What can we do if customer cancelled job 1 week B4 wedding?

[EiRiK]

-collect a bigger deposit. i collect 50% on reservation and the rest cod.

-in case u are thinking, no point setting a cancellation fee in the agreement, they wont even answer your call after cancelling, let alone meet u to pay u cancellation $$.

-order custom albums after the AD, anyway u still need time to edit the pix.

-dont offer AD and ROM as 1 package if they are 1yr or more apart. if u do, at least collect a bigger deposit. eg, 50% on confirmation, another 20% at the ROM.

-search the net for sample contracts/agreements. get an idea, then come up with your own. dont worry about terms and conditions that sound too harsh or to the disbenefit of the clients, if they really like your work and are reasonable ppl, they will normally agree to the terms.

 

[eow]

Hi can i know whats AD wedding? Heard of it many times.

actual day wedding

 

[artbox]

that being said.. jus being kaypoh are the cancellation due to the wedding being cancelled? or ur services being rejected?
if its the former yeah i think hard to chase for more money. even though they were at fault..

Am not that sure too. They cancelled last minute.
If my services was rejected, I want to find out too & why but can't get them to say. The Solemnization clients was more then happy with my service and they ordered the Magazine album. But also cancelled a week B4 wedding.
I suspected that both may go for a lower fee photographer where they may offer low which can cover up my customer deposit $.
Eg: my price $1000 minus $100 deposit = $900 balance
Someone offered $700 with same package, so no lost for customer but a lost for this low price photographer lah...
Anyway, I received a lot of good advice form fellow CS. Thank you so much. I be more careful.
I ordered my album a month b4 weddings, now I may ordered after a wedding.

 

[artbox]

You still can try to sell them the album just to get your costs back, it can not be used for other couples anymore isn't it?

HS

I don't think this type of customer care for it. If they have feelings they will call me. I have contact them with no reply.

 

[artbox]

You mean you after took their ROM .... and you pass them the photo, and they go cancel your AD wedding ?

I think it is quite obvious .... i think they dun like your styles and way of your photography. Maybe it is very different from your sample you show them ... :embrass:

i think that no choice lor ... and you already earn their money from the ROM le, so that additional album wont make you loss money right? .. just keep that album and nexttime use it do another sample for presentation lar ...

As stated, they cancelled one week B4 wedding. If they don't like my style I can accept it, but they love it and ordered an add-on Magazine album but a waste, right now. Their Solemnization money was less then the total amount for both days which I can't even cover the Mag album. Maybe can auction at Yahoo hehehee..

 

[pixelArtwork]

Maybe they did not hold AD afterall. :dunno:

 

[varf]

you win some, you lose some.. perhaps you should just write it off, send them the unused album and save yourself the heartache?

slightly off but similar, the following thread in the FM forums wedding photographers section might be of interest - http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/595595

 

[artbox]

Personally, I'm thinking of write it off. But giving them the album???
They don't even have a courtesy to reply when I contacted them via sms, email call not pick up. what is your advice? :dunno:Send it personally to their house?

Anyway appreciated your advice on the write it off...

you win some, you lose some.. perhaps you should just write it off, send them the unused album and save yourself the heartache?

slightly off but similar, the following thread in the FM forums wedding photographers section might be of interest - http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/595595

 

[contaxable]

Am not that sure too. They cancelled last minute.
If my services was rejected, I want to find out too & why but can get them to say. The Solemnization clients was more then happy with my service and the ordered the Magazine album. But also cancelled a week B4 wedding.
I suspected that both may go for a lower fee photographer where they may offer low that can cover my customer deposit.

It is a common trick in biz to pay for couple's deposit with a freelance. Any couple that steps into a bridal studio are potential clients and the sales team will go all out to read their minds and sooth their egos. Before they knew it, checkmate: the receipt booklet is in front of them to make a payment towards a commitment. The Singapore scene is nothing compared to Taipei. I walked along the stretch of famous bridal shops at Taipei some years back. Over at a few shops, the sales ladies literally pulled me and my partner into their shop to do sales pitching. It was really difficult to leave those shops once we were in. Perhaps the couple did that at an impulse.

But it looks like a done deal here and so you cant do much but look forward to your next biz deal. I feel sorry for you, but hope the incident made you stronger & wiser.

 

[artbox]

Thank you for that good motivation.
I will be stronger for sure. As a full time photographer, I hv no choice but to go on...

It is a common trick in biz to pay for couple's deposit with a freelance. Any couple that steps into a bridal studio are potential clients and the sales team will go all out to read their minds and sooth their egos. Before they knew it, checkmate: the receipt booklet is in front of them to make a payment towards a commitment. The Singapore scene is nothing compared to Taipei. I walked along the stretch of famous bridal shops at Taipei some years back. Over at a few shops, the sales ladies literally pulled me and my partner into their shop to do sales pitching. It was really difficult to leave those shops once we were in. Perhaps the couple did that at an impulse.

But it looks like a done deal here and so you cant do much but look forward to your next biz deal. I feel sorry for you, but hope the incident made you stronger & wiser.

