Who's Culpable?

[Benny Smyth]

I have a friend getting married at the end of this month and has booked the resident DJ as part of the package. The residency is provided by an agency. My friend has the contact email for the DJ that has been booked by the agency, but has not responded to any emails.

So the question is, who should be the first point of call for the client: the hotel (who provides the DJ as part of the package) or the agency (who is providing the DJ for the booking)? My first initial reaction would be to make the hotel deal with it (if you bought a tin of beans with a rat in it, you'd take it back to the supermarket before contacting the manufacturer, right?) but with just over a week to go, my friend is obviously panicking a bit.

[funkymook]

I’d say the hotel as well.

I assume there’s an in-house wedding planner (or at least a person who showed them around and sold them the venue and package), it’s their job to deal with any issues on behalf of the B&G.

[Imagine]

Hotel - it's they the customer is paying I would assume.

As for the rat in the tin of beans....my first port of call would be Environmental Health....has a much better impact and gets results a bit quicker.

[Excalibur]

Disgraceful! One of the perils of booking in house discos,. There should always be the facility for communication with the DJ concerned, whether he's a one man band, or working for an agency.

This is what can happen when there are too many links in the chain.

[Benny Smyth]

Disgraceful! One of the perils of booking in house discos,. There should always be the facility for communication with the DJ concerned, whether he's a one man band or working for an agency.

This is what can happen when there are too many links in the chain.

I'm trying to keep an open mind about it, but hotel onto agency onto DJ did make me go "Mmmmm......" It's a direct email to the DJ, which is good in one respect but then part of me thinks why not deal with the agency? Did they just 'pass this on'?

Saying that, I could be completely wrong and the DJ works in a way where he only contacts his clients in the week leading up to the event. I've just got a text asking if I can do anything about it, as if I'm the Godfather of DJs in Birmingham and one phone call from me would solve all issues?!?!:rolleyes:

The ironic thing being is that he used to roadie for me. He should have known better, and I told him that.

[rth_discos]

It's absolutely the hotel.

You have purchased a package from the hotel - the onus is on the hotel to ensure the service that has been paid for is provided. The fact that aspect is contracted out (and contracted out again!) is irrelevant.

They need to make their concerns known to the hotel.

The hotel also have the biggest stick to bash the agency with - they could threaten to pull the contract with the agency, which has more weight than a bride emailing the agency directly.

[Andy P]

I agree that the hotel are culpable - they engage with the agent and their subcontractors so they should do the chasing

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Definitely the hotel in my opinion.
Your mate is obviously dealing with the hotel as he's booked with them and they deal with the Agency so it's up to them to sort it.
They are the 'middle man' in reality which I am not keen on at all. Things can get lost in translation etc.
If I were your mate I would be tempted to ask the hotel for the agencies details and then deal with the DJ directly. It seems the obvious thing to do doesn't it but sometimes it's not always easy to do.

[Nakatomi]

i'd say the hotel. My gaffer is effectively my agent, and he is contacted by the hotel(s) on the client's behalf.

If the customer is paying the hotel for the DJ it's entirely their responsibility to ensure the DJ's customer service is up to snuff.

There are any number of reasons for not replying to emails, but not one of them are acceptable from a business perspective IMHO.

[mattydj50]

As one of the "resident DJ's" concerned, I always expect the hotel to, in the first instance, deal with their client, i.e. the bride and groom themselves and obtain the necessary information for me, then pass it onto me to make it happen. The form they use to obtain that information was designed and provided by me, so I know that the right questions will be asked (but not always the right answers obtained).

The bride & groom are contracted with the hotel whereas I am of course, contracted by the hotel, not the bride and groom.

However, for the sake of "cutting out the middle man" and to avoid misunderstandings, both I and the hotel have agreed that they may also give my direct contact details to the bride and groom (or any other funtion organiser) and ask that, should they wish, they may contact me direct and I am more than happy to deal with them directly, by any means they prefer.

Hotels often have a dedicated wedding co-ordinator, but other members of staff do get involved (out of hours perhaps) and, occasionally, things do get missed or messages not passed on. At least if I speak direct, I can be confident of getting the right information from source.

I ALWAYS get everything in writing whether direct or from the hotel and the hotel always have a client meeting during the 7 days prior when final arrangements are discussed. Very rarely do I get to meet the B&G before the actual date which many of you will be horrified by, but, as stated, my client is the hotel, so I speak and meet with them. If the hotel get it wrong, then I won't take the blame (hence everything in writing) but, being the sort of bloke that I am, I will always do my best to accomodate even the most last minute change of plan.

