Name and SHAME!

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Guys, before I go into any of this could you please let me know what the policy is for naming and shaming bad suppliers?
This has been going on for well over a year now and lots of people (customers and other DJ's) are out of pocket because for want of a better word, they've been swindled (blimey, that's so retro!).
Seriously though, I don't want to get into trouble but this needs to be highlighted so that nobody else suffers.
Some of you (Toby especially) will know about this already.

Cheers

[Benny Smyth]

Guys, before I go into any of this could you please let me know what the policy is for naming and shaming bad suppliers?
This has been going on for well over a year now and lots of people (customers and other DJ's) are out of pocket because for want of a better word, they've been swindled (blimey, that's so retro!).
Seriously though, I don't want to get into trouble but this needs to be highlighted so that nobody else suffers.
Some of you (Toby especially) will know about this already.

Cheers

What have I done now? :rolleyes:

[Shaun]

As a forum we always err on the side of caution - especially as we have had threats of legal action in the past. By all means post information but maybe leave out any personal information naming the individual/company. Invite members to PM you direct perhaps if the would like the full details.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

As a forum we always err on the side of caution - especially as we have had threats of legal action in the past. By all means post information but maybe leave out any personal information naming the individual/company. Invite members to PM you direct perhaps if the would like the full details.

Thanks Shaun.
Totally understand that. I do feel that these people (this person), should be outed but would not want to get the forum in trouble.
People can feel free to PM me if they like but I wanted to make the point in the open really.
Cheers

[DazzyD]

We have in the past named a supplier on here but that decision wasn't taken lightly. It was due to the fact that the company involved was an advertiser on the forum and we took the decision that we couldn't allow an advertiser to let our members down. That saga went on for far too long and I still don't know if everyone got their products or their money back.

But, like Shaun said, feel free to detail your experiences here but leave out the name. If you want specific help and advice, Gary, you could PM directly and I'll see what I can do.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Thanks for that....I'll try and be as careful as I can.

So, here goes....

A bit of background first... I first met (let's call him Mr X), Mr X when I was doing a function at my hotel residency. I didn't know anything about the guy but he said he was also a DJ and that he knew so and so (a mutual friend who ran his own DJ business in the area and had done for many years and had a very good reputation). So and so was a very good guy and I'd worked with him a number of times. Mr X was apparently a "friend of the family" and now and then went out and did some roadie work for him.

Unfortunately a little while back the well known local DJ passed away. Mr X somehow ended up with a lot of his equipment and contacts too. He'd also been in touch with another local operator who was giving up and starting a totally different business and somehow (not sure how but none of my business), he managed to purchase his business, contacts, website etc... It didn't last long however because the domain soon finished and was never restarted. I and many others had seen all of this happening over social media and whenever I spoke to other local DJ's and his Mr X's name was mentioned, it was usually met with either a sarcastic laugh or words to the effect of "steer clear of him"

Now, like I said....I'd only really met the guy in passing as he was at a function I was doing. I didn't know him at all really.
Over a period of a few months all of a sudden his (new) business name was plastered all over the likes of Facebook and I must admit that it took me quite a while to realise that he and the business were the same people. I had no contact with Mr X whatsoever until one day I got a friend request from his business, not him. I thought I'd 'like' it after looking at the business page because it looked quite good and I thought it would be a new contact and someone to network with. We chatted online via messenger and I STILL didn't know who it was that I was dealing with. I didn't even ask for a name which seems silly looking back.
It soon turned out that a couple of other local DJ's had done work for him and he'd "got rid of them". This was something we had in common because both of the names he'd given me were the same people that I'd given work to in the past who'd just decided to stop doing it and start having a moan about me for no reason whatsoever. Very petty in my opinion, especially when I went out of my way to help both of them get started.

Anyway, I eventually met Mr X in the flesh and first impressions at the time were that he was actually a half decent bloke. He reminded me of the party he'd been to that I'd DJ'd at and said he knew I was a professional and that we'd enjoy working together. We sat there at my local and had a moan about the other 2 DJ's over a pint and left it at that after we'd exchanged numbers.

A couple of days later I saw that an event his business had been organising at a local venue featuring a soul / disco band from the 70's & 80's had been cancelled. Apparently quite a few tickets had been sold but it was just cancelled with no explanation and people were apparently waiting for refunds. I didn't think anything of it. As I said, he appeared to be a decent bloke.

