Never Nice to hear.....

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Just had a phonecall from the Father of the Bride whose Wedding I was booked for in September. He was very upset and said that the Wedding has had to be cancelled. I didn't ask why. He was very apologetic and asked me if I needed paying in full. I advised that the booking fee had been paid and that was enough. I know the date will get filled but...well, I just feel a bit bad as the Bride used to come to my monthly Alternative Nights. I didn't know her well but she always said that she wanted me to DJ at her Wedding.

Ok, all cancellations aren't nice but somehow I feel really bad whenever a Wedding is cancelled. This has been booked with me for well over a year and booking fee paid and everything. I have only ever had 2 Weddings cancelled before this. One was because unfortunately the Bride had passed away and the other was because the Groom had been playing away.

First cancellation of the year. Bit of a weird day really as it's been busy with enquiries and I've converted a couple into bookings too.

Am I the only one that feels bad if a Wedding is cancelled or should I toughen up a bit?

[STEVE HANLEY]

I had a wedding cancel on me last year. The B&G both worked in the same department of the DSS or somewhere similar and with all the government cut backs were both made redundant on the same day (6 Months before the wedding)

I kept their deposit and said I would hold it over until their circumstances changed. They were fine with that, but still no word since.

[Shaun]

Am I the only one that feels bad if a Wedding is cancelled or should I toughen up a bit?

I never feel bad.

[tongue in cheek]
(unless it's close the the event but just outside the window where full paymewnt is owed....then I feel bad for me in those instances :d).
[/tongue in cheek]

Cancellations are just part of business. If anything I think of it as a bonus as I keep the deposit and I have a chance of re-filling the date. :zip: :whistle:

[Shakermaker Promotions]

I knew someone would come up with that last comment Shaun and the smilies too!
Don't get me wrong, I'm not having a go either because I am sure that deep down loads of us all think the same. I'll do exactly that.

[Excalibur]

Am I the only one that feels bad if a Wedding is cancelled or should I toughen up a bit?

I wouldn't have said so. I had one cancelled last year for June this year. I've done birthdays and weddings for the family previously, so it was sad.

[Kernow]

Am I the only one that feels bad if a Wedding is cancelled or should I toughen up a bit?

You're certainly not alone Gary. Although it's often held that 'there is no room for sentiment in business'. When you've established an empathy and a rapport with your customers as (in my opinion), you certainly should, then you would need to be made of cold hard stone not to feel for them.
Whatever the reason, you have to respect them for telling you as soon as they knew, giving you ample opportunity to re-book the date :)

[CRAZY K]

Just had a phonecall from the Father of the Bride whose Wedding I was booked for in September. He was very upset and said that the Wedding has had to be cancelled. I didn't ask why. He was very apologetic and asked me if I needed paying in full. I advised that the booking fee had been paid and that was enough. I know the date will get filled but...well, I just feel a bit bad as the Bride used to come to my monthly Alternative Nights. I didn't know her well but she always said that she wanted me to DJ at her Wedding.

Ok, all cancellations aren't nice but somehow I feel really bad whenever a Wedding is cancelled. This has been booked with me for well over a year and booking fee paid and everything. I have only ever had 2 Weddings cancelled before this. One was because unfortunately the Bride had passed away and the other was because the Groom had been playing away.

First cancellation of the year. Bit of a weird day really as it's been busy with enquiries and I've converted a couple into bookings too.

Am I the only one that feels bad if a Wedding is cancelled or should I toughen up a bit?

I think apart from the tragic type of problems like death--most couples these days give a LOT of thought before committing to Marriage--so very few get cancelled --back in the 60s/ 70s EVERYONE got Married as a matter of course and we experienced a lot more cancellations caused by a general falling out between the B and G.:eek:

Having said that my Wedding booking last week (7th) got cancelled for reasons unknown--first time for a very long time--:confused:

But hey it was my Birthday so I went out anyway with my wife and friends:beer1: :beer1: :beer1: :beer1: :beer1: :beer1: :beer1: :beer1: :beer1: :beer1: :beer1:

I wouldnt worry Gary--you will get used to it.!

