# Professional detailing business stealing our pictures and using them for write ups on



## Ronnie (Nov 15, 2006)

Very sorry to have to post this, but I am making a public not as teh pictures were taken from a DW thread, Nothing to do with DW at all but in future we will not take picture theft lightly. The reason I am posting this is I know he has recieved bookings off teh back of the thread and our pictures he posted, therefore he is faulsly misleading people to his ability. 

Just a quick note this morning we had to deal with a Detailing business that had not only stolen pictures of a car we had detailed but also cropped pictures and reedited them and posted a write up on a forum as if he had detailed the car himself. Yes this was a professional business, we called him and made him remove all pictures from the site, in future however any company or individual we catch doing this, we will chase a formal charge and make it very public who you are and what you have done. Sorry but I work way too hard I miss out of family time and not only me but also my family have had to sacrifice a lot to allow me to Set up OCD-ni and Orchard Autocare and we will not take the THEFT of our IP lightly. All future incidents will be dealt with through our solicitor. Sorry for this not but this has happened several times to us now and will not happen again. 


Many thanks Rollo and the Team and OCD-ni.


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## V3nom (Oct 31, 2012)

Shocking!! Are they on this forum?!


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## Ronnie (Nov 15, 2006)

not sure they are not a paid member but I am watching them.


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## WHIZZER (Oct 25, 2005)

Ronnie Please let us know who they are so we can keep an eye out


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## MEH4N (Mar 15, 2012)

Shocked. Pretty sad to know companies are doing this.


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## V3nom (Oct 31, 2012)

It's so worrying for potential customers that this is going on.

They are seeing top quality work being advertised (falsely) and probably having their car butchered!


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## ITSonlyREECE (Jun 10, 2012)

Unbelievable that someone could do that and think they would get away with it. 

Perhaps in future you could put a watermark somewhere on your photos to stop people stealing the credit? If you are unable to achieve success down the solicitor route, there's always a very public naming and shaming, I'm sure something that shocking would spread like wild fire through forums.


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## Clyde (Feb 15, 2012)

shocking - I'd have been a lot sterner with my actions!!


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## Exotica (Feb 27, 2006)

Totally selfish thing to do. I hope the name is leaked!


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## Rascal_69 (Sep 20, 2009)

I have seen this a few time from wannabe detailers using pros work but not another detailing business :doublesho

Glad you caught them.


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## suspal (Dec 29, 2011)

Not unheard of very naughty and wrong i'd be very pi$$ed off


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## muzzer (Feb 13, 2011)

Some people don't have the skill to take a decent picture or to detail a car to the required level, so they have to resort to stealing other people's images and make out they did the work etc.
You are right to be aggrieved Ronnie and i don't blame you for venting about this subject.


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## JasonPD (Jan 8, 2010)

Shonky behaviour - great post giving all a heads up...


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## Bartl (Apr 3, 2013)

Unbelievable. How did you find out?


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## PaulN (Jan 17, 2008)

Guess they edited to take off the water marks.....

I found someone copied a large section of our gyms web site a few years back.... turned out to be a college project and got the them to remove the site via the colleges IT department... No where nearly as bad as this but its still bad people steal others hard work....


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## Rayner (Aug 16, 2012)

Don't see why you don't name them tbh Ronnie. F*** um!


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## muzzer (Feb 13, 2011)

rayner said:


> Don't see why you don't name them tbh Ronnie. F*** um!


DW site rules and to be fair to Ronnie he did say if it happens again then he will do but he is trying to stay within the rules of DW at the minute. This is not the only site with this policy, i know pistonheads and evo's site have exactly the same rules, i assume to protect them against a case for slander.
I agree with your idea though, they should know that they have been rumbled by a lot more people than who's work they pinched.


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## Ronnie (Nov 15, 2006)

TBH I am sticking within guidelines and I have only just gotten off the phone again with him. He called me there to apologise about what he did and why he did it and tbh I think he has been made to look bad enough on the other forum. Taking it further does no good for anyone and he was genuinely sorry for what he did. We all do stupid things we regret I know I have noone was hurt so this time I will let it slide.

Thankfully I have a few very good friends who keep an eye out for things on forums.


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## -Raven- (Aug 26, 2010)

This is more common than what you think. Honestly, how hard is it to take your own photos?


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## Porkypig (Jun 20, 2012)

Get this a lot in the PDR world too. I have had whole pages plagerised and know a few guys whose pics have been used on others websites. So wrong.


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## G4V JW (Jul 6, 2012)

Clyde said:


> shocking - I'd have been a lot sterner with my actions!!


My thoughts , not acceptable !


