have some issues with all involved, including Noel, her husband Jim and Jim Derosa. How come no clients were contacted about all of these issues going on behind the scene? Why was it so difficult for Noel to respond to my on-going emails or phone calls? Why does Jim Derosa and Noel have new companies now, when both are not fair or honest business people, as proven from their previous business responsibilities? I think it is great that we are all coming together, so this does not happen to others, but what about our albums. Please contact me jaimehonbun@msn.com so we can further discuss a class action suit. My sister in law was married in September 07, and received the same services as I did, as well as NO ALBUM. Please contact me as soon as possible.
    Thank you for the information, Jaime

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  12. Jennifer,

    I was initial told two different addresses for Jim DeRosa. I am pretty confident that the correct address is 8 Raquel Ct. in East Hanover.

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  13. Thanks Dave. This is such a mess!! I cant beleive there are so many unfinished albums. And I had the same photographer as elisebre and my pictures are fairly horrible as well. There is not one picture of me by myself...as a bride, I have no portrait or anything. The new photographer is going to have to crop some people out of a good picture just to get me alone! And when I picked up my proofs he opened the box and picked one up and said 'look how great this one is' and its a picture of me talking to 2 people and resting my arms on a chair! Jim has to be stopped but everyone needs to get their albums and videos. He really figured out a good way to rip people off - and wrote an article about it to boot!

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  14. I got have gotten in touch with all of them! Jim told me his address is
    40 Baldwin Rd Parsippany NJ 07054
    I called and talked to him...from a nonlisted number at 866-847-3984
    I also have Noel & Her husband Jim's cell numbers if anyone wants those numbers also...I have spend hrs on the computer trying to get in touch with them... and would love to help everyone out...although it so far has not done me any good!

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  15. I'd be wary of the 40 Baldwin Rd, only because in 2006 when I first signed my contract thats where we met him and Noel. However, in 2008 when I met with Noel it was in Florham Park and that was their new address. So I dont know how they moved from 1 to another and then back. Maybe so, or maybe its JIm trying to avoid being contacted.

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  16. Dave:
    My wife and I have had zero results with both Jim DeRosa, and Noel Marie Photography. Our wedding was more than 2 years ago and we are now receiving the run-around from both companies. My problem is as follows: Jim from Noel Marie Photography is as ethical as Jim DeRosa. He has told my wife that there is no longer any affiliation with Jim DeRosa and all ties have been cut. Riddle me this Jim, Why is Noel Marie Photography linked to Jim DeRosa's new company. Please see links and ad info below.

    http://www.entertainmentconceptsdjs.com/20199_927.asp
    • Frank Bennett Orchestras
    • Entertainment Concepts DJ Services
    • Noel Marie Photography
    • Bella Video Productions

    http://community2.myfoxny.com/_Jim-DeRosa-Bad-Business-for-Wedding-Couples-with-Entertainment-Concepts-Music-and-Event-Services-Formally-Event-Galleria/blog/498161/6475.html
    • Jim DeRosa
    • http://www.entertainmentconceptsdjs.com/ (newly started company)
    • 40 Baldwin Road
    • Parsippany, NJ 07054
    • 866-847-3984 Office
    • 973-801-6720 Office #2

    http://www.entertainmentconceptsdjs.com/20199_927.asp
    Would you like more information or would like to set up a presentation, simply click here to check our availability and to contact us.
    Links to:
    http://www.eventgalleria.djintelligence.com/availability/


    I NEED 50 ACCOUNTS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN FULFILLED BY EVENT GALLERIA AND AFFILIATES IN ORDER TO PURSUE A CLASS ACTION SUIT. PLEASE EMAIL ME PERSONALLY AT KEVINMACNIVEN@GMAIL.COM. I WILL BE IN CONTACT WITH MY ATTORNEY AT SHAMY, SHIPERS & LONSKI, P.C. THANK YOU.

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  17. I NEED 50 ACCOUNTS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN FULFILLED BY EVENT GALLERIA AND AFFILIATES IN ORDER TO PURSUE A CLASS ACTION SUIT. PLEASE EMAIL ME PERSONALLY AT KEVINMACNIVEN@GMAIL.COM. I WILL BE IN CONTACT WITH MY ATTORNEY AT SHAMY, SHIPERS & LONSKI, P.C. THANK YOU.