It was probably a few weeks after that when I bumped into him at my local again. I decided to buy him a pint and we had a quick chat but he was always looking around him as if he was wondering if someone was after him or something. Whilst we chatted I found out that he used to work for a finance company and he actively sold PPI to people knowing that they didn't need it. He seemed pretty proud of that too.
He told me that he'd been let down by a DJ for a childrens party on the Sunday and would I be able to cover it for him. I was working out of town at a wedding on the Saturday and would be back very late so I wasn't sure. He said the party was only 3 hours long and the money was ok actually so I agreed to do it. It was an afternoon booking so by the time I'd got back and then got up and out again, I was knackered. When I turned up at the venue the organiser wasn't happy. He'd not even told the customer that I was the replacement because he couldn't make it. He hadn't been let down by a DJ, it was HIM that was supposed to be DJing! I had no money to pick up because he'd been paid already so I expected it the following day.

I heard nothing from him. I tried calling him....nothing. I texted him....no reply and I also emailed him.....again, no reply.
This went on for a week and then he suddenly replied with a whole bunch of excuses. The main one was that his bank wouldn't do the bank transfer.
Eventually I got paid and that was that as far as I was concerned. It was only a week late so not a big problem.

The following weekend I was only working on the Friday night. He texted me and used the "I've been let down by a DJ" thing again.
I wanted to work on the Saturday so I agreed to do it for him (a 10 year school re-union) at a local venue.
He texted me "Just pick the money up from the organiser" - Ok, so I do what I usually do and go and see the organiser on arrival and ask for payment before I start...."I've already paid" she said...."I paid the other day when he came round!"
This put me on edge. I'd finished setting up. I did the gig wondering if I was getting paid.....well, I might as well have done it for free because the exact same thing happened as above... He was uncontactable. It was like he'd disappeared off the face of the earth.
It took him just over 3 months to actually pay me and even then he chucked an envelope through the letterbox and sped off in his 4x4. I checked the envelope and it was £50.00 short.

I texted him, called him, emailed him and even went to his house and knocked on the door for 5 minutes because someone had given me his address.
I know he was in there but he didn't answer because he's a coward.

Funny (not really) thing is, he actually texted me at 3.00pm on a Saturday afternoon a couple of weeks later.
That usual line "I've been let down by.....(you know it by now) came up and he also added "I'm desperate, please help".
The booking was for that night. It was a wedding and it was literally 2 minutes away from my house. I had the night off as I was due to go out with my wife for the first time in a long time. I ignored the text at first (yes, I did feel bad for the Bride and Groom) and didn't hear anything for a while and then at 4.35pm (I remember it clearly), he texted again...."I'm really desperate. Can you help me?"..... This time I replied and I told him that he still owed me money and he was having a laugh if he thought I was going to help him out and wait 4 months to be paid.... I heard nothing back and I've heard nothing since then.

So, that's my experience with him but it gets worse.
Just after the above (I hope he doesn't mind me mentioning him) Toby contacted me and asked if I'd heard of Mr X because he owed a DJ friend money.
I said that I didn't know him because like I said, I was dealing with him via phone, email and everything else under his business name. I wasn't actually sure of his name. It had been mentioned when I'd mentioned the business name and people laughed and said steer clear but I'd forgotten.

It seemed like Toby got the ball rolling because I started getting quite a few private messages and emails too from people asking if I knew who Mr X was and if I had any contact details for him. I didn't really want to get involved at the time and I replied saying so too.
I then got a private message from a guy who asked if I knew him because he'd parted with the full payment (£3800 or something?) upfront a few months back for his wedding (Dance floor, Photo Booth, DJ, Love Letters, Chair Covers and so on...) and had not been able to get in touch with him at all, just like I hadn't been able to either.

Then a friend of mine got in touch and asked the same question....Did I know him? By now the name was obviously doing the rounds in my head and it soon became clear that there were 2 brides to be who worked with my mate who were both using Mr X as their DJ. Both were worried big time and both had paid the full balance upfront for his services but were unable to get in touch with him. My mate suggested myself to both of them but just the one Bride got back to me and asked me if I'd do her wedding. I actually did it a few months back and it was great. I told the Bride to worry about everything afterwards and not let Mr X have any impact on her day.
Since then I have had more contact from others asking where they can find him and I have no idea because on the grapevine the news is that he's moved.
One guy is owed quite a few thousand apparently and another DJ is owed quite a bit too.

