Weddings Venue asking for $200.00 deposit

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Ok...one issue not being looked at iis how one-sided this contract is. I believe it would be laughed at and thrown out of court. This contract has NOT been negotiated in advance.

My advice - emergency meeting with your current client and tell them you will not pay this, nor sign the venue's contract. You have a contract with the B&G, NOT the venue.

Signing this sets you up for many problems down the road.

Coincidentally, there is a wedding planning company that has managed to get exclusive contracts with two higher end places so that only their Djs, photogs, etc get to work there. If the B&G choose someone else, they have to pay an additional $250 fee PER VENDOR.

These are dangerous precedents being set that need to be crushed as soon as possible.

In small claims or civil court, Nothing is ever laughed at and thrown out.
maybe in criminal court for absurd charges but on in small claims.
What happens is that they get the two parties together to negotiate to the last minute.
then if they cannot agree, the judge will tell them that it is very rare that one party will come out of this the way they expect. In other words, do not expect it to be totally to your favor.

Just a tidbit from someone who has been sued many times and have been in SC court as well as sued for 2 million dollars from the city itself!!
 
Put it on Visa. That is a good way to dispute if anything WAS charged.

Normally, that would be a great suggestion....but Jefferson Street Mansion will only accept a check from the DJ who's performing.

Like I said before, they WILL NOT cash the check, they NEVER have done so in the several years this policy has been in effect.

According to Ali (a DJ with 25+ years of experience).....the facility was OK to work with and they returned the check at the end of the evening.
 
In small claims or civil court, Nothing is ever laughed at and thrown out.

Ever watch Judge Judy? LOL

Kidding aside, I could see a judge enforcing that agreement. I also could see me loosing much more than $200 trying to get the $200 back, in time, effort, travel etc. etc.

If you do agree to the $200, consider it a loss, discount, or what have you. I would assume you could write it off as a business expense mabye? If you get it back, be very very happy.

Then again most of us could be wrong, and you go in do a bang up job, they fire their son and use you exclusively. Not likely, but hell, stranger things have happened.

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Edited to add:

They'll take a check? If all else fails and I didn't have the "all fees paid by client" stipulation on my contract and I couldn't get out of it, heck I would give them a check. If they keep it, stop payment on it and make them come after you. Most likely that won't happen for the same reasons I stated above. I assumed they wanted cash only.

G-Lou
 
Hey, It's a deposit!

You have legal action to have it returned after you finish your event there! ;)

My fee is a retainer fee, not a deposit. Deposits are always returnable. If it's listed as a deposit in the contract, you should be able to take legal action if they don't return it to you after you've loaded out.

I am also of the opinion, that any deposits for the venue should be paid in full by the clients, and not myself.

If the venue required it be paid from myself, and I couldn't play otherwise, My contract with the client is complete, final payment required, and I would enjoy the night off due to Conditions beyond my control.
 
well after reading some reviews from yelp about this venue, I did come to find out that yes the owner has a preferred DJ vendor, her son, which owns a DJ company a few miles away from me.

That is what I thought this is the issue so pay the 200.00 get it back when you are done and think to yourself nice try but I got you figured. Hey just to screw around with her head get a list of the bookings in the venue and book as many as you can. Play the game and have some fun with her.:sqwink:
 
Ok...one issue not being looked at iis how one-sided this contract is. I believe it would be laughed at and thrown out of court. This contract has NOT been negotiated in advance.
.

Take a read at most DJ contracts
 
Hey, It's a deposit!

You have legal action to have it returned after you finish your event there! ;)

My fee is a retainer fee, not a deposit. Deposits are always returnable. If it's listed as a deposit in the contract, you should be able to take legal action if they don't return it to you after you've loaded out.

I am also of the opinion, that any deposits for the venue should be paid in full by the clients, and not myself.

If the venue required it be paid from myself, and I couldn't play otherwise, My contract with the client is complete, final payment required, and I would enjoy the night off due to Conditions beyond my control.

I don't think i'd have any problems legally arguing that they need to give me my money back.

To me, it's the time and effort it could possible take to get it back would be the issue.

It sounds to me that there is a precedence to believe that the check will be returned promptly. So, in that instance, i may have considered signing the agreement WHEN I SIGNED my clients. I still don't believe i'd do it after the fact.

The other reality is if they didn't give me the check back, i would stop payment, so the loss would only be $35 or so.

other other reality is that I don't believe the venue made it clear to their potential clients that vendors needed to sign and put a deposit down. That is an assumption, but it seems strange that a bride would overlook that.
 
You'd be surprised at the stuff folks overlook when they're getting married.

I seem to recall this little gem was thrust upon me about one month before the event.

If my sub Ali (not to be confused with Allie, my daughter) had chosen not to perform, I would have had to insert another performer in his place, whomever was willing to put his $$$ on the line.

I'm going to look back in my records, to see if the document is still on my computer.
 
News Flash

Just got off the phone with the groom, I guess he was able to get on the phone with the venue owner, he explained my side of the story and she explained her side of the story, he told her that I was a professional, I did this for a living and according to her she had bad experiences with other DJ's not wanting to MC or adhere to a timeline.

