Weddings Your Ending Contract Time VS. The Venue's???

To many ads? Support ODJT and see no ads!
C

Capital Disc Jockeys

New DJ
Nov 5, 2006
1,202
4
55
Schenectady, NY
In short, this weekend's wedding went well. Except due to the fact that my ending contract 11:30 was up against the venue's 12:30. The venue won of course. I had to go an extra hour and couldn't charge the client.

The orginal time was 6:30-11:30...Then changed to 7 pm ceremony, with the ending time at 12:30...

To me, an hour is an hour...When explaining to the bride this, she brushed it off..For some reason she *thought* we had the same contract, the venue and myself. I didn't come out and say *You owe us $ for the hour*...I know for sure it would've started an argument.

I did the 12:30 with no mentioning...No complaining..

What would you have done???
 
Except due to the fact that my ending contract 11:30 was up against the venue's 12:30. The venue won of course. I had to go an extra hour and couldn't charge the client.
Click to expand...

I would have politely told the Venue and the Bride, I'm sorry, but our contract specifies the event ending at 11:30. Unless other arrangements are made, I will need to shut down. However, to avoid this problem, my OT rate is stated on my contract.

Like Cap says over and over again, if you deviate from your contract once, you have left yourself open to other contract issues. (please correct me if I'm wrong Cap!)

G-Lou
 
I have a start and end time on my contract. If the venue lets them go longer, they have to pay OT.

In the other case, if the venue closes before the contract time is up, it states in my contract that it will not be pro rated.
 
My final meeting with any bride - usually a week before the reception - ALWAYS starts out verifying the venue location. date and start and end times. I then contact the venue and verify the same.

If there are any changes, they can be corrected then - not at the event.

Sorry to say it, but this error was easily avoidable.
 
Before signing with a client, I check with them on starting/ending times and if they're not known or just rough estimates, I work with them on that. Before the wedding day, the times are set in stone. If I messed up on that, it would be my fault and if the party's still going, I would probably do the extra hour for free. It just depends upon the specific circumstances of the situation.
 
I always verify several times throughout the planning process. Lst year the B&G insisted that the times were 6 to 11. The venue had 6 to 12. The B&G insisyed that the venue was wrong and that it was 6 to 11. So, I went with them.

At the event the venue told me several times that the end was 12 but I told them that the B&G insisted that it was 11. At ten of 11 I start preparing for the farewell dance and the FOB comes up and tells me that it was supposed to be till 12. I showed him the contract that I had with the B&G and that ended at 11. He told me that he had paid the venue to go to 12 and that I was to stay till then. I told him that it would then cost another $150 for the extra hour payable only in cash. He gave me a hard time and told me he wasn't going to pay.

Bottom line, I did the farewell dance, closer, and then shut down. Once I start disconnecting gear, I'm done and I had already started when he came up with the $150. I told him sorry, the gear is being disconnected, I'm done. And I was. He wasn't happy but he wasn't my client. The B&G were happy.
 
AlbanyAMS said:
In short, this weekend's wedding went well. Except due to the fact that my ending contract 11:30 was up against the venue's 12:30. The venue won of course. I had to go an extra hour and couldn't charge the client.

The orginal time was 6:30-11:30...Then changed to 7 pm ceremony, with the ending time at 12:30...

To me, an hour is an hour...When explaining to the bride this, she brushed it off..For some reason she *thought* we had the same contract, the venue and myself. I didn't come out and say *You owe us $ for the hour*...I know for sure it would've started an argument.

I did the 12:30 with no mentioning...No complaining..

What would you have done???
Click to expand...

Its a tough situation. From how you describe, it sounds like an honest mistake by the bride..but then again she could have known all along and wanted to get by without paying OT. Sure you lost $100 or whatever your OT rate is, but everybody was happy at the end of the night, and chances are you will get referrals. I wouldn't lose sleep over it, just know for next time.
 
Tim - I guess my questions are:

What was your start time on the contract?
What time did you start?
Was the ceremony at the reception site?
Did your contract specify 5 hours of time?

If the start time on the contract was 6:30, and you started at 6:30 (if the ceremony was at the reception site, then I assume you had music going for the guest arrival...) and your contract was for 5 hours, then anything over 5 hours is OT...

