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Shakermaker Promotions
20-04-2010, 10:58 PM
Hi all,

A few months ago I got chatting to one of the cashiers in my bank. She mentioned that she was getting married and it just happened to be at my new hotel residency. She asked if it was going to be me that was doing the DJing. After checking my dates out etc etc, I realised that it wasn't me as I was booked elsewhere so I checked with the manager. He informed me that it was a booking from late last year that he had already sorted the DJ for and it was the last Disco that the guy would be doing at the hotel (He said he would tell him afterwards that he would be using someone else...as in ME...even though I have done a number of Discos there since the turn of the year).

The wedding was 3 weeks ago and today was the first time I had seen the Bride back at work so I asked her how everything went.

She was not happy at all.

She said that the actual day itself and the hotel were brilliant. She praised the manager and everything that he did and said she couldn't fault it as it was more than she could have wished for. She said the big disappointment was the Disco...well, more the DJ so I asked why.

She said that she had a conversation with the DJ over the phone and he seemed pleasant enough. She told him about her first dance etc (a Carpenters track) and wanted to make sure that he had it. Apparently he said "Yeah, no problem...I have a number of their albums". When it came to the night itself, she said she went up to him early in the night to let him know that they would be doing their first dance at around 8.30pm. She was told that she would HAVE to pick a different song as he realised that he didn't have it!!!!!!

Now, that is outrageous in my opinion.

She told me that on her wedding day, she had to ask one of her guests to go to her house and get the Disc with the song on so he could play it as she wanted that song and nothing else (and rightly so). This meant that their first dance was delayed and she said she had guests asking what the delay was. She said that rather than cause a scene...she told them that it was her that had forgotten the Disc.

She then went on to say that the DJ didn't play any of their requests. She said they specifically asked for lots of 70s and 80s and that was more or less ignored as there was lots of chart stuff. I asked what the DJ looked like and when she described him I realised that it was infact the bloke I have replaced and the same one that had undercut me at my previous residency. I asked if he was dressed smartly and she said "He had a T-Shirt and Jeans on but I wasn't bothered about what he was wearing".

I really felt sorry for her. She is a lovely girl, quite chilled out and softly spoken. She said she got very annoyed because no'one seemed to warm to the DJ. She said it felt like he was there for his own pleasure and not hers but the main thing was the first dance being mucked up.

Why couldn't the guy just download the track and make sure that he had it?

I said to her that I know it's late but it would never have happened if I was there and he is a classic example of what is bad about this industry.

Just thought I'd share that. Now I'm off to bed.
Night!

Solitaire Events Ltd
20-04-2010, 11:05 PM
It makes me wonder why the Hotel were recommending him to start with. (Apart from price maybe)

rob1963
20-04-2010, 11:11 PM
I never understand why DJs don't play requests anyway, but you're right...the most important song of the whole night is the first dance, so for a DJ not to even check whether he has that is completely outrageous.

I always ask for advance requests, and I download every single song I don't already have...even though in many cases I don't have time to play all their requests anyway.

Jambo
20-04-2010, 11:12 PM
In this day and age of digital downloads not having the brides "first Dance" track is unacceptable!

Shakermaker Promotions
21-04-2010, 08:10 AM
Totally agree!
I've been in a number of meetings with customers before and they have said about giving me a CD for their first dance just incase I don't have the song they want for their first dance. I always say to them that it's my job to have what they want and they are paying me. As you said Jambo, these days you can have the track within seconds because of digital downloads so I think it's simply (or was simply) a case of the DJ not being bothered.

Darren - I thought the same thing at first mate. The thing is, the Manager at this hotel is TOTALLY different to the one at my previous hotel. He is a very decent bloke and is 'hands on'. You will always see him around the hotel mucking in with everybody and not sat hiding away in his office out of the way of everything. In 4 years at the previous hotel, I saw the Manager twice and actually spoke to him once. This Manager...well, I can chat with him like I would anyone else. He is down to earth and as he said "My door is always open if you want to come and see me..".

Because he is the way he is, I think he also sticks to his word. I had done a number of private bookings at the hotel in the past but had never met him before. Over the christmas period (they gave me 8 bookings) I saw him on every occasion and it was then that he said that he would like to use me for future bookings (plus the fact that I did the wedding fayre favour for the C&B Manager). We had a chat at the time regarding dates and on this particular occasion I wasn't available due to another booking so I think he just stuck with this other DJ as it was the last one he was going to do and he'd already booked it with him.

Lastly, in all honesty....The DJ in question (according to the Manager), isn't that bad. It's just his attitude and dress sense etc that lets him down. I spoke to a couple of members of staff when I was down there the week after and they weren't very complimentary at all. They were glad to see the back of him. It's just a shame that this Bride had to have him and her experience wasn't that great.

sleah
22-04-2010, 10:29 AM
I always ask for advance requests, and I download every single song I don't already have...even though in many cases I don't have time to play all their requests anyway.
Me too.
And it wouldn't be the first time I've sent over £10~15 on downloads for a specific event then only played a couple of them (for various reasons).
But that doesn't matter does it? It's part of providing the best service you can.:)

If I can't source a 'special' track I will always let the customer know, giving them the opportunity to source it and bring it to the function or even pass it to me beforehand to save them forgetting on the day.

Paul The Party Dj
22-04-2010, 11:22 AM
Thanks for posting this one Gary.

It's such a shame that idiots like that screw up peoples big day - as has been said already - there is no excuse! The guy should be shot! The hotel now have a proper DJ to call on, but they are also guilty of poor service because they knew the guy wasn't much good.

Thank goodness most of us care!

Megamix
22-04-2010, 10:46 PM
this guy didn’t have the decency to respect the wishes of the client - why is he even in this business - feel she has been let down badly by someone who didn’t give a toss