Which would you choose?

Customers remember good service, so if you take the time to explain you cant do the gig but you know a man who can. The suprising result is the customer will come back to you first. This has happened so many time to me.

Its not just the gig thats important, its every contact we have with the punter.

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The suprising result is the customer will come back to you first. This has happened so many time to me

This is true. But remember if you try and push work onto somebody who you know is crap, or just pass it on, not knowing if that person is reliable, in an attempt at making your own show appear better, then it can backfire on you!

Not forgetting to make £20 out of it (at least !)

I always tell the unlucky client that I'm already booked (as long as I am of course), and if the two or three DJ's that I know, are suitable for the function that the client is looking at holding, then I will pass on the name.

I would certainly NEVER EVER agree to do the function and let some other DJ turn up.

All through my 8 or so years with an Agency (Now solo for the last 8 years+) the agency was plagued by one local DJ in particular (lets call him "Mr L")...He was of an unmistakable appearance and simply took gigs for any day without consulting his diary. A few days before a weekend (err, that would be mid-week then...) MR L would take the highest priced booking for himself, and phone other DJ's (of any level of talent) up at the last minute and give them the gig, without telling the client. If none of his "mates" could do it, he'd pass it to an agency to try and fill...several instances spring to mind where a distraught best man or sobbing 18th Birthday gril would phone up at 6pm from a village hall payphone (mobiles were for yuppies back then) asking for an emergency booking, as MR L hadnt turned up, and nor had anyone that he'd "alledgedly" arranged either.

The agency that I was with, got so many such calls (they were the largest in the town at that time) that they used to have a DJ and Roadie on "Standby" each Fri and Sat Night...sitting in a fully loaded Van, central to the towns ring road, waiting for their briefcase sized mobile to spring into life. The agency didnt charge double or any such "short notice" surcharge, or try to "make a killing", but the standby DJ's (including me..it was on a rota) were often greeted to genuine smiles and even applause as we rolled up. Often with more offers of one-night (and 100% trustworthy, morning suited "roadies") than we needed...The agency was once sent a photo of two 6(ish) year old bridesmaids carrying in a box of Bulgin leads between them.




This standby van proved useful for all the agencies DJ's too. If you were at a gig and something started going wrong eg: Amp overheating, lighting controller packing up, you could get a replacement delivered to you real quick.

Hi Gary, Do I know this Mr L and was he reported to the DTI (or DOE as was then). It sounds as if he should have been hung up by the scrotum from the mast at Hannington.

Ah no, I think that you may be thinking of Big Mr B.

The "L" that I used above was derived from the christian name of the little whatsit...

Dosen't ring any bells at the moment, but given time. Does he still excist and does he need a visit from the DTI??????????

Well, think of a cliché bit of graffiti about ".......was 'ere" and you'll get the first name... I've already given you the initial.

I don't think that he's doing discos anymore. The last time that I heard anything about him was a good 5 years ago. Legend has it that the family and in-laws of a disgrunted bride who had been jilted (by this ex(?)DJ, not jilted by her groom) booked him to come out to a village hall in the middle of nowhere and "negotiated" some compensation...

I dont think any money was involved, but hopefully the family felt better afterwards....

This is a hard one.
We've passed 1 disco on before due to equipment failure but provided the music as well as being there anyway, this was ok.

On posting for a Dj on here, As I was not previously booked for this event in the first place nor have they booked me before I was just helping this person in posting on here, But it's result was not as expected, I only had 1 reply 2 days before the event.

Lastly, I tried passing on a booking to another dj in which I know, who to my surprise was extremly stroppy about it and asked was I acting as an agent, MONG

But I think now considering all this that No unless I know you personally I wont pass on any.

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But I think now considering all this that No unless I know you personally I wont pass on any.

Yes, your experiences were similar to my own the other week. , I also allowed a last minute booking to be advertised on the forum, and emailed it around the general membership. I trust my own judgement and I reckoned that around 8 out of 10 D.J's on here would be both professional and reliable.

