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<blockquote data-quote="Tim McCulloch" data-source="post: 43884" data-attributes="member: 67">Re: Lifting heavy boxes/ what&#039;s your approach?It depends on the crank up stand... if it uses the pole mount, you&#039;re gonna need a helper.&nbsp; I have no problem telling clients I need a helper at their gig.&nbsp; I try to make quick and effective use of them.&nbsp; If the client says &quot;we can&#039;t provide such help&quot; I add $100 to the price and hire a friend to help with the in and out.&nbsp; If the client complains I remind them that finding me a helper for 30 minutes, for the in and out, will make the $100 fee go away.&nbsp; I&#039;ve also found, when working hotel ballrooms and similar facilities, that a $10 tip to a houseman will get me some low skill labor for the brief times I need help.You need to build help into your fee structure or come with with lifts that the speakers hang under, rather that sit on top of.&nbsp; Then you&#039;d need help with the lifts.... <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f641.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":(" title="Frown&nbsp; &nbsp; :("&nbsp; data-smilie="3"data-shortname=":(" />Also I saw your post about stairs and similar architectural obstacles.&nbsp; Nothing I take to gigs like yours are bigger or heavier than a person in a wheel chair, so I ask about handicap accessibility.&nbsp; If the only access is up or down stairs, I tell the client there is a &quot;PITA&quot; (pain in the access) fee to pay for help.And about client-supplied help... easier to have on the load in, but they seem to disappear when you need them on the out, or they&#039;ve had more to drink than you&#039;re comfortable with, etc.&nbsp; I usually get what we used to call a &quot;loader deposit&quot; that was $100 per helper, in CASH ONLY, at the time of arrival.&nbsp; If the agreed-upon helpers were there at the in, half the money immediately was refunded to the client.&nbsp; If the help was all there on the out, the remaining deposit was immediately refunded upon conclusion of the out.&nbsp; If help was missing, I got on the phone and called up a couple of buddies, who I paid with the client&#039;s cash.&nbsp; Will this be off-putting to some clients?&nbsp; Yes.&nbsp; And they are the kind of clients that don&#039;t care about your 64 year old back or anything else.&nbsp; These are the kind that you simply hire help and build the cost into your fee.Injuring yourself or others because the client is a cheap-ass or books their events in inaccessible venues is a form of martyrdom... and the only successful martyrs are dead martyrs.&nbsp; Don&#039;t hurt yourself because simple-minded clients don&#039;t understand the personal injury risks, simply get assistance or decline their gig.&nbsp; None of this shit is worth hurting yourself over.Have fun, good luck.Tim Mc</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Tim McCulloch, post: 43884, member: 67"] Re: Lifting heavy boxes/ what's your approach? It depends on the crank up stand... if it uses the pole mount, you're gonna need a helper. I have no problem telling clients I need a helper at their gig. I try to make quick and effective use of them. If the client says "we can't provide such help" I add $100 to the price and hire a friend to help with the in and out. If the client complains I remind them that finding me a helper for 30 minutes, for the in and out, will make the $100 fee go away. I've also found, when working hotel ballrooms and similar facilities, that a $10 tip to a houseman will get me some low skill labor for the brief times I need help. You need to build help into your fee structure or come with with lifts that the speakers hang under, rather that sit on top of. Then you'd need help with the lifts.... :( Also I saw your post about stairs and similar architectural obstacles. Nothing I take to gigs like yours are bigger or heavier than a person in a wheel chair, so I ask about handicap accessibility. If the only access is up or down stairs, I tell the client there is a "PITA" (pain in the access) fee to pay for help. And about client-supplied help... easier to have on the load in, but they seem to disappear when you need them on the out, or they've had more to drink than you're comfortable with, etc. I usually get what we used to call a "loader deposit" that was $100 per helper, in CASH ONLY, at the time of arrival. If the agreed-upon helpers were there at the in, half the money immediately was refunded to the client. If the help was all there on the out, the remaining deposit was immediately refunded upon conclusion of the out. If help was missing, I got on the phone and called up a couple of buddies, who I paid with the client's cash. Will this be off-putting to some clients? Yes. And they are the kind of clients that don't care about your 64 year old back or anything else. These are the kind that you simply hire help and build the cost into your fee. Injuring yourself or others because the client is a cheap-ass or books their events in inaccessible venues is a form of martyrdom... and the only successful martyrs are dead martyrs. Don't hurt yourself because simple-minded clients don't understand the personal injury risks, simply get assistance or decline their gig. None of this shit is worth hurting yourself over. Have fun, good luck. Tim Mc [/QUOTE]

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