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  18. Well, add me to the club. All these storis sound way too familiar. My wedding was June of 2007. Yes, you guessed it, paid in full and received nothing to date. I will join any class action suit that goes after Jim
    ryan.ohare@gmail.com

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  19. I'm a police officer in NJ. I have spoken to several friends and they all advise me the same thing.....class action law suit is the best way to go.

    My brother used to shoot weddings for Derosa and we thought we could get a good break on an already expensive event. We were wrong.

    My wife and I were married on 8/8/08 and still no album. Several calls to Derosa end with voicemails. My wife reached Derosa's wife yesterday and she played the "babe in the woods" routine and said, "I'll have him call you back."

    Just to keep a checklist on Derosa, feel free to add....he stole money from a police officer and his wife....he has made it impossible for any normal person who ever worked for him to find work again....he has lied to all of us...

    Join my facebook group MAKE JIM DEROSA PAY
    I will soon have a twitter following for this unethical businessman. Get as many people as you can to join and be aware of this man's awful actions.

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  20. I almost forgot....if you want to add something, talk about anything, or just say hello...please contact me @

    pupd135@gmail.com
    or
    pupd135@yahoo.com

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  21. Mike, My Husband is also a police officer, a NJ state trooper...and he is not the only Trooper Jim stole from...there is at least 2 others!

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  22. This is absolutely horrible, I can't believe Jim DeRosa has been able to take advantage of so many people for so long. I wish this site was around last year before I fell into the his web.

    My husband and I were married 9/20/08 and have had the same experiences as the rest of you. Chad was our photographer and I wasn't thrilled with his pictures or the way he treated me. I did get a video but it was the most boring thing I'd ever seen. It was missing some important parts of the wedding and had the wrong date listed in the credits. We've paid in advance for an album and a portrait and don't believe I will ever recieve them from Event Galleria (Jim DeRosa).

    Definitely count us in for any action taken against Jim DeRosa. I plan on following the suggestions listed as well.

    Please feel free to contact me at Banditgirl24@aol.com

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  23. I think it would be in everyone's best interest to reach out to Jim DeRosa with your concerns or complaints through the better business bureau under Entertainment Concepts and Event Services. The good news is that Jim actually responded to my complaint. The bad news is he is most likely going out of business. Again, Jim is playing the victim card here. He has all of our money, pictures and/wedding albums. He is refusing to honor our contracts moving forward. He is going to take the easy road and file for bankruptcy so we will never get any compensation unless we group together now. I need your help. Collectively we are strong. I going to try hard to read all of the blogs and posts and organize them into a nice package for the class action attorney. If you can please email me directly with an outline of your story and all of your contact info it will speed this process along. Contact me at Dave@AlpinePainting.com

    See his BBB comments below:

    Contact Name and Title: James De Rosa
    Contact Phone: 973-801-6720
    Contact Email: jrderosa@mac.com
    All Event Galleria and subsequent businesses have been closed. We are no longer in the event business in any way.

    The problems started when Event Galleria sold its photography business to Noel Marie Photography. They have breached the sale contract with Event Galleria and have failed to deliver on their contract obligations. Along with their failure to honor the contract they have told clients that we still owe them money which is untrue and a total fabrication. We were reimbursing them for album expenses and our contract stated that we had until June 30, 2009. They breached the contract in April of 2009 because they were having operational issues.

    In an attempt to try to help we stepped back in and have been trying to reacquire the images. Unfortunately, Noel Marie Photography has included some very unrealistic and costly stipulations in the reacquiring process forcing the situation to be delayed and angering everyone, including myself.

    Now I have been the butt of anger from the outstanding clients even though we are not responsible. We are no longer involved in the event business and are only honoring the 6 or so contracts we have left, none of which are photography related. Whichever photo contracts are left are being handled by another company that is in no way related to Event Galleria or any of our other companies. We have taken down almost all of the websites and will have the remaining ones down in a few weeks.

    I would still like to try to settle this and get the albums done but Mr. Scaturo has seen fit to create so many Internet related smears against me that it no longer seems prudent and since Event Galleria is permanently out of business and not legally bound I have to question the viability of continuing. He has seen fit to put my picture and my address on the Internet putting my family in danger.

