A toughie

[funkymike]

Dont know what to do here, so I need all your input

I have been booked for a wedding in November in a local hotel, been booked for 3 months, now this is where it gets complicated..... The guy that owns the hotel also owns a few houses in my area where I live and I rented one from him 4-5 yrs ago, it ended up going to court as there where problems with the house, things like very dodgy electric and no hot water as the house was dare i say ' in need of repair' however he refused any type of repair, and after a few months through the courts I left the house for pastures new, yes there was rent oweing however at the time he was not interested as long as I left the house...case closed. no hard feeling, once we left he done all the work and rented it out through a agency for twice the money, hey ho thats life, anyway also just after this I done a school leaving ball at the hotel, I admite it run over by 10 mins and perhaps was a bit loud, I apologised and said in case of a riot with drunk kids, i felt at the time it was the best course of action rather than just to stop bang on 11pm. Anyway sorries where said and on my way, that was 4 yrs ago, I have since been back to the hotel on a few weddings and parties and got a few clubs to hold there meeting there and have always exknowledged my ex landlord and the leaving ball and been on my best behaviour and proffesional attitude concidering our past together.

Well tonight I had a call from the bride to be and she has cancelled me! and was told be the hotel owner I was banned form the hotel due to being to loud and over running on time (the school leavers do) so I phoned the hotel owner to enquier about this thinking he has confussed me with someone else only to be told very rudely that its nothing to do with the ball of 5 yrs ago but the fact that i went to court over the house, and iam not allowed into the hotel ever again....to say iam confused and angry is a understatement, but i have no idea were i stand on this, i have a letter of conformation from the bride to be and was waiting a payment ( not gonna get that now), I was also told if I turned up on the day he would not allow me even to set up!! regardless thats its a wedding reception.

I realise what goes around comes around but after doing other gigs at the hotel over the years Iam at a complete loss of what to do, plus I have to ring the bride tobe to explain why I cant go there, and the bride has no disco as yet for there wedding reception in 3 weeks time.

any thoughts/advice would really be helpful

cheers

mike

[spin mobile disco]

Well my forst thoughts are that he is very unpreffesional. It might be worth contacting a soilciter as he lied by saying you were to loud over run etc as he said it wasnt to do with previous booking. May be able to get him for defemation of character and loss of earnings.

[dj-jaym]

Whats your terms and conditions with bride you may be able to get her pay full if its under 30days before event !

[Dragonfly]

that is a real toughie just a thought ...... if the bride hadnt given your name to the hotel and you had turned up on the day would he have said sorry mate youre banned?? that would look awful on his hotel ....sounds to me he has seen an oppurtunity to get revenge which is just slightly childish. in the end mate it is him who will be seen in a bad light because of his bully tactics and not allowing a paying customer to have what they want at THEIR wedding thats what centre page spreads are made of..... putting his personal feud before his customers not good but dont really know what to say to you.

[Shaun]

I would definitely be taking legal advice in this situation. I fear your too close to the event date to get it resolved in time for the wedding though. :(

[Candybeatdiscos]

I would suggest to leave it, simply put I would put it down to experiance, explain the real reason to the bride, and make sure that anyone who tries to book you for functions at that hotel that you will not do the work because of previous problems with the hotel and namely the owner, he will lose more business than you, because once word gets out that you refuse to work that particular hotel then people will switch thier venue's.

[A1DL]

arrive on time as per your contract, if you are subsequently disallowed access to set up and fulfil your contractual obligations, contact the bride for her to resolve with the hotel (you have no contract with the venue, however the bride does).

If the bride subsequently wants to cancel, obtain this from her in writing before leaving site, and invoke normal payment procedure (i.e. if you were being paid on the evening, you should obtain this before leaving site)

HTH

[Candybeatdiscos]

why should the bride have this additional hassle on her wedding day? also if he has to leave who does the music?

Can funkymike use another DJ? ie he works the night for you, yu simply turn up at the end of the night to collect the equipment. I have three guys who i can call upon to help me out of a tricky situation ie double booking, your situation or others...

If not could one of the forum members close to you perhaps not help you out? (come on guys any volunteers)

[Shaun]

You could also try to set up a meeting between the bride, the hotel owner and yourself. He may back down and let you perform at the wedding when faced with a bride that's upset that she has no entertainment because of his childish actions. You would have more chance of this working if the bride initiated the meeting.

