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I got an email from a woman who had taken my business card after seeing me at one of my residencies. She asked me if I did private functions - the answer obviously was yes.

She asked me for a price for a 2 hour private booking but before I gave her a quote I asked her the usual questions - what kind of event was it? How many people would be there? Location? etc etc.

She replied that it was a "reception" along with the other details I had requested. I went back with a quote but she was surprised at my fee as she had called the venue where she had originally seen me and asked how much I charged. They were stupid enough to give her this price. I then had to explain that this rate was not only confidential, but was much lower than the quote I had given her as I was contracted to appear there weekly.

We finally agreed on a price, but as soon as I confirmed my fee she revealed it was in fact a wedding reception, something she had deliberately not mentioned prior to this point during any of our emails. Obviously had I known it was a wedding my fee would have been different, and I think she knew this which is why she didn't tell me from the beginning.

So basically do you think I've made my bed now I should lie in it? Or go back to her and change the quote? Her whole attitude since our initial contact has left a bad taste in my mouth - she even tried to encourage me to reduce my fee in exchange for "some bubbly".

MagicBill wrote:Obviously had I known it was a wedding my fee would have been different

As someone who's currently shoveling money out of the window, sorry I mean planning a wedding, this dismays me. I know it's probably very common, but I don't see why you should have to charge more.

Is it just that the market will stand you hiking the price for weddings, or is there something about wedding receptions that makes it more difficult to perform? If so, then I would explain this to the client and give your wedding price as a revised quote.

But if the deal leaves a bad taste in your mouth before you even start then it might be best to give some excuse and avoid the potential hassle.

user24 wrote:But if the deal leaves a bad taste in your mouth before you even start then it might be best to give some excuse and avoid the potential hassle.

Yeah that's my thoughts too. The fact she tricked you into giving a lower price, made you lower it even more, and then tried offering alcohol as part of the payment unsettles me, so personally I'd run

If she's deceived you about the nature of the booking then she's not exactly playing fair, I'd have great difficulty in trusting her on anything else - who knows what other 'hidden features' you'll discover, such as being awkward about actually paying you...?

Are there other kinds of receptions?

Look on the bright side - your just going along for a few hours paid work, not marrying her.

V.E. Day wrote:Look on the bright side - your just going along for a few hours paid work, not marrying her.

This made me laugh!

I think you should do 3 things:

1) Go there for the negotiated price and make the most of it, distribute your business cards and hope for the best.

2) Talk to the people that gave your price out and explain kindly that this is a private matter between you two.

3) Put a mark in your Book of experience and get further details next time you're booked for a “reception”.

I don't blame her, I'm planning my wedding and am just about fed up with how the price doubles as soon as the W word gets mentioned. I may have forgotten to tell certain people that it's a wedding myself once or twice in the planning of it.

I personally don't like charging different fees for weddings, I have a flat rate that I charge regardless of the type of function.

Of course the way to cover yourself would be to have a contract which states that any deviation from the agreed format could result in a charge or the act being unable to perform.

Erwin wrote:Are there other kinds of receptions?

I wondered this myself...

Corporate Receptions with pre-dinner drinks and nibbles. Drinks receptions at art galleries etc.

I agree with the distributing your business cards to the hilt idea. It does sound a bit dodgy but i'd give her the benefit of the doubt over not mentioning the wedding part. If people are constantly organising the reception I suppose it would be easy to drop the 'wedding' & just say 'reception'. Take someone along with a video or stills camera & get some marketing material from it. Obviously without mentioning it to them beforehand. I don't think this would be unfair.

russpie wrote:I agree with the distributing your business cards to the hilt idea. It does sound a bit dodgy but i'd give her the benefit of the doubt over not mentioning the wedding part. If people are constantly organising the reception I suppose it would be easy to drop the 'wedding' & just say 'reception'. Take someone along with a video or stills camera & get some marketing material from it. Obviously without mentioning it to them beforehand. I don't think this would be unfair.

Agreed!

The other way of looking at this is that she's done you over like a kipper and you've let her.

Good luck to her I say although it's not nice it's certainly one for the experience book.

If you really don't want to do the booking or feel that "under charged" tell her you can't do it and she will have to go else where?

I certainly wouldn't take along people with a camera or anything though, you still have to play it proffessionally and treat her as you would any other client.

Agecroft wrote:I certainly wouldn't take along people with a camera or anything though, you still have to play it proffessionally and treat her as you would any other client.

Who's to say he doesn't do that at every gig? It's not beyond the realms of possibility.

OK, but surely she is employing him (having seen him performing at the restaurant) and not him and his camera crew. Unless his camera crew happened to be at the restaurant too?

To her he was performing a gig when she saw him in the first place?

Seems like he doesn't want to be ripped off but part of the reason he is unhappy is because he couldn't rip her off as he didn't know it was a wedding reception