    We are no longer in business and are currently engaged in a business that is far removed from anything to do with social and wedding events.

    Mr. Scaturo's issue is with Noel Marie Photography, not Event Galleria or myself. He has chosen to direct his anger towards me but I am trying to help. Unfortunately I am dealing with the same issues he is in trying to resolve this. I am not in hiding, but when Mr. Scaturo calls it is a blizzard of anger and profanities and I really don't want to be subjected to that. At this point, with the damage he's done, my ability to help has been significantly reduced.

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  24. This was my response to the BBB:

    Legally I have a contract with Jim DeRosa. He cannot subcontract his business to another company and now just expect his clients to deal with his subcontractor from here on out. Jim is trying to walk out the back door with his client’s money. After speaking with his subcontractor, Jim DeRosa has not paid them and now there will be no wedding albums made in the future. He is trying to take advantage of me and about 30-40 other young wedding couples by not providing services that were paid for through his company Event Galleria, now Entertainment Concepts and Event Services.

    Jim changed his business name prior to our wedding. Jim is trying to close his business and not provide his customers with their wedding photos, memories or money back from services not rendered. At this point I do not want to conduct business with Jim DeRosa. I do not want him to "try" and make my wedding album with another one of his subcontractors. I am not willing to wait any more time. Two years and one month is long enough. All my wife and I want back, at this point, is our money so we can have a reputable, professional company create our album in a reasonable time frame. Please help me collect my money from Jim DeRosa and whatever company he is operating now.

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  25. I also strongly encourage everyone to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, Office of Consumer Complaints (Division of Consumer Affairs)

    http://www.state.nj.us/lps/ca/ocp/ocpform2.htm
    I spoke with a rep from the state already. This is going to be one of the most powerful tactics we can use to stand up to Jim.

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  26. Fill this out through the Federal Trade Commission as Well.

    https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/FTC_Wizard.aspx?Lang=en

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  27. Dave,
    I am certainly happy that you have taken the initiative to start this blog, but I have already received nearly 20 emails in response to my comments above. I have reached out to my attorney and am already in the process of starting a class action suit. Please refer any responses to me at kevinmacniven@gmail.com. I want us to all be working together on this, and I have already got the wheels in motion. Thank you for all of the links to file complaints.

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  28. ELISEBRE,
    please email me with your name and email address, as well as the two other police officers that had problems with Jim DeRosa. This will allow me to update you with information that I receive from my attorneys. I currently have approximately 20 names. Send to kevinmacniven@gmail.com. Thank you.

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  29. rdrunner, I have already emailed you and i also sent you the email of other people that i have spoken with. My husband is going to contact the other officers and then i will also give you their info...Thanks!

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  30. Hello everyone, my name is Jen, I've posted previously about my situation (married 9/07) and having problems. My husband and I filed against Jim in small claims and just received our date yesterday. Now I'm reading all this information on here and am slightly lost. My email address is jldroz@gmail.com. If Dave or Kevin (whoever it is that supposedly has the class action process rolling) could please contact me I would greatly appreciate it.

    Thanks!

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  31. Kevin,

    Thanks so much for taking the time to work on the class action suit. I will send you all of my info via email.

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  32. Hey, did anyone else get this email? I am sick over it! I think my wedding dates back further then anyone else...I would just be happy with the wedding pic negatives at this point. I think i am going to cry...

    Dear Former Clients:

    This is a follow up e-mail to the last contact we made a month or so ago.
    Over the past months we have been trying to work out a deal with Noel Marie
    Photography, who as you may recall took over all the contracts of Event
    Galleria. Although we believe that we have no legal obligation in
    connection with these contracts, we have nevertheless been attempting to
    reacquire the images from them so we can attempt to resolve the issues that
    are currently outstanding. As we stated in the previous email, were
    approached by Noel Marie Photography to take over the business, which they
    did. As part of the agreement they received all photographic and lab
    equipment, computers, software and support. They also received any profits
    from upcoming contracts already booked. Rather than engage in a length
    dialogue with you regarding that sale, it will suffice to say that we are
    nevertheless seeking to resolve the issue because we understand the
    emotional nature of this situation.