[Dragonfly]

arrive on time as per your contract, if you are subsequently disallowed access to set up and fulfil your contractual obligations, contact the bride for her to resolve with the hotel (you have no contract with the venue, however the bride does).

If the bride subsequently wants to cancel, obtain this from her in writing before leaving site, and invoke normal payment procedure (i.e. if you were being paid on the evening, you should obtain this before leaving site)

HTH

can understand why you would do this but wouldnt it cause upset to the bride on her wedding day to have to get involved maybe if it was a works event or the like this could be done maybe .....and no im not suggesting for one minute that one gig is more important than another but that a wedding to my mind has much more emotion and personal significance to the client attached to it. think id be as upset as the bride if id in anyway jeapordised the smoothe running of her wedding. id personally explain and for go this one due to the close date and yes seek legal advice if you can afford it as to future events at this place.

you need to have a meeting asap with the couple and explain everything to them and ask them which direction they wish to persue the matter.

if they want minimal stress and find another provider .... maybe offer to help them ... remember this doesnt sound like your fault so make your customer service watertight.

[colinm345]

I would suggest to leave it, simply put I would put it down to experiance, explain the real reason to the bride, and make sure that anyone who tries to book you for functions at that hotel that you will not do the work because of previous problems with the hotel and namely the owner, he will lose more business than you, because once word gets out that you refuse to work that particular hotel then people will switch thier venue's.

SECONDED:teeth:

[dj-jaym]

Not at all, What contract has the bride signed ?

Follow proceadures hopefuly u will have a clause for full payment cancellation under 30 days, send her pre legal action letters, then get a moneyclaim (CCJ) on the go, She will soon pay up. At end of day youve lost out on business and why should you suffer !

[Candybeatdiscos]

Not at all, What contract has the bride signed ?

Follow proceadures hopefuly u will have a clause for full payment cancellation under 30 days, send her pre legal action letters, then get a moneyclaim (CCJ) on the go, She will soon pay up. At end of day youve lost out on business and why should you suffer !

yeah excellent idea....not

sorry for sounding cheeky, but put yourself in the customers shoes, you book a venue and dj in good faith and in the end have to pay twice for dj's or face a CCJ on your wedding day. For something that is not your fault, (not attaching blame to anyone here, although venue owner sounds to blame)

an average wedding costs 11k, do you think that they are gonna really be able to pay an extra £350 (my charge).?

there is already enough stress attached to organising a wedding, without someone else adding even more.

at the end of day this lady may well use funky again if he treats her with respect, ie birthdays, anniversaries etc, but if he starts to go all legal on her then he will have no chance.

Another suggestion is to help her find another DJ, and offer her a 10% discount on her next function, then when she calls for a quote for it price it originally at 10% over the usual price, give her the 10% off - hey win next business and saves face.

[paul2309]

Your reputation is worth far more than the money for 1 gig.

I would advise the client of the real reason that the hotel is refusing to allow you to perform there, and then try to help the client as much as possible.

Give her as many options as you can.

1. Get her to arrange a meeting between her and the venue, with you in attencance. As someone has already said, he may back down in a face to face meeting with the bride.

2. Offer the B2B any help she needs in finding another DJ.

Isn't it better if the customer talks about you to her friends as the DJ who did everything he could to help the customer out of a tricky situation, rather than the horrible **** who caused me so much grief on my wedding day.

[Candybeatdiscos]

Your reputation is worth far more than the money for 1 gig.

I would advise the client of the real reason that the hotel is refusing to allow you to perform there, and then try to help the client as much as possible.

Give her as many options as you can.

1. Get her to arrange a meeting between her and the venue, with you in attencance. As someone has already said, he may back down in a face to face meeting with the bride.

2. Offer the B2B any help she needs in finding another DJ.

Isn't it better if the customer talks about you to her friends as the DJ who did everything he could to help the customer out of a tricky situation, rather than the horrible **** who caused me so much grief on my wedding day.


hear hear....or is it here here?

[dj-jaym]

Well i think u would all think different if it was in your situation, Alot of you on hear make me wonder why you bother with contracts or paperwork because alot of you dont seem to honour them !. After all why bother getting her to sign something if your not gona pursue it ???????????? crazy

[Candybeatdiscos]

if the fault was firmly at the brides feet (ie she changed her mind and decided to get another dj etc) then sure i would pursue it, but sometimes in the intrests of customer satisfaction and getting repeat business then you need to bend even your own rules slightly.

