Is this email a scam?

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MIXMASTERMACHOM

MIXMASTERMACHOM

Mac Daddy DJ
ODJT Supporter
Oct 16, 2011
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I got an email yesterday from supposedly a bride. She was looking for a DJ and a videographer to come do her wedding on November the 11 of this year on a Sunday. The lady did mention where the wedding reception is to take place. She said Manor West Orange. It's actually called West Orange Manor. This lady is some one from either japan or China.

She wanted to know how much do you charge. That was all the details i got. Nothing else but what she was looking for and the venue where the reception is to take place. I finally did answer the email this morning. I mentioned that before i can give a price quote i would need more details. Such as how many hours do you need the DJ? Will you need the DJ to provide ceremony music? What types of music will you want the DJ to play? Then i went on to give her my cell number so she could call me to see about her giving more details about this wedding and see if we can meet somewhere.

Lastly i want to say that the price i would charge would depend largely on the equipment we needed to bring to get the job done right. For example depending on the size of the room if it were a big ballroom we would need to bring the 2 subs, 2 powered tops and the 2 double Yamaha 15's. The minimum i would do that for with all of that is $800.00 for 4 hours. And that's because the place depending on traffic is around 10 minutes away from where i live. I'll say 15 minutes. So does this sound like a scam?
 
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B-Sharp said:
If this is the place you refer to as the "West Orange Manor", then you best be charging more than $800, and you won't even need to bring the two double Yamaha 15s.

http://www.themanorrestaurant.com/us/new-jersey/weddings-photo-gallery.html

Nice place.

Actually, forget what I said. There's no way she's hiring you, no matter what country she's from.
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I haven't receive a reply first of all to the email i sent. I just don't like when a person doesn't give you enough info about their event. Yet want to know how much do you charge? How can you effectively give a price to charge a client and not know how many hours the event is to take place?
 
MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
I haven't receive a reply first of all to the email i sent. I just don't like when a person doesn't give you enough info about their event. Yet want to know how much do you charge? How can you effectively give a price to charge a client and not know how many hours the event is to take place?
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Go and have a drink Mix...and then take a nap.... a long one... this moment too shall pass. It will be a new day when you wake up. ;)
 
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My suggestion versus flip flopping back and forth with 200 dollar gigs and not knowing much in regards to executing proper business would be to team up with a local DJ who has ran the circuit in your area and knows the pricing and the offerings best known for your area and to gain some business sense. Your allover the map and will never go anywhere until you gain some knowledge. You have passed on offers here so find someone local. I was in New Jersey and stayed in a hotel which had a referred DJ who charged more than 800 and this hotel was not as elaborate as the Manor by far you need to do homework and gain some business skills.
 
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ahoustondj said:
Go and have a drink Mix...and then take a nap.... a long one... this moment too shall pass. It will be a new day when you wake up. ;)
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You have a drink for me. I don't drink. You miss what i'm saying. I'm just using these things as examples. How many hours the event will be and what is need to get the job done right. When i mentioned the thing about having to use the double 15's that was just an ideal. With limited details about this wedding how do you know if i won't need the other speakers? I didn't say that we would use them for this wedding but we have them just in case they are needed. I would like to know what room the reception is to take place so i can get an ideal of what we would need. Plus it would depend on how many people they expect to attend this wedding.

You certainly can't pack 300 people in a room that can only fit 100 people. I know that nowadays most people are having smaller weddings. All i'm saying is that with such limited info i don't think i could give a fair price to this potential client that would be beneficial to both parties. One that they feel they are not being ripped off and one that we can make a good profit from this wedding. I shouldn't have said ripped off because with us they certainly wouldn't be getting ripped off but superior high quality service.

Please do remember this. They may want a ton of things and would you just throw them in just to win their business? Right now i don't know what they want since they haven't made it clear what they would want the DJ to provide other then playing music at their wedding. We can assume all we want but until we get more facts then we can know which way to with this potential client and give them an accurate price to come do their wedding.
 
the fact you are throwing around 800 dollars and saying you would add the additional speakers tells me your equally clueless.
 
