DJs that Back out the the Havok they cause!!

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jokerswild

jokerswild

Chief Bottle Washer
Feb 11, 2007
18,776
1,288
Elkhart, IN
www.totalimpactdjs.com
Just finished my interview with a new client of mine and durring the interview she mentioned that she had hired another DJ that backed out on her at the last minute for Sep 15th of 2007. Which is how she came to me...

So, I asked her what happened that the DJ ended up pulling out on her.

She said, that at their meeting the DJ told her that the services were going to cost $550.00 for 6 hours and that because she was a friend of a friend that a deposit wasn't necessary to confirm the date.

Well she asked for an address anyway and even though the DJ was reluctant to give her a mailing address she finally did.

Days and weeks go past... and she's having trouble contacting the DJ and come to find out from a friend that the DJ thought the wedding had been cancelled... and when she did finally get to talk to the DJ. She was told "Well you never sent in a deposit and then someone else inquired about the date and paid a deposit, I thought your wedding had been cancelled."

She asked the DJ why she never tried to contact her with this issue and was told, "I don't chase people down..."

So here she is her wedding is just a month away and no DJ....

At this point any bride would be going nutz... not her she was calm and very easy going... I hope that was because I put her at ease... now here's the rub to that other DJ... I didn't charge her any more than I would charge any other client even on such short notice and booked her at $850.00... that makes me very happy...:sqlaugh:

Of course there are always two side to every coin... the DJ might have a different tail to tell.

But, if any or all of what she told me is correct shame on that DJ...
 
this is a timely post,, my wedding last night, their DJ who was a "friend" backed out on the Friday night at 5 PM,,, 24 hours before!

They called, wanted a DJ for two hours 6 -8 pm.. I gave them a deal if they paid cash, which they did $500.00 and I got a $100.00 tip, so I made $600.00

Now I did play an extra 1/2 hour, but that's because they only had 15 min of dance time, so I played to 8:30

The Mom came up and thanked me and told me that their family member who was going to DJ booked another gig for more money and just bailed on them!

anyway, all went well and I made $600 I hadn't planned on make 48 hours ago
 
See sometimes the good guy does finish first...

I'm not saying its bad or poor business to take advantage of an unfortunate situation but it does, especially if you're the new kid on the block, give you a more favorable reputation when it comes to getting those all important word of mouth referals.

No good deed goes un-punished you know.... lol
 
I just think it is soooo fantastic all the things I'm learning... and yet it all seem so easy and natural to me...

Maybe because I got over my stage fright long ago back in the 90s with singing karaoke that speaking in front of large groups of strangers doesn't bother me in the least....

I've been in the customer service industry specifically Hospitality that talking to people that are nervious and helping them to relax works for me about 75% of the time... I think that's one reason why this bride was so relaxed when we finally met to sign the contract... we were so relaxed it was almost like she'd hired me months ago and we were just going over the finalization of her schedule and planner when in reality we had just met for the first time...

I count my blessing that thus far I have not encountered Bridezilla.... knock on wood. I've heard many a horror story.

It's weird though up until about 1 1/2 months ago I was really doubting my decision to DJ.... I started out about 2 years ago and this year my business has gone up 5x what I did last year... which for me is saying a lot.... and the year ain't over yet... now that's to say I had 2 paid events last year to the 6 so far this year....

I think I owe a lot to my company name chage and web placement... if I do a search for Elkhart DJs I turn up on the 2nd or 3rd page in most search engines...

I'm really excited about this and for the first time so is my wife... she's been the most criticle of my choice to DJ, now she sees that it just might be possible to make a living doing it.

This is why I love it sooo much no where else can you party and make money doing it... If you have a sound business plan and work smartly it can be done... time will tell if I'll be able to reach an income level that will allow me to quit my day job and DJ full time... that is my goal and I have a time frame set of this time next year to be free of the need to work a day job.
 
From what I read, the woman has no one to blame but herself. Period.

In the business world...No signed contract? No Retainer?.....NO GIG!

I could not tell you the amount of flakes I have dealt with that did the same thing, They inquired about my services & then continued shopping/comparing other DJs. After a couple times of trying to get them to commit, I finally dropped them & moved on. (booked someone else)

Later they called me & thought it was locked in.
WRONG!

