No more charity work for me!

[Imagine]

Second time this year a charity fundraiser has been cancelled on me....but this one takes the biscuit!

The first one (these are two completely different clients by the way) at least gave me a couple of week's notice and only lost her deposit.
Tonight's didn't even bother to contact me!!!

It's one that's been booked since March, deposit paid and contract signed (at a reduced rate I might add - more as a PR thing than anything with 150 guests promised and being for charity and all that). Drove the 40 miles to the venue....deserted.

OK, I was a little earlier than I'd said, but this particular event was an all day job, with fundraising stalls in the hall up to 6:30 and me from 7:30. I even emailed the client last weekend to make sure everything was still OK (she replied that everything was going well and yes, it's all systems go).

Called the client after hanging around (we're now 30 mins before the start of the event and getting worried I'm not going to get set up on time). Answerphone :(
5 minutes before show time, her husband calls saying he's been emailing and calling me all day (er.....nope!) and that they've had to cancel as his wife fell ill last night, and then NONE of the stallholders turned up today either......hmmmmmmm..........

Call me a cynical old fart...I don't believe them.

The gig was a fundraiser for which they were selling tickets in various shops and post offices, i.e. they didn't know any of the attendees. Yet when I left just before the gig was supposed to start, there wasn't anyone turning up for a party....did they really manage to contact everyone except me and cancel so quickly? There wasn't even anything on the door to the venue to state that the gig had been cancelled, which seeing as they didn't know any of the attendees would have been the obvious thing to do.

Her husband sounded gobsmacked on the phone when, after offering me "petrol money" I told him, "sorry mate, the contract you signed quite clearly says the full balance is payable if you cancel within 7 days of the event or on the night".

So, an early night for me, and I should hopefully get a cheque in the post this week for a night off. Normally with a charity gig I'd be a little more lenient, but somehow I get the impression that they've known about this for a while, so I'm chasing this one all the way.....grrrrrrrr!!!!!! :mad::mad:

It wouldn't smart quite so much if I hadn't turned down a wedding for a neighbour a couple of weeks after this one had signed the contract. I came past the hall where the wedding's taking place and the beats are pounding out of what could have been my job if I hadn't had my time wasted tonight.

[ckpr2]

I did a gig in around 1980, it was a birthday party.
The night went well but no one came up to pay me.
So I rang my boss and he said he hadn't got a name but knew the birthday boys name.
So I chased him up and he said he didn't know who had booked the disco.
So myself and the boss went unpaid.

It pays to get the hirers name and a deposit upfront if possible.
If they cant afford a small deposit then they wont be paying the full amount on the night.

I have to admit to not doing this myself but I was doing discos more for fun than a serious business.

[Imagine]

It pays to get the hirers name and a deposit upfront if possible.

Ooooohhh.....I've got those details and took a deposit :)

If the cheque for the balance isn't forthcoming, well that's what small claims courts are for :)

Just hacked off that they left it for me to call them once I'd got to the venue and then actually cancelled 10 minutes before the event.

[Benny Smyth]

I've had so many issues with cheques coming after the gig that I now only accept payments before the gig. All payments must clear three days before, or I don't turn up.

Fingers crossed that your cheque is forthcoming. Sounds like a ball ache of a day, but think of the money!

[Imagine]

I've had so many issues with cheques coming after the gig that I now only accept payments before the gig. All payments must clear three days before, or I don't turn up.

Fingers crossed that your cheque is forthcoming. Sounds like a ball ache of a day, but think of the money!

I'm strictly payment up front by any method so long as it clears before the event, or cash only on the night (which was the arrangement here).
The money for doing in effect nothing will be nice if it ever materializes, but I'd been looking forward to that one with 150 people filling the floor :(

[Benny Smyth]

I'm strictly payment up front by any method so long as it clears before the event, or cash only on the night (which was the arrangement here).
The money for doing in effect nothing will be nice if it ever materializes, but I'd been looking forward to that one with 150 people filling the floor :(

I would suggest insisting on payment before the day, but I am on a one-man crusade of stopping our industry being looked down on. You wouldn't pay your caterers, photographer, venue or any other supplier on the day, so why is it OK to pay the DJ on the day? You don't pay for a sandwich after you've eaten it.

It falls under the category of what we're willing to accept as individuals. For example, there's a clause in my contracts that says that any abuse, verbal or physeical, then I pack up and go home. No ifs, no buts (it's obviously worded a lot better in the contract). If I turned up to their worked place on a Monday morning drunk and calling them :Censored::Censored::Censored::Censored:, I would be arrested, so why is OK for them to do that to me?

I know what you mean about not filling the floor, but you'll do that this weekend instead. And next. Their loss. :)

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

I am on a one-man crusade of stopping our industry being looked down on.

I don't think you are alone...

That is the very reason this forum was set up over 10 years ago and we have come some way to raising the bar.

[ukpartydj]

I would suggest insisting on payment before the day, but I am on a one-man crusade of stopping our industry being looked down on. You wouldn't pay your caterers, photographer, venue or any other supplier on the day, so why is it OK to pay the DJ on the day? You don't pay for a sandwich after you've eaten it.

It falls under the category of what we're willing to accept as individuals. For example, there's a clause in my contracts that says that any abuse, verbal or physeical, then I pack up and go home. No ifs, no buts (it's obviously worded a lot better in the contract). If I turned up to their worked place on a Monday morning drunk and calling them :Censored::Censored::Censored::Censored:, I would be arrested, so why is OK for them to do that to me?

I know what you mean about not filling the floor, but you'll do that this weekend instead. And next. Their loss. :)

I personally don't like insisting on upfront payments. I think trust between the client and the DJ is very important.
The DJ should be able to trust the client will pay and the client should be able to trust the DJ will turn up.

