Wedding DJ - Reducing hours

ted1

kippy wrote: »

Never heard of him.

Me neither

Toots

Hey here's an idea! How about if someone thinks that a poster is shilling they use the 'report' button rather than dragging the thread off topic!

Newaglish

AoifeCork wrote: »

Anybody else feeling a bit bummed for the original DJ?

I think it's seriously poor form on the OP. I actually can't believe they're going to try to demand the deposit back as well.

Shyboy

Savman wrote: »

At €900, not even slightly.

Hang on...the man charges what he charges for his service...ok, he might be more expensive than most of his competition but the op decided to go with him. Then the op reduced the hours and he reduced the price accordingly...

Now the op has decided to cancel but would like the deposit back...the man has probably turned down a few weddings for the same date as he was already booked. Now he is left with nothing...and no you have no sympathy??:eek:

Gatica

ted1 wrote: »

I would see a mixture of niaveity and wedding excitement. She more than likely never hired a DJ before and got caught up in the excitement and agreed an exorbitant price

Most couples organising a wedding would have never had occasion to hire a DJ, doesn't mean that the very first DJ quotes them the highest price he can think of.
That said, since we don't know the DJ in question, he could be really popular (which I'd imagine should've meant he'd able to secure another booking, but still, not his problem if OP decides to half-time or cancel him) and/or awesome, or he could be chancing his arm.

lms84 wrote: »

Now all I need to do is find out if I can get my €100 deposit back from my previous DJ.
I did not receive and official receipt from him.
I sent a letter stating 'Please find enclosed - my deposit', which he photocopied and sent back to me.
Don't know where this leaves me as there is no real proof that I sent it as I don't have his signature.

While I'm delighted to hear you have your night's entertainment sorted out, I think you're being a little presumptuous to think you could get your deposit back. It's not his fault you had a change of plans, and as others have said he may have turned down other work on the night for your booking. Even cutting his hours means he cannot somehow make up for that time difference and therefore potential earnings lost on the same night (he was basically down from 900 to 500, with no other way now to make up the 400).
The deposit is there to secure a booking, in case you change your mind and is rarely refundable, unless by the supplier's good grace. What would be the point of it otherwise?
Usual mantra of if you don't ask you won't get, so if you feel comfortable asking him if he'd consider a refund of your deposit, then chance your arm, but certainly don't count on it, as you're not entitled to it.

I get the feeling the exchange between the OP and DJ didn't go too smoothly, and they'd feel more comfortable on the night to have someone there who's happy to be there. If I was the OP, I'd also prefer to go through "the hassle" of booking someone else if I didn't get on with a supplier.

Mobile Dj

lms84 wrote: »

No it was just after the meal

MAD money for a full evening wedding DJ.

€350 - €500 would be the going rate even with a large sound and lighting system (including back up equipment).

pwurple

Mobile Dj wrote: »

MAD money for a full evening wedding DJ.

€350 - €500 would be the going rate even with a large sound and lighting system (including back up equipment).

This DJ was also doing a band replacement though? normally a band does the first half. They changed the price to the standard 500 when the hours were reduced to the standard hours.

Mobile Dj

pwurple wrote: »

This DJ was also doing a band replacement though? normally a band does the first half. They changed the price to the standard 500 when the hours were reduced to the standard hours.

Don't follow

After band €250 avg
Full evening €350 avg

Al local without travel.

clint_silver

Mobile Dj wrote: »

Don't follow

After band €250 avg
Full evening €350 avg

Al local without travel.

I would have said those figures are below the average.

300e after band
500e full night

is where Id have put the averages. I'm Djing a long time.

can you get cheaper? sure, can you get more expensive? sure.

caveat: Price is no guarantee of how good or bad a DJ is.

Toots

clint_silver wrote: »

I would have said those figures are below the average.

300e after band
500e full night

is where Id have put the averages. I'm Djing a long time.

can you get cheaper? sure, can you get more expensive? sure.

caveat: Price is no guarantee of how good or bad a DJ is.

I agree, I remember when I was booking a DJ those were the prices we were quoted the majority of the time, give or take a couple of euro. Same with two friends who got married recently and we were chatting comparing costs. Honestly, I'd be fairly reluctant to hire someone who was charging miles below their competitors. Unless it was a special offer with 50% off or something, I'd be concerned that the price would reflect the quality of their work.

Mobile Dj

Toots* wrote: »

I agree, I remember when I was booking a DJ those were the prices we were quoted the majority of the time, give or take a couple of euro. Same with two friends who got married recently and we were chatting comparing costs. Honestly, I'd be fairly reluctant to hire someone who was charging miles below their competitors. Unless it was a special offer with 50% off or something, I'd be concerned that the price would reflect the quality of their work.

Grand, I'd better up my rates and not feel guilty about ripping people off.

I would rate my standard of service and experience in the upper end of scale.

Arbiter of Good Taste

My mind is actually blown to think that the OP hopes to get their deposit back. There are no words.....

