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Responsibility for determining job fulfillment

Question:

1. Mrs. L (local) is a friend of a kallah (K) who lives in California

2. The chuppah was in California. K’s parents were local in the city where I live.

3. Mrs. L hired and paid me to provide a gift to K: video for a zoom wedding. I was to connect my video camera to my laptop connected to the parents’ WIFI to provide a video stream to a zoom link provided by K’s friend, the zoom host.

4. My video stream was to be when neighbors came to the parent’s yard when the married couple came out of yichud at 4 PM, and last until to 415

5. Prior to the wedding, I spent 1.5 hours testing my equipment, parent’s WIFI, live with K using her zoom link at the parent’s yard

K verified via email, text, and during the test that the equipment functioned satisfactorily and my streaming schedule and her friend was in charge of the zoom account. I received emails from her friend verifying my duties and schedule.

6. I quoted a fair and reasonable price for the 1.5 hours of testing plus 15 minutes of streaming service to Mrs. L, who paid me in full prior to the wedding.

7. The wedding started late. Zoom was setup so I couldn’t click record in zoom. I zoom streamed the neighbors and parents who came before the couple was out of yichud. Whether my video stream was viewable to the zoom participants and recorded in zoom was K’s friend decision.

I was contracted to stream not record video so I did not record it.

I spent from 4 pm to 630 pm, 2.5 additional hours without payment.

8. To also record video, do post-production, upload the video to my YouTube for viewing which would require a significant additional time and effort, probably a few hours

9. Using a professional DSLR and lenses, I sent 8 informal photos which took me another half hour as my wedding gift to K.

10. K now says that she expected a recorded, professionally produced video. The parents expected formal photos (posed with lighting and backdrops) in addition to the informal ones

K and parents say that as the wedding principals who received the service, they are the ones who determine what must be done for the job.

11. K sent me an email threatening to take me to Bais Din and tell their friends how I cheated them unless I return to the parents and create formal photos and a recorded/edited video without being paid for my additional time.

Mrs. L says that she is satisfied that I completed the zoom streaming job as specified, it was a nice mitzvah to provide the informal photos and I have no further obligations. She is angry and upset at K and her parents at their self-centeredness

Question: who determines job completion, the one who hired and paid me for the service or the recipients of the service

Answer:

Questions of this type have to be brought to a Bais Din, where both sides can explain their angle of things. If the other side will agree to everything that you have written, it would appear that since you were hired by the friend, she paid you and she has agreed that you did whatever was agreed upon, that you do not have to answer to the expectations of anyone other than her.

Best wishes

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