A wedding photographer faced an unexpected challenge when her film roll purchase from Amazon did not go as planned. Katie Hunt, an experienced photographer from Greensboro, North Carolina, had prepared her equipment for a wedding on September 10. In anticipation of the event, she ordered extra film rolls online.
Hunt, predominantly a digital photographer, bought two five-packs of Portra 400 35mm film. She chose a seller with strong reviews, indicating reliability. However, upon reaching the venue, she discovered an unusual situation. Inside the film canisters, instead of film, there were small rocks.
There were one or two gravel type rocks in every canister,”Hunt shared.
Despite the surprise, Hunt continued her work and captured the wedding successfully. She reached out to Amazon and learned it might not have been the seller’s fault. Hunt speculated that a previous buyer may have tampered with the product by replacing the film with rocks, and then resealed the package convincingly.
Amazon spokesperson Lex Evans stated they resolved the issue and are investigating further. Hunt returned the canisters and received a refund. She commended Amazon’s customer support for being helpful and apologetic.
The extra film was only a precautionary measure. Hunt had enough resources to complete her contracted services. Although this incident has discouraged her from purchasing film rolls on Amazon in the future, she acknowledged that her previous experiences with the platform were satisfactory.
Hunt documented the event with a TikTok video (@kdhuntphotographyllc) showing her reaction upon discovering the rocks. The video went viral, amassing over 2.3 million views and 144,500 likes.
This situation highlighted the importance of proper packaging and verification processes for online sales, both for sellers and buyers.