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Maybe the venue will require a big insurance policy for one to work with them, that's another aspect to consider, roadies specially with more equipment and the lighting you show on your site.
 
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MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
I haven't receive a reply first of all to the email i sent. I just don't like when a person doesn't give you enough info about their event. Yet want to know how much do you charge? How can you effectively give a price to charge a client and not know how many hours the event is to take place?
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If your email replies are anything like your posts here, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a response. She's moved on by now.

Here's a response that works: "Dear Mei, Thanks for your message. Pricing for my services starts at $XXXX and includes up to five hours of entertainment. Please reply and let me know what options you may be interested in, or if there are any special details about your reception that I should know about. I'd love to find out more about your event and provided a detailed price quote for you. Sincerely, Mix".

MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
I'm just using these things as examples. How many hours the event will be and what is need to get the job done right. When i mentioned the thing about having to use the double 15's that was just an ideal. With limited details about this wedding how do you know if i won't need the other speakers? I didn't say that we would use them for this wedding but we have them just in case they are needed. I would like to know what room the reception is to take place so i can get an ideal of what we would need. Plus it would depend on how many people they expect to attend this wedding. You certainly can't pack 300 people in a room that can only fit 100 people. I know that nowadays most people are having smaller weddings.
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It doesn't matter if you need the other speakers or not. A quick Google search tells me that the maximum capacity at The Manor for weddings is 250. That's an easy number to work with.

MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
All i'm saying is that with such limited info i don't think i could give a fair price to this potential client that would be beneficial to both parties. One that they feel they are not being ripped off and one that we can make a good profit from this wedding. I shouldn't have said ripped off because with us they certainly wouldn't be getting ripped off but superior high quality service.
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I call BS. Assuming your equipment is paid for, the cost of being a DJ in 2012 is so ridiculously low that you could charge $400 for a wedding and still be in the black after deducting your expenses. If you can't confidently quote a price without thinking that your client may feel ripped off, then you already know you're not worth the money. Screw the "superior high quality service" stuff... in this business, you're only as good as your last event.

Here's a suggestion: Get to know this website. A quick glance at it tells me that The Manor is charging your client $80 to $90 per person, plus a 20% service charge and 7% NJ tax. Even if she only invites 200 guests and chooses the lowest-priced option, that's a grand total of... wait for it... $20645.16. Based on this number, it's a safe bet that your client is spending close to $30K on her wedding. It's also a safe bet that she's not going to cheap out on the DJ.

MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
Please do remember this. They may want a ton of things and would you just throw them in just to win their business? Right now i don't know what they want since they haven't made it clear what they would want the DJ to provide other then playing music at their wedding. We can assume all we want but until we get more facts then we can know which way to with this potential client and give them an accurate price to come do their wedding.
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You can wait for facts all day long, or you can provide helpful information - I can say with 99% certainty that you're not the only DJ this person has contacted in the last 24 hours. The fact that you can't give a starting price indicates that you're inexperienced and not the right person for the job.

(Note to readers: I'm not sure why I bothered to do the research and type all of this up, as we know that trying to educate Mix is pretty much hopeless. I hope that if anything, it's eye-opening to someone else who may not realize what a plate of stuffed chicken costs when the words "wedding reception" are attached to it. -B)
 
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wait she will send 5,000 and mix will have to return the balance

have a nice day
 
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Jon Tuck said:
the fact you are throwing around 800 dollars and saying you would add the additional speakers tells me your equally clueless.
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I didn't say i was adding anything. Pay attention. I said if it was needed. With such limited info i really don't know what would be needed to get the job done right. I remember a we were in a hotel doing an event and in another room there was this very large wedding reception. The room w3as huge. So you had to bring a big setup for speakers to cover the room nicely.

As for the $800.00 thing i was just throwing out a number. I didn't say that is what i would have quoted the potential client if they contact me. Now as for where the reception is being held. it is in a very nice venue. I've never been inside the place but i do happen to know from others that it is a high end venue. With that being said just because it's a high end venue doesn't determine the price i would charge. What i would charge a client would be determined based on how many hours they needed to book us for. What we would need to bring to get the job done right and what they would expect us to bring to meet their requirements.