 

[xl1]

don't order the album 1st, let them wait for the album

 

[vince123123]

Artbox: Just some advice for you.

You do not need to have terms in the agreement that say theyw ill pay penalty if they cancel (such terms are called liquidated damages terms).

If they cancelled, it counts as breach, and you are entitled to claim damages from them anyway.

The cheapest way for you to get legal redress is to bring it up to the Small Claims Court. Since you have a written Agreement in place, your job will be veyr much easier. Most laymen will get a shock when they see a writ of summosn issued against them.

If you need more advice, do ask and I'll try to assist you.

I think such cases are hard to pursue $ from the clients. Unless in your agreement says that they will pay penalty if they cancel job after a specific time frame. Even so with the agreement I still feel its kind of hard to get back the $.

For future cases, maybe you can get them to pay a deposit incase they jump bail. Also dont order the album so early. After the shoot done then order, unless the album will take a long time to deliver then bo bian. just my thoughts.

 

[Enchanted]

Hey people, in wedding biz there will be time you make some money, and at times ( if you are inexpereince or careful ) you may loose a little ...

Move-on, and learn from it ! ...

On the positive note, without it, you never know the reality of doing a wedding trade and dealing with bad clients, etc.

If your bad clients or payments does not incurr more than your 10% of your turn-over, than you are OK.

Having said that, from my experiences, a good client will never bother about deposits or how much is the security deposit payment needed for the booking or reserved the weding date(s) ... they will just agreed to the amount you quote in the contract, and a few even paid in full -- upfront ( fearing that you may not serve them or someone else is offering you 'better' for the wedding dates ).

It's expected that one should be prepared for such bad debts, and factored-in such risk into your books and practice.

Good luck and all the best !

 

[snowspeeder]

Yes it is important for photographers to learn the art of business to protect themselves when dealing with different kinds of client. Knowing how to take great photos alone just can't really make it.

 

[catchlights]

don't waste anymore time on this type of customers,
you already know they are cheapo, just forget it and move on

 

[artbox]

Thank you to everyone who have given good advice and comments.
Aprreciated the contribution. specially to Catchlights, vince123123, Varf (for the good link), Joe, Belle&Sebastain and many more.

I do hope in CS forum there is a simple guidelines on some Terms & Condition or simple Legal advice to let us, as a Full time Photographer or Freelance to know how to tackle this kind of problems.

At least we will be more prepared and have a professional Agreement/contract letter.

I hv totaly forget abt the $ to claim but juz need some good advice & comments from anyone who really face the experience on this kind of senario like a week B4 wedding cancellation. What you actually do or proceed etc.

 

[jetfynn]

Am not that sure too. They cancelled last minute.
If my services was rejected, I want to find out too & why but can get them to say. The Solemnization clients was more then happy with my service and the ordered the Magazine album. But also cancelled a week B4 wedding.
I suspected that both may go for a lower fee photographer where they may offer low that can cover my customer deposit.
Eg: my price $1000 minus $100 deposit = $900 balance
Someone offered $700 with same package, so no lost for customer but a lost for this low price photographer lah...
Anyway, I received a lot of good advice form fellow CS. Thank you so much. I be more careful.
I ordered my album a month b4 weddings, now I may ordered after a wedding.

The way to solve this would be to increase the deposit paid and also do the album only after the AD. One more thing, from experience, AD wedding pictures can be delivered 2-3 weeks after the wedding. Just put that in the agreement.

At least have time to do up the album later instead of being in a dilemma over the cancellation.

 

[Enchanted]

A good rule of thumb will be :

If the potential Clients are uncomfortable about paying upfront, such as security deposit or Reservation & Booking fee, you should honestly explain the rationale of doing so, and if they still can't comprehend, then reject them and move-on.

Don't just take the job becos you are 'desperate' or thinking they will surely paid in full later.

A serious Wedding Pro will Never Ask for deposit --- He Demands it ! :thumbsup:

- - -

 

[randytay]

It all depends on what is written in the contract.

Sometimes, there are no better way of communication other than as is, meaning that, if you expect the client to do something, you have to tell him/her, otherwise it will be "I thought, she thinks but nobody confirms".

For my personal personal practice, this is what I do:

50% upon confirmation, i.e. signing of contract.

50% one week before day of job. (I tell them that the wedding day is a very stressful daqy so I don't like to talk about money on that day. Sometimes I have client who says they are more comfortable to pay on that day, which, depending on my gut feeling, might agree).

And allow 3 weeks after the day of to provide proofs, and another 3 weeks minimum
(from date of selection) to deliver final products. This way, you will always be assured of payment upfront first.

And one more thing: no refund upon cancellation, because I have block of that date for them so if they cancel, they must compensate me for loss of opportunity. Hope that helps.

 

[conquer500]

suggest tat u include 50% upfront upon agreement of T&C n signing the quotation or agreement.

non-refundable of cos should they cancel.


collect the rest of the 50% on C.O.D terms.

dun commit on albums and such but only upon collection of the first 50% to be really safe.

and what happen if after collecting the 50% the photographer fails to turn up during the AD.