Good business practise is built upon good customer service and showing inititve at treating each situation diffrently.

at the end of the day if every business went by the full rules then britains economy would have crumbled a long long time ago.

[colinm345]

Well i think u would all think different if it was in your situation, Alot of you on hear make me wonder why you bother with contracts or paperwork because alot of you dont seem to honour them !. After all why bother getting her to sign something if your not gona pursue it ???????????? crazy

Sorry beg to differ
I am with Lewnics on this one:)

[dj-jaym]

if the fault was firmly at the brides feet (ie she changed her mind and decided to get another dj etc) then sure i would pursue it, but sometimes in the intrests of customer satisfaction and getting repeat business then you need to bend even your own rules slightly.

Good business practise is built upon good customer service and showing inititve at treating each situation diffrently.

The bride should be in talks with the venue manager, She has a contract with the dj, The venue manager should not use a personal matter to ruin someones business reputation that hes worked hard for.

[dj-jaym]

Sorry beg to differ
I am with Lewnics on this one:)

Well each to there own

[funkymike]

Thanks for your replys and advice guys,
I spoke to the hotel owner again to suggest a meeting and he was having none of it, in fact he told me to **** off and put the phone down. ( I wouldnt mind but as I have done gigs there since it really dosnt make sence) also Iam not going to pursure the bride for money as its not there fault, how ever if anyone is free on the 11th November, give me a shout :teeth:

I have explained to the b2b about the real reason and she is not happy with the hotel and I think she will be having a word at some point, I also explained that due to short notice if she picks a dodgy dj that might ruin the reception then perhaps the hotel owner is liable.

We wait and see for the next instalment.

mike

I put it down to proffessional jealousy :teeth:

[Candybeatdiscos]

well done mike....tell you what for £500 i will come down and do it - not got much for november anyway...

[Corabar Entertainment]

Mike - I read this one with my jaw open! How unprofessional can that idiot be?????????????

Mind you, dj-jaym's reaction shocked me nearly as much! :omg:

Mike - you have a PM :teeth:

[dj-jaym]

Mike - I read this one with my jaw open! How unprofessional can that idiot be?????????????

Mind you, dj-jaym's reaction shocked me nearly as much! :omg:

Mike - you have a PM :teeth:

Corabar,

May av come as a shock but somethign similair happened to me, why should dj loose out like

[colinm345]

Well each to there own

Ditto:)

[Have a disco]

why should the bride have this additional hassle on her wedding day? also if he has to leave who does the music?

Can funkymike use another DJ? ie he works the night for you, yu simply turn up at the end of the night to collect the equipment. I have three guys who i can call upon to help me out of a tricky situation ie double booking, your situation or others...

If not could one of the forum members close to you perhaps not help you out? (come on guys any volunteers)

I would back this Idea up, also have you thought of sub-contracting this job to another disco whom has a poorer show than you. I wish I could help you But Im miles out of the way

[Shaun]

Despite my contract stating that the bride would still be liable to pay for the cost of the event, I definitely wouldn't pursue it in this case. Even though the hotel owner is in the wrong it would still because of something that's happened in my past. I'd pull out all the stops contacting every reputable disco I know to help her find a replacement entertainer.

None of this is your fault and it most definitely isn't the brides. I would do everying in my power to make sure the bride to be doesn't have any more worries than she already has.

[paul2309]

Well i think u would all think different if it was in your situation, Alot of you on hear make me wonder why you bother with contracts or paperwork because alot of you dont seem to honour them !. After all why bother getting her to sign something if your not gona pursue it ???????????? crazy

If it was not the customers fault, and can be established that it is not their fault, as in this case, I would even refund any deposit that they had paid.

But that's just me. I value my reputation and good name above the cost of the gig. Chances are, that if you help the customer, you could end up getting several bookings later, because of your good name being spread around by this customer. "Try this DJ, he was so helpful when I had problems".

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Charge the Hotel for your services instead Mike!!

[Corabar Entertainment]

If it was not the customers fault, and can be established that it is not their fault, as in this case, I would even refund any deposit that they had paid.

But that's just me. I value my reputation and good name above the cost of the gig. Chances are, that if you help the customer, you could end up getting several bookings later, because of your good name being spread around by this customer. "Try this DJ, he was so helpful when I had problems".Exactly!

