Angry Client Demanding $3,000

I own a photography company in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. A couple of days after Christmas, one of my photographers was scheduled to work with a family at Cades Cove, an 11 mile loop road inside of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. (there is a 2 lane road leading from town to this "loop road", then it becomes a one-way that makes a circle around the area). The photographer and client were supposed to meet at a pull-off just before the road becomes a one-way.

About half an hour before the session was supposed to happen, the park service closed the loop road due to a high wind advisory. When my photographer arrived, the road was blocked just before the location where they were supposed to meet. The park rangers told her to take a left to the campground to turn around.

My photographer stopped at the campground because there was a vehicle in the parking lot that fit the description of the client's vehicle, but it wasn't them. There is no cell phone service in this part of the park, so she could not call them.

The photographer attempted to get in touch with them as soon as she got back to an area with cell service to try to make another plan. When she received a reply from the client, they accused her of being a "no show" and stated that rescheduling was not an option. The photographer reported this to our office manager and the office manager quickly refunded the client's deposit.

The client is now demanding that we pay him $3,000 because his wife is "emotionally distressed" because she was not able to get family pictures while they were on vacation. He is claiming that they were parked at a picnic area (which cannot be seen from the road). The photographer didn't think to check that area because it was not a place where they had planned to meet. The client is also saying we owe him this money because the photographer did not tell him that there was no cell phone service at this location. (Yes, I've already corrected this problem for the future by explaining the "no cell service" situation in the appointment confirmation emails and instructed the photographers that they MUST explain this to all clients going forward).

Although I feel bad for the client and want to do something to make up for this bad experience, I feel like $3,000 is a bit much.