I have to pay to play! Have you all done this?

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Thunder said:
If they had Will arrested he would certainly have gone above and beyond for his client!
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But he did not play for them so, therefore, the wedding is still ruined.

OK, this is the wrong approach for the vendor. They should have alerted the client about this so the client could have told all vendors up front.

Because of the late date in this situation I would not give a credit card but would give the venue a cashiere's check. If damage is done by me they get to keep it; otherwise, they give it back.

After that one of two things will happen; 1) all goes well and Will will never have to pay to play there again or 2) Will will black list the place and never play there again.
 
GoodKnightDJ said:
But he did not play for them so, therefore, the wedding is still ruined.

OK, this is the wrong approach for the vendor. They should have alerted the client about this so the client could have told all vendors up front.

Because of the late date in this situation I would not give a credit card but would give the venue a cashiere's check. If damage is done by me they get to keep it; otherwise, they give it back.

After that one of two things will happen; 1) all goes well and Will will never have to pay to play there again or 2) Will will black list the place and never play there again.
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Not saying it wouldn't be ruined but it wouldn't be Will's fault or responsibility, that would all fall back into the venues lap! Unless someone is actually willing to stand up for themselves the policy will continue. Personally I would tell the client to sue me (and I would even go about telling them how to do it) then I would file a cross suit against the venue (I just love a good court battle) LOL

Even if I didn't win the cross suit I could make damn sure the venue spent every single dime they got from the client and then some in legal cost.
 
And Steve, there are times when you just have to suck it up and do right by the client.

Yes, if I had enough time I'd drop this in the client's lap but, if I just found out about it and the wedding is next week I'm not going to ruin their day. I'd get the cashier's check for the amount the venue wanted and give it to them. Chances are they'll be giving it back at the end of the night anyway so I'm out $10.

After the event I'd be having a conversation with the venue and I'd be asking:
1) Did you inform my client?
2) If so, when?
3) Did you ask my client if they had informed me?
4) If so, when?

If the client didn't inform me in a timely manner they'd be getting a bill for the cashier's check (unless they tipped me). If the venue didn't inform the client in a timely manner, they'd get the bill. Then I'd decide if the local media wanted to know about this little policy of theirs.
 
Wow! Good stuff here, folks! Here's what I think. If I am refused entry, I should remain on site (if possible) to fulfill my obligation. Then encourage the client to sue me, then cross-sue the venue as someone suggested, and see what happens. My contract provides (in my favor) for contingencies beyond my control (e.g., if the venue doesn't give me access). I hate to have the wedding ruined b/c I didn't pay the deposit, but I agree w/ Thunder, we have to wrestle this one back.

Well, the wedding happened on Friday and I'll mention the fall-out in another post.
 
RaskyKat said:
Wow! Good stuff here, folks! Here's what I think. If I am refused entry, I should remain on site (if possible) to fulfill my obligation. Then encourage the client to sue me, then cross-sue the venue as someone suggested, and see what happens. My contract provides (in my favor) for contingencies beyond my control (e.g., if the venue doesn't give me access). I hate to have the wedding ruined b/c I didn't pay the deposit, but I agree w/ Thunder, we have to wrestle this one back.

Well, the wedding happened on Friday and I'll mention the fall-out in another post.
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Wait! What am I saying?! In real life, this is what would happen. The B/G would get pissed at me, then the Fathers of the B/G would put the heavy on me, and regardless what the venue did, I would be the one who would look bad. If I wanted to hold my ground, I could offer the fathers the opportunity to pay the deposit. But by that time, it would be too late to set up in time. And whether I play or not, the wedding may or may not be ruined, but there would at least be a pall over the affair. Right?!

In real life, if I was made to pay it (BTW, I wasn't made to pay it), I would def NOT give a legit CC number. I would give a bogus one. Or, at least, I would write a check. But here's the thing about the check...If the damage is only $50, they sure wouldn't cash my check and give back the remaining $250...they would keep the whole $300, I'm sure.

I would have found a compromise some how, b/c I'm not about to have a client's wedding ruined b/c I put policy in front of customer service...Not in this case anyway. It's not a big enough issue for that. I'll save that for something real big.

Long story short, I would have found a way to set up and play...I'm sure.
 
Jon Tuck said:
Rasky quit teasing us give us the details of how it all ended up going down.
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Yeah!!! Did the manager sit down and rotate???? :sqwink::sqwink::sqwink::sqwink::sqwink:
 
The Dénouement

The wedding was on Friday and here is a recap of the story and the resolution.