[soundsation]

I had a wedding cancel on me this year too. I did the Brides birthday twice, the grooms birthday, and the engagement party, along with some friends parties too. The wedding had been booked since 2010 and end of last year i found out the man had been "playing away from home". The couple had been together since they were 14 and had a little boy together. Was a shame to here they had split up. Especially as i had built up a relationship with the family through the parties i had done for them over the last few years. Regardless of the deposit now being seen as a bit of a bonus, i would have rather just done the wedding

[simonp]

should I toughen up a bit?

Yup, man up :p

[Creature]

why get harder - its that sensitivity that makes us just that little bit more human.

Must admit had my 1st cancellation this year as well a 2 day booking - the club arnt prepaired to take the rick of not enough people turning up to reach break even :(

[chrisj]

I had an email the other day from a couple who had booked me for their wedding in May and paid deposit. In the email it said 'One of our ex's has completely screwed us over financially and we can't get married until this is sorted and it may end up having to go to court.'
'But we would still want you for our wedding which may be next year, will you hold the deposit?'
I will hold the deposit as I am sure I will get another booking as I have already 2 more enquiries.

[Gary]

I charge a cancellation fee to individual hirers, although I would waive that in some of the circumstances mentioned above.

I don't however charge a cancellation fee to venues and/or other repeat hirers. I got 4 "last minute" (well, ranging from "this weekend" to 6 months away) bookings last year from two nearby hotels who share resources, info etc, because one of them knew I had ProDub, and one of the things which apparently kept me in their minds was that I hadnt charged their other hotel a canx fee previously.

[paul1404]

I had a crying bride last year - agency i used to work for let me down and did not supply a bubble machine for her 1st dance - she was like crying on her wedding day - felt well bad - I no longer work for this agency - 1st and last time Ive let a customer down - I hated every minute of the disco

[Charlie Brown]

I had a crying bride last year - agency i used to work for let me down and did not supply a bubble machine for her 1st dance - she was like crying on her wedding day - felt well bad - I no longer work for this agency - 1st and last time Ive let a customer down - I hated every minute of the disco

I understand where you're coming from but would you really cry over a few bubbles?

[Shakermaker Promotions]

If she really wanted it then of course she was upset.

[sonicdj]

I was supposed to be doing a 50th Birthday party in December, this was postponed until this saturday as the birthday boy had to go into hospital for an operation, just after the new year I had a call from his brother saying that the operation went well but unfortunately complications set in afterwards and he subsequently died.
I refunded the booking fee. sometihing I normally wouldnt do however on this occasion for reasons best not to mention here I did.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

So, 3 days later and I have just filled the date with another wedding which includes Uplighting too at one of my regular venues out of town.

Interesting bit of information with reference to the original booking that was cancelled on Monday. The Father of the Bride that called me to cancel on Monday actually emailed me this morning and apologised for the cancellation again. He said that the Wedding was cancelled as the couple recently split up but he didn't give any details. He also asked me for a quote for a Disco for his birthday in November.

I know I don't HAVE to but I will give him a discount and tell him too.

[musicologydisco]

I would refund the wedding out of decency.

[Danno13]

I would refund the wedding out of decency.

Which is fine, as long as your not running a business. Can you get a proportial refund on all your expenses because the Wedding isn't going ahead?

[musicologydisco]

Less an "admin fee" if you like. But hey the date's been filled so no money lost, and the bloke wants to book his birthday with him. I wouldn't feel comfortable profiting from other's misfortune but that's me. Just from a morality point of view.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Less an "admin fee" if you like. But hey the date's been filled so no money lost, and the bloke wants to book his birthday with him. I wouldn't feel comfortable profiting from other's misfortune but that's me. Just from a morality point of view.

I thought I had made it quite clear as to what I was doing with reference to this.

You book a ticket to go and see a gig. You pay a booking fee on top. If you decide to cancel your night out going to the gig for whatever reason, you wouldn't get the booking fee back.