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## id_doug (Apr 6, 2011)

That is seriously sh!te!!! I can't believe they had the front to pinch someone else's pictures let alone someone else's off here! Did they think know one would notice. It's a shame they can't be named and shamed as that type of behaviour doesn't bowed well for the rest of there business.


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## Rayner (Aug 16, 2012)

muzzer42 said:


> DW site rules and to be fair to Ronnie he did say if it happens again then he will do but he is trying to stay within the rules of DW at the minute. This is not the only site with this policy, i know pistonheads and evo's site have exactly the same rules, i assume to protect them against a case for slander.
> I agree with your idea though, they should know that they have been rumbled by a lot more people than who's work they pinched.


Oh yeah, sometimes I forget things like that lol


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## Hercs74 (Dec 29, 2011)

It's outrageous...!!! I do a little side lining more of a hobby. I got a little blog website and all the images are mine, my work and I can tell the stories regarding all images.. I'm no pro yet I'm proud of what I've learnt, what I can do, and how I'm progressing..!!! 

How can they call themselves pros if they can't post images of their own work.. Most probably cos their work is inferior to those £5 supermarket we scratch your car cleaning surface. 

They shouldn't be in business.. And it gets me the hump.. I would love to be a top Detailer, but it will never happen and I won't make millions as they say, but what little work I do do I take pride in and I leave people happy..!!! These people are a disgust to the trade..!! They should be named and shamed and struck off...!!!!

Name and shame them. They obviously sh*** so don't deserve our respect as a community of keen proud hard working OCD's


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## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

Does this surprise me no , do you think it will happen again do you think anyone will be able to stop them without costing them money no, I think with what I have seen in the detailing business are some very decent guys but a good amout of out and out chancers and that not only goes to detailers but companies as well, markets would be lucky to meet office of fair trading for sure.
I do hope they stop but hey they will just use someone else to clone im affraid


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## Guest (Dec 16, 2013)

Didn't you expose the company in an earlier thread, Ronnie?


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## Ronnie (Nov 15, 2006)

nope never mentioned them and this is the only thread as it happened today. We had one company that called themselves ocd valeting ni or something like that and took our watermarked pics and started a facebook page getting work we only found out as customers we never had dealt with on car we had never detailed started complaining then we found out what happened.


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## WP-UK (Apr 24, 2011)

So sad people do this. Glad you noticed it and took action and hope it doesn't happen again!


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## DPG87 (Feb 18, 2010)

Ronnie said:


> Very sorry to have to post this, but I am making a public not as teh pictures were taken from a DW thread, Nothing to do with DW at all but in future we will not take picture theft lightly. The reason I am posting this is I know he has recieved bookings off teh back of the thread and our pictures he posted, therefore he is faulsly misleading people to his ability.
> 
> Just a quick note this morning we had to deal with a Detailing business that had not only stolen pictures of a car we had detailed but also cropped pictures and reedited them and posted a write up on a forum as if he had detailed the car himself. Yes this was a professional business, we called him and made him remove all pictures from the site, in future however any company or individual we catch doing this, we will chase a formal charge and make it very public who you are and what you have done. Sorry but I work way too hard I miss out of family time and not only me but also my family have had to sacrifice a lot to allow me to Set up OCD-ni and Orchard Autocare and we will not take the THEFT of our IP lightly. All future incidents will be dealt with through our solicitor. Sorry for this not but this has happened several times to us now and will not happen again.
> 
> Many thanks Rollo and the Team and OCD-ni.


So you want me to stop using your pics for advertising?

Just kiddin, just kiddin, everybody calm yersel...


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## Guest (Dec 16, 2013)

Ronnie said:


> nope never mentioned them and this is the only thread as it happened today. We had one company that called themselves ocd valeting ni or something like that and took our watermarked pics and started a facebook page getting work we only found out as customers we never had dealt with on car we had never detailed started complaining then we found out what happened.


So this is not the same company as in your earlier thread, Ronnie?


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## Ronnie (Nov 15, 2006)

That thread was in teh supporters section and not visible to everyone. sorry same guy that I posted so others detailers could make sure they were not being scammed


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## DJ X-Ray (Sep 2, 2012)

What a liberty, glad you caught him. How embarrassed he must feel!


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## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

Common thing this day and age im afraid and its on the up even more.

Dont blame you taking steps, all images should be water marked and if they crop to remove water mark they have actively taken steps to mislead.

Any images you take are your copyright should anyone use your pictures without your consent it is in breach of copyright.

If they have used them they should remove them if they will not state its you who have taken them.

If they take them down they should still pay for the time they used them.

If they wish to use the images and state who took them with your consent they also need to pay for the images.