In the end, all I got for my trouble was abuse , but Thanks to a few of the members and Rob at Gemini for pulling out the stops and sorting it out. To the rest of you - Don't ever complain to me that you haven't got enough work! .

Note that I gave up my own Workload for the Afternoon in order to get YOU more business. There was nothing in it for me or the guy passing it on. Don't expect me to do it again!.

Well I'm still steaming from sitting at home on Sat night after being blown out .......... AND I had a deposit (seems some people just don't care) !!

Having re-read the thread, seems like some very bitter comments here, I like to think if I was in the shite for whatever reason (equipment failure, distressed bride etc etc) that I could come here and shout for help???

Is'nt that what we are all here for at the end of the day?

Ok I appreciate some of us check here more often than most, but if we can't support each other albeit with ideas or whatever, who can we turn to??

well thats not always true, Disco Diect advertised a gig, I contacted him got the details, rang the client and they booked me.

so the system does work.

not all bookings are going tyo get covered on this forum, there are a lot of factors such as location & availability. and obviously in my experiance a lot of DJ's are quite lazy

Spin, I agree with what you say and ditto. But don't be fooled, some members are here for the wrong reasons, and had they posted the complaints they made in the email then they would have been banned, whilst others are just plain old ungrateful

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Ok I appreciate some of us check here more often than most

I am aware of that, hence why the request was also sent by email as well as being posted. I suppose that was why the majority thought that (1) I had let somebody down, and (2) That I was running an Agency. Some people just can't recognise that you don't have to be paid in order to offer help . And for the record, I have never let one client down for the 15 years I have been in business!.

Ah I see now, is'nt it funny how people think though? It would never even have occurred to me that you had let somebody down, and we know you don't run an agency........... some people just don't read whats in front of them!

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could come here and shout for help???

But would any one reply to you?
If it failed on 2 attempts you'd be better contacting who you know locally, mits crossed it never happens to you

Now with my views and also Chris's I dont think the idea on passing on bookings amongst forum members is a good idea, we dont know each other have never been to one anothers gigs and personally speaking I dont need anymore bookings than I have at the mo.
If I said to you we've been established for say 15 years, you dont know if I'm telling the truth, or I've done Karaoke for 7 years, have top of the range gear latest chart songs, you dont know that either,
I could turn up at a function with an argos cdg player powered through an amp, & a selection of there sing cdg's.
What would the client say, Spindoctor passed this booking on.


We just dont know each other enough to do so better off passing on locally to who you allready know.

Yes I can see your point, what happens when you don't know anybody? (I personally work most weeks 6 out of 7 nights) last thing I want to do is go check out somebody else on my night off.

I appreciate the logistics of the problem all being so far spread out etc. but eg. Mikeee has seen me work and so has Discodirect, so some of us can vouch for others, and at the end of the day, you can tell fairly well by the maturity of the posts on here. You have to start trusting people somewhere!!

I am damn sure if the night was a disaster it would soon get back to the forum via whoever reccomended and said person would'nt be getting any more work from ANY of us!!

We are after all talking emergencies here, surely its not too much to ask that you trust the people you at least speak to every day?

You put your car in a garage, get a plumber, a builder, an electrician I guarantee you don't talk to any of them on a daily basis BUT you trust them to come in your home??

But it's your repatation.

You've been an established dj for moons, you've got regular weekly residencies that probaly give you other bookings & enquries.
You got a huge set up and your knowledge that you produce on here is amazing.
Mikee & DD have seen you in action and both praised you.
& this is your regular source of income.

Thats way to much to lose on recommending a dj that would not meet your standards.

A possible answer to this type of solution is that we all join TVDJA, this would takes the responsibility from an individual level onto an organisation level..

We know that the TVDJA has certain requirements of entry inc. PLI & PAT, which as stated before in this forum in lots of threads, does not guarantee that you are any good but at least it shows you are a caring and responsible dj.