I was informed by the venue on Wednesday that all vendors have to pay a $300 deposit. I called/emailed the venue and told them in a nice way, not just no but HELL NO, citing that I'm covered by my contract and by my insurance. They emailed back and said ok...that they will inform my client that they will be passing on any damages to them.

Wedding went off w/o a hitch. It was a freakin' long day, but I served my client well and kept peace w/ the venue management. I'm sure the client was not informed that the venue would be passing on my damages (not that there were any).

But I talked w/ the videographer and he told me the deposit was a bunch of BS. In fact, he brought up the issue to me. He said in 25 years, he has never seen such a thing. He was all in a tiz about it. Said he gave them a CC number, but it was an expired one.

But I will NEVER work that venue again for several reasons:
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1. The load in was WAY too inconvenient for what I normally charge.
2. I didn't like the General Manager. ...Not when I made a site visit a month in advance and not the day of. No reason to be that inconsiderate. Most of the other staff was fine.
3. There is no parking on the site. So I had to unload EVERYTHING out of my truck and park a mile up the hill and wait for the shuttle to come get me.
4. There is one very long, very narrow driveway going down to the unloading area and the vendors have to take turns...waiting for the caterer to get done...waiting for the florist to get done...etc. I left at noon for a 6pm start, and the venue is only 1 hour away! And I just barely got set up in time!
5. I have suspicions the venue...or at least the bar...cheated the client. Here's why: I always make an announcement introducing the bartenders (they are my team mates, after all!) and encourage the guests to visit the bar. After I made my announcement, the Beverage Mgr came up to me and laid down some real shiznitz on me about the announcement and practically screamed at me saying, "I'm the Beverage Mgr and I say NO MORE ANNOUNCEMENTS ABOUT THE BAR!" I was so tempted, man!... Anyway, everyone who came up and asked for a request throughout the night, I asked them, "Hey! How are the drinks tonight?" EVERYBODY said the drinks are rather weak! And the client paid for an open bar!
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I'm going to call the other vendors this week and see what they did about the deposit. If there is significant news about it, I'll post it.

Thank you all for your input!

--Will
 
Thanks, Brother Will. I'm glad the show went well. :)

If the client paid for an open bar (read some serious money) and didn't get it, you may wager that the venue manager hasn't heard the last of this. :eek:

Yeah, if the load is inconvenient as you mention, I'd not blame you for blacklisting this venue. Sometimes, some venues are just not worth the headaches. :)
 
Fred Wright said:
Yeah, if the load is inconvenient as you mention, I'd not blame you for blacklisting this venue. Sometimes, some venues are just not worth the headaches. :)
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Not only would I black list them but I'd black list them on the web page. I'd make an entry on the front page of venues you won't work and why.
 
Will,

Thanks for your post/update.

Here's a question for you - What did you have to do at the end of the night to get your car/van? Did you have to hop the shuttle to get to you car, to drive back & then pack up/load out?

How much of a PITA was that?

(Ok, that was 3 questions)....lol

Cheers,

Joe
 
Alphabet said:
Will,

Thanks for your post/update.

Here's a question for you - What did you have to do at the end of the night to get your car/van? Did you have to hop the shuttle to get to you car, to drive back & then pack up/load out?

How much of a PITA was that?

(Ok, that was 3 questions)....lol

Cheers,

Joe
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Man, it was worse loading out than loading in. The catering truck was there, and you know how long it takes them to saddle up. I packed up most of my gear, then had to find someone to referee things between the caterer and me. Fortunately, the caterer was nice about it and said he would move his truck so I can get in there (figuring I would only be about 20 mins or so). But it took forever b/c, as you said, I had to first get the bus driver to drive me up the hill, then had to back down the very long, very narrow drive to the loading area. Then had to make a lot of trips to load everything.

Not only that, but I had been instructed to store my ceremony setup in a different location on the far side of the bldg (up a lot of steps, and then down into a sunken room. Couldn't use my dolly!). When I got there, the door was locked and no one was around. Finally, after 3 trips for my ceremony gear, back down to the loading area via the long way around, I was able to finally pack my last piece of gear and move out. Prob took 45 mins just to LOAD once it was all packed.

I'm telling you, Joseph, you can have all the gigs there and I won't shed a tear over it! It's a beautiful location overlooking Lake Nox, but the staging is awful. Take my word for it, if you get asked to do a wedding there, add a couple hundred onto the bill for the hassle you will encounter.
 
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