    With that said, it has come to our attention that Noel Marie Photography has
    been telling our former clients that we owe them money. Suffice to say we
    vehemently deny this allegation. To make matters worse, it is my
    understanding that Noel Marie Photography has shut down operations in early
    April and has refused to do any other work since that time.

    Be assured that I have spent a substantial amount of time and effort working
    with an attorney to get the discs back to provide you all with some relief,
    again, despite no legal obligation to do so.

    During this period, it has been discovered that many clients, out of an
    anger that we can understand, have gone onto the Internet and have posted
    many defamatory statements about Jim De Rosa and Event Galleria. Some have even gone so far as to post home addresses and one even posted information about family members and where they live. This is simply too much.

    Although we can understand your frustration with the situation, we cannot
    condone such action, especially in light of our efforts to resolve this
    matter. Quite simply, we can endeavor to work with one another towards an
    amicable resolution or we can simply continue on a path of senseless
    attacks.

    I would ask that we attempt to work together but, in either event, all
    further contact about photography related matters will be handled by our
    attorney, Nabil Kassem. He can be reached at 973 773-1300. He is handling
    the negotiations and is trying to reacquire the images so we can seek some
    resolution of this situation. Please be advised that he has instructed me
    to no longer take any calls or respond to any inquiries and that all
    communication should be directed to his attention. In fact, he requested
    that I not prepare this e-mail, however, I wanted to let you all know what
    was happening. Thank you for your time and attention.

    Event Galleria

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  33. Hey everyone,
    I am getting married on 11/7/2009 and hired my vendors through jim derosa. Noel marie for photography and Ken roper for video, and Jim derosa personally as my DJ. I got that email above last night and i am panicing. I have put in 2 calls to Jim and he still hasn't responded. I also paid in full to get a free limo as part of some june promotion. I spoke with him frequently in June and once in July to talk about a photo slide show. He did not mention anything about any of this stuff going on and like i said i am now freaking out! everything is paid in full except the photography in which we only paid a $550 deposit...and when we paid the rest in full i refused to let him put any of that money towards the pictures since i have heard horror stories with photographers after weddings and didnt want to pay sooner then the due dates on the contract. Obviously i need to find a new photographer and thank god for this blog or else I would still be in the dark about the situation. But does anyone know if i should be finding a new DJ and videographer too?? anyone with any info please contact me amye0723@yahoo.com

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  34. Amyeo723,
    I am sorry to hear about your situation. I would try to reach out to Jim DeRosa again, but wouldn't hold too many expectations. I have no good news for you, but you may want to contact Noel Marie Photography, because they should uphold to their end of the contract. I would ensure that the contract is with them, and NOT event galleria or any other DBA of Jim DeRosa. It is to my understanding that NMP is a new business and a separate entity. Contact them directly, and make checks to them directly. As for the limo and dj, you probably have a better chance of getting a horse and carriage that turns into a pumpkin after midnight and a chorus of 7 dwarfs. i'd shop around for an alternative. Sorry.

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  35. Ok... Well I can say that I have dealt with this lying slime ball on one two many occasions. He made my wife and chase him around for 2 years.It got to the point where I got him on the phone one day and he told me how stressed out he was, my exact words back to him where, that he has no idea what stress is until i'm knocking on his front door waiting for him on the other side. I told him that if i don't get my album within 90 days and he dosen't begin to respond to the calls my wife leaves him and Noel that he would get to meet me face to face.

    I'm no tough guy nor am I a wise guy but this piece of garbage needs to be spoken to accordingly.

    Jim, if your reading this I know you know who I am, you should go to hell for ruining this one-time precious moment for all these couples.

    I finally got my book but it is not becasue Jim is running a legitimate business. It's becasue he heard the anger and rage in my voice and he was scared.

    Jim F-U for hurting all these young honest hard working people get a life you mumbiling loser.

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  36. I currently have 13 accounts with Jim DeRosa that have come forward. This equals 26 plaintiffs. I will email everybody next week to give updates from my attorney. Sorry for the delay, he has been on vacation this week. Thank you for you patience, and if you have any knowledge of other people that Jim DeRosa stole from, Please have them message me at kevinmacniven@gmail.com. Thanks again.