Surely most of the mobile dj's/kj's here are honest hard-working reliable people and the full time professionals amongst us are exactly that. In this day and age they wouldn't survive with tatty gear and a poor performance record. Personally, I would have no hesitation in booking or recommending Mikee, Spin, Ian Stewart , Chris P etc. without ever seeing them.

All professional associations, accountants, doctors, lawyers, builders etc.. have an administrative organisation. Alright in ours, you wouldn't need educational qualifications to join but that doesn't prevent such an organisation being formed or the reputation of an existing one, eg TVDJA, from being enhanced into being the leader in its field.

An idea could be that such dates, whereby a late replacement is needed could be advertised by appointed moderators through a link onto the TVDJA web site. I know that Mikee has said many times before that he has had horror stories of people being let down at the last minute.

There will always be cowboys out there, but if someone is recommended for the replacement event as a member of an official association, they put their membership on the line

I for one am sorry that Chris had to suffer any grief for what at the time seemed the right thing to do.

Hmmmm what do I say to that lovely post?

I still think I am not naieve enought to believe that one emergency booking could destroy my reputation, people who know me etc. would continue to book. Surely there is another side in that "It was'nt his fault, the replacement was'nt as good, but at least we were'nt left to find somebody at the last minute (or even worse could'nt find somebody)

We may have to agree to differ.............. (and I'll carry your speakers)

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(and I'll carry your speakers

Great

I'm just glad I never got a beating for moons

Well, I for one feel badly let down by the attitudes of some members of this forum. I get the general impression that should any client contact them at the last minute for a booking, then their attitude would be "Serves you right, you should have booked me in the first place" . I'm sorry but I speak my mind and with SOME that is the impression that i'm getting!.

With regard to trust, well some people are having difficulty following the basic rules on this forum, so would I trust them with my Reputation!!!???.......

when i pass work on, i tell the client whether i have seen the DJ or not, after the booking is between 2 people it up to the client to take care.

after all we have all had gigs that did not go quite as we'd have hoped, does that make us bad DJ's

answer no, it just did not happen that night for whatever reason, and the next 50 bookings will be fantastic, but you know you will not get any repeat bookings from the bad gigs

Hmmmm well to carry on.......... I actually spoke to (name withheld) a 'professional' Karaoke/Disco roadshow local to me, about providing his services at our local hall. No problem on date, price was ok, HAD heard he was ok...........???? So I get to nitty gritty to protect my youth club kids.

You do have public liability insurance? "No mate thats the halls responsibility" So one of my kids electrocutes themselves on your equipment even by accident? "Don't worry I'm a professional the Hall covers all that" The hall has told me that you must have your own even though they do have PLI. "I'm a full time professional mate, if they have it you don't have to worry"

Ok they also want to see your PAT certificate "Whats one of them then"? Portable appliance test certificate " Nah mate never been asked, just tell em we've got one" They want to see it first " Wait till the day and I'll tell them I left it at home"

Thank you I'll get back to you!

Is this attitude worrying? criminal? what do others think I should do now, apart from not book him obviously!!!!

I don't know why we bother...we should just let them all fry!!.

The D.J that is, not the kids!...they should be sent to work up chimneys and sold as cheap labour for D.J Equipment Suppliers

Only Joking!

Anyway, his comments are irresponsible at best, but at least he didn't try to mislead you (The Customer) by saying that he HAD something that he didn't, that would have been criminal

Basically, he doing nothing wrong, as daft as it sounds, he's not misleading you, or trying to pass himself off as being legit when he's not!. Maybe at the end of the day the average Joe Public Doesn't give a damn as long as he gets it cheap(er) how many times have you been asked how much you can "knock off" for cash!! - Sometimes the client can be more crooked than the D.J.

I think I've missed something here

Sorry Mikeee it was in another thread that in what little spare time i have I run a youth club too. I was trying to book a local disco!!!