Advice please

[rob1963]

I recently went to visit some prospective clients about their wedding reception, and after a short discussion I gave them the price & was told they wanted to book me.

I took the details and told them I would send them the booking form the following day, which they would need to complete & return with a £50 deposit within two weeks, and on receipt I would send them confirmation of the booking and a music request form. The next day I posted the paperwork with a covering letter asking them to return the booking form with their deposit within two weeks.

Two weeks later, I'd not had the form & deposit, so I waited a few more days, then rather than send a chaser letter, as I'd met them both, I thought I'd send a text to ask if they received the paperwork which I'd sent.

I had a text back saying yes, thanks very much, so I sent a reply thanking them for letting me know & asking them to return the paperwork as soon as possible, to which I received no reply.

I've still not heard anything.

Tomorrow it will be five weeks since I sent the paperwork, which the covering letter said should be returned within TWO weeks!

What do you think I should do now?

[djsteve10]

Send them a letter or maybe a phone call explaining the situation that if no paperwork has been recieved back to you then you cannot guarantee them security of their booking and if they would still like to go ahead.

[Vectis]

What do you think I should do now?

Change your policy so you only meet up AFTER a deposit is paid and a provisional booking received. I tell my prospectives that if, after the meeting, they decide they don't want to go ahead, they can have their deposit back. No-one's ever taken me up on the offer.

As for this one, it depends how much you want the booking. If you couldn't care less, I'd be tempted to call them and say you've another punter wanting the same date, and you're giving them first refusal. Not sure if you're geared up for taking instant payment? but if so, insist. Otherwise give them 48hrs or something.

[rob1963]

As for this one, it depends how much you want the booking. If you couldn't care less, I'd be tempted to call them and say you've another punter wanting the same date, and you're giving them first refusal. Not sure if you're geared up for taking instant payment? but if so, insist. Otherwise give them 48hrs or something.

To be honest, I'm more bothered about being messed about than whether or not I lose the booking.

I don't mess people about, so I don't expect them to do it to ME. I've never been late with a payment for anything in my entire life.

The deposit is already 3 weeks overdue, so assuming I DO eventually get it, I'm just wondering what will happen when the BALANCE is due!

My terms & conditions give people 14 days to return the booking form & deposit, which I think is plenty of time...especially as the majority return it in half that time...but It's now been 5 weeks, and I'm starting to lose my patience.

I'll wait to see some more comments before deciding what action to take.

[Sam]

Rob, from what I gather, you do not sound like the busiest of DJs.. so what have you got to loose?
if you get another enquiry - take that booking.
If you don't.. then stick to this one.. and if they don't pay their full balance.. you go by, pressumably, what your contract states and do not do the gig.

On another note... i would never text a client. It is way too informal in my opinion and doesn't come across as very professional. If you are really bothered by it... why not phone them?

[rob1963]

Rob, from what I gather, you do not sound like the busiest of DJs.. so what have you got to loose?
if you get another enquiry - take that booking.
If you don't.. then stick to this one.. and if they don't pay their full balance.. you go by, pressumably, what your contract states and do not do the gig.

On another note... i would never text a client. It is way too informal in my opinion and doesn't come across as very professional. If you are really bothered by it... why not phone them?

Thanks for your thoughts, Sam.

On the texting note, I would never send a client a text either.

I have never even sent a text to a POTENTIAL client before (they don't become an ACTUAL client until I have their deposit & signed booking form).

Normally, I don't even MEET my clients in advance, so if I don't get the paperwork in time, I always send a chaser by letter.

I opted to send a text on this occasion as I knew the POTENTIAL clients, having met them previously at their home to discuss their requirements...although it's probably not something I would do again.

What annoys me even more is the fact that they made their original enquiry about a week before my prices increased. However, I sent them an email advising that I would accept their booking at my old prices, as long as they contacted me within 7 days to either arrange a meeting or make a booking...which saved them £50.