    P.s. All emails will be sent with your address unavailable for others to view. Thanks.

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  37. Adjustment: 16 contracts, 32 plaintiffs

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  38. Dave,
    We are eternally grateful for your endless efforts to put an end to Jim DeRosa's lies and bad business. We are yet another victim of Jim's cons. My husband and I got married September 2, 2007. We just finished celebrating our 2 year annivarsary and are now happily expecting a baby. We did recieve our proofs after much persistance. Jim DeRosa said he mailed them to us while we were on our honeymoon but I doubt that very much. My husband had to take the day off of work and travel from our home in central Jersey to Wayne in order to pick up our proofs. Jim handed us a small floral box with the proofs enclosed. After that we left him several messages to start on our album and video but no answer and of course no return phone calls. I spoke to Noel and she assured me we'd recieve our wedding album by March 2008 but of course nothing. Instead we got our 16X20 picture from Noel in the mail but the picture quality was not professional at all. I felt helpless because we had already paid in full and as much as I threatened to sue them they never called me back to return our money.
    Weeks before we got married we had paid in full not because we wanted to but because Jim automatically deducted the balance from our credit card which he had the number on file from our charged deposit. Jim DeRosa said he needed to deduct the balance in order to pay the vendors to ensure we would have the photographer and videographer on our wedding day. I was a very nervous bride and all I wanted was a peaceful wedding day. I never objected to Jim because I trusted him. He said our day was very special to him because it was the same day as his birthday. I also didn't want to risk having our vendors not show on my wedding day. Little did I know I would later be robbed of my wedding memories. I blaim myself everyday. Not a day goes by that I don't regret my choice in trusting Jim DeRosa. I hate to talk about it to anyone especially now that I'm pregnant because the mere thought gets me sick to my stomach. I'm often embarrassed to even bring this up to people because they'd just say I'm stupid to have paid in full anyway. I'd like justice to be served at this point. I'm finally hopeful that Jim DeRosa will be stopped from taking advangtage of innocent couples and depriving them of their wedding memories. I will start the steps that you suggested to put my complaints through and pursue a lawsuit. Thanks Dave! I can be contacted at: mawarr@comcast.net

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  39. I highly recommend that everyone reaches out to Help me Howard at http://weblogs.wpix.com/news/helpmehoward/ in order for Howard to do a story on what a crook Jim DeRosa is. He is similar to Fox 5's Shame on You.

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  40. hi everyone

    I booked Jim Derosa's dj company for my wedding on 10-10-10. everything seemed fine up until i got a call sometime in July. I had missed the phone call and he left a message. It was a long the lines of; Hi amanda this is Jim derosa, i am calling about your tententen wedding. i need to go over somethings with you. please call me back. Its kind of important. So i called right back and no answer. i got a voice mail message saying that he was on vacation and would not be in his office for a few weeks.

    I mead several attempts to call him again. Still no answer. I called Thursday using the phone numbers on my contract. And low and behold the numbers were disconnected. I then had to us the number he gave me. So I called and he called me back at almost 9, angain i missed his call. He left me a message saying he didn't remember what he wanted and if I could call back and tell him what the message he left was about. So, I called him back not even 10 minutes after he called and got set to voice mail. Then I left an annoyed messagge saying that it was about our ten ten ten wedding and the said it was important. i still havent heard from him. It's been two days and no call. My FH thought maybe he was screaning his calls and used his cell and when he called it just rang and rang and then off to voice mail.

    I'm not really sure what we are going to now, because after getting this number has been disconnected from the number on my contract, I have been on the web searching for imformation about him. The website that I had for him is down and so i was sent to these sites were everyone has had a bad experience. I found one site that said he was filling for bankrupcy. I don't know how true that is, but I never heard from him after we gave him the money.Thank god he only got 800 dollars from us.

    I know that he is a lier because when we met with him we had to leave a deposite and I couldn't bring in my mother because we would loose the deal. He said that his bosses needed to see why he gave us so much stuff.