To be honest €900 isn't completely off what we were quoted last year. Though saying that I wasn't actively looking for a full night DJ as we wanted a band - I was just being curious so didn't spend time shopping around. But I recall figures of around €600.

Remember as well that he was to travel to Donegal for this, so unless he is from somewhere near-ish, it's a pretty tedious journey - 3+ hours from Dublin for example. So you're looking at travel costs and possibly overnight accommodation. So €900 may not actually be too far off.

Sligo1

We paid €550 for our DJ. He played after our band until around 3am (ish) give or take 30 min (I was pretty merry so can't remember lol). That included him travelling (round trip of about 4 hours).

Toots

Mobile Dj wrote: »

Grand, I'd better up my rates and not feel guilty about ripping people off.

I would rate my standard of service and experience in the upper end of scale.

I'm not calling your standard of service into question, I'm expressing my opinion. You can do whatever you want with your rates. My point is that if I was looking for a service and called around for a load of quotes and they were all coming in at in and around the same price and someone quoted me less than half that price, I'd find it slightly off-putting as I'd be unsure that I'd be getting the same level of service. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would feel this way, either.

Mobile Dj

Toots* wrote: »

I'm not calling your standard of service into question, I'm expressing my opinion. You can do whatever you want with your rates. My point is that if I was looking for a service and called around for a load of quotes and they were all coming in at in and around the same price and someone quoted me less than half that price, I'd find it slightly off-putting as I'd be unsure that I'd be getting the same level of service. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would feel this way, either.

Not talking a poke at you at all.

I agree with what you say, just a pity it is all down to money charged, would you not look into the standard offered at the lower price at all giving it no further thought in the selection process.

Again I will up my prices when quoting for weddings from today on.

kippy

Toots* wrote: »

I'm not calling your standard of service into question, I'm expressing my opinion. You can do whatever you want with your rates. My point is that if I was looking for a service and called around for a load of quotes and they were all coming in at in and around the same price and someone quoted me less than half that price, I'd find it slightly off-putting as I'd be unsure that I'd be getting the same level of service. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would feel this way, either.

Whst level of service do you expect from a DJ? Turn up on time. Standard sound system. Play music to keep people on the floor.......usually the same generic wedding disco music as everyother wedding.

Gatica

I can't quite say what makes a great or bad DJ, but you know when you're in the company of a bad one. Naff songs and comments between songs, yikes...
I think a good DJ would probably read the floor to keep it full, do requests that are not out of place and would keep the party going.

Arbiter of Good Taste

Gatica wrote: »

I can't quite say what makes a great or bad DJ, but you know when you're in the company of a bad one. Naff songs and comments between songs, yikes...
I think a good DJ would probably read the floor to keep it full, do requests that are not out of place and would keep the party going.

Agreed. Recently married myself and we had a fantastic band and DJ - floor was full the whole night. I've been to weddings with many more guests where the floor was empty at times. There's a big difference between a good band/DJ and a crap one. The good ones earn their pay

sweetie

Gatica wrote: »

I can't quite say what makes a great or bad DJ, but you know when you're in the company of a bad one. Naff songs and comments between songs, yikes... I think a good DJ would probably read the floor to keep it full, do requests that are not out of place and would keep the party going.

indeed, imo (music aside) a good dj knows when to speak, a poor one doesn't know when to stop.

Shyboy

Arbiter of Good Taste wrote: »

Agreed. Recently married myself and we had a fantastic band and DJ - floor was full the whole night. I've been to weddings with many more guests where the floor was empty at times. There's a big difference between a good band/DJ and a crap one. The good ones earn their pay

I have to say that it is not always the Band/DJ's fault if the dancefloor is not full all of the time. I have seen the best of wedding bands have nights where they struggle to keep the crowd on the floor, no matter what they play...usually because the crowd are next door in the bar...:(

turbot

lms84 wrote: »

GOOD NEWS!
I have found a DJ willing to travel up from Galway to play for only €350.
He has been recommended to me by a well known radio DJ in that area so I am happy to have him.
I checked him out and he has a good reputation and a full set of equipment. It could not have worked out better.
I'd like to say an open thanks to everyone who has helped here especially Darragh O Dea.

Now all I need to do is find out if I can get my €100 deposit back from my previous DJ.
I did not receive and official receipt from him.
I sent a letter stating 'Please find enclosed - my deposit', which he photocopied and sent back to me.
Don't know where this leaves me as there is no real proof that I sent it as I don't have his signature.

Whenever you cancel on a service provider, there is an opportunity cost for them. Even if his prices are high and above the market average, it's your fault if you didn't do research before hand. It's his right to price his services however high he likes, and your duty to decide if you can afford it BEFORE you make the agreement. Keep in mind that leaving a deposit is not paying for an OPTION TO HIRE. It's markedly different - and now you want your deposit back???

There is a weird kind of derision in this forum regarding prices too - because - if you hired a FAMOUS DJ (like FatBoySlim) and he charged €50k for the night - it would be easier to see that there is something weird about you jumping on here and proclaiming "Great News" when you found someone else for a few hundred euros.