How do I respond to this e-mail inquiry?

I received an e-mail today, that I am not sure how to deal with. This is the first message I got:

So I replied that I would be happy to help, and asked what kind of information they were looking for.

I am just not sure how to word a response to this reply:

Have any of you ever gotten something like this? Any comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

So... I had a feeling something might be off. First off, this man replied to an ad for 20% off Infant Sessions and then he was pretty vague and then this...

What do you think? LOL

Congrats, you're the first search response from google for "Tribrachial disease" with no other hits.

Prank. Continue with response about being proud of who he is as an individual and offer "20% discount if we can use the images in promotional materials to special needs organizations."

Definitely a prank, inspired by such "humor" sites as [URL]www. dontevenreply .com and [URL]www. 27bslash6 .com. Amusing, I guess.

I'd play along, pretending to be sincere. Tell him you have a special-effects make-up artist who can make up his hand to look like a newborn... the make-up artist charges $300 per session (not included in your sitting fee), but will honor your coupon so her fee will only be $240 on top of your sitting fee.

nathancarter wrote in post #12665892
I'd play along, pretending to be sincere. Tell him you have a special-effects make-up artist who can make up his hand to look like a newborn... the make-up artist charges $300 per session (not included in your sitting fee), but will honor your coupon so her fee will only be $240 on top of your sitting fee.

I wrote up a nice reply similar to yours, last night, but I have not received a response yet. Too bad, I was looking forward to one.

do you guys require a deposit prior to a shoot?
im asking because in a "weird" situation like this it may be worthwhile.

i ask also because i dont shoot sessions and when the time comes i'd like t know how to handle a paid session.

I just spit out my coffee..

He did end up responding. Went on about how his wife was in jail, but her birthday was coming up and he wanted the photos for her. But she didn't like his third arm, hence the reason to dress it up as a baby. lol

I told him we were booked for the next three weeks, but we could squeeze him in for an extra charge. I also said that we could hire a make-up artist for another extra charge. etc.

Haven't heard anything in two weeks now. I think he got bored. lol

Lucky i found this thread, I really don't appreciate you telling people about my issue, or questioning my sincerity. I'm very emotional about the subject..I think it'd be best if you could provide a free photo shoot to make up for it, could you meet me at the jail? I'm thinking family portraits would be nice.

Lol.

I was actually about to post about being careful mentioning this sort of thing on a public forum. Anyhow, even if you do, you're not legally liable for anything, but it can offend people.

My first post wasn't offensive, and after the replies I received it was pretty obvious that it was someone having a bit of fun. =)

I don't see how this thread being created would be offensive to anyone. A professional posed a question in a forum consisting of other professionals to determine which is the best (and I'm assuming politically correct) method to handle the inquiry.