    All I know is now I have to find a new DJ company and have to go with out because he f-ed us over. If anyone wants to contact me the can email me at: Sleeepyeeyore@aol.com

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  41. Hi!
    My husband and I are in the same boat. We got married last year 9/26/2008. We have no video and no album. We met with Noel back in March, we picked out the pictures for our album, the paper in the album, confirmed the album cover, we were so excited. She said she'd send us a pdf of the layout so we could review and see if we wanted any changes or just approve and then they send out to get printed. We didn't hear from here for about a month so i tried calling her cell and emailing and nothing. i finally called her business number noelmariephotography and left voicemail. Her husband at least had the courtesy to let me know that they were in a battle with Jim DeRosa over money. I called Jim DeRosa and told him I was concerned about what was going to happen with my album, he said he hoped to have the matter resolved soon and get the pictures and work with another contractor to get it complete. I then received the email that asked us to contact his lawyer Nabil Kaseem for further information about the photography. I called Jim DeRosa and told him I had tried email Kurt Roper who had been a videographer and the message bounced back. He said yeah he's not with us anymore. He babbled something about thinking there were marital troubles between Noel and her husband (which i'm still trying to figure out what that has to do with my memories!!!) DeRosa asked me to send him baby pictures of my husband and myself and chose music that he would be handling the editing of our video himself.
    I called his lawyer in late august who proceeded to tell me that things would hopefully be resolved in about 2 weeks and Jim DeRosa would have the pictures. 2 weeks later i followed up left messages and didn't hear from the laywer. Followed up with him again, got the same story. A few days ago, I called the lawyer one more time and he started with the whole 2 week thing and I just stopped him and told him that's what he told me at the end of august that he was hoping. And he said that yes, he's been hoping since then to get the issue solved. That's he's been contacting the opposing lawyer as much as he's been called. He said to call him the next day. Well i called today and left him a voicemail and he didn't call me back. That was the final straw. I'm tired of having to call his over and over because he doesn't call back. I'm not even asking for the edited video which i told his lawyer. I also told his lawyer I was not sending him any pictures and music and he said yeah don't. I told the lawyer I wanted all my raw video footage and I want all my pictures on a dvd with full copy right access (it's the least we all deserve) so we can save up and have someone else do our video. I haven't been able to share pictures with anyone. I want to at least be able to do what i want with my pictures. My husband and I dont have money for lawyers. So we really appreciate any help you can give us. I've filed a complaint with the BBB as you suggested. Emailed you all my information. I've contacted some news stations. I'm done dealing with Jim DeRosa and his lawyer. I hope we can all get our memories.

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  42. Hi All,
    I wanted to update you. The day after I posted my blog I received a call from Noel. She is sending me my pictures as I requested. She never got paid by DeRosa and can't afford to do the albums out of her own pocket. She is very willing to do the same for anyone else whose interested. She can at least provide you with your images. She was surprised to read what Jim had told me about her and her husband, which is not true. She mentioned that she had not heard that one although she's heard many negative things from other clients who've contacted her. Another thing i found out is that Jim lied to me about having my video footage. He has nothing.(Which I'm actually really happy about) Something I've been able to confirm on my own. It's amazing how he sat there on the phone and asked me to send him pictures and music so he could personally edit a video he doesn't even have!!! Another thing I've unconvered as well is the dj scam he's been running. He has been showing video of a dj, Nicky who hasn't worked for him in years! And then a couple of days prior to the event apparently he calls brides and tells them he had to let Nicky go and tells lies about Nicky. I thought it was amazing because I didn't even get a call. Two days before my wedding, since i had yet to ever receive a call from Jim, I called to confirm all the vendors and he told me he had to let Nicky go that he wanted my wedding to be special so he was doing the work himself (at which he was horrible!)He said Nicky had fought with a bride during her wedding and played music that bride had specifically told him not to play and caused drama. I've yet to hear from his lawyer.
    I tried contacting kevinmacniven@gmail.com but haven't heard back. Feel free to email me to: aarosa01@yahoo.com
    i most definately want to be part of the class action suit. I want to recover my money so i can have my video edited and my album done.
    It's amazing how he's trying to tarnish the reputation of his vendors when he's the one stealing the money. These vendors who are out there trying to make a living like you and me are getting ripped off as well while he just sits back and collects the money. It's just horrible to see how many of us he has taken advantage of.