What prompted me to write this was that this week I was shown a shared post on facebook where Mr X has been mentioned.
Many Brides have been let down by him. A couple of them (including the Bride whose wedding I did) booked him because he was supposed to be a 'friend'.
Lots of people are commenting on the topic and it seems like the word is getting out there now.

Finally, about a month ago I logged on to Twitter and noticed that I had a new follower....it was Mr X!
I messaged him and said "You still owe me money" and he promised me he'd get it to me in a day or so.................he hasn't.
I think anyone in the South should be naming, shaming and sharing him.

I feel a bit of a fool to have put up with his lies but he'll get what's coming to him I'm sure. Apparently he's liquidized the business and has court orders or whatever. He's in a bad way.

[Jim - Scotland's Party DJ]

I'm all for naming and shaming - cowboys and arseholes are allowed to flourish in this industry because no one wants to give them the boot up the hole they so rightly deserve.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

I agree with you mate but I also respect what Shaun has said hence no naming.
I heard today actually from someone else whilst chatting online about him that he also owes a lot more people money and (probably one of the worst things), somewhere along the line he let down a little girl on her birthday by not turning up to do the Disco. Whether that is true or not I don't know but everything else I mentioned in my post above was 100% true.

[Jim - Scotland's Party DJ]

I agree with you mate but I also respect what Shaun has said hence no naming.
I heard today actually from someone else whilst chatting online about him that he also owes a lot more people money and (probably one of the worst things), somewhere along the line he let down a little girl on her birthday by not turning up to do the Disco. Whether that is true or not I don't know but everything else I mentioned in my post above was 100% true.

I feel you man. Ive just got a very low tolerance for people like that and I dont do passive aggresivism very well.

One guy ive hammered on local facebook groups that people still tolerate (he definitely has let kids parties down and has been accused of all sorts else) approached me at an amp dj meet:

Him: You think I'm a sid don't you?

Me: You are a :Censored::Censored::Censored::Censored:ing sid, get away from me.

Other folk who know what he's like pass him gigs to let him "redeem himself':rolleyes:

[Shakermaker Promotions]

They're not helping them are they!

[Jim - Scotland's Party DJ]

They're not helping them are they!

Quite a few guys I held in high regard disappointed me when I found out they'd done it.

Not only was it denying other guys lower down the rung who always do a great job the chat was - top bloke, was on time, dressed smart and had people dancing.

The cheers to dj dickhead for achieving the absolute bare minimum standard you should expect from a dj!!!

[yourdj]

This guy needs to be brought to justice. It was Gary Evans who got ripped off, he is not only one of the most respected DJ/hosts in the UK but also one of the nicest people I know. I have spent a lot of time with Gary and never seen him in a bad mood, or say anything remotely negative!! :(

If you want to name and shame, gather all the people you know he has ripped off (perhaps advertise it on Facebook) and then contact a TV program and get them to visit him or even do a fake gig (one he would not turn down) where he has to turn up for the payment, Wait until he has set up (as he wont leave in a hurry then) and invite all the people he has conned and get him to answer to his crimes. bring the local newspaper etc. They will love a story like that!!

I think ripping people off on their wedding day is disgusting. Kama will catch up with him sooner or later. He has young kids and presumably he is married so he should know better. The problem you then have is these people can just change their business name or move to a different area and do it all over again, but at least that would teach him a lesson. You know where he lives so he can get prosecuted btw. :(

[DeckstarDeluxe]

Might be an idea to get these peoples together in a group and present evidence to the required authorities as a collective.

[musicology]

This guy needs to be brought to justice. It was Gary Evans who got ripped off, he is not only one of the most respected DJ/hosts in the UK but also one of the nicest people I know. I have spent a lot of time with Gary and never seen him in a bad mood, or say anything remotely negative!! :(

If you want to name and shame, gather all the people you know he has ripped off (perhaps advertise it on Facebook) and then contact a TV program and get them to visit him or even do a fake gig (one he would not turn down) where he has to turn up for the payment, Wait until he has set up (as he wont leave in a hurry then) and invite all the people he has conned and get him to answer to his crimes. bring the local newspaper etc. They will love a story like that!!