One member almost got it. They mentioned being in a hotel where a DJ was a preferred vendor at this hotel that isn't as nice a place as the West Orange Manor and getting paid more then $800.00. The reason that DJ should be able to command more then $800.00 is because of their performance, they way their setup looks. what they are offering clients at this hotel and their over all professionalism and them knowing how to properly conduct themselves at a wedding. The type of venue and what it looks like should not pre determine the price you would charge a client.

The wedding reception could be in a VFW Post and depending on what a clients needs are and what you can deliver, the job may be worth more then 1k. Just because of the location don't just assume the client isn't willing or doesn't have a nice piece of money to spend. They may be having it in a VFW Post to cut down on the cost of the venue so they can afford other things within their budget. Such as a really professional talented DJ that isn't the cheapest one they can find.

The assumption is that because of where this client is having their reception that this is a client willing to spend 1k or more to book a DJ. That's probably true. Now how would you determine the price you would quote this potential client considering all the info they have given you is where the reception is to take place the date and their name? You might tell them 1k for you to be the entertainment and that person might have been willing to spend $2,500.00. So you just might have left $1,500.00 on the table that should have went to your company. You don't know any of this until the client contacts you and you find out what the clients needs are and how much you would charge for what they would need.

This client for example just might decide they would want you to have uplighting for their reception which would add to the price you would charge the client right? Or would you just throw that in to win to get the booking?
 
MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
Now as for where the reception is being held. it is in a very nice venue. I've never been inside the place but i do happen to know from others that it is a high end venue. With that being said just because it's a high end venue doesn't determine the price i would charge.
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Smart, unless the high-end venue has a difficult load-in. BUT... knowing it's a high-end venue at least tells you what the client might expect to spend. If she's spending $21K for 100 guests to eat then she likely has at least $1000 set aside for entertainment.


MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
The wedding reception could be in a VFW Post and depending on what a clients needs are and what you can deliver, the job may be worth more then 1k. Just because of the location don't just assume the client isn't willing or doesn't have a nice piece of money to spend. They may be having it in a VFW Post to cut down on the cost of the venue so they can afford other things within their budget. Such as a really professional talented DJ that isn't the cheapest one they can find.
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Interesting words from a guy who frequently posts about parties in low-end halls that he can't book for $350 because they want the cheapest DJ they can find. While it's possible that someone may skimp on the venue in order to have more money in their budget for booze (or a DJ, or flowers, or whatever), the reality is that this almost NEVER HAPPENS. Many times, people book "nice enough" venues and hire average DJs. Or, money doesn't matter and they book what they like.

MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
Now how would you determine the price you would quote this potential client considering all the info they have given you is where the reception is to take place the date and their name? You might tell them 1k for you to be the entertainment and that person might have been willing to spend $2,500.00. So you just might have left $1,500.00 on the table that should have went to your company. You don't know any of this until the client contacts you and you find out what the clients needs are and how much you would charge for what they would need.
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Don't take this the wrong way, but if there's money left "on the table", it doesn't mean it should have gone to your company. That's the wrong attitude to have, and even thinking that way makes you a schuyster. If a person is truly willing to spend $2500 on entertainment, they're going to hire the DJ who knows what he's doing and charges $2000-$3000 for the event. The DJ who's quoting $1000 will likely be overlooked, based on the assumptions that he can't be very good if his pricing is not in line with the other quotes they've received. This is why it's important to at least be able to provide a "starting" rate if you're going to send replies by email.

MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
This client for example just might decide they would want you to have uplighting for their reception which would add to the price you would charge the client right? Or would you just throw that in to win to get the booking?
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I will put my uplights in the middle of the street and drive over them with my minivan before I ever "throw that in to win to get the booking". When you give something away for free, you've effectively reduced its value FOREVER to $0. Why on Earth would you give away one of the most expensive options that you offer? If you can't convince them to hire you at the rate that you quoted, then you need to walk away.

Something else to think about: Why does it matter if they want uplighting or not? You don't even own uplighting!
 
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then DJCC put me on IGNORE

I said what will happen because MIX never listens to whats told to him
so why not read it and go stick your head in a bucket because your now IGNORED

have a nice day!!
 
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