[ppentertainments]

Have been in similar predicament a couple weeks ago. However the client did eventually pay and phoned to apologise - they simply had to wait till pay day. The wedding is not till late next year and they have not saved too much yet. I now wait 4 weeks before chasing deposits to ensure people have had a pay day to pay for the deposit.

[BeerFunk]

If it were me, I would be cute about it...

I'd give them a friendly (casual, if you like) phone call, and ask them if everything's OK, as you haven't received the paperwork back. I'd also mention that you're holding that date for them, so there's not a problem, and also say that if you receive any enquiries for that date you will turn them away. You could then go on to mention what your usual policy is, therefore letting them know that you're going the extra mile for them.

If they don't move after that, then I'd say they are taking the mick.

[soundtracker]

E-mail them, tell them you've had another enquiry for their date, and ask them if they still intend to proceed.

[rob1963]

E-mail them, tell them you've had another enquiry for their date, and ask them if they still intend to proceed.

This is my fave suggestion so far.

I would probably also add to the email something along the lines that if they DO wish to proceed, I will need their signed booking form & deposit within 48 hours, otherwise I will take it that they no longer wish to go ahead & will take the other enquiry forward.

Sounds fair to me! :D

What do you think?

[wensleydale]

This is my fave suggestion so far.

I would probably also add to the email something along the lines that if they DO wish to proceed, I will need their signed booking form & deposit within 48 hours, otherwise I will take it that they no longer wish to go ahead & will take the other enquiry forward.

Sounds fair to me! :D

What do you think?

thats a good approach to take- when i have used it in the past you just have to be careful not to put them off too much- state that the other one is just an enquiry, but that you need to know soon.

[JAMdisco]

On another note... i would never text a client. It is way too informal in my opinion and doesn't come across as very professional. If you are really bothered by it... why not phone them?

I don't usually text clients (definately not potential ones) but once they've paid, quite a lot of the younger generation prefer to send texts than talk.


This is my fave suggestion so far.

I would probably also add to the email something along the lines that if they DO wish to proceed, I will need their signed booking form & deposit within 48 hours, otherwise I will take it that they no longer wish to go ahead & will take the other enquiry forward.

Sounds fair to me! :D

What do you think?

That is the approach I would take. I'm getting a little tired of people trying to knock me down on price and mess me about. After all, we are trying to be professional and run a business, full or part time!

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

I'd ring the client. If you email, they can quite easily say they didn't get it. Use the personal touch.

[robbiedj]

Only had this problem once, last year pn fact. Phoned the B&G to ask if they still wished to go ahead and got they reply yes, but had lost the contract could we send another one please. It came back by return.

Apparantly, with all the paperwork for everything else they had got into a fine muddle and were now trying to sort out what was missed.

[Sam]

I don't usually text clients (definately not potential ones) but once they've paid, quite a lot of the younger generation prefer to send texts than talk.



Bit of a generalisation there.
Text me and I would cancel my booking. All it says to me is that you are too lazy to phone but maybe that is just my reading of it.:rolleyes:

[rob1963]

quite a lot of the younger generation prefer to send texts than talk.


Bit of a generalisation there.
Text me and I would cancel my booking. All it says to me is that you are too lazy to phone but maybe that is just my reading of it.:rolleyes:

Couldn't the same thing be said about clients who send you an email?

The majority of my enquiries & bookings are taken by email without me even speaking to the customers on the phone...let alone meeting them.

As long as I get the bookings, I don't care HOW people contact me.

[JAMdisco]

Bit of a generalisation there.
Text me and I would cancel my booking.

I didn't realise I was doing your party :D


All it says to me is that you are too lazy to phone but maybe that is just my reading of it.:rolleyes:

What I was trying to say is that they sometimes send song requests by text and I'll text them back to say ok.

[Sam]

Rob,
We operate differently.
I always speak to clients on the phone and very often meet the client.
And email is much more formal than a text in my opinion.


I didn't realise I was doing your party :D.
I forgot to tell you :D



What I was trying to say is that they sometimes send song requests by text and I'll text them back to say ok.
Well that is fair enough if they text you and then you text back.
I just would not text in the way Rob did to chase up a booking - it "aint my style luv" :cool:

[rob1963]

Rob,
We operate differently.
I always speak to clients on the phone and very often meet the client.
And email is much more formal than a text in my opinion.


Sam,

To be honest, I would like to speak to more customers on the phone. That's why I've recently added a phone number field & preferred contact method field to the enquiry form on my website, but nearly all of them still state that they want a reply by email.

I would also like to meet more potential clients in advance than I currently do. I even added some text to my home page saying that I am happy to visit them to discuss their requirements, but I still only have 10% to 20% wanting to take me up on this offer.

At the end of the day, I can make recommendations & suggestions, but I don't want to push anything onto customers, so if they don't want to speak to me on the phone or meet me beforehand, that's their choice.

[theoloyla]

As others have said you need to telephone them and have a friendly chat to say that you have another enquiry for that date and that if they want to go ahead you really need the contract and deposit back in 48 hours. If they do not respond then write to them cancelling the booking.

[BeerFunk]

Rob,
We operate differently.
I always speak to clients on the phone and very often meet the client.
And email is much more formal than a text in my opinion.

Well that is fair enough if they text you and then you text back.
I just would not text in the way Rob did to chase up a booking - it "aint my style luv" :cool:I think texting is catching up on email as a semi-formal method of communication. I receive confirmation texts from orders and bills that I pay online, and that's coming from big name companies.

All of my bookings at a club I play regularly are done by text. And that's not just now that I've gotten to know the owner, he's always texted me the dates - I text back - and then he puts them up on the calendar.

I suppose it is a perceptive thing, some people may think that it's not the way to do things, some people will.

[theoloyla]

Anything happened Rob?

[rob1963]

Not yet, Theo.

I decided to call the guy & ask if he wants to go ahead. If he says yes, I'll tell him in that case I'll need the paperwork back within the next x days, as I've had another enquiry for the same date.

I tried calling his mobile just before I left for work last night, but I got his voicemail, and I don't like those things, so I left it.

My plan is to call him again on Sunday, as I'm around for most of the day, so I can try in the daytime as well as the evening.

I will update this thread with any information on what happens.

[PropellerHeadCase]

I think text is horribly informal if txt-spk is used, but if you use proper, gramatical English I think it is a reasonable fallback when other methods are exhausted and you need the immediacy of a txt.

I find email to be the best for advising clients of anything, especially when there are multiple points to be made, if the content of an email is urgent I will occasionally send a text advising of an important email (not everyone has a BlackBerry!).

I will always talk to a client during initial contact or as soon as we are far enough into the booking process for me to have a phone number (some people are coy about giving their numbers out initially)... of course this all depends on how the client wants to be contacted and replying in the same format as the client is contacting you is reasonable, I think, unless an escalation is suitable.

[theoloyla]

Not yet, Theo.

I decided to call the guy & ask if he wants to go ahead. If he says yes, I'll tell him in that case I'll need the paperwork back within the next x days, as I've had another enquiry for the same date.

I tried calling his mobile just before I left for work last night, but I got his voicemail, and I don't like those things, so I left it.


Whyever not? Just a leave a message aksing him to ring you back urgently.

[rob1963]

Whyever not? Just a leave a message asking him to ring you back urgently.

Whyever not?

Because I've already been waiting 5 weeks, so a couple more days won't make any difference.

I'll try & get hold of him on Sunday, and if I can't, then I'll leave a message on Sunday evening asking him to call me back urgently.

:)

[theoloyla]

Rob James - "Procrastinators R Us" :)

[rob1963]

Rob James - "Procrastinators R Us" :)

Sorry Theo, I don't understand any words that long.

I'm a bit thick, you know.

[Penfold42]

Rob James - "Procrastinators R Us" :)


Sorry Theo, I don't understand any words that long.

I'm a bit thick, you know.

Well look it up tomorrow then............:p

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D

[Corabar Steve]

& make sure you take plenty of time to do it :sj:

[Penfold42]

:Laugh: :Laugh: :Laugh: :Laugh: :Laugh: :Laugh:

[nigelwright7557]

I recently went to visit some prospective clients about their wedding reception, and after a short discussion I gave them the price & was told they wanted to book me.