I think ripping people off on their wedding day is disgusting. Kama will catch up with him sooner or later. He has young kids and presumably he is married so he should know better. The problem you then have is these people can just change their business name or move to a different area and do it all over again, but at least that would teach him a lesson. You know where he lives so he can get prosecuted btw. :(

I don't think another story about a dodgy Dj in the media will do any of us any good.

[rth_discos]

If you want to name and shame, gather all the people you know he has ripped off (perhaps advertise it on Facebook) and then contact a TV program and get them to visit him or even do a fake gig (one he would not turn down) where he has to turn up for the payment, Wait until he has set up (as he wont leave in a hurry then) and invite all the people he has conned and get him to answer to his crimes. bring the local newspaper etc. They will love a story like that!!


Whilst this seems a sensible idea, the impact of such action for all DJs would be far stretching. As an industry, we already have a pretty bad image, and significant publicity such as the above only further reinforces it.

It will make people wary of paying deposits and balances up front, and wary of paying premium prices, for fear of being ripped off.

If people are owed money, it would be far more effective for everyone to follow a proper process of chasing up the money via letter, with a final "letter before action" and then all going through the court at the same time (Money Claim Online is very cheap).

[yourdj]

I don't think another story about a dodgy Dj in the media will do any of us any good.


Whilst this seems a sensible idea, the impact of such action for all DJs would be far stretching. As an industry, we already have a pretty bad image, and significant publicity such as the above only further reinforces it.

It will make people wary of paying deposits and balances up front, and wary of paying premium prices, for fear of being ripped off.

If people are owed money, it would be far more effective for everyone to follow a proper process of chasing up the money via letter, with a final "letter before action" and then all going through the court at the same time (Money Claim Online is very cheap).

I agree that there is bad press for DJ's and totally get that it is not great for the public to be shown that there are rip off people, but most normal sane people know that DJ's can be good also and will want to book a good supplier. The more stories of rip off DJ's there are the more careful people will be when booking one. They wont just go for the cheapest option and will do their research properly and book a better supplier.

For example finding the DJ on Facebook and Googling his name, which may show up any misdoings he may have done. as a much more mature industry (by say 2000 years), we all know there are crooked builders out there as its very well documented, but we also know there are outstanding ones, which will do an excellent job, and will perhaps cost a bit more for that privilege. Most people booking a builder will make damn sure that when we do book a builder that we do the homework, meet them and ask the right questions. Well i certainly do anyway. It amazes me what my clients have looked at and know what i do, they must spend hours looking though my site and social media. :)

If this numpty (lets call him Baten Bumcombe) is an actual DJ and reading this, you can't be an ass for a certain time and Kama will catch up with you, especially when its connected to purposefully ruining what should be the most important day of any two families lives!! Its also a very small industry! :)

[Shakermaker Promotions]

From what I have heard Toby, he has done a runner somewhere after splitting up with his missus because of all of this.
Nobody in this area has a half a decent word to say about him.
Incidentally I went back to Twitter after writing my post to see if he was on there and guess what........nope! He's disappeared from there and also Facebook too.

It really is quite sad at the end of the day that there are people around like this. He had the charm and could talk the talk etc and he was very complimentary about myself so rightly so I had no reason to think of the worst....however, it soon became clear that all was not what it seemed.
The whole "let down by a DJ" thing was one of the biggest indicators for me. Just how many times can you be let down by a DJ? That's not normal at all.

On the subject of not needing another bad DJ in the press...... I think the total opposite!
He should be all over the papers and news. Most people will realise that it's not all DJ's.
Do you think people who watch those rogue trader type programmes steer clear of all builders (for example). No, they don't.
Do you think that any of us who have regular gigs / residencies and busy diaries throughout the year are suddenly going to be thought of as con merchants because 1 dodgier than dodgy DJ has been highlighted.....no, I don't think so. If anything it will have the opposite effect because those that use us decent human beings will want to keep hold of us and the recommendations will rise too I should imagine?

Toby - Baten Bumcombe - Ha! Ha! I like that...... You forgot to mention he was from Mouldy Productions!

[yourdj]

From what I have heard Toby, he has done a runner somewhere after splitting up with his missus because of all of this.

That is such a shame as he had children too, but bad things tend to happen to bad people as their wrong doings catch up with them sooner or later. Whats laughable is I probably earn miles more than him and have a decent legitimate business, so it clearly does not pay in the long term. :(