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  43. Can the user "Katie" who made her original post on 8/9 please email me at cutieoftru@aol.com? I have a question but have no email to reach you at.

    Thanks!

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  44. Hey Astrid! I had no idea that DJ Nick was a scam. He was supposedly scheduled to do my wedding and then I got the same story. I can't believe what a creep Jim DeRosa has turned out to be. I also emailed regarding the class action suit but have not heard anything either. Hopefully something comes up because I would love to have my money back as well.

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  45. The latest scam from Jim!

    http://newjersey.craigslist.org/rts/1437675702.html
    Own A Piece of the Jersey Shore

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  46. Has anyone received a check from jim derosa?

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  47. It's important everyone takes the initiative and follows through with contacting the Office of Consumer Complaints (Division of Consumer Affairs) http://www.state.nj.us/lps/ca/ocp/ocpform2.htm

    They're the ones that are going to get the ball rolling with this, the last I spoke with them they were well aware of what's going on and had Jim's info on hand. The more complaints the stronger our case!

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  48. I didn't get any check from Jim. I have a judgment against him in court that he doesn't feel the need to fulfill. I'll be back in court again with him!

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  49. Hi all, same story here. took our money and ran. I just found out that more than likely our money is going to his slum properties. YES he is a slum lord. He also has rentals on the jersey shore...and being a thief extends way beyond the wedding business, he takes peoples security deposit and doesn't return it...HE IS A PROFESSIONAL CON MAN! We all should get together and either sue him or all go up to the morris county courthouse the same day and file a small claim one after another all in a row.

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  50. Hi All,
    I've contacted a lawyer.
    Please feel free to email me aarosa01@yahoo.com and i'll keep you updated with what he's advising me to do.
    One of the best things to do is the small claims court. Like Kali above mentioned.
    I'd like to put together a list of names and phone numbers of people he has ripped off. So please email me.

    Thanks!
    Astrid

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  51. Ok, I feel I can now finally speak freely and let you in on what I have been working towards for the last several months. I have finally been awarded a small level of success.

    I sued both Jim DeRosa (Personally) and Jim and Noel Makowski and their company Noel Marie Photography in Small Claims Court for the full amount of $3,000 plus fees and won.

    The judge found that both were liable to make our album therefore, both should pay to have someone else make our wedding album.

    I had to go to court on two separate occasions to get this award. The first time, Jim DeRosa sent his attorney and attempted to get the court date pushed forward. We objected and his lawyer was forced to go through the court process that day. Jim and Noel Makowski were present and very upset that we took them to court. Although, we did not feel that they were totally liable for our album, we wanted to make sure that all parties were present so DeRosa couldn’t pass the buck onto Noel Marie Photography and would have to come back.

    As you may or may not know Jim and Noel Makowski (Noel Marie Photography) signed a contract (asset agreement) with DeRosa to create our album and many of yours. Although Jim & Noel claim that DeRosa never paid them to create any albums (which I do believe) the judge stated that they were still contractually obligated to create our albums and then they must sue DeRosa to get compensated for their efforts.

    The first judge we saw gave Jim and Noel Makowski two options. Because they signed a contract with DeRosa the judge found them guilty and obligated to either pay us to have our album made by someone else or the opportunity to make our album themselves. I felt bad for their situation so I agreed to have them make our album. They were supposed to have our album made before the next court date which was Jan. 7th 2010. After we walked out of court that day Jim Makowski shook my hand and promised to make my wife happy by creating a beautiful wedding album. They never made the album.

    If felt like I was dealing with DeRosa all over again. Jim Makowski did not take my calls or respond to my emails and when I finally did get him on the phone he verbally attacked me and stated that I should have gone after DeRosa and he and Noel shouldn’t be liable to make our album. So I told him I would see him in court on Jan. 7th, 2010 and let the judge deal with him.

    When the second court date came around (Jan. 7th 2010) Jim and Noel sent an attorney in their place. Neither DeRosa, nor his attorney showed up. The judge found them both guilty to pay us the full amount of $3,000 plus fees so we can have another wedding photography create our album.