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## moono16v (Oct 12, 2010)

Name and shame!


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## Beau Technique (Jun 21, 2010)

Had it a while back on Facebook. It's easy to copy anything off the net now a days. Even the photography trade have problems on a daily with content theft. Sad.


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## Reflectology (Jul 29, 2009)

As i have mentioned on FB Ronnie, they can take the pictures but by lord they better be able to produce the quality.

These set ups come and go and most go when the going gets tough, they have nothing more to do than scour the tintertweb to pilfer pictures.

Good man on sorting it though and truth be told I know the guy done wrong but at least he sees the error of his ways.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

You've raised two juicy stories lately. 

1) you had to rework a top Irish detailer's shoddy work. 

2) Someone is stealing photos of your work. 

Not sure if we can assume they're linked. 

We've only got mild suggestions who they are. 

I think in certainly circumstances the whole story needs to be told or you are casting doubt on other people too, which is unfair. 

The story needs facts to clear up the situation I think.


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## The Pan Man (Apr 16, 2010)

It's like cheating at golf. They think they can get away with it so they try it on.


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## ted11 (Jul 8, 2011)

I would name and shame them publicly, its your hard work they have stolen, they will probably go and steal some one else's pictures now


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## Inge (Jun 7, 2013)

Sad thing this has happened - hope it will not be repeated by....


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## Ronnie (Nov 15, 2006)

The loacl detailer also did use another detailers pictures on his site not mine but I did see on Facebook but this guy is from England so it is wide spread. Ask questions look for consistancy from job do they detail in teh same place if mobile can you see a consistant things between pictures ie their camera style, their van, watermarks, their face in teh picture. Feel free to ask questions we dont mind as long as its not a half hour grilling for every job but 5 minutes will tell you if they are legit if you do not feel confident with tehm even if tehy are the best in teh business dont use them also see traffic on social media websites are one sided facebook etc and DW will be a good way to find a good detailer. Believe it or not we also can recommend other detailers if you are not willing to travel or we are too far away, I have been recommended by others and I have recommended other detailers we know each other and all want to see detailing as a credable business so will steer you clear of teh cowboys as we know who you are.

Sad thing is it is looking as OCD-ni grows in popularity over here and our client list is rapidly expanding we are attracting a lot of unwanted attention form image theft to similar named companies being set up do dupe customers. if in doubt do a bit of leg work if you notice a detailer ripping off pictures make it known to people its how we can help each other.


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## Ronnie (Nov 15, 2006)

Ive just had a phone call from the guy involved saying that his car has been keyed today. I don't want anyone to feel that its right to go and damage peoples property or use scare or intimidation tactics. yes he did wrong, yes he did pi55 me off for what he did but credit to him he rang me back and apologised and after a good chat seems to be a civil guy who is just desperate to get his business off the ground. We all do stupid things and at least he owned up to it but I would prefer if he was just left alone as he is getting enough grief from the forum that it was posted on. 

thanks very much for the support shown on this thread but i would hate to think that any millicious acts stemed from this.

many thanks 
rollo


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

Ronnie said:


> Ive just had a phone call from the guy involved saying that his car has been keyed today. I don't want anyone to feel that its right to go and damage peoples property or use scare or intimidation tactics. yes he did wrong, yes he did pi55 me off for what he did but credit to him he rang me back and apologised and after a good chat seems to be a civil guy who is just desperate to get his business off the ground. We all do stupid things and at least he owned up to it but I would prefer if he was just left alone as he is getting enough grief from the forum that it was posted on.
> 
> thanks very much for the support shown on this thread but i would hate to think that any millicious acts stemed from this.
> 
> ...


I think someone would have to be bonkers to damage someone's car based on this thread.

As I said before, you've not cleared up who it is, and it seems someone might know and have taken action based on that.

The fear is someone else as stupid gets the wrong end of the stick and does something to a completely innocent person's car.

You seem to be dropping hints like if you want people to guess who.

I think you are just casting doubt on other innocent detailers.

As far as I'm concerned, this thread shouldn't exist unless it has proof. Otherwise you're just slinging mud at innocent people.


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## moosh (May 8, 2011)

Sorry mate I won't do it again :thumb:


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## Ronnie (Nov 15, 2006)

I have to admit i have no actual idea Kerr who this guy was until i was told about this. The thread was simply to put an end to IP that is ours being taken by others safeguarding my wee company. I dont want to name anyone as its against rules of the forum and i domt think it would do him any good.