As it happens I'm quite sceptical of how professional some service people are, if I was booking another DJ for my wedding - I would prefer to pay once I saw them setting up. I'm not trying to stir here I just genuinely don't trust service people all that much, too many bad experiences maybe.

[Benny Smyth]

I personally don't like insisting on upfront payments. I think trust between the client and the DJ is very important.
The DJ should be able to trust the client will pay and the client should be able to trust the DJ will turn up.

As it happens I'm quite sceptical of how professional some service people are, if I was booking another DJ for my wedding - I would prefer to pay once I saw them setting up. I'm not trying to stir here I just genuinely don't trust service people all that much, too many bad experiences maybe.

If you've booked a service and you don't trust them enough to pay them before the event, that trust will not suddenly appear because they've arrived on the day. If I'm not 100% happy, I don't buy. I don't have a wait and see attitude to these things and a lot of people are the same. Should you really hand over money if, in your head, you're thinking "Mmmm...should I? Shouldn't I? Do I trust this guy enough?"

I actually also find that the majorty of my clients want to pay as soon as possible to get it out of the way. With so many suppliers for a wedding, they don't want to be thinking "Oh...has this guy been paid" in the crucial last week before the wedding. I send invoices out about 6 weeks beforehand, but there has been a few occasions where people pay as soon as they sign the contracts a year in adavnced. I'm not gonna complain - I'd rather in my bank account than theirs. ;)

[Shaun]

Through the years I've always commented here on the forum about how I like to give my customers the option of when to pay. In advance, or at the start of the evening. I've contemplated moving to full payment in advance several times over the last few years, but as long as the majority were choosing to pay on the day, I decided to stick with providing them with the option.

HOWEVER, after a no show by the client on Friday, I'm left chasing up the balance and outlining the legal recourse to them. From this point on my payment terms will be strictly payment in advance.

[funktions]

we have been looking at out t&c recently and changing them slightly, im kind of agreeing to payment by other means 3 days before event or cash on arrival on the day not after, had a couple of issues last time we did this with people "forgetting" cash afterwards or oh sorry guys had to pay the bar bill to im not paying for that because .
taking the hassle of going to small claims etc is annoying and time consuming. normally a well worded letter from my solicitor did the trick so would always get a contract signed and deposit taken.
not that I do not trust anyone, butttt.....

[Imagine]

My T's and C's quite clearly state that it's payment 3 days in advance by BACS or Paypal, or I'll take a cheque 7 days in advance. Other than that, it's cash on arrival.
That's what Saturday was supposed to be, but if they cancel and don't even show up at the venue......the cash isn't there.

I'm changing my T's & C's now for all new bookings where I don't actually know the client...it's payment upfront from now on.

To balance things out though...I've just spent the afternoon with a lovely bride and groom to be. The venue's an idyllic old farm, the ceremony and reception are in a converted hayloft (could get a bit warm on the night) and they've promised me it's all 60's through to 80's with a little Motown and Soul thrown in for good measure :) (and they've paid!). This job ain't all bad after all :) :)

[funktions]

My T's and C's quite clearly state that it's payment 3 days in advance by BACS or Paypal, or I'll take a cheque 7 days in advance. Other than that, it's cash on arrival.
That's what Saturday was supposed to be, but if they cancel and don't even show up at the venue......the cash isn't there.

I'm changing my T's & C's now for all new bookings where I don't actually know the client...it's payment upfront from now on.

To balance things out though...I've just spent the afternoon with a lovely bride and groom to be. The venue's an idyllic old farm, the ceremony and reception are in a converted hayloft (could get a bit warm on the night) and they've promised me it's all 60's through to 80's with a little Motown and Soul thrown in for good measure :) (and they've paid!). This job ain't all bad after all :) :)

quite like ely .. going to come up your neck of the woods, had a friend who used to live outside of littleport.moved up to wymondham

[funkymook]

I personally don't like insisting on upfront payments. I think trust between the client and the DJ is very important.
The DJ should be able to trust the client will pay and the client should be able to trust the DJ will turn up.

As it happens I'm quite sceptical of how professional some service people are, if I was booking another DJ for my wedding - I would prefer to pay once I saw them setting up. I'm not trying to stir here I just genuinely don't trust service people all that much, too many bad experiences maybe.

If someone doesn't trust me enough to pay in advance (as they will do for their venue, caterers, florists, photographer etc) then they shouldn't be booking me in the first place. I certainly wouldn't hire anyone I didn't trust.

[Creature]

only accept work from 2 chariies :)

I only ask for expenses and both over the last 5 years have made sure that I have been well piad, infact they pay me better than a lot of my bookings!.

When i mentioned it to both of them indevidually that what they put in the envelope was too much - the answers were remarkably similar.

You work hard - you compare for us you sort the bands n entertainment out during the event - we want you and dont want to loose you :)

Big ego booster :)

[Shaun]

You work hard - you compare for us you sort the bands n entertainment out during the event - we want you and dont want to loose you :)


:like:

[Pe7e]

If someone doesn't trust me enough to pay in advance (as they will do for their venue, caterers, florists, photographer etc) then they shouldn't be booking me in the first place. I certainly wouldn't hire anyone I didn't trust.

After almost a lifetime in business I can honestly say the only people who have let me down are the ones I have trusted, the others never got the opportunity to have me over. In many ways it is a sad reflection of todays society, I'm far less trusting than I was say 15 years ago, in recent years I've been let down by people I thought of as friends, which I found particularly upsetting. I still take risks with people, but these days I'm far more choosy as to whom I regard as trustworthy, and the majority of clients must pay up front, I'm not a bank and I don't issue loans, and I've no desire to chase bad debts. There seems to be no shame these days in not honouring your debts, be careful with who you extend your trust.