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  52. Here are the important documents you must bring to court to ensure you get your money back. Take Jim DeRosa to small claims court. You should sue him personally. Reason being is he, most likely, didn’t incorporate until after you signed a contract with him. This means he is person liable for reimbursing you to have another photographer pay to have your wedding album completed. Make sure you bring a document from the state of NJ that says when he was incorporated with you to court. Also, I would recommend including both Jim and Noel Makowski at Noel Marie Photography in the suit. They will most likely not pay you when he is supposed to. So, after you win your case, you should go down to the special claims division of the Morris County Court and Docket the Judgment. This will act a somewhat of a personal lien on their assets. Here are a few other things you need to bring with you to court… Your contract with Jim, Event Galleria. Checks, credit card statements or receipts that you paid Jim. If he did, in fact, charge your credit card without your authorization, It is credit card fraud and he can go to jail for that. Jim is going to say that he sold the business, but you have a contract with him so it shouldn’t be a problem. If, like in my case, the judge states that DeRosa’s contract with Noel Maria Photography hold weight, then you will have them in court as well. Stay persistent. Don’t let his attorney push back the court day and try for an extension. That is Jim’s move.
    File a complaint with the Office of Consumer Complaints (Division of Consumer Affairs) http://www.state.nj.us/lps/ca/ocp/ocpform2.htm They are the ones that can push for a class action lawsuit against Jim DeRosa. I haven’t heard from them in a while. Therefore, they are most likely backed up. But, as you can see by this newspaper article we can win. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/11/chester-b The judges at Morris County Courts are familiar with our cases. So are the people at the office of consumer Complaints. Ask for Linda Palma. She is a big shot over there and the main person handling our case. 973-504-6103 973-504-6103

    Don’t give up! We are getting close to getting our memories back. Tell everyone you know about your situation and what Jim DeRosa did to you. The more people that know that better chance that new people won’t get hurt by Jim DeRosa.

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  53. 5\8\2010,
    sitting here wondering why Noel and Jim Michalski thinks it's ok to rip couples off. My wife and I paid them in full and not we have to find someone else to do our album because Noel and Jim Michalski are scam artist. They rip couples off left and right and still have the balls to do business as usual. Don't use them for your wedding unless you like getting ripped off. Thanks for nothing Noel and Jim Michalski. I hope you rot in HELL!!!!!!!

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  54. Has anyone received bankruptcy papers from Noel Marie photography? What exactly does it mean?

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  55. My Husband and I were married in August of 2007. It took over 2 years to get our order complete! In the beginning I was recomending them to everyone cause I thought they were great. Little did I know how they were going to be after the wedding was over. I still have 1 couple I recomended with nothing but proofs. They were married in May of 08. I dont know how he can sleep at night knowing how many peoples dreams he is crushing :( I am glad that I am done with this whole thing but I feel for all of you that are still going through this. ~Mindy

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  56. Just so everyone knows: Jim and Noel Michalski are now working out of Florida under the name of Sugar Magnolia Event, http://www.sugarmagevents.com/ I don't understand how they can claim bankruptcy, take our money without giving us our wedding album and run to Florida to rip more couples off. If you are thinking about using them, don't!!! Think twice before they rip you off. Google them to see how many couples they ripped off.

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  57. My wife and I were able to get Karin Price Mueller of the Star Ledger to do an article about this whole situation. I'll let everyone know if I have any updates. Once again I ask if you haven't already please contact the Office of Consumer Protection (973) 273-8041, Rachel Williams is the investigator on the case.


    http://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2010/08/livin

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  58. I had an experience with Jim in 1988 or 1989 when he ran a company called DJ International. He booked our company once or twice a week on a weekly basis at a lounge in the Holiday Inn located off the NJ Turnpike in Bordentown, NJ. At first everything was fine and we were always paid on time and everyone was happy. I would take my cousin with me and trained him to DJ so he could take over when I went back to college in the fall. When I came home for Christmas break, my cousin was no longer DJing and was owed money. Jim said the venue was late paying him. After talking with the venue I found this untrue. He was late paying me before I left for college as well same story. I am a bit more of a hard ass then my cousin. I guess he thought he could take advantage. In the end after I threatened him with physical harm we were paid in full. He is a horrible business person.

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