I took the details and told them I would send them the booking form the following day, which they would need to complete & return with a £50 deposit within two weeks, and on receipt I would send them confirmation of the booking and a music request form. The next day I posted the paperwork with a covering letter asking them to return the booking form with their deposit within two weeks.

Two weeks later, I'd not had the form & deposit, so I waited a few more days, then rather than send a chaser letter, as I'd met them both, I thought I'd send a text to ask if they received the paperwork which I'd sent.

I had a text back saying yes, thanks very much, so I sent a reply thanking them for letting me know & asking them to return the paperwork as soon as possible, to which I received no reply.

I've still not heard anything.

Tomorrow it will be five weeks since I sent the paperwork, which the covering letter said should be returned within TWO weeks!

What do you think I should do now?


I have had 2 bookings cancel recently after I reminded them about a deposit !

If they cant afford a deposit then I have no chance for the full fee so maybe better they cancelled...........

[rob1963]

Just to tie up this thread, I left a voicemail & also sent an email about this, and I finally had an email back today as follows:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rob

Apologies for the delay and messing you about. If you have another potential booking I suggest you take that. We have a mate, Des Paul who works for Capital Radio and he said he may have someone to do it for free. I am waiting for him to come back to me, hence the delay.

Once again sorry and good luck

Paul

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I thanked him for his reply & said that I'd contact the (non-existant) person making the other enquiry, and if they decided not to go ahead & I was still available, then I'd let him know.

I won't be messed about, so needless to say, I won't be contacting him again, whether I get another enquiry/booking for the same date or NOT.

:bang:

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

I mean, who would want Des Paul from Capital, whhen they could of had Rob James from Radio Cheesy (or whatever it was called!) :sj:

[rob1963]

I mean, who would want Des Paul from Capital, when they could of had Rob James from Radio Cheesy (or whatever it was called!) :sj:

Just what I was thinking, Darren!

:D :D :D

[nigelwright7557]

I recently went to visit some prospective clients about their wedding reception, and after a short discussion I gave them the price & was told they wanted to book me.

I took the details and told them I would send them the booking form the following day, which they would need to complete & return with a £50 deposit within two weeks, and on receipt I would send them confirmation of the booking and a music request form. The next day I posted the paperwork with a covering letter asking them to return the booking form with their deposit within two weeks.

Two weeks later, I'd not had the form & deposit, so I waited a few more days, then rather than send a chaser letter, as I'd met them both, I thought I'd send a text to ask if they received the paperwork which I'd sent.

I had a text back saying yes, thanks very much, so I sent a reply thanking them for letting me know & asking them to return the paperwork as soon as possible, to which I received no reply.

I've still not heard anything.

Tomorrow it will be five weeks since I sent the paperwork, which the covering letter said should be returned within TWO weeks!

What do you think I should do now?

For my previous disco I never took deposits, I just turned up, did the gig and got paid at the end of the night, and never had any problems.

With my current disco I always ask for £20-£30 deposit and the amount of back words I have had on gigs is unbelievable.

I can only guess people dont like the hassle of having to fill in forms and find a deposit and then pop them in the post.

All you can do is get in touch and explain the situation in as polite a manner as yo ucan.

[Shaun]

For my previous disco I never took deposits, I just turned up, did the gig and got paid at the end of the night, and never had any problems.

With my current disco I always ask for £20-£30 deposit and the amount of back words I have had on gigs is unbelievable.

I can only guess people dont like the hassle of having to fill in forms and find a deposit and then pop them in the post.

All you can do is get in touch and explain the situation in as polite a manner as yo ucan.

Really??. Can't say I've ever encountered that type of situation and my average deposit is more than 3 times what you stated. I've never had a single person query the paperwork or payment.

[nigelwright7557]

Really??. Can't say I've ever encountered that type of situation and my average deposit is more than 3 times what you stated. I've never had a single person query the paperwork or payment.