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## TriBorG (Feb 14, 2007)

Found this a while ago http://photo.net/business-photography-forum/00c9cc

It makes some very interesting reading

Image theft is bigger than most people think and it can be very costly

Worth reading


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## SarahAnn (Apr 6, 2011)

Perhaps the chap's car was keyed by an unhappy customer if he isn't as good as the pictures he has been pinching. Just an idea.


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## xJay1337 (Jul 20, 2012)

Ronnie said:


> Ive just had a phone call from the guy involved saying that his car has been keyed today. I don't want anyone to feel that its right to go and damage peoples property or use scare or intimidation tactics. yes he did wrong, yes he did pi55 me off for what he did but credit to him he rang me back and apologised and after a good chat seems to be a civil guy who is just desperate to get his business off the ground. We all do stupid things and at least he owned up to it but I would prefer if he was just left alone as he is getting enough grief from the forum that it was posted on.
> 
> thanks very much for the support shown on this thread but i would hate to think that any millicious acts stemed from this.
> 
> ...


If whoever keyed his car did this off the back of anything because of this (and it wouldn't surprise me tbh) then that makes them far worse than the guy for originally stealing the pictures.

theft of IP (photos) is not the same as having your own belongings damaged by some idiot.


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## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

Just a quick suggestion. Why not have a bottle of one of your products in every photo or maybe a company name banner on the windscreens or the background of the picture


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## Astro (Dec 4, 2005)

That's not cricket, the cads.


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## Maniac (May 20, 2012)

I think this is why I've seen a lot of car photos with watermarking on.


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## Z4-35i (Jun 12, 2012)

Maniac said:


> I think this is why I've seen a lot of car photos with watermarking on.


+1 Definitely add a distinctive watermark. I created a website for my Mum recently who creates bespoke paintings and used Photoshop to automatically apply a watermark to all the images before uploading to the site. If you use an embossed style watermark, you can still show the detail of your work but make it much harder for someone to copy and plagiarize your work.


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## Rayner (Aug 16, 2012)

Z4-35i said:


> +1 Definitely add a distinctive watermark. I created a website for my Mum recently who creates bespoke paintings and used Photoshop to automatically apply a watermark to all the images before uploading to the site. If you use an embossed style watermark, you can still show the detail of your work but make it much harder for someone to copy and plagiarize your work.


But surely they can just crop it out if they really want it?


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## Z4-35i (Jun 12, 2012)

rayner said:


> But surely they can just crop it out if they really want it?


If you make the watermark large enough and center it, it then makes it difficult to reuse the image in any meaningful way.


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## Rayner (Aug 16, 2012)

Z4-35i said:


> If you make the watermark large enough and center it, it then makes it difficult to reuse the image in any meaningful way.


Yeah I guess but would that not then ruin a good 50/50?


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## xJay1337 (Jul 20, 2012)

Like this


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

We get 2 or 3 of these a month so it's not surprising. What does surprise me sometimes is just how blatant some of them are - we had one guy in L.A who had just taken screen shots of our Enzo video to try and pass them off as his work. The only problem was that I was perfectly visible in a fair few of them! :lol:


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## -Raven- (Aug 26, 2010)

Maniac said:


> I think this is why I've seen a lot of car photos with watermarking on.


I've seen a few guys do their company logo on a licence plate. Does two things, saves showing the customers plates, and more advertising. Should stop this pic theft as well.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

-Raven- said:


> I've seen a few guys do their company logo on a licence plate. Does two things, saves showing the customers plates, and more advertising. Should stop this pic theft as well.


Wouldn't the license plate be easy to to edit and cover up again? It wouldn't stand out as anything unusual either if they just covered up the company logo that was the reg plate.


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## id_doug (Apr 6, 2011)

The only sure fire way is to place a large, complex, visible watermark right through the middle of the image. That way it can't be cropped out if it's just in the corner or retouched out of the image if it's else where and simply done. The reason a lot of people won't or don't do this is because it looks [email protected] But I guess you have to weigh that up against the theft of your IP.


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## -Raven- (Aug 26, 2010)

Kerr said:


> Wouldn't the license plate be easy to to edit and cover up again? It wouldn't stand out as anything unusual either if they just covered up the company logo that was the reg plate.


Yeah, thats true, but its a lot of extra effort required though. Easier to move on and steal someone elses pics I'd say.


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## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

I was thinking of something like this http://www.autogeek.net/autogeek-cover-up-towel.html No doubt it would not be very hard to get someone locally to make some up


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## -Raven- (Aug 26, 2010)

lowejackson said:


> I was thinking of something like this http://www.autogeek.net/autogeek-cover-up-towel.html No doubt it would not be very hard to get someone locally to make some up


That's a very cool idea! Screen printing a logo etc would be very cheap too!


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