[Shaun]

If it was not the customers fault, and can be established that it is not their fault, as in this case, I would even refund any deposit that they had paid.

But that's just me. I value my reputation and good name above the cost of the gig. Chances are, that if you help the customer, you could end up getting several bookings later, because of your good name being spread around by this customer. "Try this DJ, he was so helpful when I had problems".


I completely agree

[Have a disco]

I do feel that dj-jaym is right in effect is this not what wedding insurance is for ??? and solitaire is spot on charge the hotel for the services refused. turn up as agreed take the hotel to ccj for breach of contract, the bride still can get another disco and make any claim on the wedding insurance as this was not her or your problem but just the venues. You have a solid case of obstruction to do the job

Personally Im supprised you have not confronted the manager face to face yet and pulled out the trump card ie ruining the brides day and him acting unprofessionally and that you could effectively send his business to coventry!! on word of mouth etc etc. He could find himself without a hotel in less than a year

[Corabar Entertainment]

Iturn up as agreed take the hotel to ccj for breach of contractThere is no contract between the DJ & the venue

[Have a disco]

No but the venue is effectively blocking the booking so the bride can make a claim on the wedding insurance and this is constructive obstruction which is personal against the disco owner

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

There is no contract between the DJ & the venue

This being the case, how can the Hotel then not allow Mike to play there?

[Corabar Entertainment]

This being the case, how can the Hotel then not allow Mike to play there?It is the Bride & Groom who have the contract with the venue, and therefore it is only they who would be able to take the venue to court (and they probably would have a good claim because he would be unable to justify his reasoning). There are such things as 'Third Party Rights' in a contract, but I doubt that they would be applicable in this case (although without seeing the contract between the B&G and the venue, it's hard to confirm either way for certain). However, you will probably find that in the small print in the hotel paperwork that they reserve the right to refuse entry on to the premises to anyone. For example, if there were troublemakers at the do, they would be able to throw them out, etc

Badger - an awful lot of couples don't have insurance, and in any event, the long-term cost of making things awkward for the Bride & Groom could be an awful lot more than the loss of the fee for the gig: a reputation takes a long time to build up, but can be ruined much quicker!

We too have been in a situation where a customer has had to cancel our services as a result of a venue being awkward, and we did not pursue the money from them: I made sure that they knew that under the terms of the contract they were obliged to pay, but that under the circumstances we wouldn't be claiming it. They were extremely grateful (as money was tight), but at last count, we have had around a dozen referrals as a result of that kind gesture.

[funkymike]

Thanks for all your help guys, Iam not gonna supply another dj for her but I will pass on the contact numbers I have been given, so she can make her own choice (just incase things go bad I dont want her coming back to me)

Plus i dont want to send in a bad disco either, not on a wedding, thats cruel, be funny but cruel, where I live is a small town Iam sure I will bump into them at some point.

As for the hotel, iam booked there next year for the school leavers ball again (4th time) so will be intesting to see how that one unfolds.

Well least I shall have a saturday off in a few weeks, might do the xmas shopping instead :teeth: :teeth:


nice one

Mike

[Dragonfly]

just wanted to say mike i think you have taken this very nobley and professionally and although it quite obviously is personal you have not been effin and jeffin and threatening to burn hotels down but kept your head and done the right thing by your customer im sure there are times when we all will look back at this thread.

[Candybeatdiscos]

but then again if you want the hotel burnt down....name your price....lol

[djgordyp]

Well each to there own

would you never use common sense in situations like this. It's not funky's fault nor the b2b. I agree with the earlier post that your reputation is worth more than 1 gig. If solicitors get involved it will only reflect badly on funky when it should be the hotel owner who looks bad.

I would guess the bride probably panicked when she heard that she would have to find another dj.

Indeed there are two seperate contracts here. One between the b2b and the hotel and the b2b and funky. I would suggest that the bride checks her contract to see if there are any conditions in the it regarding entertainment. If not then chances are then the hotel is in breach of their contract.

By all means put customer services first (not yourself) and contact the bride ASAP and explain the situation fully.

The more you study this situation the more clear cut it seems to be.

[djgordyp]

As for the owners excuse that funky didn't stop on time at a previous function. Most weddings that I have played at always ran over the alloted time. Not once did this ever cause problems with the venue involved as most of them realise this is likely to happen anyway. providing you don't overdo it of course.

