This is a very long story which I hope to condense for readability sake. I hired Ron Bonneau and his wife which together are known as "Bonneau Videography" to videotape my wedding, which was set for Nov. I planned it well in advance and signed a contract, as well as he signed the contract. I retained a copy of the original and paid according to the terms, with the final payment due once the video production was complete. He showed up for the event, videotaped everything and when I left for my honeymoon that evening, I saw him behind the camera.
In January I attempted to contact Ron Bonneau several times, but always got a phone line that just rang and rang. No answering machine or anything. I tried going to his website, www.ronbonneau.com, but nothing pulled up anymore. However, websites come and go, and since the phone number wasn't disconnected yet, I figured he was busy doing other events and maybe there was a problem with the answering machine, but all the while, I had my suspicions.
Well, life sometimes gets busy and you forget things and it wasn't until April that I tried to contact him again, but this time, I got a message that the number was disconnected. I tried information and that came up blank. At this point, I looked at my wife and told her that we had probably been had and we'd never see the video, nor the pictures we had provided for the picture collage in the video that are irreplaceable ever again. We were sad, but a turn came for the better.
One day I was shuffling through some papers and I came across all the stuff we had saved from the wedding preparations. I found a business card that had the last name of Bonneau on it, but the first name was not Ron. I asked my wife and she said that was supposed to be the guy who was to photograph the wedding and that this man was Ron's father. I phoned the number on the card and sure enough Ron's own mother answered the phone. I asked her were her son was and that we wanted to get our video that we paid for. She then relayed that his only daughter and her newly acquired husband were killed by a DUI Driver on the way to their honeymoon. Putting two and two together I figured that he was understandibly distressed and closed up shop. I asked for his current phone number and she told me he moved to Jacksonville, Florida and during the conversation, I discovered we weren't the only one's who had called looking for him regarding his now defunct business.
If you are getting bored please read on. It's worth it!!!
I called Ron's home and mobile number for months on end which lead us into the year 2004. Each time I got his answering machine and I left messages on there saying we needed to finish up business. Well, I finally got hold of him and he assured me that I would have my video by May and at the time of this, it was currently March. Being a patient man I decided to wait. May came and went and again off and on over the next few months I tried to get in touch with him to no avail. I knew beforehand he was stalling and avoiding me and now it was just even more blatant.
During this time, my wife had become pregnant and we were in the process of moving into our first new home. As one may know who has gone through this process, we were extremely busy. However, I had had enough of this game he was playing. I called him right after Thanksgiving Day in 2004 and I actually got him on the phone on the first ring!!! Amazing! I told him that this business needs to be settled now. I told him I wanted the video package we had already paid near $700.00 for and I wanted it by week's end. He told me that I would have a phone call from him by that Thursday with an overnight tracking number. I said o.K. Fine all the while he's using sweettalk and being nice like he's doing me a favor. I of course am not buying anymore.
Well, December came a went, and with the birth of my new daughter taking up my time for the first two months and a wife recovering from a C-Section, I finally got back to him in Feb. I called him repeatedly during that month, and in March of I called him and gave left many messages over the course of several hours. I told him that unless he returned my call today that he would be sued in a justic court in Texas. Lo and behold he calls me back and tells me some sad excuse now that his Mac's that he does editing were in the shop right now and that he would once again, "have a tracking number by this Friday called into me." I told him very bluntly that I was tired of his delays and that this was the absolute last chance he had. I said, "Ron, if I don't have that tracking number by midnight Friday, you are going to be sued." I hung up on him. Friday came and went... No tracking number... No phone call... No more chances either.
Now you are wondering why I gave so many chances for this guy. I knew all along that most likely I would wind up suing this twerp.in any court case, especially civil cases, the judge will ask if the plaintiffs have done everything possible that is reasonable to settle the dispute.By giving him over 2.0 years to comply with a contract he signed, I had waited and been more than reasonable to the point of it being unreasonable that it would take this long.
In April of I filed suit against Ron Bonneau and his company Bonneau Videography, and in the suit I was seeking the following:
$5000.00 in cash due to personal photos being removed from the state without our permission as well as breaching contract on filming one of the most important days of our lives.
Well, I had to serve him in Florida, but I got his attention. I guess at this point he thought I was joking, but I wasn't. He sent a reply to the court after being served at his home.in that answer to the suit, in his own words he gave lame excuses and whatnot, but DID ADMIT that he signed the contract and that he was in the wrong. He wanted me to wait another 3 months to produce the videos and he would give back the $700.00 we paid, plus give us the video package we asked for in exchange for dropping the suit. Not being a fool, I didn't even reply to him and the court date was set for September.
Approximately a week prior to the day in court, I got a letter from a high priced lawyer in Turtle Creek, which is a glitzy area of Dallas.in that he outright denied any and all claims that we had made against him. I knew this to be a legal move to get us to the settlement table. I called the attorney and I told him what it would take to settle the case out of court:
1. The video will be produced and any and all things in the contract will be fulfilled by Ron Bonneau.
2. Our personal photos that we provided for the production will be returned unharmed.
3. $700.00 that we paid would be refunded to us.
The attorney said that he didn't think it was fair that his client should do all the work and not get paid for it. The nerve of this guy!!! I told him that he's had 2.5 years to enjoy our money that we've already paid him, and that the only thing we've done is spend money on a suit and have gotten nothing in return. Texas is a big contract law state and I told him that while I wasn't a lawyer, he should know I had his client over a barrel. I told him he has an obligation under the law to take the offer to his client because I said, "If your client wants this to go away, you have the answer and he needs to comply!" I received a call in less than 5 minutes and the lawyer said his client would settle under our terms.
We went to the lawyer's office and settled up. We got everything we asked and it finally ended. I wrote this up because I still believe that somewhere out there, someone who had some event done by this man has thought that maybe they've gotten shafted and that Ron Bonneau has taken their money. Well, I've got news for you.
Ron Bonneau is not a smart man I've found out. That's why I have his complete contact information below here.
This is his home address and phone number.
Bonneau, Ronald & Barbara more info
4409 Falcon Run Ln
Middleburg, FL 32068
(904) 291-9551
(904) 291-9931 mobile
At the home number you hear him mention "Ron's Fireworks". Apparently he's into a new business for himself. I shutter to think that the same man who couldn't produce a video and deliver it ontime is now in charge of explosives. Amazing...
If you were scammed by this man, or if you thought he was gone forever, well now here's your chance to get back what you rightfully paid for. If you call him, my best advice is to let him know up front that you will file a lawsuit against him if he doesn't return your call. When he doesn't return your call, and he won't believe me, then follow through with it.in Texas, it's usually $10 to file a Justice Court suit. Again, follow through with it as suing Ron Bonneau is the only way you will get justice for yourself. Even if you are a victim of "Ron's Fireworks" just know this man has a sordid past in business. I know you all may think I'm being insensitive because his daughter was killed in a collision, but he had plenty of time to mourn and business is business. The world doesn't stop spinning when people die.
If you even run across this man, DO NOT do business with him. He is a chronic procrastinator and will in the end shaft you, or attempt to do so.
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