Anyways coming to the point an agreement was made that my insurance certificate should sufficient as proof of business ethics and professionalism:sqwink::sqbiggrin:

I just didn't believe in the concept of me having to pay or put a deposit in order to work for someone else.
 
glad you were able to get things worked out.

I didn't know about the in-house DJ arrangement.

Here in Roseville, CA (sacramento area), there is a venue that has a similar in-house DJ relationship....and it has a really bad reputation.

Hadn't seen the yelps on JSM until today! :(
 
I must have misunderstood the first post. I thought the $200 was in case of damages. You mean it was for MCing and Time line? You would have been out of your freaking mind to sign such an agreement and fork over money. Right or wrong, good or bad it doesn't matter. Your performance, MCing, and or time line is between you and the one who signs your contract. I would hope you'd play nice and work with the venue, I'm sure you would but that's it. You do not work for them nor meet any of their concerns contractually. Well let's just say I wouldn't make any deal with any venue such as this one.

I wish you luck as I'm sure you'll do a professional job. Otherwise it wouldn't have bothered you a bit.
 
Fred,

Sweet and simple. It's not about the fee, or even the added conditions. It's about how it was done. The venue is attempting to initiate it's own contract at the last minute, rather than up front, putting the B&G and DJ in an untenable position. Shrewd but sleazy practice.
 
Very glad that things worked out for you. Now you can concentrate on your client's event. :)
 
Glad to hear it worked out :sqbiggrin:

Anyways coming to the point an agreement was made that my insurance certificate should sufficient as proof of business ethics and professionalism:sqwink::sqbiggrin:

This isn't pointed at you Sirdj just in general....

That one always baffeled me....How does the fact you bought insurance make you any more professional than the next guy? I have insurance on my cars it doesn't make me a good or professional driver.

I have seen guys take grief for saying they sell thier gear to clients but almost everybody sells thier policy and no one ever brings that up

Just fodder for another thread :sqerr:
 
Glad to hear it worked out :sqbiggrin:



This isn't pointed at you Sirdj just in general....

That one always baffeled me....How does the fact you bought insurance make you any more professional than the next guy? I have insurance on my cars it doesn't make me a good or professional driver.

I have seen guys take grief for saying they sell thier gear to clients but almost everybody sells thier policy and no one ever brings that up

Just fodder for another thread :sqerr:

Jeff you're right, insurance doesn't make a dj more professional or better than the next guy(to me is the smart thing to do), but in this case I guess the Owner, took it as good faith item of me being responsible.

Also many venues in northern california will require an insurance certificate otherwise they will not let you perform at their venue.
 
Jeff you're right, insurance doesn't make a dj more professional or better than the next guy(to me is the smart thing to do), but in this case I guess the Owner, took it as good faith item of me being responsible.
Oh but you're wrong. Having insurance does make you more professional. It shows that you care about your business, your clients, and the venues you play at. That is the sign of a true professional. Does it make you a better DJ? Not performance wise but that's only personal opinion.

Having insurance is a part of doing business, it has nothing to with how well you do your job as a DJ. Most venues could careless how your performance is as long as you don't suck. Taking pride in your business practices with contracts, insurance, personal meetings, etc are all the signs of a professional business. So don't ever think that providing proper business practices don't make you better than the next guy. If the next guy has no insurance, a poor or no contract, and very poor contact skills then chances are they are not a true professional. What do you think their performance is like if they don't care about basic business practices?
 
Not sure but according to the agreement says that Their Agreement needs to be signed at the moment the B&G signed the DJ they hire contract.


If that's the case then it's pretty clear cut: The B&G are responsible for the agreement, and should forward the deposit if this comes up again in the future. Glad it worked out for you.
 
geez, I gotta wonder if it is the venue's policy
or the managers idea to make an extra $200.
if they are quick to say you broke the rules, you lose your $200
I would definitely look into it.
but regardless of WHEN you found out...
I would pass the problem (and the cost) onto the bride and groom.
They will be less likely to put up with it...
and the venue (or manager) will be less likely to DEMAND it
 
geez, I gotta wonder if it is the venue's policy
or the managers idea to make an extra $200.
if they are quick to say you broke the rules, you lose your $200
I would definitely look into it.
but regardless of WHEN you found out...
I would pass the problem (and the cost) onto the bride and groom.
They will be less likely to put up with it...
and the venue (or manager) will be less likely to DEMAND it

It's the Venue(owner's) policy.

It's a beautiful place secluded from civilization, in an area that was used for many years as a Military Base, nearby there's an abandoned fort, a converted Armory, etc...

It turns out that when I got there, she has a coordinator working for her, which I know from another venue that closed down last year. So it turned into a pleasant evening, the owner gave 0 problems when I got there, I guess from moment one she noticed I meant business and wasn't a kid playing professional.

Although some people adviced me to follow her rules, I just didn't think it was right and didn't budge in. Will I comeback to this venue only time will tell. They're going to start renovations this coming winter to make an enclosed building for indoor events, right now all of their events are outdoors in a Tent but in the winter gets very cold as it's at the tip of the Bay Area.