Dreamestime.com They steal from their own contributors Brentwood Tennessee
I was a contributor for years at Dreamstime.com, a stock photo site. Due to my illness, I have not been able to do much on my account for years, so I decided to cancel it. I asked for my earnings and was told that the earnings were forfeited due to my cancellation of the account.
When I contested this decision, I was told that I agreed to this by agreeing to the Terms of Service. First, no one agrees to be stolen from, and second, the Terms of Service states that I cannot cash out until I reach one hundred dollars. It does not state that if I should leave, I forfeit my winnings. If it is buried deep within their Terms of Service, it should be in large print and made clear to all contributors.
It took me years to get to $39, and while they do have some major earners on the site, there are more like me. I can only guess how much money they are making from people who either cancel or abandon their accounts. So, first, we get pennies for our work, then, when we decide to leave, they steal what we have earned.
$39 means nothing to them, but it sure would help me, especially during the pandemic.
Adobe and Big Stock Photo issued my earnings without my having to ask, and treated me with respect.
They did not use the Terms of Service to steal from me.
Finally, it’s a slap in the face to come to the BBB site and see Erin Vandivier’s little blurb about contacting her before filing complaints.
She was contacted, and all she did was give a simple statement about the Terms of Service and what I agreed to. So, one can only assume that her BBB statement is directed at the buyers because this company shows zero concern for its artists.
In addition to filing this complaint, I will be contacting the Federal Trade Commission. If I stop just one new contributor from signing up, that will make this ugly business worth it.
In addition, I will be complaining about Dreamstime on every site that lists scam companies. Because any company that uses a Terms of Service agreement to steal from their own artists needs to be out of business.