If the ceremony was off-site, and you knew this, and you didn't have to start until 7:30 or 8, then I would have amended the contract and started the clock based on the updated times... (No OT...)

I've had a few instances where the hall was booked for more hours than I was... That simply leaves the opportunity for OT in MY hands.

I've also had weddings (ceremony on-site, me providing music) that started VERY late. Again, I was doing my job playing music for the guests while waiting. The clock started ticking at the contracted time, and stopped ticking at the contracted time. (YOUR inability to adhere to a schedule that YOU created is NOT my problem!!)

Another viewpoint: Suppose they had booked you until 12:30, but only had the room until 11:30, and the hall decided NOT to allow OT. Would you owe them a refund?
 
GoodKnightDJ said:
Lst year the B&G insisted that the times were 6 to 11. The venue had 6 to 12. The B&G insisyed that the venue was wrong and that it was 6 to 11. So, I went with them.
Click to expand...

Tom - Perfect example! Your clients (the B&G) made a decision to pay for 5 hours of your services. It is irrelevant how many hours the hall is booked for. Anything over and above your contract is OT, and should be paid accordingly...
 
I look at things a little different. It is usually the venue who has a sooner shutdown time than my contract as I generally book for 6 hours instead of 4 for most weddings.

If on the other hand I run into a situation such as this one "IF" the party is jumping I will continue for another half an hour then I break them down with music choice and end the event. If they want to continue it takes dollars!
 
DJ Zac said:
Tim - I guess my questions are:

What was your start time on the contract?
What time did you start?
Was the ceremony at the reception site?
Did your contract specify 5 hours of time?

If the start time on the contract was 6:30, and you started at 6:30 (if the ceremony was at the reception site, then I assume you had music going for the guest arrival...) and your contract was for 5 hours, then anything over 5 hours is OT...

If the ceremony was off-site, and you knew this, and you didn't have to start until 7:30 or 8, then I would have amended the contract and started the clock based on the updated times... (No OT...)

I've had a few instances where the hall was booked for more hours than I was... That simply leaves the opportunity for OT in MY hands.

I've also had weddings (ceremony on-site, me providing music) that started VERY late. Again, I was doing my job playing music for the guests while waiting. The clock started ticking at the contracted time, and stopped ticking at the contracted time. (YOUR inability to adhere to a schedule that YOU created is NOT my problem!!)

Another viewpoint: Suppose they had booked you until 12:30, but only had the room until 11:30, and the hall decided NOT to allow OT. Would you owe them a refund?
Click to expand...



What was your start time on the contract?

Originally 6:30 PM, Revised to 7 pm.

What time did you start?

I started playing preluded music at 6:15. (ceremony at 7pm)

Was the ceremony at the reception site?

Yes.

Did your contract specify 5 hours of time?

Yes, 6:30-11:30 pm. The revised time then went to 7-11:30, zero mention of me going till 12:30 until Thursday..

This will NEVER happen again...
 
AlbanyAMS said:
What was your start time on the contract?

Originally 6:30 PM, Revised to 7 pm.

What time did you start?

I started playing preluded music at 6:15. (ceremony at 7pm)
Click to expand...

So not only did you go past your end time by an hour, you started 15 minutes earlier than your original start time... You worked 6.25 hours for 5 hours of pay...:sqmad: :sqerr: :sqmad:

Next Monday you get spanked with a wet bar napkin... :sqwink:
 
What has the venue got to do with it.

I have never even discussed my shut down time with a venue it is between the client and I:sqconfused: Unless the client wants to go past the venue's closing time then I just say no to avoid trouble with breaking any laws. If the client wants to go beyond the time agreed to on the contract then they pay me cash or I shut down, this is made clear before the event.
 
Tim : You received exactly what you stood up for. No sympathy forthcoming from folks who have contracts, don't stick to or enforce them, and then biitch about it.

See you Monday.
 
If you say it, mean it.

If your draft it, sign it, agree to it, and are held responsible for it, you are legally bound to have MEANT IT!

Contract should state start & end and all parties should honor it.

If you don't you can't expect other to do it for you.
 
The customer's contract comes with me to the event. I do not work any longer than I am contracted. When I would run into something like this it would have been handled right after they finshed eating or when I was lining them up for entrance.

I don't work for free and dam 12:30 is late. If I do a wedding here that goes after 10:30 PM there may be 40 people left.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back