It has been known for the hotel to get it (badly) wrong (well in 15 years twice isn't bad I suppose) and they have refunded their customer. I have always been paid in full as I have fulfilled my obligations to the hotel's plan. Unfortunately, the plan they gave me was wrong! Having it in writing (and signed by the hotel's designated signatory) killed that one stone dead!

I have been there a long time and I have developed thebest working relationship with them, so I more or less control what I want. They do understand that if I| get it right, then they will get the gold star too, so it is in their interst to get it right and its in my interest to make sure thatthey do too.

But to return to the original question, the first point of contact would be the hotel as it is they to whom you (your friend) is handing his hard earned cash to.

[Benny Smyth]

Very rarely do I get to meet the B&G before the actual date which many of you will be horrified by, but, as stated, my client is the hotel, so I speak and meet with them.

I don't think this is something to be 'horrified' by. Whilst I don't know your exact circumstances, from my own experience residency gigs are lower paying jobs than our own private gigs. It stands to reason that lower pay = lower level of service.

I sometimes cover a residency for a friend and he too sends off a form for the hotel's clients to fill out. When I do the gig, I take a small and polite setup with no subs - just 12 inch tops. It would be unfair for my private clients to pay what they pay but get exactly the same as a residency client does, who doesn't pay as much. :beer1:

[Excalibur]

It's absolutely the hotel.

You have purchased a package from the hotel - the onus is on the hotel to ensure the service that has been paid for is provided.

He booked a disco, he'll get a disco. Whether it's the one he expects, or fit for purpose, well that's an entirely different matter. Plenty of hotels simply go for the cheapest operator they can find, who can regularly provide the number of discos they need on an evening. ( Paypeanuts, get monkeys? :whistle: )
It's the devil and the deep blue sea- line of least resistance by taking what the Hotel offer, or create more work for yourself by booking your own, and separating the wheat from the chaff.


As one of the "resident DJ's" concerned, I always expect the hotel to, in the first instance, deal with their client, i.e. the bride and groom themselves and obtain the necessary information for me, then pass it onto me to make it happen.

Gordon Bennett, it must be nice living in your perfect world!! :eek: Date and time was often all I got, wouldn't be the first time I've turned up prepared for a party to find a bloke in a suit, and a lady in a big white frock. ;)


I don't think this is something to be 'horrified' by.
Wasn't when I did it. I liked to think I could cope with most things thrown at me, and provide an acceptable service. Unfortunately, if a multi op is desperately trying to cover a late booking, the quality of the disco provided may not be their top priority.

[mattydj50]

Gordon Bennett, it must be nice living in your perfect world!! :eek: Date and time was often all I got, wouldn't be the first time I've turned up prepared for a party to find a bloke in a suit, and a lady in a big white frock. ;)


Gordon Bennett? Do you know him too?

I'll tell you what, tyhat's happened many a time to be too. It has been known for the phone to ring and a voice to say "where are you then", because no booking has been made.



originally posted by Benny Smith

I don't think this is something to be 'horrified' by. Whilst I don't know your exact circumstances, from my own experience residency gigs are lower paying jobs than our own private gigs. It stands to reason that lower pay = lower level of service.



Lower pay does not necessarily mean lower level of service. I have less overheads in that I have no need for advertising, time for meetings, paperwork etc. The hotel sell my business for me. I get one e-mail from the hotel every month, supplemented by updates and additional information as needed. Yes, it took several years to get to this stage, but I'm happy with the result and so are the hotel. We have two venues there and, obviously, I do as much as I can, that was the original deal. For the number two venue, I have regular help from a small team of dedicated DJs on whom I can call whenever necessary. All of whom I know and trust to uphold the standard.

The hotel know that, way down the line, there is always a chance that the standard may not be as high as they would like, hence the reqwuirement for them to give as much notice as possible. They are encouraged to ring/email/fax/text/throw a brick through my window as soon as a booking comes in, even if it is provisional.

We've both worked hard to achieve what we have got and it suits both of us. Obviously I understand its not for everyone and, if a customer wants to provide their own entertainment (DJ, singer, band, magician, fire eater - no smoke allowed though) then I don't have a problem withthat. To be honest a weekend off occasionally is nice!

It isn't perfect but, with over 100 weddings each year, over 20 Christmas parties each year, 3 gigs on NYE and numerous other corporates and functions, we do all right out of it.

And the wife has the wedding stationery business sewn up there too!!!

[Benny Smyth]

An update to this, contact has been made so he's considerably less stressed now. :beer1: