Mistakes (the honesty thread)

[Shaun]

Re: Darrens one year early. You win Darren!!! The best I ever managed was arriving and setting up a day early.

[DazzyD]

Mistakes? Me? Nah, I'm practically perfect in every way!!


Yeah, right!!

Apart from the personal ones (fruit machine addict, bordering on the verge of alcoholism, best stop at that!), I once turned up to a gig without any power cables in my gig cables bag! Luckily, there were spares in the van but the van was on it's way to a second gig when I realised. A quick phone call and he had to turn around and come back!!

As folk may have noticed, I'm very proud of my current booking system - designed and developed by me so it does everything I need it to do. However, when I first started using it, I imported the booking data over from the previous system I was using. I got to my first gig, which was a balance paid in cash on the night gig, and gave the client the invoice. An argument then ensued about the price with the client saying it was higher than quoted. I said but the invoice was our normal price and the price was correct. After a while, the client (a young lady and it was her 30th birthday party) decided to pay the full amount so her party could go ahead. This put me on the back foot all night and it wasn't my best performance I have to admit. However, when I got home, I checked the booking system and realised the new database hadn't imported a discount that I'd given on this booking as this lady had gotten me a decent corporate contract a year earlier. I was gutted. I was booked to do another party for her company (a big utility company!) a couple of weeks later so I saw her there, apologised for my mistake and refunded her the difference plus a bit more as a token of apology. She actually refused the extra saying she was happy to pay the price I had quoted originally but I still felt bad. Now I actually use Sage for my accounts, which intergrates with my bookings database, so I can easily check quotes against final balance so, hopefully, this situation will never happen again.

I must say, though, that I've never turned up to do a gig a year early before. Darren is definitely in the lead in the "mistake stakes!!"

[thex-faders]

Took a booking over the phone whilst on a lunch break at the day job last year. Naturally I didnt write anything down and completely forogt about the event to get an email about 5 days before asking if everything was still ok for the saturday.

Required rushed train ticket booking to get back from uni and some friends to help out with transport, but all good the in the end and client non the wiser!

Tom

[flatliners]

well i wedding 2.5years ago i was about to play the first dance it was from a cd of theirs they only just gave me it and said we will do the dance now.
loaded cd pn drive wouldn't play so had to rush to van to get a cd player an worked fine.

[Shaun]

At a wedding last year I introduced the bride and groom onto the dance-floor for their first dance, and hit play. Only to realise that I hadn't queued up their first dance. A little bit of quick thinking and quick chat inviting people with cameras to congrgate around the dance-floor, and I loaded the song up whilst chatting. Nobody was any the wiser.

Not content with that one occasion I did the exact same thing a few weeks later....in the same venue. Again I got away with it by employing the same technique

[Excalibur]

Again I got away with it by employing the same technique

And people wonder why some of us keep a loaded microphone within reach at all times. Safety net, safety net.

[Shaun]

And another one from me...

This story is from 1990. I'd just bought my first rig after working for someone else for 2 years and it was my second outing out with the gear. The booking was a high school party and during the sound check before the start of the gig the amp decides to die. Blind panic set in as I didn't have backup equipment back then. Luckily I knew a guy that had a suitable amp so I gave him a call and thankfully he was home. It took him 30 minutes to arrive, and the party was 20 minutes late starting but we got the show going in the end. I was so down on myself for the late start that I didn't charge any fee for that night. That was my wake up call. I spent every spare penny I earned to ensure I had ample back up from that point on. Hard lesson learned

It all worked out in the end. I still do all the gigs for the same School.

[paul1404]

Since Ive been using the Virtual Dj software - Not cueing up a song and playing the remix instead of the original - done it a few times - Great when your doing a 70/80s night and some trance mix of Whitney kicks in

[DeckstarDeluxe]

As folk may have noticed, I have to admit. However, when I got home, I checked the booking system and realised the new database hadn't imported a discount that I'd given on this booking as this lady had gotten me a decent corporate contract a year earlier. I was gutted. I was booked to do another party for her company (a big utility company!) a couple of weeks later so I saw her there, apologised for my mistake and refunded her the difference plus a bit more as a token of apology. She actually refused the extra saying she was happy to pay the price I had quoted originally but I still felt bad. Now I actually use Sage for my accounts, which intergrates with my bookings database, so I can easily check quotes against final balance so, hopefully, this situation will never happen again.

I don't mean to bang on the drum about this but this wouldn't of happened with the balance being paid in advance....

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Since Ive been using the Virtual Dj software - Not cueing up a song and playing the remix instead of the original - done it a few times - Great when your doing a 70/80s night and some trance mix of Whitney kicks in

Doesn't it say remix or whatever on there?