Mind you, I have moved house from a prosperous area to a less prosperous area. Could be why ?

[Corabar Steve]

I won't be messed about, so needless to say, I won't be contacting him again, whether I get another enquiry/booking for the same date or NOT.

:bang:

Cutting off one's nose to spite one's face?

[rob1963]

With my current disco I always ask for £20-£30 deposit and the amount of back words I have had on gigs is unbelievable.

I can only guess people dont like the hassle of having to fill in forms and find a deposit and then pop them in the post.


Really??. Can't say I've ever encountered that type of situation and my average deposit is more than 3 times what you stated. I've never had a single person query the paperwork or payment.

I've never had that problem either, Shaun.

After all, how many wedding service providers can you book WITHOUT having to fill out a form and/or paying a deposit?


Cutting off one's nose to spite one's face?

Steve, if I was desperate for work, then you'd be right, but in reality that couldn't be further from the truth.

I refuse to be messed about, and if that means I lose one or two bookings a year, I really don't have a problem with that.

I answer most emails within 6 hours & post all paperwork well within 24 hours. Clients have 2 weeks to return the booking form with their deposit, which I think is plenty of time.

As for keeping my paperwork for FIVE weeks without either returning it or contacting me to explain the delay, I find this wholly unacceptable, and therefore refuse to deal with people like this.

[wensleydale]

I've never had that problem either, Shaun.


As for keeping my paperwork for FIVE weeks without either returning it or contacting me to explain the delay, I find this wholly unacceptable, and therefore refuse to deal with people like this.

I think the main point is being missed here.....

Do you have another enquiry for that night?

If so then great.

If not, then surely your best bet is to leave as is, drop them an email once a week to remind them and then see what happens.

You dont lose anything if you havent got other work and getting ar$ey about when they should return the paperwork isnt worth it---- people organising a wedding will have other things on their plate.

[rob1963]

Do you have another enquiry for that night?


No, and I'm not likely to get one either, as it was for a Friday, which I get very little work for...It's normally my night off.


If not, then surely your best bet is to leave as is, drop them an email once a week to remind them and then see what happens.

I disagree.

Where do you draw the line?

What if I had 20 other clients the same?

Do you think I should sit here sending 20 emails every week to try and find out whether any of them have the vaguest idea of whether they might eventually be going ahead with their booking?


You dont lose anything if you havent got other work

Yes I do.....I lose the hassle!


getting ar$ey about when they should return the paperwork isnt worth it

I wasn't getting ar$ey at all, I simply asked them to contact me to let me know if they still wanted to go ahead with the booking, as I hadn't heard from them 5 weeks after sending the paperwork. I'm not psychic!

What's the point of having terms & conditions if I'm not going to enforce them?

If I booked a service, then broke their terms & conditions BIG TIME without contacting them to offer any explanation or apology, and I then received a letter advising they had cancelled my booking, I'd think that was very reasonable in the circumstances.


people organising a wedding will have other things on their plate.

Of course they will, and yet around 995 of my 1,000 wedding clients managed to return the booking form well within the required two weeks.

[Vectis]

My take on this is that Rob's potential client either:

a) really doesn't care about the disco provider, anyone/anything will do

or

b) is dazzled by the prospect of some Z-list "celeb" and is looking forward to milking it for years to come (anyone remember the "I was Molly Sugden's bridesmaid" sketch? :D )


Not so sure I'd want a client like this either; I'm not sure I could put the normal level of commitment in should the booking proceed.

[rob1963]

My take on this is that Rob's potential client either:

a) really doesn't care about the disco provider, anyone/anything will do

or

b) is dazzled by the prospect of some Z-list "celeb" and is looking forward to milking it for years to come (anyone remember the "I was Molly Sugden's bridesmaid" sketch? :D )


Not so sure I'd want a client like this either; I'm not sure I could put the normal level of commitment in should the booking proceed.

Spot on, Vectis...especially with point a.

I was quite surprised they wanted me to visit them to be honest, as they hardly asked me any questions...in fact I was the one asking nearly all the questions!

Good luck to them!