You book a hotel room, most of the time you have to pay in advance (not all the time, I know that). If you don't end up using the room, you wouldn't get your money back and the hotel MIGHT sell it on again at a cheaper price to get it filled.

This booking was made with me well over a year ago and the booking fee was paid at the time. The father calls me and says that it's had to be cancelled. I now know that no'one has died (thankfully) and it isn't as bad as I expected and the couple have split up. Whatever the reason is of no interest to me just the same as if I didn't go the gig I had booked a ticket for...the ticket company wouldn't be interested either as would the hotel if I didn't turn up.

The father said he realised that the booking fee was non-refundable and asked if he needed to pay anything else. I advised him that he didn't.
Now, I don't HAVE to discount anything if I don't want to BUT I have said that I will do. As far as I am concerned, the booking fee is not going to be refunded, why should it be? It says in my T&C's that it's non-refundable and the customer knows that.
At the end of the day it's down to my descretion. If the worst case scenario had been the reason for the cancellation then maybe I would have acted differently but again, I don't have to.

I am sitting here thinking that I am coming across as someone that has no feelings whatsoever when the purpose of my thread was because I did feel bad. Yes, I have filled the date again....so what? I have said I will do a discount and what that is, is my business but there will be one.

[musicologydisco]

Sorry, thought it had been paid in full not just deposit. No deposit refund, fair enough.That's what it's there for!

Again apologies. I mis read your OP. Must concentrate! :daft:

[Shakermaker Promotions]

No problem mate.

[Charlie Brown]

Sorry, thought it had been paid in full not just deposit. No deposit refund, fair enough.That's what it's there for!

But you don't take deposits, so what would you have done?

[musicologydisco]

Taken the hit. Doesn't happen often.

[Charlie Brown]

Taken the hit. Doesn't happen often.

Fair enough!

Isn't there a law whereby you could include something in your T&C's like a cancellation fee?

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Charlie, what are you on today?
I don't expect this post to be up here for long but you just look like you are looking for trouble today.

[musicologydisco]

They have to pay in full if cancelled within 2 weeks of the event. I think a "No deposit" policy works well as a selling point and shows immediately that I am taking the booking in good faith and am rarely messed about.


Charlie, what are you on today?
I don't expect this post to be up here for long but you just look like you are looking for trouble today.

He's not upsetting me in the least.

[Charlie Brown]

Charlie, what are you on today?
I don't expect this post to be up here for long but you just look like you are looking for trouble today.

Not at all. I was just curious as to how you can deter people from cancelling willy nilly...


They have to pay in full if cancelled within 2 weeks of the event. I think a "No deposit" policy works well as a selling point and shows immediately that I am taking the booking in good faith and am rarely messed about.

:beer1: Gottcha.

[musicologydisco]

I should say, however, that I no longer accept bookings from anyone under 25 as the ones that did cancel tended to be the youngsters!

[DazzyD]

They have to pay in full if cancelled within 2 weeks of the event. I think a "No deposit" policy works well as a selling point and shows immediately that I am taking the booking in good faith and am rarely messed about.



He's not upsetting me in the least.

I have to disagree as think taking a deposit and issuing a contract is a definite selling point. This is especially true in the wedding market. When people have paid a deposit and signed a contract they tend to feel more comfortable that you're going to turn up and not let them down. When dealing with clients it comes across to me that their biggest fear is that the DJ will let them down. I've even taken on bookings for kids parties (where I never used to take a deposit) whereby the clients have insisted on paying a deposit as they didn't want their "little darlings" to be disappointed.

[Excalibur]

I'm fairly much with young Darren on this one. Many clients like the security of written contracts.

[DeckstarDeluxe]

I should say, however, that I no longer accept bookings from anyone under 25 as the ones that did cancel tended to be the youngsters!

Good lord what a shocking way to do business

[Excalibur]

I should say, however, that I no longer accept bookings from anyone under 25 as the ones that did cancel tended to be the youngsters!


Good lord what a shocking way to do business

Not necessarily shocking, but certainly disappointing and restrictive.