He said...she said.
Bottom line? no signed contract/retainer, there is no gig.

On the other side of the coin, anyone deals with a DJ that charges lowball rates ($550 for 6 hrs??)...you get what you paid for.
 
"$550 for 6 hours.....you get what you pay for."

Welcome to Indiana, Bill.

Keeping in mind there are more people in your metro that there are in our half of the state here, and I think you'll find that $550 for 6 hours is, unfortunately, status quo--if not a little high-- for hobbyists around these parts.

This is just the kind of market discrepency that makes it difficult to bring up pricing issues online. What may be ridiculously low in Phoenix may be ridiculously high in, say, Elkhart, IN. (population 52,270.)

I've been doing this a long time in Joker's general area, and I find (as do many of my contemporaries) that it's tough to get a living wage, because there are ten times as many $300 wedding DJs out there as there are $1000 ones.....and the clientele here haven't been subjected to authors telling them that five grand is a fair price to pay. In fact, with Ipods, downloads, etc., and authors coming out of the woodwork to tell them to skimp and save on the DJ, it's HARDER to get a fair price point than ever before. Others on this board, and others, have tried to explain. Some areas just aren't condusive to big dollar affairs. I know Fred (Wolfie's) area is much the same, for one.

Not complaining--just explaining. I've figured out ways to make money at this, despite the local prevailing wage. But before you start in on the "$550? You gotta be kidding me?" schtick, stop and think about ALL the factors involved. In some--hell, MOST--areas of the country, $550 isn't bad for a part-time job, as has been stated by many, many times before.

Just my .02. Sorry for the hijack.
 
Thanks Tiny,

The whole point of this post was to put a light on what happens when a DJ is less than professional in their business practices... ie getting a contract, deposit... etc...

In my state a handshake and word of mouth doesn't constitute a binding contract.... as so well put here it becomes a he said/she said situation... and no court in my area will uphold a handshake contract which is a misnomer since they don't legally exist.

Maybe her story was true and maybe she just procrastinated too long on hireing a DJ, but her story did sound credible.

I put my rates up to $850.00 because I want to attract the higher end wedding market in my area but yet I don't want to scare away the buget weddings either (budget does not equal cheap) We all have to live within our means and the same applies to B&G not every B&G can afford the 2k-3k entertainer.... I would have and have done weddings for less. I don't consider it lowballing because in many cases I have been the one and only DJ they have contacted so I'm not competeing with other DJs so therefore my rate is not a lowball rate... does that make sence?
 
Last year I was an emergency DJ five times. In four cases there was no excuse and in the fifth there was a good excuse.

1. DJ bailed when he got a better offer one day before. No contract and no retainer. The location was a wedding factory; that is, they stack up the weddings on the weekends in multimple rooms. The wedding was scheduled for a Saturday evening and I get the call Friday afternoon. She was paying $300 for four hours and the going rate in the area was between $500 to $750 for midrange.

2 through 4. DJ either forgot the date or time. I got the call from the venue, which is five minutes from my house. In each of these I already had the gear in the truck and a tux ready to go. In all cases I got the call 45 minutes before scheduled guest arrival. In all three of these cases the ceremony was at the same location and being handled by stings, a harp, or other performer and the bride was aware of the situation, was in tears, and asked the venue to make the calls. The venue is only five minutes away and I got there, got loaded in with the help of venue staff, and was up and running (but not yet changed) before the first guest was allowed in. I put the rig on auto play and then changed.

In one case the booked DJ showed up in the middle of dinner. He proceeded to tell me that he was now there and would take over with my equipment. The venue staff escorted him out when he didn't like my answer.

In all of the above I got great reviews and my fee.

Case 5: I had just gotten my gear out of the truck when I got a call from a friend. His engine would not turn over. His event was two hours from the time he called and both he and the venue were five minutes away from me. He told me to take over the event and he'd be there when he could. I told him I'd be by his house, we'll load his gear in my truck, and he'll do the event himself. We both ended up working it and he split the fee with me.
 
Very nice GoodNight.... see we don't have to be bitter enemies as DJs I truely believe one hand washes the other and what goes around comes around.... and I also believe no good deed goes unpunished. Your reward might not be that day but some other time when you're in need of help someone will be there to pick you up and set you right again.
 
