Clients

Dick Rees

Dick Rees

Curmudgeonly Scandihoovian
Jan 11, 2011
1,551
0
0
St Paul, MN
There are frequent postings on the various forums about how to find clients/work. I'm more interested (at this point) in hearing about who you've let go / fired / told to take a hike. When is it just not worth it to deal with the crap and get only money?

All stories appreciated.
 
Re: Clients

While there have been a couple of clients that I discontinued business with by mutual agreement (Regardless of my doubts, I supplied what they asked for and when their ideas failed they blamed me.), there was one very memorable instance: Outdoor street dance featuring well-known country band. After soundcheck I gave the promoter my bill (for the agreed-upon amount) and the promoter took me into the band bus to chat with the band's RM. The promoter showed my invoice to the RM and asked "Does this seem like a fair price?" Fortunately the RM was a very diplomatic person and explained that Yes, the total looked reasonable for this part of the world. Promoter went ahead and begrudgingly paid me with a Burger King bag full of cash.

I have no idea what might have happened if the RM had been less diplomatic, and I never intend to find out. I later rejected multiple attempts by this promoter to schedule my services and will continue to do so.
 
Re: Clients

Milt Hathaway said:
Outdoor street dance featuring well-known country band. After soundcheck I gave the promoter my bill (for the agreed-upon amount) and the promoter took me into the band bus to chat with the band's RM. The promoter showed my invoice to the RM and asked "Does this seem like a fair price?" Fortunately the RM was a very diplomatic person and explained that Yes, the total looked reasonable for this part of the world. Promoter went ahead and begrudgingly paid me with a Burger King bag full of cash.
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Classy guy.

I've spent some energy in recent years talking to farmers/aspiring horse competition folks. They fall over at the price of a couple Mackie 450s, and re-fall over when I tell them that covering 30 acres takes more than a couple Mackies. This is after 2 or 3 attempts where they have tried the Tapco Thump/Fender Passport options and have failed. After the second fall-over, I usually tell them to call me back when they can stomach the $10,000+ to do even basic paging halfway correctly.

Attempting to develop a sense of value for this kind of thing in folks that don't currently have that sense of value is pretty futile. After they crash and burn enough times, if they're still operating, then we have a chance.
 
Re: Clients

Dick Rees said:
There are frequent postings on the various forums about how to find clients/work. I'm more interested (at this point) in hearing about who you've let go / fired / told to take a hike. When is it just not worth it to deal with the crap and get only money?

All stories appreciated.
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I had a recent one that ended in the police being involved. I'll leave out some irrelevant details that relate to the (still pending) trial. I had done a couple small events for a client. He struck me as kind of Willy Lowman lost soul, talking about his great achievements that never quite materialized. Nevertheless, he needed a pair of CDJ's and and DJ mixer for an event. Since he doesn't have a car and the venue was around the corner from my shop I agreed I could swing them by for him. He said he's be there at 9pm so I should arrive 9:15 to 9:30. I was there at 9:14 and received at text that he would be there in 5. At 9:45 a get a call saying that traffic was bad and that he'd actually be there in 5. Traffic wasn't bad, which I knew, so I was a bit pissed. The time waiting had already made the rental pointless.

I have a reputation of going out of my way to make things happen, but it only works with clients that reciprocate the goodwill. Anyways, after getting money and paperwork filled out, I tell him I have to rush off but that everything was gone through at the shop and to call me if there are any issues. 5 minutes later he calls to say an RCA is missing which he hadn't bothered to look for. First problem solved. 30 minutes later he calls saying my mixer is broken - only the left side is working and the booth out is dead. He's says the soundman from the venue "who's been doing this longer than you've been alive" confirmed that it is dead. I tell him I can swing on by, but that if the problem is not related to my equipment there will be a service call fee of $50. I also told him I could walk him over some things on the phone, but he was 100% certain the mixer was dead.

No problem. I grab another DJM 800 and swing by the venue with my trouble shooting kit. Left side not working? RCA wasn't fully inserted! Booth out dead? 'Soundman' had plugged a passive wedge directly into the booth output with a patch cable! I repatch with some of the adapters in my kit from the booth output into the installed snake and adjust the booth send from the ancient Mackie at FOH. All was working within 5 minutes. The client refused to sign the service form and accused me of being a number of undesirable things before his friends calmed him down. Finally his friend signed. I took the unusual step of returning to the venue before the event finished to retrieve my equipment where the client continued to berate me for failings that were obviously his own. I said I had had enough, informed him I would be mailing him the invoice and grabbed the the cases and made for the door, at which point chased and punched me. I'm a big boy and am hardly defenseless, but two days prior I had just paid my fall tuition for law school - I'm not about to let a stupid rental descend into a brawl. I left and immediately drove to the police station and filed a report, the initial result of which is that the man may no longer contact me.

