Videographer, couple share gripes over Pinellas studio

The list of people unhappy with Alexis Photography is growing.

  Not only are brides and grooms upset about the thousands of dollars they paid for wedding packages not received, but now a Clearwater videographer, who said he shot and edited several weddings for Alexis, claims the studio owes him money.

  "It's over $2,000," said Matt Armstrong, of Armstrong Images.  "We've done a lot of editing jobs and that's spanned over the last year, year and a half.  Some work would be paid for, then some wouldn't."

  Armstrong said it has become more difficult during the last few months to contact Alexis Photography's owner Mohammad Khavarian. 

  Armstrong said he has watched with great interest a series of 8 On Your Side reports about Alexis collecting thousands of dollars from brides and grooms, then not filling their wedding package orders.

  "I saw your story on Jennie and Mauricio Rincon and realized I still had their wedding," Armstrong told News Channel 8.

  The Rincons are one of four couples who contacted 8 On Your Side about problems with Alexis Photography.  They were married in October 2009 and still don't have their stainless steel wedding album package and video. The couple said they paid $11,000 to Alexis.

  "It's very disturbing that somebody can receive so much money and sell us on the services and not produce," Mauricio Rincon said.

  "If we call him, he doesn't call back; if we e-mail, he doesn't e-mail us back; so it's been very frustrating, there is no kind of communication," Jennie Rincon said.

  When Khavarian failed to respond to e-mails from 8 On Your Side, a reporter confronted Khavarian at a gas station near his Palm Harbor home and asked when he was going to fill his customers' orders.

  "I don't have any comment at this point," Khavarian said.

 Brea Greene, an investigator with the Pinellas County Justice and Consumer Protection Services, said her agency received and was investigating at least four complaints against Alexis.

 Armstrong contacted 8 On Your Side and offered to finish editing the Rincon wedding video free of charge.

  "I wanted to offer the wedding; there's no sense in me holding on to it when it is pretty much a priceless memory," Armstrong said.

 The Rincons recently drove to the News Center studios of News Channel 8, where they met Armstrong and watched, for the first time, video of their October 2009 wedding.

  "Beautiful, I mean it's incredible to see it now. I mean I really didn't think I was going to be able to ever see it," Jennie Rincon said.

    Armstrong presented the Rincons with DVDs for themselves and their parents.

  "Glad I could help," he said.

  He also said he has video from three other Alexis weddings still in his possession, including that of Khavarian's niece.

  "We've had it for a few months," Armstrong said.  "I don't feel comfortable giving him any more product, unfortunately, until some of this back balance is settled."