GoodKnightDJ said:
In one case the booked DJ showed up in the middle of dinner. He proceeded to tell me that he was now there and would take over with my equipment. The venue staff escorted him out when he didn't like my answer.
Click to expand...

Thats Balls...
 
Yeah... that kinda stuff goes to show ya that there are a lot of jacklegs out there. No professional would do something like that.

And we wonder why the public doesn't take us seriously...
 
2 shows i booked this week:

One bride said she had a DJ come meet her..After he didn't show up for the first meeting..he showed up in ripped up jeans and long hair that wasn't washed....and when she told him that there would be no bridal party introductions...he rolled his eyes...and said...that's silly...you have to have the introductions.

Another one said they called a few places...left messages....didn't hear back for a few days for 3 of them. One that called back said he would email them info...never got it....they called...the guy said he sent it but will resend it...then they never heard from him...that was a week ago. They called me, i answered, met with them and booked the show same day.

On one hand I'm glad these guys made it easy for me to book the shows, but it makes us all look bad when we get grouped in with these people.
For the record, I am not trying to say I am Mr. Super Elite DJ or am able to charge the most...but I do try to maintain professionalism on the phone, when meeting with a customer, or at an event.
 
So, it is 9:00 last night and I am getting ready to put the DJ business to bed for the night and the phone rings.

"Are you available for Sunday?" asked the frantic voice on the other end. "Yes I am," I replied. "How can I help you."

The bride explained that she's been trying to get in contact with her DJ for a a week now. She has had problems contacting him before but he usually calls back in a day or so. Now she gets a message that his phone has been disconnected. I ask who it is and it turns out he's one of the local bottom feeders and I know what he charges, so, I decide to get the pain out of the way early and tell he what I charge for four hours.

"My God. That's four times what he's charging me."
"I am not the cheapest or the most inexpensive in the area but I will give you a quality reception."
"I need to make more calls".
"Mam, it is after 9:00 PM, your chances of finding another DJ that will answer the phone now is slim to none."
"But, at this point I have spent alot of money and, while you may be a good DJ, I just can't afford you."
"What can you afford?"
"Maybe $200."
"I am sorry, but that is below my cost of production. While I'd like to help you, I cannot take a loss on this."
"Well, he was charging me $150. How can he do that?"
"Several ways. Poor quality equipment, downloading music off of places like Limewire, and so on."
"Oh. Could you do it for $250."
"Mam, I have stated my price and that is what it will be. I thank you for your interest in Good Knight Entertainment. I am sorry but I have to be up early in the morning. Good luck on your search. Have a good evening."

I turned the machine on and the phones off and went to bed. There was a message there this morning but I did not listen to it.
 
Last year I did a little advertising ploy. I donated a full service to Relay For Life to auction off. All the money went to the Relay. Now I was doing this gig for free. I passed one gig off to my partner and turned down a couple others that were paying.

Your integrity is worth far more in the long run than the $200 or $300 extra you might make.

Was it tough not being paid. Sure it was but the cause was right, the goodwill that was captured on this night was well worth it. I basically just played great music and did a little mc work. But the compliments were many as people kept telling me how much they enjoyed the music.

Mind you this event had a contract so my reputation is intact and everyone is happy. And people who have never seen me before have now witnessed some of what we do.
 
GoodKnight,,,, what if she was calling back to book you? Now you are one of those DJs wwho left her high and dry......
 
Yeah, I'd be wondering if it were that bride....

You were like a trout swimming up stream on that one...
First you had to overcome a distraught bride who just got screwed by a cheap dj and she's now lumping all dj's in with that guy and second is price... In her mind all dj's are alike so price should be the same... if Kroger is running a sale on milk for 1.88 she'd expect Martin's to match the price... same concept except applied to DJ services... we are all the same white milk so why a price difference?

I probably would have left it this way...

"Ma'm I'm sorry it's late and I need to get up early this is my price think it over and call me in the morning after XX:XX and if I am still available we can set a time to meet for payment prior to your reception, thank you for your interest."

This way your still twisting the arm slightly in that your telling her this is my price take it or lump it but you have givin her the option to call you back... then when she pays the higher price it's been her decision and no one pushed her into it and she'd be less likely to be critical of your service... vs the bottomfeeders based solely on price.
 
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