Need a Disco

[Jim - Scotland's Party DJ]

May have secured another on through NaD, this time in Scarborough on 25th May (yes another one almost 35 miles away) - they've emailed me asking how they would pay and sort contracts, I've replied stating bank transfer and explaining how echo-sign works. I've asked for phone number as it was an email only response - fingers crossed they reply.

This coupled with my Thursday Quiz, Friday Residency, Saturday (in Scarborough) and the most expensive wedding I've ever done on Sunday will work out a very prosperous weekend May need to book Monday off work though - I'll be shattered lol

That Monday is a bank holiday weekend up here so isn't it one down your end?

[JAMdisco]

That Monday is a bank holiday weekend up here so isn't it one down your end?

Hey, well spotted, yes it is (thank goodness - I'll need it lol)

[STEVE HANLEY]

Just converted one this morning a wedding in July. Not a massive payer but a fee I can happily work with and a lot more than Sid would charge. I've stopped replying to all the leads I receive from NAD and now I just pick and choose the ones I fancy. I find a much better conversion rate as a result.

Certainly looks like this one has well and truly gone down the Client said she was paying deposit (Sorry NRBF ) on Monday 4th March. Never happened. So I chased it via email that evening. Got reply back saying sorry couldn't get to bank today as my little boy has been poorly. ( Fair Do's) Several attempts to contact since then via different methods and she appears to have disappeared ( No pun intended) off the face of the earth.

Final email sent last night saying that if I hadn't anything by this Saturday I was letting the date go. Bloody damned annoying, but still never mind eh?

[STEVE HANLEY]

Certainly looks like this one has well and truly gone down the Client said she was paying deposit (Sorry NRBF ) on Monday 4th March. Never happened. So I chased it via email that evening. Got reply back saying sorry couldn't get to bank today as my little boy has been poorly. ( Fair Do's) Several attempts to contact since then via different methods and she appears to have disappeared ( No pun intended) off the face of the earth.

Final email sent last night saying that if I hadn't anything by this Saturday I was letting the date go. Bloody damned annoying, but still never mind eh?

Went to chase up another today one who said they were booking me. Only to have the client tell me "Oh I'm sorry but the wedding has been cancelled. Sorry I've not been in touch to tell you" Yes of course you are. That's two in a month from NAD that's gone up. To say I'm off atm would be a understatement

[SoundONE]

You could always look at it as a bonus, get to keep the deposit and take another gig on that date.

[STEVE HANLEY]

You could always look at it as a bonus, get to keep the deposit and take another gig on that date.

Unfortunately it was the deposit I was chasing

[Jim - Scotland's Party DJ]

Unfortunately it was the deposit I was chasing

What's your policy on deposits? Maybe tightening it up will leave you less open to having to deal with time wasters down the line.

[Vectis]

My brother-in-law manages a Tesco store, and we recently had a discussion about time wasters. Apparently, in real bricks-n-mortar shops they get their fair share of idiots and timewasters too.

Like the people who come in, load up a trolley full of stuff (including fresh and frozen, which then has to go to waste), dump it and walk out. Like the people who come in, grab a sandwich from the chiller and eat it whilst walking round, dumping the empty packet in a freezer cabinet, then walk out without paying or buying anything else. Like the slightly nutty woman who has an aversion to white toilet rolls - comes in every Tuesday morning and proceeds to pull them all off the shelf and throw them at staff who try to approach her... then cries 'rape' if anyone tries to accost her on the way out. ... the list goes on.

My point? Virtual or physical, there's a minority out there whose mission in life seems to be to make it difficult for others to go about their legitimate business. All businesses, giant conglomerate or sole trader, will unfortunately suffer these fools from time to time.

[Excalibur]

What's your policy on deposits? Maybe tightening it up will leave you less open to having to deal with time wasters down the line.

Nice idea. Difficult to put into practice. If you've already got another firm enquiry lined up, you can play hardball. If not, "softly softly catchee monkey." A recent one of mine ended up paying only a couple of days before the event. ( Mind you, she did pay the full whack upfront, but it was a drawn out process. If it hadn't been for a Sunday, I'd have binned it. )

[Jim - Scotland's Party DJ]

Nice idea. Difficult to put into practice. If you've already got another firm enquiry lined up, you can play hardball. If not, "softly softly catchee monkey." A recent one of mine ended up paying only a couple of days before the event. ( Mind you, she did pay the full whack upfront, but it was a drawn out process. If it hadn't been for a Sunday, I'd have binned it. )

At the time of bookng clients are told their date is held for 7 days and if I don't have the deposit paid via BACS or a cheque returned with the contract (which also needs to be done within 7 days) then the date opens back up for other bookings.

9 times out of 10 that's what happens. I've got a client just now that is giving me a bit of a run around on account of her fiance's gran being ill. I've no way to know whether that's true or not but she's had the time to get the stuff in extended to this Thursday which she says she'll have it all sorted. If not, she'll get an e-mail telling her she can still book but the date is opened up again.

I'd honestly rather lose a gig than run about like a dancing monkey for someone who is going to hum and haw, you around and generally treat you like a mug. I do this for fun and the money is an added bonus so I appreciate some people want to take every gig but if that is the case, then it's an even better reason to get your booking process tightened up.