In fact one hotel I used to play in, one of the senior bar staff would come up to me near the end of the night "what time are you playing to" me "I don't know, I wasn't given a time. What time are you closing the bar?", barman "I'll go and see the bride". Although finishing time was usually between 1.30 and 2 am. So a little common sense all round goes a long way.

[Ricesnaps]

Charge the Hotel for your services instead Mike!!
Mike,

Seriously, I think this is a very sensible way to go - you may not have a contract with the hotel, but it is indeed there fault and there's only that you cannot provide there client with a disco. Personally I would persue a small claims case for the total cost of your services at the very least - you are out of pocket and it is his fault.

Don't think he would even turn up to court!

[Excalibur]

Dont know what to do here, so I need all your input

I have been booked for a wedding in November in a local hotel, been booked for 3 months, now this is where it gets complicated..... The guy that owns the hotel also owns a few houses in my area where I live and I rented one from him 4-5 yrs ago, it ended up going to court as there where problems with the house, things like very dodgy electric and no hot water as the house was dare i say ' in need of repair' however he refused any type of repair, and after a few months through the courts I left the house for pastures new, yes there was rent oweing however at the time he was not interested as long as I left the house...case closed. no hard feeling, once we left he done all the work and rented it out through a agency for twice the money, hey ho thats life, anyway also just after this I done a school leaving ball at the hotel, I admite it run over by 10 mins and perhaps was a bit loud, I apologised and said in case of a riot with drunk kids, i felt at the time it was the best course of action rather than just to stop bang on 11pm. Anyway sorries where said and on my way, that was 4 yrs ago, I have since been back to the hotel on a few weddings and parties and got a few clubs to hold there meeting there and have always exknowledged my ex landlord and the leaving ball and been on my best behaviour and proffesional attitude concidering our past together.

Well tonight I had a call from the bride to be and she has cancelled me! and was told be the hotel owner I was banned form the hotel due to being to loud and over running on time (the school leavers do) so I phoned the hotel owner to enquier about this thinking he has confussed me with someone else only to be told very rudely that its nothing to do with the ball of 5 yrs ago but the fact that i went to court over the house, and iam not allowed into the hotel ever again....to say iam confused and angry is a understatement, but i have no idea were i stand on this, i have a letter of conformation from the bride to be and was waiting a payment ( not gonna get that now), I was also told if I turned up on the day he would not allow me even to set up!! regardless thats its a wedding reception.

I realise what goes around comes around but after doing other gigs at the hotel over the years Iam at a complete loss of what to do, plus I have to ring the bride tobe to explain why I cant go there, and the bride has no disco as yet for there wedding reception in 3 weeks time.

any thoughts/advice would really be helpful

cheers

mike


Had a venue in my area which would not let me play there due to a disagreement not of my making, Would take bookimgs from customers in good faith, and then lo and behold they would be cancelled! The landlord has since moved on. and I am working there again! I feel for you, but suspect you may have to grin and bear it. Suggest you do all posssible to ensure B& G have a memorable day for all the right reasoims. All the best

[Corabar Steve]

Has this been sorted yet Mike?

[braddazz]

I cannot understand why people are suggesting the bride should be held liable to pay for the disco still. It is clearly the fault of the hotel manager and not of the bride.

As annoying as it may be losing out on a gig, the bride should not be punished, after all she has not cancelled the booking.

Personally, I would turn up on the night as promised, thusly sticking to my part of the deal. If the hotel manager has the bottle to tell me to sling my hook, he would then be left with an upside bride, groom and 100+ guests to contend with. Surely nobody is that heartless.

[Corabar Steve]

Personally, I would turn up on the night as promised, thusly sticking to my part of the deal. If the hotel manager has the bottle to tell me to sling my hook, he would then be left with an upside bride, groom and 100+ guests to contend with. Surely nobody is that heartless.

& if he is?

[Have a disco]

Have a spare DJ to do the work instead you become the roadie for the night, a guest of the bride & Groom even.... see the managers face if you become a guest???

[funkymike]

hi guys, just to say ta for all the pm,s and emails with numbers, I have passed them on to the B2B by email as shes not returning my calls, so you might get a call.

As for the hotel owner, the next gig iam just gonna turn up as a roadie he he

thanks

Mike

Ps might see a solicicitor yet