It's sure one way to end a client relationship!
 
Re: Clients

I agree with Marlow - a person like that is not worth the time of day, let alone the pain to my hand. Marlow did the right thing - I'm not sure I would have bothered with the police - again, my estimation of that person's worth.
 
Re: Clients

frank kayser said:
I agree with Marlow - a person like that is not worth the time of day, let alone the pain to my hand. Marlow did the right thing - I'm not sure I would have bothered with the police - again, my estimation of that person's worth.
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I should reiterate that there were other elements that I haven't fully elaborated (including uttering death threats) that caused me to proceed as I did.

I've never filed a police report for personal reasons, but the behavior and demeanor of this man was so outrageous it needed to be documented. Civilized people need to resolve problems with something other than mano-y-mano violence and the proclivity towards aggression, threats and assaults of this fully grown man (he's almost twice my age) needs to be kept track of. I also take comfort knowing that if I see the man in a public place he, and not I, will be the one who has to leave.

It was an interesting night, to say the least.
 
Re: Clients

Marlow Wilson said:
I should reiterate that there were other elements that I haven't fully elaborated (including uttering death threats) that caused me to proceed as I did.

I've never filed a police report for personal reasons, but the behavior and demeanor of this man was so outrageous it needed to be documented. Civilized people need to resolve problems with something other than mano-y-mano violence and the proclivity towards aggression, threats and assaults of this fully grown man (he's almost twice my age) needs to be kept track of. I also take comfort knowing that if I see the man in a public place he, and not I, will be the one who has to leave.

It was an interesting night, to say the least.
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Ah - the ancient curse: "May you live in interesting times!"

My apologies - I did not intend to infer that the police report was either excessive or superfluous - there is no doubt in my mind that your actions were both proper and necessary. My personality, once the heat of battle is over, is to move on - I tend to let things pass that I should not. I probably would not have had the cool you exhibited by not getting into it right there and then.

Hope things go well for you in court.

frank
 
Re: Clients

Marlow Wilson said:
I should reiterate that there were other elements that I haven't fully elaborated (including uttering death threats) that caused me to proceed as I did.

I've never filed a police report for personal reasons, but the behavior and demeanor of this man was so outrageous it needed to be documented. Civilized people need to resolve problems with something other than mano-y-mano violence and the proclivity towards aggression, threats and assaults of this fully grown man (he's almost twice my age) needs to be kept track of. I also take comfort knowing that if I see the man in a public place he, and not I, will be the one who has to leave.

It was an interesting night, to say the least.
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Hello,

In cases such as this, it would be wise to file a police report, and possibly a Protection Order. It can be your defense if this person and you, were to cross paths and they meant to inconvienience or cause you harm. ... say for example, that this person cornered you and you happened to grab a Mic stand and protect yourself by ...... at least it's on record that you felt threatened enough to have to protect yourself and there was a documented history of their threat.

Hammer

ps. straight mic stands work just fine.... old Atlas models are the best
 
Re: Clients

It's not a story, but I'm of the opinion that good clients pay for bad clients, and that's just not fair... so in respect for good clients, I suggest that bad clients should be black-listed with those that "we reserve the right to refuse service" as soon as they are identified.
 
Re: Clients

W. Mark Hellinger said:
It's not a story, but I'm of the opinion that good clients pay for bad clients, and that's just not fair... so in respect for good clients, I suggest that bad clients should be black-listed with those that "we reserve the right to refuse service" as soon as they are identified.
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Thanks for that, Mark. That is a very reasonable and businesslike approach. Your answer was worth starting the thread in the first place.
 
Re: Clients

Blacklisting is an illegal labor practice.

<edit - not sure that applies to clients though - I'll have to look that one up>
 
Re: Clients

Steve Hurt said:
Blacklisting is an illegal labor practice.

<edit - not sure that applies to clients though - I'll have to look that one up>
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If you're supplying a service, you can price it any way you like so long as it's not done for any of the "discriminatory" reasons like race, gender, etc.

The problem with a blacklist, though, is that at some point a provider who's hungry enough WILL service those clients (and probably for far too little income). The blacklist does nothing to educate, train, or even punish stupid people.

Have fun, good luck.

Tim Mc
 
Re: Clients

Tim McCulloch said:
If you're supplying a service, you can price it any way you like so long as it's not done for any of the "discriminatory" reasons like race, gender, etc.

The problem with a blacklist, though, is that at some point a provider who's hungry enough WILL service those clients (and probably for far too little income). The blacklist does nothing to educate, train, or even punish stupid people.

Have fun, good luck.

Tim Mc
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Yes, and we SHOULD punish stupid people...especially stupid clients.

Cheers,
Hammer
 
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